The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-03-20

IS SOOO SASOSu AO4 A4S' NSe - . - 49,
well go to man who has just entered
the Louvre at Paris and tell him to
hasten of to the picture galleries OF
Venice or Florence. Why" he would
say. what is the use of my gong
there? There are Rembrandts ano Hu-
benses and Titians here that have not
looked at yet" No man wants to go
,ut of this world or out of any house
nntil he has q better house.
To cure this wish to stay here God
,oust somehow create disgust for our
surroundings. How shall He Go it?
He cannot afford to efface His horizon
or to tear off g fiery panel from the
sunset or to subtract an anther from
the water lily or to Danish the pungent
aroma from the mignonette or to drag
the robes OF the morning in mire. You
cannot expect Christopher Wren to
mar his own St. Paul's cathedral or
Michael Angelo to dash out his own
Last Judgment" or Handel to dis
cord his "Israelin Egypt" and you can
not expect Goo to spoil the architecture
and music OF His owr world. How,
then, are we TO be made willing to
leave? Here is where trouble comes ID.
After 4 man has had good deal OF
trouble he says: "Well, am ready to
70. II there is house somewhere
whose roof does not leak. would like
to live there. If there is an atmosphere
somewhere that does not distress the
lungs, I would ike to breathe 1t. II
there is q society somewhere where
there is no title tattle, would like to
live there. Ifthere is a home circle some
where where can fnd my lost friends,
I would like to go there" He used to
read the first part of the Bible chiefly;
now he reads the last part of the Bible
chiefly. Why has he changed Genesis
for Revelation? All, be used to be an1-
ious chiefly to know how this world was
made and all about its geological cen
struction. Now he is chiefly anxiousto
know how the next world was made
and how il looks and who live there and
how they dress. He reads Revelation
ten times now where he reads Genesis
once. The old story, "11 the beginning
Goo created the heavens and the
EARTH" Goes not thrill him half as much
as the other story, 81 saw new Heaven
and a new earth" The OLD mans hand
treubles as he turns over this ePoc-
eIyptical leaf, and he has to take out
his handkerchief to wipe his spectecles.
That book of Revelation is a prospectus
now Of the country into which he is
soon to inuigrate; the country IN
which he has lots already laid out and
avenues opened and mansions built
It is trouble, ny friends that makes
US feel our dependence upon God. We
DO not know our own weakness Gods
strength until the last plank breaks. It
is contemplate in US that only when
there is nothing else to take hold Of
catch hold Of God. Why, do you know
who the Lord is? Eeis not an autocrst,
seated far up in palace, from which
Hs energes once a year, preceded By
heralds swinging swords to clear the
way. No. Ee is tather, willing at
our call to stand by US in every crisis
and predicanento Of life. tell you what
some Of you business men make me
think Of. A man is unfortunate in his
busin ess. he has to raise coed deal
of money, and raise it quickly. He bor-
rows on word and note all he can bor-
row. After awhile he puts a mortgage
n his house. After awhile he puts a
second mortgage on his house. Then
he makes over his life insurance. Then
he assigns all his property. Then he
goes to his father-in-Iaw and asks for
help. Well, having failed everywhere,
completely failed, he gets down on his
knees and says: "Oh, Lord, I have
tried everybody and everything; now
help me out of this financial trouble"
He makes God the last resort instead
Of the first resort
Again, it is the 1se of trouble to
capacitate Us for The Office Of sym
pathy. The priests, under the old
dispensation, were set apart by hay
ing water sprinkled upon their hands,
feet and head, and by the sprinkiing
Of tears people are now set apart to
the Office of sympathy. When we
are in prosperity, we like to have a
great many young people around Us,
and we laugh when they laugh, and
we ronp when they romp, and we
sing when they sing, but when we
have trouble we like plenty of old
folks around. Why? They know how
to talk. Take an aged mother, rs
years Of age, and she is almost ON
nipotent in comfort. Why? She has
been through it all. At seven o'clock
IN the morning she goes over to COM
fort a young mother who has just
lost her babe. Grandmother knows
all about that trouble. Fifty years
ago she felt it. At 12 o'clock Of that
day she goes over to comfort . wild
owed soul. She knows all about shot.
She has been walking in that dark
valley 20 years. At four o'clock in
the afternoon some one knocks at
the door, wanting bread. She knows
all about that. Two or three times
in her life she came to her last loaf.
At ten o'clock at night she goes over
to sit up with some one severely sick.
She knows all about it. She knows
all about feyers and pleurisies and
broken bones. She has been dee-
toring all her life, spreading plasters
and pouring out bitter drops and
shaking up hot pillows and contriv-
ing things to tempt g poor appetite.
Drs. Abernethy and Rush and Eosaek
and Harvey were great doctors, but
the greatest doctor the world ever
saw is an old Christian woman. Dear
me! Do we not remember her about
The room when we were sick in our
boyhood? Was there anyone whe
could ever so touch sore without
hurting it? And when she lifted her
spectacles against her wrinkled fore