American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-11

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what is that? 1t is important, before con-
sidering the causes of successes in life and
canvassing the means and methods by
which it may be secured, to have some dis
tinct idea of chat 1t IS.
Unto what do we wish to attain, when
we talk about attaining success in life ?
1t is as essential that we start out with
some definite conception, as that the sculp-
tor should, before putting his chisel to the
marble, or the artist before putting his
brush to the canvass To succeed in be-
ing successful, we must know what the
object is at which we aim; else We shall
only run with uncertainty and spend our
strength in beating the air. What, there
fore, is the true and just import of the
phrase; success IN life?
l. answer, in the first place, success IN
THIS life IS not necessart!y success az life.
If men were brutes, and the death of the
body ended the life Of the soul, then by
no possibility could this statement be true.
IF man had no future, if across the grave
there stretched no immortality, then our
estimate of success or failure would be
based solely on the records of time, and
the computation of eternal interests would
not enter into the account. But life has
no such limits Death changes; it does
not annihilate. The grave is passage
way, not a resting place. We go through
the doorsof the scpulchre--we donot tar
ry there. Room, gentle flowers! my
child would pass to heaven" said one, as
p, tney put aside the beautiful blossoms and
broke the sod to make a place for the dead
babe. Oh, yes our tombs are but gate
ways into the great hall of the universe
of God. We are pilgrims on the earth.
The abiding places are all beyond the riv-
er. We are, and cannot die.
Success in this life, therefore, is not
necessarily success in life. Both worlds
must be taken into the account. All of
life must be thought of when we compute
the gain and loss. Men count the mo-
ments when they should count the ages
They look this side of the grave when
they should look beyond it. Time, sense.
the world, wealth, place, fame, the breath
of human applause, these absorb them
Eternity, spirit, Christ, heaven, hell, re-
alities that are everlasting, the smile of an
approving God-these are unthought OF
and forgotten.
True success, then, is an interest Sc
cured that death cannot rob us of-that
we need not part with when we die. All
else is disastrous failure. The best OF
life, the most of life, well nigh all of life
is on the other side of what we call death.
Surely to fail there, to 90 in the bitterness
Of disappointment, poverty-grt and pow
crty-stricken, with unrealized expectation
and blasted hopes through all the ages, is
not to succeed. Paul, the Apostle, was
Saul of Tarsus once the foe and prose
cutor and slayer of the vile Christian
logs He had learning, talents, reputa-
lion. He was held in high estimation
he was houored by his nation; he was on
The high wave of popularity, but if he had
died so, think you the starred crown that
now rests eternally upon his brow would
ever have been placed there No. He
would have BEEN at the last, as one that
beateth the air. Every blow that he struck
at the Church would have recoiled with
terrible force to weaken and crush his own
spirit. Every martyrs death unto which
he consented, would have given the suf-
ferers place in the commonwealth ofhea-
en-" citizenship in the democracy of ev-
erlasting life, y while the heavy links would
thus have been added to the chain by
which he in the end would have been
bound in eternal bondage to Satan. But
ne changed all this, He came to view life
in its relation to God and eternity, and
turning his back upon worldly honors,
leaving the proud place with which his
countrymen had honored him, he took up
the despised and execrated cross, and with
the same wealth of resources and resist
less energy and fiery zeal that he had liv-
ed for this world, he lived for both HUI
man applause did not greet him now ;
scorn instead and poverty, opprobium and
hate. He was hunted, arraigned impris-
oned, whipped, tortured, murdered. But
did he fail To human eye, then and
there, he did. But that triumphantavow-
al II have fought good fight, | have fin
ished my course, | have kept the faith, -
echoing from his prison walls until it has
gone round and round the world, has con-
vinced us all that he did not fail He
pressed toward the mark for the prize Of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,