Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-02-09

ana DO come from physical pain In Two
ways. First, in the influence Of sick.
ness upon those who ere sick. You can
read this truth in the looks Of those
who have been near to deaths door
When Dante used to walk through the
streets 0f the city Of his adoption. the
passersby would stop and Ieok at him
and in awe say, '"rhaRe Ooes q man
who has been in hell" When We 80
Christian men and women who have
lain under the shadow of death In a
sickroom we know they have had ex
pericnces which have Influenced them
even as Dante had when, with Virgil
as his guide, he trod the hot, blister1ng
sands where dwelt and agonised the
multitudes Of the "lost and the de-
stroyed." We also know that their ex
periences Of suffering have nodded
their lives for good. even a. Samuel
johnson felt this experience In bis own
life. II myself" said ne. was for some
years totally regardless Of religion. II
had dropped out Of my mind. 1t was at
an early part of my life. Sickness
brought It back, and hope have new.
er lost It since" o man. Is not this
true Of your Do you suppose william
Mckinley could ever have uttered the
Lords Prayer with such feeling as he
did had he not been lying upon an op.
Grating table in the Emergency hos
pital Of the worlds fair? Do you be-
lieve that Christ would be as near to
you had you not talked with him In
the midnight hour when the nurse was
dozlng in her chair BY your bed1 Jesus,
thou son Of David, have mercy ON mel"
cried blind Bartemeus in his physical
weak ness to the passing Christ. Jesus,
thou son Of David. have mercy on me"
we have cried to Christ in our physical
torture. Do you not see any blessing in
pain, any spiritual mission in physical
suffering in your past life?
The Blesseaness Of sickness.
Bcnedcent Ia the sick bed for the
invalid. Blessed Is It's influence upon
those who come in touch also with the
sanctifled sufferer. Wendell Phillips
would not have been as brave and a.
true q man as he was had his life not
been inspired by the bravery Of that
sick wife who always kept saying to
him: ION, Wendell, on! GOD has q
mission for you. While you are out
battling in his name l will he here
praying and waiting for you." Could
any one read the e,iiogy Robert j.
Burdette wrote about his dead wife
and not realize that the frail little
woman whom he for years carried
around in his arms had a mighty mis-.
sion in molding and developing her
husbands life for spiritual good? BY
the letters my mother wrote me from
her sick room and by the letters you
have received from sick wife or q
sick daughter or a sick mother who
was at that time in the shadow Of
death you know that some Of Gods
mightiest agents for the salvation Of
the world are to be found among those
Of pale cheeks. thin hands and fevered
brows. Oh, no. my friends. God will
never take out Of this world the spir.
itual mission Of physical pain and sCf'
fering until, through those su6eriugs,
the multitudes have been brought ia
confess Christ at the foot Of the cross.
An Easy Task.
Easy would II he for God to make
right might and to melt the iron heel
Of tyranny in the hot fres Of his in.
dignation and righteous wrath. Easy
would 1t be for God to come forth with
his great lcgions Of angels and ride
down the hillsides Of heaven upon the
white charger Of victory. Easy would
1t be for God to destroy his puny ad
versaries. as they are trying to destroy
his kingdom on earth. How do know
this? In the first chapter Of Proverbs
l read that when the time shall draw
near for God to bear his right and come
to the defense of his children by the
overthrow Of bis enemies God shall
say: ~ also will laugh at your calam
ity. will mock when your fear
cometh." God will easily overthrow
his adversaries when the right time
comes. But now even sin has Its mis-
sion. The battle against sin can devel
op us, even as a youth can be develop
ed in his struggles against the trials Of
the world
Injustices have their bene6cent mis-
sion? How else would you ever appre
ciate what the pardOning love Of
Christ meant unless you learned Il
through your willingness to forgiv,
those who have 'reviled you and perse
cuted yo,i and have said all manner oil
evil against You falsely for my sake.
Don't you remember how you wer'
distressed by calumnies and fals'
charges uttered by some malicious enc
my? How angry and furious you wer'
against the calumniator! You hav'
learned your lesson now; you hav,
learned how to forgive. Was It not II
trying to overcome those bttternesset
and hatreds that you were led into tn
realization Of the truth that God Il
love. and that we must forgive mel
theft trespasses, even as our Fathe
in heaven fOrgivcs us our trespasSei
Oh, yes. injustlces have their spiritv,i
mission. They have taught Us that tn
true gospel does not consist simply !
showing how we should reach out on
hands to our friends. but also how v
should reach out loving hands to ou
enemies. In tr1umphing over I'll
wrongs by which we are surrounde
God 10 teaching US how, for his sake. "
can triumph over our own evil seive
Death Might De AbeltsheA.
Easy would Il be for God to NAL