Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1906-10-15

I other retrospect. Looking away back
! into the dim past, we now can see how
/ our seeming troubles and misfortunes
/ have been the means of drawing US
| closer and closer to God and to his
headings. They have been not stun
/ bling blocks. but stepping stones to
higher spiritual attainment. God has
/ always led Us UP to lis mountain tops
/ of inspiration ~ FIRST leading us down
| into the deep valleys of despair 1t is
only by casting Us down that he is able
| to lift rs up. Let ne illustrate nv
thought d Moses axe.
Standing npon the Top Of pisgah TO
day. l see TIE great lawgiver turning
his eyes toward Egypt. lie is watch
| ing groups OF men going around.
What is the matter. Moses" I ask.
do you see anything stranger" YES"
answers the mighty leader 81 see
men as officers of the law hunting my
life One hundred and twenty wears
ago the Hebrew slaves began to null
| tiply so rapidly that Pharaoh declared
that every male child born to a Hebrew
woman should be slain. Those officers
are after me-" what else dost thou
see, o leader Of leaders?'' 81 see a
woman and her eldest daughter run
ming away toward the river Nile with
a little babe in her arms. They are
hiding that child among the bulrushes
Of the river. That child was and is l."
What else dost thou see, o mighty
chieftain?" Il see a princess of Pha-
raoh's court coming down to the river
to battle I see her bending over that
child and then adopting him as her
own SON. what else dost thou see.
o leader?.' In that adoption | see
how it was made possible for me to be
educated. | see that through this edu.
cation l was fitted mentally to do the
work God has given to me to do.
Through that adoption I became the
lawyer, the statesman, the molder Of
a people who are to become possessors
of yonder promised land. God fitted
me for my work by first making me a
founding and social outcast"
Why Trouble Comes.
Troubles must have a long perspec-
tive if we are to see them Alright as
messengers of mercy Thomas Fuller.
the quaint English divine, once said
that troubles appeared to him at close
view great deal like a piece of tapes
try turned wrong side out 1t seemed
to be nothing but a great cofglomera-
ton of nonsense. 1t was without head
or foot. Confusion itself had as much
method in it. 1t was a company of
thrums and threads, with many pieces
and patches of several sorts and sizes
and colors, all which signifed nothing
to my understanding" Then DIR. Full
Ter turned the right side of his tapes
try to the delighted eyes of his audi
ence as be said: "But, though the wrong
side is all a mystery, how. beautiful is
the right side. Here are. all beauties
and all right propOrtions' To use his
exact words, ''Here is history not wrote
with a pen, but wrought with a nee
die" Such are the dealings of God
with us. When We look at orr treu-
bles close at hand we seem to be look
ing at piece of tapestry wrong side
out, but when we stand with Moses
upon Pisgah's heights and look at our
troubles through the inspired vision of
the years we see why those troubles
came and how they were the means Of
fitting US for our lifelong usefulness.
Our past troubles fitted Us and are fit
ting US for the work God has given us
to do. Thank God for the east wind
as we'll as for the west wind
PlIt O17r, I,otrrl,+, +o5or I,oro
their visions ahead, as well as, their ex-
planned Egyptian mysteries and their
, pillars of fire and of-clopd. The chapter
of my text tells us that God took Moses
unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top
of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.
, And the Lord showed him all the land
, of Gilead and Dan and all Naphtali
and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh
and all the land of Judah unto the ut
:, most sea-" Do you know what that
, panorama meant, in a nutshell? God
took Moses upon the top. of Pisgah and
said: "See, Moses, yonder is the prom
ised land. Thy work in Egypt is not
to go for naught Thy wanderings in
the wilderness seemed to lead thee
| anu dTOu1lu III q o'OiCoo ClICl6,
but those wanderings have led thy peo-
pie to the crystal gates OF the Jordan.
Now the children of Israel shall pass
l over to the grapes of Eschol and to the
= land which is flowing with milk and
honey. Look and see what is to be the
. result of thy noble work. So God lets
I. us climb to thee Pisgah heights to see
; the result of our work. The vision is
: here for you now to see if you are will
: ing to open your eyes and look.
In the first place, we can see in the
dim future noble spiritual work
t which our children shall do after we
t are dead. All, that family was a hard
l one for you to raise, am not now al
luding to the mere question of food
and clothing. 1 meanAmore than that
mean the spiritual raising Of them
Let me see. You have five children
d Three of those children We're born