The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-10-10

Inc legend OF the old olive tree IS interest
ing here The monks wanted oil, and they
asked God as they planted the tree 10 send
upon it rain and sun and then 10 send the
frost to tougher it, and the frost killed it,
and then another monk planted tree and
asked God to do as lie would regarding it
and the tree became a thing of beauty
When you have crossed the ocean have
you not as you studied the captains chart
seen the little zigzag lines running north
and south, and have you not sometimes
wondered how it was that we could reach
home in that fashion, but when the jour
ney is ended we find that every dot
marked the progress Of the homeward
journey, and when we reach heaven and
enter the graft room Of the sky we shall
find that every line led homeward and
things we could not understand pointed
heavenly.
THE years Of man are the looms of God,
Let down from the place of the sun,
Wherein we are weaving hearts,
Till the mystic web is done.
And when the task is ended,
And the web is turned and shown,
He shall hear the voice of the Master,
1t shall say to him, We'll done
God has a way of making lives over.
First, by outer circumstances, like the
potter's wheel, such as trials and disap-
pointmeuts.
Second, by His own word. 1t is called
the light, and light reveals imperfections;
it Is called the fire, and fire purges the
dross; it is described as water, and water
cleanses all displacements; it is said to be
a hammer and the hammer in the hands of
the artist fashioned the angel from the
block of marble. DR.. Arthur L. Pierson
tells of the potter who was seeking to make
porcelain for the kings palace, was greatly
discouraged in the work and in desperation
threw himself into the fire, and there was
something about the burning of his own
body that gave an inestimable value to the
porcelain which is still in existence, and
that is the value Of this book. God threw
Himself into it in the person of His own
Son, and no man can read it without feel
ing His power.
There are some lives mentioned in the
Bible which have really been made over
again like the clay in the hands Of the pot
ter.
First - Jacob. By nature he was sup
planter and cheat; he stole his brothers
birthright and deceived his father, but by
the power of God he became Israel, the
prince. and all because he and God met at
Jabbok's Ford, and God touched him and
he limped away from weakness to power.
Michael Angelo was banished from
France. but afterward they wanted him to
return. They wished him to take block
of marble which had been lying at the
gates of the city, and fashion it into some
masterpiece, and Michael Angelo came
back to the city, and out of the piece of
marble that had been lying for years in the
dirt of the city he made his David, which
1a hia M eforTiaan in y,nnrv rnepaaf5 (4Od
by the touch of affection sometimes and
the touch of disappointment again has
made many life over. May He make
yours?
Second-Elijah. He was a man Of like
passions with ourselves and came from a
rugged country but God made his passions
and his appetites to be like horses to his
chariot by means Of which he was trans
lated, and he will make the weakness Of
your life to be power if you viii let Him.
Third--Paul. His was a bitter nature
and his spirit that Of prosecutor. He
hears of a few Christians in Dan, and hur-
ries away that he may cast them into pri-
son, and from the man Of bitterness and
prejudice he is changed into the little old
man a prisoner in Rome who cries out, Il
/ know whom | have believed and am per-
suaded that He is able to keep that which
/ / have committed unto Him against that
/ day." and all because he had found Christ.
/ When the children of Israel made their
way across the land they came to the
waters of Mara, which were very bitter.
4 They were all but dying Of thirst, but
| Moses cast the wood of a certain tree into
the waters and they became sweet. Into
/ Pauls life had been pressed the principles
of the cross; not His will. but Gods was
to be done, and he was made happy.
! Fourth-Peter He was a man of weak.
ness, but TRANSPORTED into a man Of
strength. He was ignorant, but he writes
the Epistle that stands as his monument
in the purest Greek Of the New Tesla
ment, and all because he added Christ tC
his life. So it is not a question as TO who
we are or what we have been, but whether
we are united to Him.
1t is said that Ole Bull was making biz
way at one time through one of the great
American forests, and he came upon hu
in which dwelt hermit. He mad left hi
city home because disappointed in bust
ness, and had been living alone for years
his only companion being his old violin
on which he could play a few homell
pieces of music Ole Bull stopped in tn
hut over night, and in The shade of the fire
light, to entertain his guest, the old her
NIT took down his violin and played tn
simple pieces with which he had whle
away his long hours of loneliness. Wher
he had finished playing the great musician
asked him If he thought he could play III
reply was, 81 hardly think it possible;
took me years to learn, and yet" said he
you might try" and so the great vioir
ist took the instrument, drew his DO,
across the strings and instantly the ROOF
was filed with harmony He playe
america" and Home, Sweet Home,
until the old hermit sobbed like a chile
and then putting the instrument bac
again In its place the old hermit was mad
to understand that he was in the present
! Of the greatest violinist of the day. Bi
, what difference Of the violin when in Il
] hands of the hermit and in the hands
, the master. The tones Of one were an
thing but complete; the music Of the ma
! ter was perfect, and so it is not so much
question as to what our lives have bee