Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-03-29

HI
Helps Us Dear Burdens.
Next, my text teaches us that God
proportions our trials to what we car
bear-the staff for the fitches, the rod
for the cummin. the iron wheel for the
corn Sometimes people in great trou
bic say. "Oh, can't bear it." But you
did bear it. God would not have sent
1t upon you If he had not known that
you could bear it. You trembled and
you swooned but you got through
God will not take from your eyes one
tear too many nor from your lungs
one sigh too deep nor from your tenn
pies one thrOb too sharp. The perplex-
ities Of your earthly business have not
In them one tangle too intricate. You
sometimes feel as If our world were
full Of bludgeons flying haphazard.
Oh, mo; they are thrashing instruments
that God just suits to your case. There
Is not dollar Of bad debts on your
ledger or disappointment about goods
that you expected to go up, but that
have gone down, or q swindle Of your
! business partner or q trick on the part
OF those who are in the same kind OF
/ merchandise that you are, but God in
tended to overrule for your immortal
helps "Oh." you say. there Is no need
talking that way to me. | don't like
to be cheated and outraged" Neither
does the corn like the corn thrasher,
buti after 1t has been thrashed and
wnnowed it has a great deal better
opinion Of winnowing mills and corn
thrashers.
well" you say, III 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.
andunless It hurt it does not get sane
tilted. Your trial perhaps may be child
lessness 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 afectionW You say,
ANY other trial but this" Your trial
perhaps may be a disfigured counte-
nance or n face that Is easily carlcatur-
ed, and you say. IL could endure any
thing II only was good looking" And
your trial perhaps is a violent temper
and you have to drive II like six un-
broken horses amid the gunpowder eX-
plosions Of a great holiday. and ever
and anon it runs away with you. Your
trial is the asthma. You say, IF 1t
were rheumatism or neuralgia or cry
sipelas, but it is this asthma, and 1t Is
such an exhausting thing to breathe"
Your trouble is husband, sharp, snap
py and cross about the house and rails
ing a small riot because a button is off.
How could you know the button is off?
Your trial Is a wife ever In contest
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 a hard
school lesson you cannot learn, and you
have bitten your finger nails until they
are sight to behold. .f
Complaining Againsr God.
Everybody has some vexadOn or an
noyance or trial, and he or she thinks
it is the one least adapted. Anything
but this" all say; anything but this"
My hearer, are you not ashamed to
be complaining all this time against
God? Who manages the affairs Of this
world anyhow? Is 1t an infinite Mo-
doc or Il Sitting Bull savage or an ON
nipotent Mana Sahib? No; it Is the
most merclful 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
sight OF the angels. Here is naval
architect, and he draws out the plan Of
a ship Of many thousand tons. 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 age comes running down |
the dock with toy boat which he has
made with his own jackknife. and he |
says: Here, my boat Is better than |
yours. Just look at this jibboom and |
these weather crossjack braces" And |
he drops his little boat beside the great |
ship, and there Is q roar Of laughter on |
the decks. All, my friends, that great |
ship Is your life as God planned it
vast, million tonned. ocean destined,
eternity bound. That little boat Is your
life as you were trying to hew 1t out
and fashion It and launch It Do not
try to be a rival of the great Jehovah. |
God is always right and in nine cases
out Of ten you are wrong. He sends
Just the hardships. just the bankrupt
cies Just the cross that 1t Is best for
you to have. He knows what kind OF
grain you are. and he sends the right I
kind of thrashlng machine. 1t will be
rod or staff or iron wheel just accord
ing as you are ftches or cummin or
corn.
Again. my subject teaches that God
keeps trial on us until we let go. The
farmer shouts "Whoaw to his horses
rs soon as the grain Is dropped from
he stalk. The farmer comes with his
fork and tosses up the straw, and he
lees that the straw has let go the grain
md the grain is thoroughly thrashed.
So God. Shifting rod and turning
wheel both cease as soon as we let go.
We hold on to this world, with its
pleasures and riches and emoluments,
ind our knuckles are so firmly set that
t seems as IL we could hold on for
sver. God comes along with some
.hrashlng trouble and beats US loose.
We started under the delusion that this
vas q great world. We learned out Of
)ur geography that 1t was so many
thousand miles IN diameter and so
many miles in circumference, and we
aid, "Oh. my. what world.' Trou-
)le came in after life, and this trouble