Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-29

history of my plea is this: Many years
ago, when young man, was engaged
to defend q poor farmer. His case
financially represented only few dol
lars. Think City dollar bill WINS my fee.
1t wasa small case, but the points OF the
law involved then were exactly the same
as the legal points which presented to
day. I went to Boston and bought
many books They cost me hundreds OF
dollars. spent four exhaustive month";
in work upon that cnse. l am receiving
today the reward of the mental labor
which expended for my country
friend" Mr.. Webster was twain
mile lawyer He was willing to do
more than he was asked or paid to do
The same facts which have been stated
in reference to the clerk and the law.
yer are true when applied to the sue.
cessful physician, the minister or in.
ventor. They can be applied to the true
temporal success of all men in every
department of life.
Now, God in the same way is testing
the spiritual availability and the future
usefulness of his servants He tests
them by their willingness to travel the
twain mile, to do more than they are
asked to do. He tests them by the way
they go and hunt up the poor invalids
in the back alleys. He tests them by
the way they are willing to assist in
some mission work. He tests them by
the way they are ready to teach In the
Sunday school and by the way they
| take part in the Christian Endeavor
| prayer meetings. He tests them by the
way the mistresses try to uplift the
| spiritual welfare Of the kitchen and by
the conversations the merchant has
with the young clerk in reference to
the salvation Of the boys soul.
My friend, you think your spiritual
position in life is very humble. but you
have twain mile to travel That
twain mile, whether It starts from the
nursery, the factory, the mechanic
bench, the laborer's ditch or the farm
er's plow, heads straight up to the
throne Of grace God is spiritually
judging you today by what you are
spiritually willing Of your own accord
to do for him.
The Angel of the Twain Mile.
The twain mile has for a guide the
angel Of inspiring hope. The man who
lives without ambition or without the
hope of making something better out
of his life is practically dead. He is
like the branch of tree in midwinter
All it's latent buds are frozen. Then
the sap Of life is unable to flow but
when the spring comes then the snow
fakes melt away. Then the air is redo
lent with incense. Then the tree takes
on new life. Later on, if the tree is
an apple tres, its branches are laden
with the golG,n fruits.
The pathway of the twain mile is al.
ways warmed by the life developing
sunshine of hope. The young man says
to himself: II am ready to work years
and years If necessary in an inconspic-
uous position. l am ready to work
hard and do more than l am asked tc
do because l know that at last my
employer will reward me with higher
position" The young college student
says, II am ready to bury myself in
my books and work hard because
know that at last there will come q
time when my industry will be recon
pensed as well as recognized"
The young man is led along the twar
mile of sacrifice the more willingly be
cause as lie walks hand in hand with
the sweet angel of inspiring hope he
reads the lives Of the great men of the
past. He finds that the position from
which some of them started to clmL
the mountain of fame and usefulness
was often more humble than that
which he is filling. He sees a poor
ignorant colored boy standing before
the billboard poster trying to learn how
to SPELL Then he sees the ignorant col
ored boy grow into the great orator
until Frederick Douglass name be
comes known over the civilized world
He sees a young man as Sunday
school teacher gather his own class OF
rough boys by going into one of the
poorest and most depraved sections OF
Chicago. Then he hears of that young
man, d. L. Moody, who was the great
est evangelist of the last century. He
sees DR.. Bernardo called to his grea'
work by being led by the hand Of O
street urchin to where fifteen little
boys We're spending a winter night ir
a coal bin. There the great human
savior of the London street arab saw
fifteen hungry urchins who were or
their way, but for his rescue, towart
the Gallows, the penitentiary or the
poorhouse. When the young maj
thinks of these great men, he says: 81
too, have a mission in life. |, too, car
accomplish some good for my fellow
men if / am ready to travel the twair
mile of self sacrifice"
So the sweet faced angel of hop,
leads the disciple Of Christ along thu
self sacrificing pathway of the twain
mile. She puts the Bible into the dis
ciple's hand and says: Read, Chris
tian; read. That Bible is the promis,
God has given to you. God declares
that If you will do what he bids 70,
do you shall have your reward TO-
travelling the twain mile for him."
Learning to Forgive.
The twain mile is the place where tn
Christian traveller upon life's journe,
learns how to forgive an injustice a
we'll as TO forget. Forgiveness is on
of the gospel fine arts. 1t is the powe
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