Milford chronicle., 1903-01-23

the country nau the SlaftllnS leleSIdpu-
ic announcement, DR. SO-and-so is
sick" Then came the reports that DR..
So-and-so might die. For weeks and
months that famous minister lowered
between life and death. Then he came
back to his pulpit aud to his work. But
now what a change! If any stranger
goes to hear him preach, the first and
the last thought he has is: "Dr. So-and-
so is nothing more or less than a mighty
gospel evangelist. He has Christ in
the beginning of his sermon, Christ in
the middle of his sermon, Christ all the
way through" Do you know the cause
of this marvellous change? 1t was the
Galilean tempest Of physical pain that
did it. DR.. SO-and-so told me that new
er before did he truly know what the
purpose of preaching was until he lay
upon that bed of suffering. For months
the barking of dog would cut him like
knife. For months he lay in his room,
an exile in agony; for months he bad
but one wish, and that was to die. But
when God led him forth out of that
Galilcan tempest to preach Jesus
Christ he came forth a new man. He
was a Saul, the member of the He
brew sanhedrin changed into the
mighty Paul who had fought with the
beasts at Ephesus. He became the dis
ciple of the Lord, looking and pleading
for a spiritual ChrisNalOne.
1t was physical pain that helped
make Frederick w. Robertson one Of
the greatest soul winners of his day.
1t was physical pain that helped draw
the multitudes to the cross when Rob
ert Hall preached in London and John
Summerfeld preached in America. And
it is physical pain which nearly all of
us have suffered in the past and phys
ical weakness which many of us are
suffering now which ought to make us
turn our faces toward the Good Ply
sician who can heal the body and heal
the soul.
Two Kinds of Trouble.
Now, trouble comes to us in one of
two ways, and it rests with every one
to decide in which of the two ways it
shall come to him. 1t may come as
sanctified trouble or as an unsanctiied
trouble. 1t came in both forms to the
thieves who were crucified with Jesus.
To the one thief the physical agony
was unsanctified trouble, causing him
to curse and deride Christ; to the other
It came as sanctified trouble, causing
him to plead for mercy and love. I'm
sanctified trouble comes to man who
stands by his child's open casket, and it
imbitters him and causes him to set his
jaw in rebellion and say. mo good God
would have taken that child out Of my
arms" Sanctified trouble came to
young officer Of M church and caused
him to say to the visiting minister: Il
do not want a pastor to come into my
sickrCOm to make merely Il social call
l want him to come in to pray: yes. l
want him to come in to pray" In the
midst Of your sorrows and trials are
you ready to let your troubles become
sanctifed troubles? Are you ready to
sing about the tempestuOus nights of
trouble, as the Christian poet once sang
about beautiful Lake Galllee?
It is not that the wild gazelle
Comes down to lap thy tide.
But he that was pierced to save from hell
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm. reposing sea,
But. all. far more. the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked Ger thee.
Are you ready to feel that in the
darkest hours of your night Christ is
waiting to speak to you, that Christ is
ready TO help you, that he is ready to
appear unto you?
There is an old and familiar story Of
a Christian lady in the far east who
had two beautiful boys. Both her sons
died in the same night while her hus-
band was away OIL a journey. When
the father returned, the mother met
him with a smile and said: Husband.
while you were gone a stranger came
and left two beautiful jewels in my
charge. Then he returned the next
day and wanted them back again.
gave them to him. Should have done
so?" Yes" answered the father "If
the-tw jewels belonged to the stran-
ser, you should nave done as you did.
"Oh, husband" answered the wife as
she led him into the death chamber, Il
was not talking about a stranger. but
nbOut our Father. God. There are our
two boys, dead. Can we not say: The
Lord gave. and the Lord hath taken
away. Blessed be the name of the
Lord?'"
Friend. today in your troubles can
you not hear the voice of Jesus Christ !
speaking to you? Can you not. will you
not, see that even in this dark hour
Jesus is walking toward you, stepping /
lightly upon the crystal pavement Of /
the deep?
copyright, 1903 by Louis Klopsch.l
NecISties of Well Known Men.