Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-21
THE RUTLAND HERALD
he GRATEFUL.

If any teacher of the people should
devise some plan whereby their puplls
would cease to trouble themselves, he
would Justly be hailed by all men as
benefactor of humanity. The truth is,
and is apparently becoming more mani
fest year by year, that the morbid sense
which broods over misfortune, and
magnifes evil, is increasing among the
neople. This of course leads to unhap-
piness and to many conflicts in families
and neighborhoods, where all ought to
be peace and harmony, and is the source
of more opposition to the teachings of
the Christian religion than any other
one attribute of man. We are at loss
to account for this disposition, and OF
about equal loss to conceive a remedy,
for if the spirit of gratitude, felt by a
fallen race to the Saviour who provides a
way for everlasting bliss, through the
lowest humiliation and an ignominous
death upon the cross, is not sufficient to
remove the spirit of dependency from
the minds of earnest believers in this
blessed dispensation, no cure devised by
man can have any effect.
1t is precept of the highest civiliza-
ton that the first duty of man is to seek
his own substantial happiness. BY this,
however, no selfish doctrine is laid down,
as we are authoritatively taught that by
the law of love, whereby we should love
our enemies, and do good to those that
despitefully use us, we are working
out the natural law of our nature and
thereby render ourselves more joyous in
doing good to others. 1t is a direct yio-
lation of the law of human nature as
well as q disregard of the spirit of Chris
tianity for people to court misery and
destroy happiness, by spreading dissen-
sions among others, or hugging to their
own bosoms some fancied wrong or some
troubled thought. .#...
1t is less than day since that we saw
a good housewife in deep distress because
her green servant girl had burned up a
loaf of bread, and brought the dinner
on to the table in disordered condition,
and we could not help the reflection,
that that Christian woman was doing an
injustice to herself and to her Creator by
being annoyed and vexed at such tri-
file. How much worse it would have
been if this unskilled servant had burned
up the house instead of the bread. There
is scarcely any annoyance or vexation
that plunges us in misery, but what we
can easily see how it might have been
much worse, and we forget our thank
fulness and Joy for the blessings we
have and the evils we have escaped in
our useless MORNINGS and sorrow
ings over the little triles we don't like.
1t is humiliating to the intelligence of
people, who recognize the great gov
erning power and protection of an all
wise Creator, to be continually brooding
over the annoyances of daily life. We
insult our loved ones when, in our solici-
tude for their welfare, we are making
ourselves unhappy through a fear that
something may happen to them, and we
show our appreciation and affections
better by comforting those who mourn,
but conquering our own grief, and
trampling our sorrow under foot. We
like the spirit of the clergyman, who,
being DESTROYS of taking a collection for
charitable purpose, passed his hat
through large audience, and, not hay
ing received single contribution, rev.
erently thanked God for a return of his
hat. Why should we not be grateful
for the good that we receive, and the
discipline we get from adversely, and
rejoice in the possession of that, and
not be continually wading through the
adversely itself ? If a man is irritated
by fretful, scolding wife, why should
he not be glad that she does not fight as
well as scold, and if a woman suffers
the unjust suspicious of jealous hus-
band, she should rejoice that he is not
fiend as well as fool.
The law of love to God and love to
men, certainly comprehends gratitude
as prevailing attribute. 1t deprecates
misery in all Its forms, and bids its fol-
lowers to bind up the broken hearted
and to comfort the afflicted. The whole
spirit of the dispensation forbids court
ing of unhappiness, and we are just as
disobedient when we prevert our own
thoughts and souls to misery, as when
we SOW discord in others 1t is a spirit
entirely at war with the design of our
nature, that we should worry and fret,
and is the greatest hindrance to the
spread of the Gospel of Peace. Famili-
arity with trouble, and especially bor-
rowed trouble, breeds an Indifference to
the joyous hopes of future bliss, and
gives the mind morbid turn, entirely
inconsistent with happiness or hope.
This was illustrated by the expression of
the old lady, who thought she had found
the promised joy, when she said ''that
she should not feel well, as Christian,
if she did not believe some one was going
to sizzle in torment forever, as punish
ment for sim" The idea of punishment
for disobedience should not be lost sight
of, but it is rank heresy to make that so
prominent, that all our hopes are con-
nected with its sorrows, and the gratitude
we owe for blessings is forgotten in the
agony we feel for our hard lot. Let US
be thankful that things are no worse
with us than they are.
Written for the Hereld.l
Vermont Horses.