Milford chronicle., 1902-03-28

pies one throb too sharp. The perplex-
flies 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, no; they are thrashing instruments |
that God just suits to your case. There |
is not a dollar of bad debts on your |
or a disappointment about goods |
that you expected to 60 up. but that |
have gone down, or a swindle of your |
business partner or a 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 |
help. "Oh." you say, there is no need |
talking that way to me. l don't like |
to be cheated and outraged" Neither |
does the corn like the corn thrasher. |
but after it has been thrashed and
winnowed it has a great deal better
opinion of winnOwing mills and corn
thrashers.
'Well," you say. IF l 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
and unless 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 l would have taken them
in the arms of my affectionY You say,
"Any other trial but this" Your trial
perhaps may be a disfgured counte-
nance or a face that is easily caricatur-
ed, and you say, Il could endure any
thing if only was good looking" And
your trial perhaps is a violent temper.
and you have to drive it like six IN
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. lou say, IF it
were rheumatism or neuralgia or cry
sipelas. but it is this asthma. and it is
such an eXhausting thing to breathe.
Your trouble is a 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 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 u sight to behold.
Complaining Against Gcd.
Everybody has some veXation 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 nearer, are you not ashamed to
be complaining all this time against
God? Who manages the affairs Of this
world anyhow? Is it an infinite Mo
doc or Sitting Bull savage or an ON
nipotent Mana Sahib? No; it is the
most merciful 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 a naval
architect, and he draws out the plan of
a ship of many thousand tons. Many
wOrkmen are engaged on it for 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 lad
six years of age comes running down
the dock with a toy boat which he has
made with his own jackknife, and he
says: Here, my boat is better thar
yours. Just look at this jibboom and
these weather crOssiack braces" AND
he drops his little boat beside the great
ship, and there is a roar of laughter OF
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 it on
and fashion it and launch it. Do no
try to be rival of the great Jehovah
. God is always right. and in nine casei
out of ten you are wrong. He send
just the hardships, just the bankrupt
\
cies, just the cross that it is best TO
you to have. He knows what kind o
grain you are, and he sends the RICH
kind of thrashing machine. 1t will b
: rod or staff or iron wheel just accord
ing as you are fitches or cummin 0
corn.
Again, my subject teaches that Co
. keeps trial on us until we let go. TIL
!, farmer shouts ''WhOaw to his horse
= as soon as the grain is dropped fror
the stalk. The farmer comes with hi
. fork and losses up the straw, and b
sees that the straw has let go the graf
: and the grain is thoroughly thrasheC
So God. Shifting rod and turnin
: wheel both cease as soon as we let g
Il We hold on to this world, with il
pleasures and riches and emOlument
: and our knuckles are so firmly set th3
} it seems as if we could hold on 70
II ever. GOD comes along with SON
II thrashiny trouble and beats us loOs
~ We started under the delusiOn that tn
u was a great world. We learned out
t our geography that it was so man
Is thousand miles in diameter and
Is many miles in circumference, and v
II said, ooh, my, what a worldr' TrO
+ bic came in after life, and this trOub
re sliced off one part of the world, and
sd has got to be a smaller world and
Z. some estimatiOns a very insignifica
Id world, and it is depreciating all Il
ne time as a spiritual property. Ten p
IS cent off, 80 per cent Off, and there a
e- those who would not give 10 cents f
ne this wOrld-the entire wOrld-as so
ne possession.
OF The Friendship That Endures.
to We thought that friendship was
ot grand thing. In school we used
ps write compositions about friendsh
on and perhaps we made our graduate
le' speech on commencement day
TO friendship. Oh, it was a charmi
ire thing! But does it mean as much
go you as it used to? You have gone on
he life. and one friend has betrayed Y,
lit and another friend has misinterpret
ell you, and another friend has neglect
IFS you. and friendship comes now sol
18th times to mean to you merely anotl
ad, ak to grind! So with money.
son ! thought if a man had a competency
on, was safe for all the future, but
full have learned that a mortgage may
eX- defeated by an unknown previous
ing cumbrance; that signing your name
ing the back of a note may be your b.