Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-03-28

WASHINGTON, March %. = From
process familiar to the farmer DIR. Tai
mage draws lessons OF consolation and
encouragement for people in sorrow
and adversely. The text is Isaiah xviii.
"a. IS: "For the fitches are not thrash
ed with a thrashing instrument. nei-
Their is a cart wheel turned about upon
the cummin. but the fitches are beaten
out with a STAFF and the cufnmin with
a rod. Bread corn is bruised because
he viii not ever be thrashing it,
Misfortunes of various kinds come
upon various people. and in all times
the great need of ninety-nine people
out of hundred is solace. Look, then.
to this neglected allegory of my text.
There are three kinds OF seed men,
tioned-fitches. cummin and corn. OF
the last we all know. But it may be
well to state that the fitches and the
cummin were small seeds, like the car
away or the chickpea. When these
grains or herbs were to be thrashed,
they were thrown on the floor. and the
workmen would come around with
staff or rod or fail and beat them I'M
til the seed would be separated, but
when the corn was to be thraShed that
was thrown on the floor, and the men
would fasten horses or oxen to a cart
with iron denied wheels; that cart
would be drawn around the thrashing
floor, and so the work would be &C
complished. Different kinds of thrash
ing for different products. The fitches
are not thrashed with a thrashing in
strument neither is a cart wheel turn
ed about upon the cummin. but the
fitches are beaten out with n staff and
the cummin with a rod. Bread corn is
bruised because he will not ever be
thrashing it"
The great thought that the text press
es upon our souls is that we all go
through some kind of thrashing process.
The fact that you may be devoting
your life to honorable and noble pur-
poses win not win you any escape.
Wilberforce, the Christian emancipation,
was in his day derisively called doc
tor Cantwell." Thomas Darlington Ma
caulay, the advocate of all that was
good, long before he became the most
conspicuous historian OF his day was
caricatured in one of the quarterly re-
views as "Babbletongue Macaulay."
Norman Mcleod, the great friend of
the Scotch poor, was industriously ma
ligned in all quarters, although on the
day when be was carried out to his
burial workman stood and looked at
the funeral procession and said, "If he
had done nothing for anybody more
than he has done for me, he would
shine as the stars forever and ever"
All the small wits OF London had their
fling at John Wesley, the father OF
Methodism. If such men could not cs-
cape the maligning OF the world, nei-
Their can you expect to get rid OF the
sharp. keen stroke OF the tribulum.
All who will live godly in Christ Jesus
must suffer persecution. Besides that,
there are the sicknesses and the bank
ruptcies and the irritations and the dis
appointments which are ever putting
cup OF aloes to your lip. Those wrin-
kles on your face are hieroglyphics
which, II deciphered, would make out
thrilling story or trouble. The foot.
step Of the rabbit is seen the Snext
morning on the snow, and on the white
hairs OF the aged are the footprints
showing where swift trouble alighted.
Troubles Come Unexpectedly.
Even amid the joys and hilarities OF
HE trouble will sometimes break in.
AS when the people were assembled In
the Charlestown theater during the
Revolutionary war, and while they
were witnessing q farce and the audi
ence was in great graduation the guns
OF an advancing army were heard and
the audience broke up in wild panic
and ran for their lives. SO oftentimes
while you are seated amid the joys and
festivities OF this world you hear the
cannonade OF some great disaster All
the ftches and the cummln and the
corn must come down on the thrashinc
door and be pounded.
My subject. In the first place, teaches
US that 1t Is no compliment to us IL we
escape great trial. The fitches and the
cummin on one thrashing floor might
look over to the corn on another thrash
Ing floor and say: 'Loox at that poor,
miserable, bruised cornI We have only
been a little pounded, but that has been
almost destroyed" Well, the corn, IL
1t had lips, would answer and say: do
you know the reason you have not been
as much pounded as have? 1t is be-
cause you are not of so much worth as
l am. IL you were. you would be as
severely run over" Yet there are men
who suppose they are the Lords favor
ties simply because their barns are
fun and their bank account is flush
and there are no funerals In the house.
1t may be because they are fitches and
eummin, while down at the end of the
lane the poor widow may be the Lords
corn You are but little pounded be-
cause you are but little worth and she
bruised and ground because she is the
best part OF the harvest The heft of
the thrashing machine Is according to
the value OF the grain. IL you have not
been much thrashed In life, perhaps
there IS not much to thrash IL you
have not been much shaken OF trouble,
perhaps II Is because there is going to
be very small yield. When there are
plenty of biackberries. the Satherers &C
out with large baskets. but when the
drought has almost consumed the fruit,
then q quart measure will do as well.
1t took the venomous snake ON Paurs
nand, and the pounding OF him with
stones until he was taken UP for dead
and the Jamming against him of prison
gates, and the Ephesian yociferation.
and the 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
Paul to his proper development. Ii
was not because Robert Moffat and
Lady Rachel Russell and Frederick
Oberlin were worse than other people
that they had to suffer. 1t was be-
cause they were better, and God want
ed to make them best. BY the careful
ness of the thrashing you may always
conclude the value of the grain.
Helps Us Bear Burdens.
Next. my text teaches us that God
proportions our trials to what we can
bear--the STAFF for the fitches, the rod
for the cummin. the iron wheel for the
corn. Sometimes naonla in s,raot 49,,