Year: 1866

BY REV. L. CUYLER.


God keeps a school for his children
here on earth and one of his best teach
ers is named disappointment. He is
rough teacher; severe in tone and harsh
in his handling sometimes, but his tuition
is worth all it costs us. We do not pre-
tend to be very apt learner, but many
of our best lessons in life have been taught
us by that same stern old schoolmaster,
Disappointment. One lesson we learned
was, not to be selfish or rimagine that this
world was all made for us. Fit had been,
the sun would have shone just when or
hay needed curing, and the rains would
have fallen only when oar garden thirsted
for water Rut we found that God Or
dered things to please himself, and not U.S.
And when our schemes were broken up
and our journey spoiled by the storm, the
stern schoolmaster said, ''The world was
not made for you alone. Do not be sell
fish. Your loss is another's gain. The
rain that spoils your hay, makes your
neighbours corn grow the faster. The fall
in wheat that cuts down your profits will
help the poor widow in yonder cottage
to buy bread for her hungry little mouths
next winter. The working Christian that
removed from your church, and almost
broke your heart, will make some other
pastors vineyard glad. Your loss is an
other mans gain. Don't be selfish.


On grand scale sometimes this lesson
is taught. When certain ambitious
self-seeker once clutched at the dominion
of all Europe, stern Disappointment met
him in his path of invasion-fiung Rus
sian snow-storm i'll his face, and out of the
tiny snow-fakes wove white shroud to
wrap the flower of French chivalry. The
lesson that the proud ursurper would not
lean at Aspern and Eylau was taught him
in the agonies of Borodino, and in ghastly
blood prints on the frozen banks Of the
Beresina. His successor, the present Ma
poleon, has also been taught lately the
same lesson-"All Europe does not be-
long to you" So too have we, in the
defeat of our humber plans ofselfseeking,
been made to hear the sharp teacher say,
s'Do not be selfish. God did not make
this world Just for you. Other people
have rights as well as yourself" This
lesson was worth all it cost us.


A second lesson which Disappointment





only gains sometimes to others, but are
very often the richest gains to ourselves.
In our short-sighted ignorance, we had
"devised a way" and set our hearts opon
it. Had we been allowed to pursue it,
we must have been led by it to ruin
The railway-train we were disappointed
in not reaching was dashed into fragments
down an embankment; the steamer that
we were too late for was burned to a
wreck. At the moment we scolded bit
terly; but by and by we found out that
God could not have sent a more fatal
Judgment upon us than simply to have
let us hare oar Oaoae aody. That seemed
right unto us, but the end thereof was
death.


A hundred illustrations of this truth
occur to us. A ''tirst honor in college
has turned more than one young mans
head the disappointment of losing it has
goaded on another to higher distinction
than he had lost. More than one cove
tous merchant has been so thwarted in his
enterprises for money making that he has
been enraged with modification. But
his Heavenly Father knew the dangers
of success to him, and saved him from,
sorer sorrows. A young lawyer-heart,
, broken by the early death Of the sweet
girl he loved-turns away for solace to
sacred studies and doing good: he be.
comes a successful winner of souls in
5 Christ's ministry. The pecuniary crash
of 1857 threw thousands into bankrupt
cy; but many a man was made richer il
E the priceless treasure of a Christian hope
A dark door did Disappointment open


that year, but it led thousands into the


pathway to Heaven. A dark doorway
too, did Death open TO my friend B
: and his young wife, when their child went
e from them so suddenly; but their hearts
went after the departed lamb up to tn,
Divine Shepherd. The death of thei
. darling was the means of their souls con
= version. During our twenty years min
istry we have known more souls convert
d ed or especially sanctifed through the los
s of little children than from any othe


providential discipline.


II The record-book of every Christian
a life has some pages in it which were writ


ten at the bidding of that severe teacher
= Disappointment. Tears may have blot
$ ted and blurred the page at the time
But as we turn over to that page now
, and read it in the light of experience, W
n can write beneath it, "Thank God 70
o those losses they were my everlasting
q g lin; thank God for bereavements! the,


saved my soul from being bereaved 0
h Heaven. All things work together 10
a good to them that love God-to then
who are the called according to his pun
a pose"


g My friend, if you and ever reach on
: Fathers house, we will look back an,
: see that the sharp-voiced, roug-visage,
l. teacher, disappointment, was one of tn
Q best guides to train us for it. He gav
Q us hard lessons. He often used the ROD