Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-10-10
Ps. evil: LIS. Oct. ID.

This is one of the Orphan
Psalms" The author is unknown,
but whoever he was, he knew
much of God, the Jewish nation,
and of human nature. So long as
good and evil co-exist in the world
the ministry of affection and sor-
row will have its use. Human
nature has been much the same i'll
all the ages. 1t has been hard for
people to be good i'll long uninter-
rupted prosperity. 1t is the school
of adversely that had graduated
the great heroes of the world The
best of men are on probation to
the very end of life. We have
found that it was so even with the
great Abraham, the father of the
faithful. And the history of the
Jewish nation was one continuous
record of alternating prosperity
and adversely, SHINING and repent
ing. No sooner are they released
from one affection and are blessed
with prosperity than they begin to
forget God, and wander i'll the
ways of sin again. SO that we
find in Gods dealings with them,
in order to make them His "pecu-
liar people," it was necessary for
Him to send them into exile, to
prison, and to afflict them i'll many
ways. "Whom the Lord lOveth,
He chasteneth. D." In the 43rd
verse Of this psalm we have the
explanation of these $ eemingly Sc
we're Affections: Whose is wise,
and will observe these things, ev-
en- they shall understand the low
ing kindness of the Lord"
The emphatic word here is, lob
serve" 1t has the meaning of
close attention and study. Who
so will look into these dispersal
tons of Gods providence will find
in them evidences of Gods loving
kindness in bringing men to re-
pentance and loving obedience.
The terrible drouth that is af-
hicting this country now, is bring
ing men to thoughtfulness, and
making them realize, as they have
never done before, their depend
ence upon God, and their ingrati-
tude for the abundant mercies of
the past. And so in every form
of affection in this life, if we OBJ
serve closely, we shall find that for
those who put their trust in the
Lord, it is meant for their good;
and we are assured in Gods word,
that, tho for time they are mot
joyous but grievous," yet eventu-
ally they will work out for us "a
far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory"
All good men and women have
their dark and rainy days. Our
own American sweet singer, Long
fellow, has given utterancc to the
universal heart in these beautiful
lines:
''Thc day is cold and dark and drcary.
| 1t rains and the wind is never weary
The vine still clings to the Wondering
wall.
But at every gust the dead leaves fall.
| And the day is dark and drcary.
My life is cold and dark and drcary;
| 1t rains and the wind is never weary:
My thoughts still cling to the Wondering
past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the
blast
| And the days are dark and drcary.
BE still. sad heart. and cease rcpining:
! Behind the clouds is the sun still shin
ing;
| Thy fate is the common fate Of all,
| Into each life some rain must fall,
| Some days must be dark and drcary."
To be able thus to speak to our
hearts, and bid them to see the
sun shining behind the clouds, is
the gift of faith, and enables the
trusting Christian to rest in peace
under the sorest Affections. As a
rule, the ripest Christians are
those who have eXper fenced the
most of these dark days. Many
of the saints of earth are cOmpell- |
ed to say with Jacob to Pharaoh:
Few and evil have the days of
the years of my life been" The |
discipline of sorrow seems abSO-