The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-11-05

His text was taken from Nehemiah s. part
18TH verse: . For the joy Of the Lord IS your
strength"
There is something musical in these
words: they vibrate on the ear and
touch the heart with their melody.
They teach us that there is joy in the
service of the Lord, and this joyous
ness shall prove to us strength. How
true it is that the happy, thankful, joy
Gus christian has a greater influence
over his fellows than the one that is
| gloomy and morOse. The religion OF
Jesus is not doleful. 1t is not always
( chanting psalms or saying prayers.
1t has its moments of sorrow; but ii
has its days and gears of joy, and the
very songs we sing, and the prayers we
offer, should not be melancholy, but
those of joy and thanksgiving. Some
christians go through life with a sad
countenance, and are shocked at mirth-
fulness or joy; but they are not the
| best opponents of christianity. They
have mistaken ideas regarding the true
intent of the christian system. 1t is
gladstone, joyous as the twitterlng OF
the birds in the springztime.
| How dreary seems the art gallery
where we find only dull and heavy
paintings. How cherries seems the
room which is draped III sombre colors.
Our hearts are chilled as we enter there,
and we long to throw aside the heavy
drapery of the windows and let in the
fiood-tide of heaven; or to give that
awkward furniture a gentle twist that
the sunbeams may dance upon it. Thus
dreary and cherries seems the life OF
the christian whose countenance Is not
| bright and Joyous, beaming with the
Divine reflection.
Ii there is any one in this world that
ought to be joyous, it is the christian.
All that is dear in this life and in the
future, life is his. In that far off time
their flocks, the heavenly host came
down, bringing not sad or gloomy tt
dings, but those of great joy. The
best of Heavens gifts, the gladness OF
Heavens praises. He was the bright
ness of His Fathers glory, and the leg
acy He left to us was one of bright ness
and joy. We should go forth, eating
the fat and drinking the sweet of life,
thankful that we can be joyous, and
have our hearts tuU of gladness and
praise. We are joyous and happy at
the christians gatherings, and the days
of thanksgiving so should we through
life, not periodically, but daily. These
days of festivity are fit types of what
our daily lives should be.
If we have this joy within us; if we
are thankful, even when the storm
cloud lowers, and the days are dreary,
we have gained q mastery over our
selves that is beyond compute; we
have reached an altitude from which
we can see the Gttleness of these cares
and difficulties in comparison with the
peace and joy that is in the heart.
The hearts that are stricken find
| ~. H. Il . n hna
enly Joy fills the heart, and they can say,
IN OF my will, but Thine, oh Lord, be
DONE" and so 'beauty is given them for
ashes, and the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness." We have much to
annoy us in this life-much that we feel
''comes to us amiss," yet we should be
cheerful, not murmur at our lot, but re-
ioice that it is no worse, looking on the
| sunny rather than on the shady side OF
! life. This earthly lot, my friends, is
only pilgrimage, only the stile OIL
=. wicket, that is between us and the i'm
mortal life. 1t is only step and VIC
enter the New Jerusalem. Christianity
is the road that leads thither. JOY is
our guiding star and strength. We
should have that cheerfulness of spirit
that shall see back of all our troubles
a loving hand, Il tender, plying Father
True, there are laws in nature that must
be carried out but ''intinite love" would
not have formed them, nor allowed them
to fulfill their mission, had it not beer
4 for our good. This thought should
bring to us joy. Bright is that life
grand the illumination of that heart, by
heavenly light, which is filled with this
t i0y. 1t breathcs the heavenly atmos
: phere, and is bathed i'll the sun rays o
glory. Such an one has fOretaste o
the eternal joy, and is fifty prepared tt
enter into it. 1t is pure, whOle-sOu
iov. taking in not only ourselves bu
those around us; tbs unselfish, and ha
, room for all. As we have much to an
. nov us i'll life, so have we much to MAKE
us Joyous much that is sweet anC
pleasant, and they will overbalance tn
bitterness of life, if we only look at i
in the right light. How much we hav'
to make us happy-hOme, friends, gooC
business prospects-but above all tn
blessedness of being the followers o
Christ, and doing good to those arOunt
US. We experience joy as we take il
> all these at glance. Our mission IL
life, nv friends, is to follow Christ, ant
helD our fellows God has placed u
here to do this not to eat the fat ant
= drink the sweet alone, but to find 10,
in extending helping hand to thos
that need it. We must take i'll all thes
I n0euN OncS VI our joy Will uCb OC YIN
" plete. The religion of Jesus if taken il
its fullness, will work out just such re
3 suits as this. 1t broadens and deepen
d our natures, fills us with sympathy an
kindness, and sends us forth with a Joy
Gus spirit to save and strengthen an
feed the perishing ones. Ills buta poo
r and one-sided life, my hearers, that doe
not link these two great chains togeth
If er. 1t should be joy to us that Will
on the one hand we can love our Heay
enly Father with all our powers, W
= can. on the other hand, love our neigh
Dor as ourselves. Thus not only W
shall have this Sjoy of the Lord wit
us, but we shall show forth the beautiC
of His service, and thus draw others
. know its joys.
ID In coming to you this morning, m
N friends, to speak to you for the la
time. as your 'tacting PASTOR" m
thoughts have turned to these words
Ezra. and in my parting words desiI
to impress on your minds the jOyou
E. ness of our holy religion, and the gl,
rious results attainable by us if we carr
ont its great principles.
Amid all your surroundings sho
= forth the great power of Christianity,
), filing your hearts with peacefnIne
and joy; though you part with friend
or meet the waves OF auFefSlIy, DC 10,
Gus and happy, take the unpleasal
things of life with sweet submissio
and as willingly as the peasants one
for all these things go to make up tn
;, life and to mold us for the life to com
IT saw two clouds at morning,
" Tinged with the rising sun:
And in the dawn they floated on,
B. And mingled into one;
y thought that morning cloud was BILE
u 1t moved so sweetly to the West.
saw two summer currents
Flow smoothly TO their meeting,
And Join their course, with silent for
= In Daace each other greeting: