The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-07-21
SUNDAY READING.

SUNDAY READING.
TauE CHRISTIAN krE.-Did soly lite
consist Of ono or two noble deeds -sone sig
nal specimens Of doing, or endsrinK, or sul-;
fering--we might account for the failure, and,
reckon it small dishouor to turn back Ia suck
conflict But . holY life 10 made up Of
small things: sIt il the little thines Of che
hour. and not the great things Of The are,
that i'll Up life like that Of Paul and John,
like that Of Rutherford, or Brainerd, or Mas.
tyn. L'ftie words-not eloquent speeches or
sermons; little deeds-pot miracles, nor bat.
ties, nor one great hernic oct or martyrdom,
make up the true Christian life The little
constant sunbeam, not the lightning, the wa
tiers. Of Shiloh, that 90 softly Yin their
meek mission Of yefreshment, not the waters
of torrent, noise And force, are the true sym,
hoIs Of holy hfy.
The avoidance bf little evils, little sins, lit.
tie Inconsistencies, little weaknesses. little
follies,. little indiscretiofis and imprpdencies,
little ,foibles, little indulgenciess Of self and
OF the fesh little acts Of Incidence or indie
cision, or slovenlinsss or cowardice,, little
equivocations or alterations from hish intep.
rity, little touches of shabbiness and mean.
ness, little bits Of covetousness and penuri.
business, little exhibitions of .worldliness and
gayety, little indifferences to the feelinss or
wishes Of others, little outbreaks of temper,
or croasness, or selfshness, or vanity the
avoidance-of such little things a these goes
tar to make up at least the negative beauty
Of holy life. And then attention to the
little duties of the day and hour, in public
transactions. or private dealings, or
family arrangements; to little words,
and books, and tones; little self. denials, and
selfrestraints, and self-forgetfulness little
plans of quiet kindness and thoughtful consid-
GRAFTON for others to punctuslity, and meth
cd, and true aim, in the ordering of each
day-these are active developments Of holy
life, the rich and divine mosaics of which it
is composed. ~ 8As
What makes yon green hp 80 beautiful !
Not the outstanding peak or stately elm, but
composed Of innumerabie blades Of slender |
grass. It is Of small things that great life
is made up and he who will acknowledge no
life as great save that which is built up of
great things, will find little in Bible characters
to admire OF copy.-Dr. Bonar.
Evils or GossIp. have know a country
society which withered away oil to nothing
under the dry rot OF gossip only. Friend
ships, once as firm IS granite, dissolved to
jelly, and then run away TO water, only be-
cause of this; love, that promised = future as
enduring as heaven and as stable rs truth,
evaporated into morning mist that turned to
days long tears only because of this; :
father and son were set footto foot with the
fiery breath Of an anger that would nevesl
cool again between them, only because of
straining at the hated leash which in the be-
ginning had been the golden bondage Of q
God-blessed love, sat mournfully hr The side
Of the grave where all their lovs and all
their JOY lay buried, and only because of
this. / have seen faith transformed toll
mean doubt hope give place to grim des,
pair, and charity take on itself the features of
black malevolence, all because of the spell.
words of scandal and the magic mutferings
of gossip. Great crimes work great wrong,
and the deeper tragedies Of human life spring
from its larger passions; but woeful and most
mournful are the uncatalogued tragedies that
issue from gossip and detraction; most mourn.
ful the shipwreck often made Of noble nature
and lovely lives by the bitter winds and dead
salt waters Of SANDER. So easy to say, yet so
hard to disprove-throwing on the innocent
all the burden and the strain Of demonstra>
ting their innocence, and Furnishing them as
guilty if unable to pluck out the stings they
never see, and to silence works they never
hear-gossp and Islander are the deadliest
and the cruelest weapons man has ever forged
for his brothers hurt--ANthe Tear Round.
MY MOTHER Rev. Robert Collier, Unita>
rian minister, of Chicago, enjoyed the advan.
tages of Methodist home and education.
Ir volume of sermons, just published, en-.
titled Nature and Life, he has, in . talk to
mothers, these lines 4
As have thought of what should saw to
you of what you should be, have seemed
oil the while only to be recalling what a moth.
er once was to child. For my spirit went
back through many years to q little valley,
.among the rocks and winding scaurs,''
where | saw man and woman, in the early
welded prime. sitting together. And as sat
with them, watching Their hces shine in the
eummer Sunday sn5iisht, they. seemed to me
as the faces of angels. Then the woman sang
some words have never forgotten, out of a
sweet old Methodist hymn. These were the
- words s.. al
aIIew happy is the pilgrims Let!
How free from every anxious thought,
From werdly hope and fear
Confined to neither court nor cell,
His soul disdains on earth 70 dwell;
He only sojourns here"
And from that time somehow, knew in new
way, that this was my mother. And now her
hair is white az snow, and she bends, in the
ripeness of her fruitful and graceful life,
waiting for the angels to come and carry her,
aner her long wtdown0ou, 10 anotner OF the
many mansions, where husband and sons are
watching and waiting for her coming.
ERRoRs.-The little that I have seen of
Abe world, and known Of che history of man
kind, teaches me to look upon their errors in
sorrow, not in anger. When take the his.
tory of one poor heart that has sinned and
suffered, and represent to myself the strup.
gies and temptations 1t passed throush-the
brief pulsations Of joy, the feverish inouiet.
udes of hope and fear; the tears of regret.
the feebleness Of purpose, the scorn Of the
world that has little charity, the desolAtion q
the souls sanctuary, and threatening vices
within, health gone, happiness aape-I would
TAIN leave the erring soul Of my fellow man
with Him from whose hands It came.-Dr.
Chalmers.
FoLIowlSe THE LoRp Fu1Ls-Walkna
once in pitchy dark night in company Will
friend who knew the road we'll, said tc
him, 81 shall follow you, 90 q to be right r.
Aftera little, stumbled into ditch. You
have led ne into ditch, !" aid. 1Ther
You have not followed me exaetly,n was th,
reply, .sfcf l have kept free" l had to &C
knowledge ihatI had gone alittle. 70 "a Gde
thnkh&3kAt u M cenoequS1ces BoX u
thoueht 4, With The ChtiG ~ 6alowing Cnfist
- long = he follows Mn s&asely he 10 IA
but when he turns aside, however little, he
liable % stumbis into thediAph-