Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-03-26


q of consolation and encouragement
for people in sorrow and adversely. The
text is Isaiah xviii. 81 IS: For the
ftches are not thrashed with a thrashing
instrument, neither is a calt wheel turn
ed aboat upon the cummin. but the fitches
are beaten ont with a staff and the cum
min with rod. Bread corn is bruised
because he viii not ever be thrashing it
Msfortunes Of various kinds come upon
various people. and in all times the great
need of ninetynine people out of hun
dfed is solace> Look, then, TO this neg
lected allegory of my text.
There are three kinds of seed mention
ed-itches, eummin and corn. OF the
last we all know. But it may be we'll to
state that the titches and the cummm
were small seeds. like the caraway or
the chickpea. When these grains or
herbs We're TO be thrashed they We're
throw. on the floor, and the workmen
would come around with staff or rod or
Hail and beat them until the seed would
be separated. but when the corn was to
be thrashed that was thrown on the floor,
and the men would fasten horses or oxen
to a cart with iron dented wheels; that
cart would be drawn around the thrash
ing floor. and so the work would be ac-
complished. Different kinds of thrashing
for different products. THE fitches are
not thrashed with a thrashing instru-
ment, neither is a cart wheel turned
about upon the cummin. but the ftches
are beaten cut with a staff and the cum
min with a rod. Bread corn is bruised
because he will not ever be thrashins it."
The great thought that the text presses
upon our souls is that we all go through
some kind of thrashing process. The fact
that you may be deyeting your life to
honorable and noble purposes will not
win you any escape. Wilberforce. the
Christian emancipation, was in his day
derisiyely called Doctor Cantwell."
Thomas Darlington Maeaulay. the advo-
cate of all that was good long before he
became the most conspicuous historian of
his day was caricatured in one of the
quarterly reviews as "Babbletongue Mac
a1lay.@ Norman Mcleod, the great
friend of the Scotch poor. was industri-
ously malgned in all quarters, although
on the dag when he was carried out to
his burial a workman stood and looked at
the funeral procession and said, IF he
had done nothing for anybody more than
ne has done for me, he would shine as the
stars forever and ever" All the small
wits of London had their fling at John
Wesley the father of Methodism. If
such men could not escape the maligning
Of the world. neither can you expect to
get rid of the sharp, keen stroke of the
trjbulum. All who viii live godly in
Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. Be
sides that. there are the sicsnesses and
the bankruptcies and the irritations and
the disappoinlaents which are ever put
ting a cup of aloes to your lip. Those
wrinkles on your face are hieroglyphics
which, if Veciphered. would make out
thrilling story of trouble. The footstep
Of the rabbit is seen the next morning
on the SNOW. and on the white hairs of
The aged are the footprints showing
whore swift trouble alighted
Troubles Come Unexpectedly.
Even amid the joys and hilarities of
life trorble will sometimes break in. As
wien the people were assembled in the
Charitstown theater during the Revolu
tionary War. and while they were wit
blessing farce and the audience was in
great graduation the guns of an advanc-
IN army were heard and the audience,
broke mp in wild panic and ran for their
lives, 80 oftentimes while you are seat
Ell amid the joys and festivities of this
world you hear the cannonade of some
great disaster. All the fitches and the
cummin and the corn must come down
On the thrashing floor and be pounded.
Ny subject. in the first place, teaches
us, that if is no compliment to us if we
escape great trial The fitches and the
tcummin on one thrashing floor might look
over to the corn on another thrashing
hoor and say: Look at that poor. mis-
cradle. bruised corn! We have only been
4 little pounded. but that has been al
most destroyed Well, the corn. If it
had lips, would answer and say: DO you
know the reason you have not been as
smuch pounded as | have? 1t is because
FoH are not of so much worth as / am.
II you were you would be as severely
eur over. Yet there are men who sup
pose they are the Lords favorites simply
because their earns are full and their
bank account is flush and there are no
funerals in the house. 1t may be because
they are ftches and cummin, while down
at the end of Inc lane the poor widow
max be the Lords corn. You are but lit
tie bounded because you are but little
cauSc she is the best part of the harvest
The heft Of the thrashng machine is ac-
cording to the value of the grain. If
yPqhare not been much thrashed in life.
perhaps there is not much 10 thrash.
Help us Bear Bnrdens.
Next. my text teaches us thai God
proportions our trials to what We can
bear-the staff for the titches the rod
for the cummin. the iron wheel for the
cofn. Sometimes people in great tro, Die
say, oh ! can't bear it," But YOU
dill bear if. God would not have sent it
upon You If he had not known that you
could sbear it. You trembled and you
swooned but You got through. God will
Not take fro4 your eyes one tear too
many nor from your lungs one sigh too
deep nor from your temples one throb too
sharp. The perplexities Of your earthly
business have not in them one tangle too
intricate You sometimes feel as il our
world were full of bludgeons flying hap
hazard oh, no; they are thrashing in
struments that God just suits to your
cAse. There is not dollar of bad debts
on your ledger or a disappointment abonr
goods that you expected to go up, but
tn / nave gene down, or a swindle OF
your business partner or a trick on the
Phrt of these who are in the same kind
of merchandise that you are but God IN
tended to eyerrule for your Immortal
help '0h, you say. there is no need
talking that way TO me. ! dom bike
To. be cheated and outraged" Neither
does the corn like the corn tbrasher. nut
- Il. .t