Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-07-06

what | say. some night when travelling
lie awake in your berth. Then listen
to the rumhiing III the distance coming
nearer and nearer until. with one wild
shrek. the limited shoots past. and
then realize the prevalent dangers.
Then thank God that he cared for and
protected you in physical sense. The
breaking of one wheel. the twisting of
one rail. the sagging of one bridge
lirder. and your train would be de-
rallied and all its occupants would be
hurled into eternity. Gods wing in q
physical sense is over US. 1t is pro-
tecting wing. 1t covers us as a hen
shields her chickens from the threaten
ing hawk.
Power to Resist.
God protects US in a spiritual sense.
The Bible says. God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted be-
yond that We are able, but will with
the temptation also make a way to
escape, that We may be able to bear it"
What does that statement mean? Sim
ply this: Here is man whose whole
nature is gnarled and twisted by sin.
He is by a corrupt past drunkard.
libertine, thief. He wants to get I'M
der the protecting shadow of Gods
wing. When he arises in the morning
he kneels by his bed and says: 20
God, l am awfully weak. | know not
which way to turn unless l look to
thee. Save me this day from the wine
cup. Save me from the fatal pitfalls
which are yawning at my feet. Save
me, o God, save me, save me!' Will
God answer such a pleading prayer
as that? Oh, yes. God says to this
moral cripple: Come, my child, come
under my wing, my protecting wing.
/ will surround thee with holy COM
panionship l will shut out from thy
sight the buzzards and the hawks and
the serpents and the rats of sin which
would destroy your life! Come, my
child, come Come under the shadow
of my spiritually protecting wing"
Ny friends, some of us have been try
! ing to resist temptation i'll our own
strength. Will you not depend upon
the strength of God? Some of us are
trying to do as the brilliant Tom Mar
shall of Kentucky did, who one day
stood up in Broadway Tabernacle and
said: Were this great globe one crys-
| tallite and l offered the possession if |
would drink one glass of brandy |
would refuse it with scorn. And l
want no religion. / want the temper
ance pledge alone" But. alas! Poor
| Tom Marshall, depending upon his
| CTR Oth of 10 OF ch0uolo6 M n
a drunkard's grave. Will you today, as
Christian. accept Gods protecting
wing against your besetting sin? That
wing is a pledge that God will not al
low your temptation to be stronger
than you sEall have power given to re-
sist.
Gods protecting wing is one OF Chris
tan fellowship. An old homely prov
erb says, "A hen will make just as
much noise and scratch Just as hard
for one chicken as she will for ten"
That may be true. Such actions upon
the part of the feathered bird might be
very exemplary. But one Of the most
ridiculous sights TO me is a great. big
fat hen strutting through the barnyard
followed by one wee, little chirping
chicken. Better for that little chicken
to be killed and the hen go about her
legitimate business of laying eggs for
the breakfast than for the mother bird
to continue to waste her energies upon
that one offspring. The natural brood
for a hen is not one or two chickens,
but eight, nine or ten or even thirteen
chickens. Every would be sitting hen
if left alone nearly always lays thir-
teen eggs for her nest. She wants a
large family. A large family is good
for the hen. 1t is good for the chick
ems.
A Practical Application.
What is the practical application OF
this smile? Why. Gods wing is a
place under which not only one Chris
tan can find rest, but many Christians
Gods children are going to find safety
and protection under Gods wing be
cause they will work together and live
together and have their hearts beating
together and. as it were. snuggle up to
gether and keep each other spiritually
warm. They will be together as close
in fellowship as the chickens are close
J. together under their mothers wing. Il
you lift up q hen who is covering hel
little ones It night you will be sur
prised how many chickens her small
area is able to shelter. The reason
each chicken is pressing close agains
the other chickens as well as agains
its mothers breast.
. What today is the Christian fellow
ship of your daily life? Remember thu
records are being kept in reference Il
, this matter which shall decide you
spiritual welfare for time and for eter
nifty. a lady one day came to the Rev
John Newton and asked him how
friend of hers who was a member O
} Mr.. Newtoh's congregation had died
: "Ah. my lady" answered the venerabl
preacher. that is not the importan
question you ought to have asked. Yol
!. should have asked not how she died
| 49, clio \r.o Ifr-sy1 ;,