National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-21
THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH.
HOW TO SECURE HAPPINESS AND
HEAVEN.

HOW TO SECURE HAPPINESS AND
HEAVEN.
Rev DR.. Rankin preached in the forenoon, on
Christ as mans helper to happiness and heaven.
His text was in John iv:1S, IA: "WhosOever drink
eth Of this water shall thirst again; but whose
ever drinketh of the water that 1 shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that shall give
him shall be in him q we'll of water springing up
into everlasting Iife." He began by saying that
to the mind Of the Lord Jesus earth's commonest
things were the symbols Of things not seen and
eternal; we're types Of mans deepest wants, bore
the burdens Of heavens greatest mysteries. For
g6ttpg his own human wants, he thinks here
the flowers and the buds had reminded him Of his
fathers providential care, this we'll and its Wis
itor reminded him Of the river Of water Of life,
flowing from the depths Of the fathers eternal
love for the soul Of man. The happiness OF man
is Just as much under law as the constitution Of
material things. God can make men happy only
by bringing them under the law Of happiness.
Why does your home differ from the home of the
iuebTiate? Two different laws prevail in them.
There are many kinds Of happiness; physical,
intellectual, social.
They are all under law. can show young
man how to squander and disable the richest OF
physical endowments; how to wilt the rose that
God has made TO bloom in his cheek; how to de-
stToy the elasticity Of his step, and make himself
Gecrepit, and even imbecile Let him break the
laws that God has written In mis- physical struc-
ture and he will find penalties there also written
by the same finger. Sc he can blast his intellect
by reading immoral or frivolous books written by
ignorant but pretentiOus men. The highest part
Of a mans nature, Of course, is that part with
which he has to do directly with God. In this
department more than elsewhere must be deter
mined whether he shall be happy or miserable.
delOrmed man may find intellectual happiness.
But mans spiritual nature is higher than his in
tellectual, is that in which God knows him as
man; in which God confronts him with his law.
If he be happy here, he is happy, indeed. Pascal
has said that happiness consists in ''the union of
ourselves with God" Outward condition does
not make happiness, walking in high places
Take the testimony Of that greatest Of mOnarchs,
Solomon. You are happy, are you? What are
you happy in? VIII # last You will let the
future take care of itself? How If you had let
the present take care of itself? You provided
for il in the past. You are happy in the other
departments OF your being because you have
brought them under the law of happiness. What
has Jesus done TO make happiness possible? He
has revealed the Father-the Fathers heart.
1--WE love him because he first loved me-" Know
ing the Father, we understand human life. Men
talk Of enjoying life. They do what embitters II,
what makes them full OF sorrow, what makes
them frequently destroy it. There is no peace
with the dispensations of life but by peace with
God. God intends us all for happiness. VIII we
bring ourselves under the law Of happiness?
In the evening the sermon was on the Fourth
Beatitude: blessed are they which and hunger
and thirst after righteousness"