The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-02-18

/ not OPEN Leu lIe! cGlnos CuooSe out loi-
/ low the light. If the light had not shone
81 in our own land we might have ground
! a.ong in some sort Of affinity to slavery:
. 1t was light poured on the conscience OF
! the nation that brought on the war; it
! was light shining through the darkness
J thas kept the nation steady. Had no
! s,lch light shone. we should have con-
. structed new Union with the snackles
; Of the Save for a wedding ring. But the
/ light stood like wall OF fire; yet bow long
! it was only. light shining on hidden
| fathers, mothers, wives, only putting on
cheerful look, because they would not, by
their sadness, dishearsen the great hears
! OF the nation.
| And so, say. in men and nations you
will find everywhere this dscord between
the longing that is in the soul, and what
| the man can do. Our life. as some one
said of the Cathedral of Cologne. seems to
b', broken promise made to God.
Now, in trying to find some solution OF
this question, l want to say frankly that
clear, so that it will give you no more
trouble; because I cannot put gird.e
around the word in forty minutes, and
also because full solution must depend
greatly on our own dissolution. 1 believe,
also, that the man who thinks he has left
nothing unexplained, in the mystery OF
providence and life, has rather explained
nothing. I listen to him, if am in trou.
bic, and then 60 home and break my heart
all the same, because l see that ne has not
only not cleared up the mystery, but that
trouble him. The "Principia" and the
Single Rule of Three are alike simple and
e,,sy to him because he does not know the
RUE of Three. And so I cannot be sat-
is6ed with the last words which some later
hand has added tc' the book that holds this
sad history. They tell us how Job has all
his property doubled, to the last ass and
camel-has seven sons again and three
daughters, has entire satisfaction OF all
his accusers, lives hundred and forty
years, sees four generations of his line and
then dies-satisied.
Need I say that this solution will not
stand the test of life, and that if life. on
the average, came out 80 from its most
trying ordeal, there would be little need
for our sermons For then, every life
would be an open, se,f-contained provi-
dence and the last page in time would vim
dicate the first. Men do not 80 live and
die; and such cannot have been the primi-
tive conclusion Of the history. 1t has
deeper meaning and sublimer lustifca-
ton, or it had never been inspired by the
holy Ghost.
And this assure to suggest itself to you
az you read the story, that Job, in his
trouble, would have lost nothing and
gained very much if he had not been so i'm
patient in coming to the conclusion that
God had left him, that life was a mere
apple of Sodom, that he had backed up to
great walls of fate and he had not friend
left on the earth. His soul, looking through
her darkened windows, concluded the hear-
ems were dark. The nerve, quivering at
the gentlest touch, n,istook the m'nistra-
found some cool shelter for his agony; he
preferred to sit on the ashes in the burn
ing sun. He knew not where the next
robe was to come from; this did not deter
him from tearing to- shreds the robe that
was to shelter him from the keen winds.
It was a dreadful trial at the best; it was
worse for his way Of meeting it.: and,
when he was at once in the worst heath
and temper possible, he said: "Why is
light given to man whose way IS hldT
Is not this now, rs it was then, one of the
most serious mistakes that can be made!
I try to solve great problems of provi-
tn be entirely untitled to- touch their
more subtle, delicate and far. reaching har-
monies. As well might you decide on some
exquisite anthem when your organ ls
broken, and conclude there is no music
in it because YOU can make no music OF
il, az, in such a condition of life and such
a temper of the spirit. try to find these
great harnonies Of God. When am in
trouble, then, and darkness comes down
on me ike pail, the first question ought
to be, ''How much of this unbelief about
providence and life, like Cowper's sense
Of the unpardonab.e sin, comes from the
-.o,t -,ooror,a1 iootinn2 q the
darkness feel in the soul, or is it on the
windows through which the soul must
see% Then, clear on this matter, the
man tried SO will endeavor to stand at the
first, where this sad hearted man stood
at the last, in the shadow of the Almighty,
if be must stand in shadow, and ho.d on
to the confidence that somewhere within
all this trial is the eternai, the. shadow OF
great rock in weary land. Friends
speculate all about the mystery, and their
conclusions from their premises are entirey
correct; but they have forgotten to take
in the separate sovereign will of God. az
working out great purpose in the mans
life, by which he is to be lifted into a
grander reach of insight and experience
than ever he had before. Job said: Il
suffer. I am in darkness and Gisappoint-:
ment and pain. because it is fate" Jobs;
friends said: "No, you suffer because, Eoa
have SlnOeQ. RuSneS never grow WlLuoos
mire." They were both wrong, and ah
wrong. He suffered because that was the
divine way OF bringing him out OF hrs;
sleek, we'll satisfied content: and when
through suffering this was done he said, Il
have heard Of Thee with mine ears. but
now mine eye seeth Thee" =
If had never gone into darkened rooms.
| where the soul stands at the parting Of the
| worlds; or sat down beside widows and
| little children, when the desire of their
eyes was taken away with a stroke. or
| grasped the hands Of strong men. when
all they had toi.ed for was gone, nothing
| left but honor; or ministered to men
| mangled on the battlefield beyond all tells
ing; and heard in all these places where
| darkness was on the. way, melodies. me.o-
| dies that I never heard among the COM
! monplaces of prosperity, ! could not be so
sure as 7 am that God often darkens the
| way 80 that the melody may grow Gear
and entire in the soul.
There is story in the annals of science
touching this principe, that we cannot
struggle faithfully with these things and
! leave them as we found them. Plato,
piercing here and there with his wonderful
Greek eyes:
"Searching through all, he felt and saw
the springs of life, the depths of awe,
To reach the law within the law"
| ,rae I'M nreScod hv the s1,rrestive !bsauty OF