Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-11-15
The Secret of a Happy Life

The Secret Of "a Happy Life.
As long as there is nothing between our
soul and our Savior; as long as we can
look him in the face and feel that it is
clear and bright between US and him, we
are happy, we are cheerful, we are even
gay and jubilant. But by and by there is
this little defect, this stirring up of the
malign feelings in us. And out of one
and another of these things comes more or
less Of alteration. and larger transgression.
till by and by. though we do not stop our
prayers. we pray insineerely, and make
our petitions general; and so we get into
a miserable state of unhappiness, which
creates more sin, and at last there must
come time of breaking down. there
must come time when. if we are true
Christians, God. as it were. overhauls us.
and brings Us to account, and we have to
90 down before him. and repent, aud con-
TESS with tears and lamentations. And
then comes the sense Of peace, the joy of
deliverance, and the wonder of Gods grace
and goodness And the tenderness of
Christ. to our imagination, never seems so
sweet as in those moments which follow hui
initiation, and repentance of our transgres-
sions. Then we think we shall never 90
wrong again; and many persons keep up
on the level a good part Of the time. For
secret of happiness is to have your will
so coincident with Christ's will that you
have every day consciousness that what
ever Christ wants will please you, and can
say, IF the Lord thinks it best that |
should be poor, that is what want to be ;
or, if he wants me to be rich, that is what
| want to be. If the Lord thinks | had
better live forty-fve years, | want to live
so long; or, if he think, ! had better die
when ! am thirty years Of age, that is the
time that | want to die. If the Lord want,
me to deny myself in this or that thing
am willing to do that; or if he wants M
to indulge in such and such things, / an
willing to do that. | want to please him
never please myself so much as when
please God
Now, think many of US have too man,
of the good things Of this world to kno,
what the happiness of religion Is. think
sometimes, that persons living, as it were
from hand to mouth, dependent every da
on Divine Providence, brought so near t
need that every day they feel that God
hand is stretched out to them, are a gre;
deal happier than persons who have
much. look back to my own Indian
life, when lived a. a missionary in son
sense, expecting to live and die there
obscurity, encountering the diseases of Il
country, and the poverty Of early settl
ments; and know that | used to live f,
months and months on a very high plan
conscious that if i forgot myself and wal
dered little the first sound of the nan
of Christ, almost like the first note of
trumpet, brought me back; and | live
jubilant and rejoicing. Though | ha,
had many joys since for think genera
ly live near to joy. ! am conscious tn
care and business. and 50 much of Il
world as have to handle. interfere Wi
my spiritual enjoyment. Even if they
not cloud the temper of my mind, thu
take away something of that rare. etheria
indescribable joy, Of that JOY mspeakah
and full of glory, which it is our privile
to have, which believe multitudes
Christians do have from day to day, al
which all of us will have if we so live tn
we are reconciled all the time to Chri
and his will is our will
Now, in business, what is it that kee
men worrying so? What is the reas
that menare so unhappy in bushes
What is it that frets and excites them s.
came over the ferry this afternoon, an,
never saw such set of Ratchet faces
there was on the boat looked all rou
the cabin, and saw plenty of long -featur
sharp-eyed, nervous looking men, but
did not see one single round face. The
ces were all shaped like my hand. Anc
said to myself, They are ground IL
are worn down, by care, by excitement
tension Of brain" But | believe that
man can lay out all the strength that
ought to every day, without any wear
care without any anxiety; without a
fear or apprehension. believe that
only way that energetic and nervous q
ambitious men can be happy while car
ing on business, is to have such hold
God that everything they do-whet
they eat or drink, or whatever they
called to do-they shall do to the glory
God, not only, but to the love of Chri
and to have such consciousness of &c
presence as to feel that whichever v
things 60, they go right, and that what
err happens is right.-H. ". Beech,
Lecture R00mT Talk.