Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-06-07
Take Care OF Yourself.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
is the second great command Of God. In
two ways do we violate this command first.
in neglecting others, and living only for self
and second, in neglecting self aud living
only for others The duty Of loving our
neighbors as ourselves presupposes that we
do, and ought 10, love ourselves. And here
is a difference between the love we owe 10
God and that we owe TO His creatures. We
are TO love Him, not as we love ourselves,
but with all our heart, soul, might, mind
and strength Thus we are TO withhold moth.
ing from Him. In following Christ we are
utterly and wholly 20 deny self-sclf is TO
have no claim or hearing in the case what
ever Pain, suffering, sacrifice, sorrow, and
even death itself, must be met without q
murmur for the love Of Him who loved us
and gave Himself for MS. But when we
come TO consider our relations 10 our fellow
men, the case is changed. We are only re-
quircd 30 love our neighbors as ourselves
and we are not hidden 10 do all things that
others desire us 10 do, but all things what
soever ,re would that men should do 20 us,
we are commanded to do TO them.
There are persons who transgress the spirit
Of this law by loving others better than they
do themselves. They will do for others
what they would never desire nor permit
others in like circumstances TO do for them.
They will sacrifice and toll beyond all rea-
son. that selfish hangers-on may reap the
fruit Of their pains.
Some are bringing up their children for
ruin, by neglccting TO teach them ways Of
honest labor, and doing things for them that
they should make them do for themselves.
To be sure, it may be easier to-day to do a
fl.tr.Fr than f. fnual child 30 tp
but be- patient, teach the children, and at
length you will Le permanently relieved Of
care and labor, and the time You have spent
in their instruction will be repaid ten-fold
by their assistance.
Learn that it is your duty to take care Of
yourself, You are not your own, You are
bought with price wherefore glorily God
IN your Jodg How would you like 10 have
men abuse and oyerwork your horse as you
sometimes abuse and overwork yourself z
Suppose a horse was compelled to labor night
and day, poorly fed and neglected driven
hard when weary, exhausted, and in con-
stant pain what an outcry would be raised
about the iuhumanity Of those that did it.
And vet men and women are doing just this
to thcmselyes- and thus abusing and ont
raging the Lords property-that which He
has bought with His own precious blood, and
which he desires us to present TO him, not as
a lained and crippled, and dying or dead
offering, but as q Icing sacrifice, holy and
acceptable in his sight And yet such peo-
pie often feel no sense Of wrong or condem-
nation for their course. But it is sinful for
all that.
Take care OF the Lords property; lie
bought it with great price and take as
good care Of it as You would wish others 10
take Of anything belonging to yourself.
Your personality has value. IL is not what
You 40, but what you are, that is Of the great
est worth. 4 fathers care is worth more
than fathers toll and few dollars earned
and given to a child are poor substitute
for the parental manhood Of which he is
robbed \ mothers presence IN health and
strength is OF more importance 10 q daugh-
ter than few extra h0unccs and ruilles, in
preparing which she wearies out her life and
ruins her health. a bowl of poridge
sweetened by a mothers CHEEKY smile, is bet
ter for children than minoe pics and sweet
meats soured 10y a woaFied mothers cross
words. Luxury is a poor substitute for
love; aud every person who destroys health,
and happiness, and peace, in the effort TO
provide wealth, or luxury, or adorning for
others, is guilty Of terrible mistake ter
nhle SIN.
Take care Of yourself as well as others.
See 10 it that you retain health, strength,
yigor, courage. Try to be As well as do, and
let hang come before doing. Life lasts more
than day and the Lord has other servants
besides you. And lie may not thank you
for killing yourself any more than you
would thank your child for working himself
into the grave, to do something which when
done was of very little account lie would
have US rule ourselves and take care of our
selyes-do our own duties, let others do
theirs, and then leave all the rest to Him.
The lHdysi3e