Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-07-13
Crude Notions of Self Denial.
On this Henry Ward Beecher remark

On this Henry Ward Beecher remarked
in recent serman: ..
Many persons say, II ought to deny my
self" They are going along in life very
happily, and do not perceive any partic-
ular reason for changing their course, but
they have read that man must deny him
sell, and they say to themselves, What
shall deny myselfin? | wish | knew how
l could deny myself" And they go to
work and invent modes OF selt-denlal. One
person says, Il will not eat any butter. 30
he denies himself. Another person says,
II enjoy a good coat as well as any body
else but being Christian, my duty is to
deny myself; so | will get lnsey-woolsey
and let the broadcloth 60" That Is his
self-denial. Men have no idea what self
denial is They are tloupdering alter some
thing they do net know what. They are
searching after an opportunity for selt-de-
NAL, not understanding that to deny ones
sell is simply to put DOWN lower feeling,
in order to give higher feeling ascenden-
cy. You have an opportunity tor selt-de-
NAL every time YOU see man. Ii you see
a man that you dislike, put down that hate
full enmity ofsoul That will be selt-denlal.
Every time you see a person IN misery, and
YOU shrink tromrelieving him, then relieve
him. That will be self denial. DO you
not say, Il am busy | cannot stop to see to
that little curmudgeon in the street,; but
stop God says, you are all brethren"
and. ragged and dirty as that child Is, 1t Is
related to you in the larger relationship OF
the eternal world and you must not De SO
bus, as not 10 have time to care for INN.
If your seihshness says, 81 cannot stop; L
do not want TO be plagued with these little
ruffians OF the street" and a divlner ele-
ment of the soul says" Stop. neither bus
mess nor pleasure has any right here; re-
ligion, humanity and duty must rule here
and if you obey the dictates OF that divine
element, then you deny yourself.
"In honor preterring one another" This
Injunction suggests an ample field Tor self
denial. You that invent sackcloth and
hair-mittens to rub yourselves with, so rs
to get up selt-denial and suffering. when
YOU sit and hear your brother in the law,
of the office next to yours, praised, what Is
it that makes you hold your breath ? OH
you say, that is envy, 1 ought not TO teel
So" There is u blessed struggle. What
is born out OF il? Ii you rise superior tt
| that comparison between !ourseli ana nm
and say, Il thank God tEat ne Is esteemed
more than am love and honor him
and am glad TO see his name 60 up, anc
it does not hurt me to have his name g
above mine" then there is a glorious self
denial. What are the elements Of it,
Why, putting down your own selhshness
and putting up the brotherhood feeling.
No man, then, need hunt among hair
shirts no man need seek for blankets toc
short at the bottom and too short at the top
no man need resort To iron seats and cush
ionless chairs no man need shut himself
up III grim cells man need stand on tn
top of towers or columns, i'll order to den!
himself There are abundant Opportuni
ties Tor sell den.a,. Ii man is going t.
place the higher part OF his nature upper
most, he will have business enough OIL
hand.