The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-03

l ,., W Poot or Bethesda was pushed
 aa,ee | ps tuners again and again when the
 1is.S V. Aeaieh went down at a certain
 ters After having been rensa,adIv
 struck down by misfortune after ,.,sfor-
 tune you are today on the verge af com piete dispair You are saying to vourself. I on, l am always unlucky! What ia the
 use of my trying any longerYa
 Be Patient, Mot Dlscouraoed.
 Discouraged. are you? Yes" you nut
 ter 'fearfully discouragedr' You have conscientiously done your level best9
 Yes. have done my level best. can do nothing more Oh, yes, you can. my
 brother. You can now let God come in and do thes rest You are simnlv Zen camped before Pi-hahiroth, between Mle- dol and the sea, over against Baalzephon- :, God is going to open way for you through the Red Sea to escape the pur suing Philistines. How2 I do not know This, however, I do know. God will res cue you if you are only patient, patient
 He will, if like Jeb amid the tragedy of A wrecked home and amid a ruined for tune and In the agonies of physical as well as mental pain you can say. and still continue to say, Though he slay me, vet will trust him." God will show to you direct means of escape If you will only stand still just where you are and continue to look for the salvation of the Lord. You may not now think it. but all things even amid the greatest dis couragements. all things are working together for good to them that love the Lord After the darkest of nights there always comes the brightness of light giving dawn Amid the blackest of 1 troubles there always come a pillar of fire to lead Gods children to a promised land Trust him. brother Continue to trust God. Be patient. Just go on and continue to do your level best. All things will ultimately come out right If you do That Is the teaching of this grand old text, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord"
 But there Is another class of hearers I find today eneamped among the Israelt- ish hosts near Pi-hahiroth. They are the men and the women who are not neces- sariy struggling for financial existence. but who are unhappy and dissatisfied with the fields in which God has com pelled them to labor They know they could do better work amid other sur roundings. Or they are saying to them selves T do not know why 1t Is that all my labors should be msconstrued and unappreciated. If God does not open to me another field of work soon I shall drop this position anyhow" A
 Labor Patiently.
 Going to give up your present posi- uonY You say you are not happy in 1t? Don't you do 1t, my brother What you need in life in this waiting crisis of yours Is great big invigorating dose of patience. Stand stlll just where you are and do your work the best way you can and see the salvation of the Lord. God does not as a rule, call his workmen rom nothing to something great, but from small position of influence to higher position of influence When Christ wanted to select his cabinet and to fill the apostolic positions of the fishers of men, he did not go into the market place where he could find the loafers idling around. He went down to the shores of Lake Galilee and found two stalwart men casting their nets into the sea. He said to Peter and Andrew, his brother.
 Follow me, and will make you fishers Of men," It is nearly always a hard struggle for man in a small position to climb mp into higher position But 1t is fearly always an almost impossible strug- gie Tor man out of a job to be called to a fine position Christ uttered sound philosophy when he said in his parable:
 rake therefore the talent from him and give 1t unto him who hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance hut rom him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.n Ii is easy enough for the pastor of a success 1ul church of New York to be called to a prosperous church of Chicago. But a minister without pulpit, though he be q giant among preachers, has an almost 1nsurmountable undertaking to be called to any strong pulpit. The man without a job IS the man whose failure is stamped upon his brow and every one looks at nm with suspicion. Be patient. Everv thing Will come out all right Just be patient.
 Not So Important.
 But there Is still another reason why do not want you to give up that posi- ton which seems to fret you As far as can make out, you are getting in life Just about as much as you deserve h. stead or complaining, you ought to get doWn on your knees and thank God for the position which he has given to you. Why should you expect God to make you his favorite child and allow you to rest upon bed of roses? Are you any dif- iefent from any of his other children? Are you so smart or so good or so hum pie that you have right to expect more than they? Instead of grumbllng about your small position, you should see men
 Y, mentally and spiritually occupying smaller positions than you. Be patient in that work God has given to you Most or us-aye, perhaps all of us-have all we deserve in life, and more too. If God wants us to go higher he will open the way 1T he dues not open the way then let us do what he wants ns to do. You and are. not so important or so brilliant or so perfectly sanetiaed as some of us think we are. In order to i'm press upon you this fact l would read to you quaint piece of poetry by James Whitcomb Riley. 1t has helped and en- couraged me much in life. I hope the reading will make you contented in the field of labor to which God has called you to work:
 The signs are bad when folks commence A-nnding fault with Providence
 And baking cause the world don't shake At every prancing step they take.
 No man is great till he can see
 How less than little he would be
 II stripped to self and stark and bare He hung his sign out anywhere.
 My doctrine Is to lay aside
 Contentious and be satisfied
 Jest do your best and praise or blame That follers. that counts just the same. I've alters noticed great success
 Is mixed with trouble more or less And it's the man who does the best That gets more kicks than all the rest
 But roaming in and out among the 1sraelitish hosts encamped at Pi-hahi- roth find the ranks of the Mosaic army cursed and retarded with hangers on. There were many brave men in that army. Men there were like Joshua and Caleb, but there was also a host of lazy good for nothings, as in every army, who expected others 10 do all the work. When fhn fnnf2 Ia ho