The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-03-10

The writer OF the Book OF job has made
one mans experience large chapter In
the universal history OF the soul. Others
have written OF mans struggle with one
fellow man. social. political and religious
stirrings have been depleted. but this Is
battle of soul with God.
No depths OF sorrow and suffering are
left unsounded, no heights OF final confi-
dence and peace are left unscaled. JOB
walks downward, bending lower and low
er beneath the burdens OF earth ana
heaven and the shadows deepen into
night. Then Job begins 10 mount and
ascends higher and higher and the dawn
comes up to meet him That Is the hu-
man life. that elbowing the throns' does
not pass through some phase OF JOB $
experience. We should not go down into
this death valley this morning were al
not so. nor even then were II not In that
faith. twin sister TO common expert
ence. that coming forth we shall sec
God even as Job did
We shall walk downward into shadows
darker and with doubts more perpleX-
ing than those that troubled tho way
and the mind Of Job. So many men do.
They do not believe in an angel sent by
God TO trouble men; they do not believe
in God. Yet. doubt we will, reckon
by leaving God OUT say, how absurd Is
such faith and then there still remains
hard. cruel. brutal facts OF experience.
God how unthinkable. Immortality how
unbelievable. yet duty how stern, pain
how sharp. defeat how black and abyss
NAL.
No, we shall not say God talks still with
Satan and says. there is your man. Pc
hold all that he hath is In thy power:
only upon himself put not forth thine
hand" We must say, however. although
we do not explain how or why that too
often the experience repeats itself In life.
Destructive forces work faster than con-
structive ones. The massive cathedral
inspired by some ones thought, realized
by the labor OF many hands crumbles
and settles into the dust. while one counts
the seconds, the earth shaking and quiv-
ering beneath II,
The man In the Gospel story had doubt
less labored long in the spring time SOW
ing the seed. through the months that he
had watched and tended IL, and then the
heat and the burden OF the harvest. oo,aas
and the grain is gathered. IL was a pros
porous year and the grain had greatly
multiplied. the barns had TO be built
larger. The period of waiting and watch
ing is over, There Is enough ,.s, isid al Upon upon
the silent flame begins TO lick and lick
his hard earned stores and vbr wealth
there remains the smouldering heap OF
worthless ashes.
DISASTERS THICK AND FAST.
How thick and fast disasters sometimes
ny. One crisis seems to provoke another.
All in life seems morticed in and bolted
together like the steel framework OF the
great house and the one piece that gives
way drags down the remainder. In the
senger comes: his sons and daughters
have been eating and drinking iii the
eldest brothers house and the house had
fallen and they are slain.
Tho oxen were plowing and the asses
feeding beside them and robbers came
and stole them, the servants are slain,
the sheep are burned with fire from heav-
en-, the camels have been led away and
there Is nothing left but this one servant.
the bearer OF tho evil tidings.
Then appears the. grandeur of the man.
shaved
beard. fell down upon the ground and
worshipped Naked came ] out OF my
mothers womb and naked shall / return
thither; the Lord gave and the Lord hath
Lord"
Success. outward material success. has
become 80 large a thing and so desirable
thing that even I'm the church, whose
head was one who came TO the broken,
beaten, baffled souls that we are prone
today In rise up In the pew and applaud
the man who wins. The pulpit eulogizes
the successful man. Forgetful are we or
him who fails Tho savings OF The inn
mortal poets nave more efficacy ana
power than the hours OF suffering and
the years OF want OF those who have not
written so we'll and are unknown. We
know more about the French Revolution,
Sartor Resartus and Past and Present
than We do OF the contents OF those LETT
iers or Carlyle. written I'm poverty OF
pOuy ana despair or soul in a night that
had no star, in "A valley shut In with
walls shot straight up. The great preach
ers or the past are remembered. There
never lacks voice TO speak the praise
OF Wesley. Beecher Brooks In forgot |
ten graves lie buried those who have la |
oored In the dark corners ~ the earth |
who have done Gods work I'm Christ 3 /
spirit who IN the sight OF men have failed |
and who will never be called forth from |
their long sleep except by the trumpet OF |
God on that day when the last shall be |
TERRIBLE TO FAIL.
In mems sight truly it is a terrible /
thing TO fail IL f. bitter anguish
even In the sweetest soul. II matters |
not now one fail. It is a dear. a precious \
ming that 90 which We put our hands /
ana lend our hearts. IL may be from
me worlds point OF view thing more /
70 be deplored n one strives To- uplift |
men and In the effort Is borne down to the
others level. than 20 fail in ones secular
PROFESSION or In ones business. but for ,
w the last case. In the selfish endeavor
as IN the first case. IN the unselhsh toll.
mere II limit however 20 what fate \
eno chance and condition can do. 'rhc
man himself after these outward tbtngs
have been swept away remains fntact
Failure comes. losses follow I'm quick sue. \
cession: We sec our fordest ideals vanish \
yet there still remains life only tron \
nimsef put not forth thine hand" said /
GOO 10 satan. when Satan had swept
al away. home and children and posses- /
sions. he says once again 10 God. "Toucb /
hir bone and flesh and he will renounce \
thee 90 thy face. .Behold la La
thine hand" says the Lord. "only spare \
What In this thing life that God denies
satsn the right 10 touch IL n some aim.
pie essence some subtle fiud some single
spark Of the divine within US. that can
be dried up like the dew or pured ouf
IKE the candle7 II n this. or Is n some
mins more wonderfully complex. thar
wears the indeiible mark of every deed
done. of every thought born. of every
that has been called forth by
some revelation 90 US OF something bet
ker7
We spsak Of lfs as the vital force with