Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-02-17

full in an insignificant position in life,
you would not be faithful in a grand
mission. If you cannot stand the bite
of a nudge, how could you endure the
breath of a basilisk?
Do not think that any work God
gives you to do in the world is on too
small a scale for you to do. The whole
universe is not ashamed to take care
of one little flower. Plato had a fable
which | have now nearly forgotten,
but it ran something like this: He said
spirits of the other world came back
to this world to find a body and find a
sphere of work. One spirit came and
took the body of a king and did his
work; another spirit came and took the
body of poet and did his work; after
awhile Ulysses came, and he said:
"Why. all the fine bodies are taken,
and all the grand work is taken. There
is nothing left for me-" And some one
replied, "Ah, the best one has been left
for you" Ulysses said, whats that?"
And the reply was, "The body of a
common man. doing a common work
and for a common reward" A good
fable for the world and just as good a
fable for the church. Whether we eat
or drink or whatsoever we do, let us
do it to the glory of God.
Religion of Everyday Life
Again, we need to bring the religion
of Christ into our cOmmOnest trials.
For severe losses, for bereavement, for
trouble that shocks like an earthquake
and that blasts like a storm, we pre-
scribe religious consolation; but, bust
ness man, for the small annOyances of
last week how much of the grace of
God did you apply? "Oh," you say,
"these trials are too small for such APP
plication." My brother, they are shap-
ing your character, they are sOuring
your temper, they are wearing out your
patience and they are making you less
and less Of a man. l go into a sculp
tors studio and see him shaping
statue He has a chisel in one hand
and mallet in the other. and he gives
a very gentle stroke-click, click, click!
l say, why don't you strike harder?"
| ooh" he replies, that would Shatter
the statue | can't do it that way. l
must do it this way" SO he works on,
and after awhile the features come
out, and everybody that enters the stu
diO is charmed and fascinated. Well,
God has your soul under process of de-
! velOpment, and it is the little annoy
ances and veXatiOns of life that are
chiseling out your immortal nature. 1t
is click, click, click! | wonder why
some great providence does not come
and with one stroke prepare you for
heaven. All, no. God says that is not
the way. And so he keeps on by strokes
of little annoyances, little sorrows, lit
tie veXations, until at last you shall be
a glad spectacle for angels and for
men. You know that a large fortune
may be spent in small change, and
vast amount of moral character may
go away in small depletions. 1t is the
little troubles of life that are having
more effect upon you than the great
ones. A swarm of locusts will kill
grainfield sooner than the incurSiOn of
three or four cattle. You say, "Since l
lost my child, since l lost my property,
| have been different man." But you
do not recognize the architecture of lit
tie annOyances that are heWing, dig
ging cutting, shaping, splitting and in
terjoining your moral qualities. Rats
may sink q ship. One lucifer match
may send destruction through block
of StOrehOuSes. Catherine de- Medici
got her death from smelling a poison
Gus rose Columbus, by stopping and
Go, OF nd inly
of water at franciscan convent, was
led to the discovery of the new world.
And there is an intimate connection be-
tween trifles and immensities, between
nothings and everythings.
Now, be careful to let none Of those
annoyances go through your soul unar-
raigned. Compel them to administer
to your spiritual wealth. The scratch
of sixpenny nail sometimes produces
lockjaw, and the clip of a most in
finitesimal annoyance may damage you
forever. Do not let any annoyance OF
perplexity come across your soul with
out its making you better.
Revenue of Spiritual Strength.
Our national government did not
think it bellttllng to put q tax on pms
and a tax on buckles and a tax on
shoes. The individual taxes do not
amount to much, but in the aggregate
to millions and millions of dollars. And
/ would have you, o Christian man,
put high tariff on every annoyance
and veXation that comes through your
soul. This might not amount to much
in single cases, but in the aggregate it
would be a great revenue of spiritual
strength and satisfaction. A bee can
suck honey even out of nettle, and if
you have the grace of God in your
!. heart you can get sweetness out OF
that which would otherwise irritate
and annoy. The only way to get pre-
pared for the great troubles of life is
to conquer these small troubles. And