The Hartford herald., 1876-05-10
Serving the Lord With s:Iaanc>S.


Many persons appear . think That
when a man bccomcs converted a GER
tain amount Of sweetness l. taken cat
Of his life and of souTncss added They
suppose that a Christian Is man who
has suddenly taken on 4 solemn Eirc
and at the same time put away III.
sympathy for all that i bright and
gleeful and sparkling in the ordinary
events and experiences "i life.
There Is positively not one syllable
in the Bible that gives warrant 10 any
such conclusion. We are Commanded
to "serve the Lord with glalnes.~ TO
"rejoice in the Lord always" Nay,
even in the deepest affection We are
not exempted from this obligation To
Christian joy. 1t may not be hilarious
merriment that the true Christian
manifests. Such laughter Is often only
like the cracking of thorns under the
pot, transient and noisy and quick con-
suming Christianity Is rather the steady
glow Of n constant fire, diiiusing it,
warmth and radience over the whole
life. Such a joy it is not only the
privilege but the duty Of the believer
TO manifest.
1t is quite likely that the ascetism
into which Christianity has at times
fallen, together with the contemplation
of the solemn realities which the Bible
reveals, may have contributed to the
false impressions which many people
cherish of the influence Of religion
upon the happiness Of this life. No
Christian, certainly, can be too pro-
foundly impressed with the solemnity
of the VOWS he has taken, or the awful
responsibility of every human being
before God. But the doctrine of the
Bible is that the Christian is the only
man who has a right TO be happy.
Godliness has the promise both of this
life and that TO come.
Those who would deny to Christians
the ordinary sympathies and pleasures
of life, who would put an extinguIsher
upon each sparkle of wit and cover up
every laugh with a black mantle of
solemnity, forget that they are really
thereby impugning both the wisdom
anu goodness oI their Creator. II GOd
had not intended for The Christians to
be joyful he certainly would never
have made the world so full of the
sources of Joy. Here is all nature gay
and sparkling bright. Christians are
put right in the midst of ali this glad
ness and beauty. There is not bird
that sings or a flower that blossoms or
a child running over with merriment
that does not appeal to tho active SYM
pathies and call forth a responsive
thrill from the healthy buoyant Chris
tian heart.
Now what does all this mean? Are
we to conclude that God has made a
mistake? Did he put wit and imag-
ination and humor and love of sociabil-
ity and good fellowship into mems
hearts only that they might use them
in the Devils service? Is it not much
more likely that these are gifts which
it was intended for religion to direct
and sanctify? If God has made a
man a wit and then converts him, we
see no earthly reason why he should
not be just as witty as before. The
glow of imagination, the social faculty,
the innocent merriment that gives zest
and sparkle of life,-these are qualities
of soul that are not necessarily repress-
ed, but are rather sweetened and puri-
fed and polished by religious expert
ence. @.
The true Christian will strive to be
a full man, rounded out in the growth
of all the faculties that God has given
him, developing not merely conscience
as the foundation of character, and
those substantial traits which make up
a safe and solid superstructure, but he
will not think it beneath him to be
happy, or to cultivate both for his own
and others sake those lighter and more
ornamental graces which contribute
to cheerfulness, sociability and the ag-
gregate gladness of human life.-IIes-
tern Recorder.
WE ENTER this week on our list of