Milford chronicle., 1902-08-29

gave to his children. After calling his
sons and daughters to his bedside the
dying father said: My children, have
seen lot of troubles in my time.
have seen so many troubles that they
have completely worn me out, and that
is the reason that l am now dying
when ! ought to be in my physical and
mental prime. But the saddest part
of it is that most of my troubles have
been imaginary troubles They have
been unnecessary troubles They have
not been troubles OF the imminent to
day, but the visionary tomorrow They
have been troubles which would never
have bothered me unless | had gone
forth and hunted them out of their
lairs and troubled them. The things
that have given me most concern have
been the things that never happened
So | charge you, my dear children, if
you would serve God with your best
physical, mental and spiritual powers
always obey the words which Christ
spake III his famous sermon: Take
therefore, 10 thought for the morrow,
for the morrow shall take thought for
the things OF itself Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof"
My glorious text teaches almost ex-
actly the same lesson that Mr. Beecher
once presented when he said: IAN
time is divided into three parasitic
past, the present and the future. The
tnIar,rr. TO
the present to contentmcnt and work,
the future should belong to only hope
and trust" Ii teaches that a dread OF
future evil is dishonoring to God, be-
cause it implies u doubt whether the
good God will be true to the trust we
have placed in him and whether he
will really keep the promises he has
made to his people. 1t teaches that
after a Christian has done his best
his level and conscientious best, he
should then joyfully and confidently
leave the future in Gods hands, and
in Gods hands alone 1t teaches that
no matter how hopeless. humanity
speaking, may be the outlook, if we
know and trust God we should let our
gospel faith chase away all the doubts
and worries and fears that fret and
tease and tantaliZe US in reference to
the future. even as the rising sun seat
ters the darkness and the impene-
trable gloom OF the night. 1t teaches
that no matter how dark and threat
ening may be the shrielling tornadoes
of trouble the gospel rainbows should
lie big enough to arch the widest of
horizons ana bright enough to smile
through even a shower of falling tears
Anticipated troubles rarely happen
| BY this statement I do not mean that
if man would cease to worry he
could get Il divine passport which
would protect him forever from the
rough hand of trouble. The cup OF
sorrow must be pressed against every
human lip The old eyes. as well as
the young eyes. must become fountains
Of tears. Death angel as well as brit
angel must flap the wing over a Pha
raoh's palace as we'll as over the poor
mans hut. 1t is by the broken hear
that God is able to make the songsteri
and songshesses sing their sweetes
music.
But. though troubles must and viii
come to the rich and the poor, the ole
and the young, alike. yet l make this
assertion about your past life: TIL,
troubles and misfortunes which yOr
anticipated and worried over rarely i
ever happened. AS our own philos
: Opher poet said:
Some of your ills you have cured.
t And the sharpest you still have sur
vived,
But what torments Of pain you've en-
dured
From evils that never arrived!
The Evils You Look For.
In ninety-nine cases out of a hun
= dred the troubles which did you tn
most serious damage were thos
troubles which, as a tiger. leaped upo
you unexpectedly from ambush, nc
the troubles that lay crouching an
glaring and threatening you in broa
/, daylight in the open pathway ju.
ahead. Those serious troubles cam
to you as the little pygmy was SUI
posed to have come to the king of ole
When the pygmy asked the great MOI
arch for permission to rule over a
the lands which his little, short lint
could cover in three steps, the roy;
consent was derisively given. The
> the insignificant dwarf Immediate
$ sprIng up into the stature of a hug
n giant. With one stride the gial
" stepped across the land; with anOth,
IS stride the giant stepped across Il
seas. and with a third stride the gial
lifted his sleIge hammer fist and swe
- the trembling king off his throne. YoI
troubles. to use a familiar compariso
came like clap of thunder and
stroke of lightning out of clear SIX
- They came like collision at sea or
l. the terrific explosion of a gunpowd
magazine They came as a thief, Il
by day, but by night in a way and
, time you did not expect them.
Let me illustrate how your troubl
81 came in an unexpected way Two
~ your three children were born physic
NJ. ly strong. Every movement of tn
ata limbs. every smile of their red lii
,es every look of their dancing eyes.
SEES spoke perfect health. They could r
Ie's up tie mountain side as swiftly al
ms gazclle chased by the dogs. t.
ms would climb a tree almost as Quic
for as a squirrel would seek his nest
the old orchard trunk Then tn
nj children would sit laughing and 81
ing and swinging upon one of
81. branches. But, though two of y
children were born physically well,
II third was born n poor, helpless inva
IN, You, the mother, worried about t
third child from the day when she '
born. For years not night passed
which you did not arise two or til
= times to go to the crib and give
L, necessary medicines. Did your wO
ing about that child do you any go
sS' Did your troubles come in the way
expected? Today your two child
Mai who were once strong are dead. d
iberia in one week slew them b
Your invalid daughter, about wi
you worried, has overcome her invG
TO. ism and grown into young Won
hood. She is now married and
. children Of her own. Your trou
came, but the panther leaped upon
an. from the rear and did not lie erOl
rsy ing in the open pathway ahead.
nE Some Useless Worries.
y A.. L...c.l......c. -. :.