Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-09-27

to seek God fur away from the haunts
of man? Have you ever tried to com
mune with him In the secret places of
the thunder? In order to do this you
do not have to climb the Matterhorn
or Mount Shasta or Mount Rainier or
Badly Peak Of New Mexico. You do
not have to leave the city walls and
HE yourself to the hills and listen to
the songs Of the thrushes and the WOO
ings of the brooks. A man can live in
the city and yet not be in the city.
We should do so If we were really alb
sorbei in spiritual things. Some time
ago Professor Curic, the great discov-
erer of the element radium, was walk
ing through the streets of Paris with
his mind so concentrated upon his sci
ent1c problems that he was utterly
unconscious of his surroundings. When
n heavy truck rumbled down the
street his ears were deaf to the noise
and to the warning calls of the driver,
and he was crushed to death in an in
slant, as the car of the Indian Jugger-
naut would crush out the lives of the
devotees who flung themselves under
its revolving wheels. My friends, how
many times during the week do you
withdraw yourselves from man to com
mune with God2 How many times do
you seek him in prayer and in holy
communion? How many times week
do you say to your loved ones, Come,
let us go and talk with God for little
while In the secret places of thunder,
as Moses talked with him upon Sinais
heights?'
But find that Gods secret places of
thunder are upon the mountain tops of
difficulties, as we'll as In the quiet
places removed from the ordinary habi-
tations of man. They are to be found
only among the steep heights where
the eagles build their aeries and where
only the most persistent of Alpine
climbers is willing to go. DO you sup
pose for one instant that the psalmist
had an easy time finding his lost sheep
in the secret place of the thunder?
Nay. Methinks that one of the other
shepherds at first went forth with him
to hunt the lost sheep. David said 10
him at starting: "Lphraim, you go
down the valley in this direction, and
l will travel in that direction. You keep
calling. and | will do the same. Then
we shall meet at the foot Of yOnder
hills. Then if we do not find the sheep
in the valley, why, we must seek her
in the hills" Thus they do, and the
lost sheep Is not found. Then up the
rocks they begin to go, higher and high
er. Now the DARKNESS settles. Now is
heard the blood curdling scream of the
wildcat. Now comes the roar Of the
mountain lion hunting MS prey. They
climb on. Their flesh is lacerated.
Their clothing is torn. They stumble.
They fall. Now they have to 20 over a
narrow ledge by the side of a steep
precipce. Ephraim grows tired. lie
trembles with fear. He says: David,
l am going back. We can never find
that lost sheep. She has either been
dashed to death upon the rocks or else
she has been slain by the wild beasts"
But David keeps OH. He keeps on climb
Ing and slipping, but higher and higher
he goes, as he calls, "Yoohee Yoohee!
Oh, lost sheep. Yoohee. Yoohee." At
last-yes, at last, he finds her in the
secret place of the thunder.
On Mountain Tops.
All, yes; the secret place of the thun-
der Is always to be found upon the
mountain tops of difficulty. 1t is no
easy matter to be a real Christian. 1t
is no small task to listen to the voice
OF God in the secret place Of thunder
and hear Alright and obey Alright |
was never more impressed with this
thought than some time ago. AS l
was tralnping along the country roads
of the lowland n couple OF automobiles
passed me. The women In those cars
were dressed in the latest fashion.
The men We're lounging back in their
seats. The gentleman with whom |
was walking said, How would you
like to be riding in one of those ma
chlnes:'' NO" | answered.; that is
not the way people get health. Nature
does not give strong lungs and stout
limbs to those who are seeking the
easy times, but only to those who are
willing to make sacrifices for it," But
the work of tramping over the low
lands was nothing to the work of
climbing the San Bernardino hills. In
the first place, even though we We're
walking, we had to take every ounce
of weight out Of the wagon that we
could take. We kept in the wagon
only light camp stove, a few blan-
kets and enough to eat for a few days.
We threw aside every extra pound
and had our goods carried up by the
heavy team wagons. Then we made
our trip to the foot of the mountains
early in the evening and went to sleep.
and when the night had settled down
and the moon had come up and the
heat of the day was gone we were up
and on our way
Ny what a journey it was. The
grade was the stcepest | ever climbed.
They say it iSabout five miles to the
summit, but I would willingly go six
times that distance on the level road.
Every few yards we had TO stop and
let the horse rest One man handled
the break, the other led or drove the
horse. Zigzag. backward and forward
the switchback road went. In one
place you could look up and see where
the road, like lazy river, curved
backward and forward in seven dis.
tiuCt places 1t WAS only by the mast