The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-03-25

NNoAs
Jid the tanning against b.Tl of prison
gates. and the Ephesian yociferation.
md tie ankles skinned by the painful
stocks. and the laundering of the Alex
andrian corn ship. and the beheading
stroke Of the Roman sheriff to bring
raul TO his proper development. II
was not because Robert MoTat and
Lady Rachel Russell and Frederick
Oberlin were worse than other people
hat they had TO suffer. 1t was be-
cause they were better. and God want
eel TO make them best BY the careful
ness of the t%hrashing you may always
conclude the value of the grain.
EcIp, Us EeEr Burdens.
Next. my text teaches Us that God
proportions our trials to what we can
be"r-the staff for the ~litc,les. the rod
Tor the cummin. the iron wheel for the
corn. sometimes people in great trou.
bic say. oh. can't bear it," But Won
did bear il. God would not have sent
1t upon you if he had not known that
you could bear it You trembled and
20 swooned. but you got through.
God will not take from your eyes one
tear too many nor from your LUNGS
n sigh too deep nor from your tenn
pies one thrOb too sharp. The perplex-
tiles OF your earthly business have not
in them one tangle too intricate. You
sometimes feel as IL our world were
full OF bludgeons flying h~aphazard.
Oh, no; they are thrashing instruments
that God just suits TO your case. There
is not a dollar Of bad debts on your
ledger or 4 disappointment about goods
that you expected to 20 up but that
have gone down, or Il swindle OF your
business partner or Il trick Oh the part
or those who are in the same Kind of
merchandise that you arc. but God in
tended to override for your immortal
help. "Oh." you say. there is no need
talking that way to nae. | don't like
to be cheated and outraged" Neither
does the corn like the corn thrashcr.
but after it has been thraShed and
winnowed it has IL great deal better
opinion of ~winnOwing mills ard corn
thrashers.
Well" you say. IF | could choose
my troubles, ] would be willing to be
troubled" All. my brother. then it
would not be trouble. You would
choose something that would not hurt.
and unless it hurt it does not get sane
tilted. You trial perhaps may be child
l~essness. You are fond of children.
You say, Why does God send children
to that other household. where they are
Unwelcome and are beaten and banged
about when | would have taken them
in the arms of my a!fectiOn?" You say,
ANY other trial but this Your trial
perhaps may be a disfigured counte-
nance or a face that is easily caricatur-
ed. and you say, Il could endure any
thing if only | was good looking" And
your trial perhaps is II violent temper.
and you have 10 drive it like six un-
broken horses amid the cunpowder eX-
plosions of a great holiday. and ever
and anon it runs away with you. Your
trial is the asthma. You say, IF il
were rheumatism or neuralgia or cry
sipelas. but it is this asthma. and it is
such an eXhausting thing To breathe"
Your trouble is u husband. sharp. snap
by and cross about the house and rails
ing a small riot because Il button is OFF.
How could you know the button is off!
Your trial is Il wife ever in ntes
with the servants. and she is a SlOven.
Though she was very careful about her
appearance in your presence once. now
she is careless, because she says. her
fortune is made, Your trial is Il hard
school lesson you cannot learn, and you
have bitten your finger nails until they
are q sight to behold.
Complaining Against God.
Everybody has some veXatiOn OF an
nOyance or trial, and he or she thinks
it is the one least adapted. "Anything
but this" al say; anything but this"
My nearer, are you not ashamed to
be complaining all his time against
God? Who II. ages The affairs of this
world anyho Is it an infinite Mo-
doc or Il Sittir Bull savage or an ON
nipotent NaI Sahib? No; it is the
most merciful and glorious and wise
being in all the universe. You cannot
teach omnipotence anything. You have
fretted and worried almost enough.
Do you not think so? Some of you are
making yourselves ridiculous in the
S.Shl VI Lax ohSCIS. ASIS 40 a.
architect, and he draws out the plan Of
O ship of many thousand tor Many
workmen are engaged on it for a long
while. The ship is done, and some day.
with the flags up and the air gorgeous
with bunting. that vessel is launched
for Southampton. At that time a lad
six years of z comes running Gown
the dock with n toy boat which he has
made with his own jackknife. and he
says: Here. my boat is letter than
yours. lust lCok 1T this jibhoom and
these weather croSSjack braces. And
he drops his little boat beside the great
ship. and there is Il roar of laughter on
the decks. Al. my frieaGS. THAT great
ship is your life rs God planned it
vast, million tonued. ocean destined.
eternity bound! That little u is your
life as you were trying to hew ii out
and fashion it and launch it Do not
try TO be n rival of the great Jehovah.
God is always right, and in nine cases
@,% 30 @AD ~ nno H. sands