The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-11-30
SERMON.
The Bines.f
By IRVING A. sEAsLEs.


thai ne might die, and said, it is enough; now.
oh Lord take away my lie; for l am not bet
ter than my fathers.-l Kings, 10, 4.
Reference is here made to the prophet Elijah.
Jezebel had sent for him 10 take his life; he
fled into the Wilderness hoping thus to escape
his pursuers. In despair he sits down under
entation Of our text. He Ia greatly depressed
in spirit, or, as we moderns would term 1t, he
had the ''blues." He even wished that he
might die.
The causes Of the blues are quite numerous
/. Natural temperament is one cause. We
have distinctly marked what is known as the
sanguine temperament. This person is always
hopeful his is laughing, buoyant nature
II is as natural for HIM to be cheerful as II is
to breathe. He knows not what dependency
is. Then We have quite al distinctly marked
what is known as the melancholy temperament.
This person is subject to hours OF the most alb
ject dependency; he never sees the bright
side Of picture. These two persons owe their
peculiar dispositions to an inherited tempera-
ment. Ii is a. natural for the mourning dove
to mourn out its doleful notes as 1t is for the
robin to make the grove vocal with its sweet
carol Of song 1t is as natural for some peo-
pie 20 mourn as it is for others to sing. Human
society has its mourning doves as we'll as its
robins.
2. Bodily Affections or i'll health IS a cause Of
dependency. Without doubt this had much
to do with Efjah's melancholy, he has been
travelling rapidly all day he Is FAINT and hun
CRY. In this tired condition the feeling Of dis
couragement creeps over HIM, and he wishes
that he might die. Without doubt you have
had the same experience. You would not Kill
yourself, but you said - wish I could go to
sleep and never wake up" That Is the way
Elijah felt. 10 His treatment OF the case, God
recognizes the fact that Elijah's dependency
IS III part due to physical causes. And as he
lay and slept under the jumper tree behold
then an angel touched him and said unto him.
ARISE and eat. And he looked, and behold, there
was cake bakeu on the Goals and a cruise Of
water at his head. And he did eat and drink
aud laid him down again. And the angel OF the
Lord came again, the second time, and touched
him and said, arise and eat, because the jour-
ney il too great for thee; and he arose and did
cat and drink and went in the strength of that
meat forty DAYS and forty nights unto Horeb,
the mount OF God" The angel did not say to
the trayel-worn prophet, you ought to have
more faith and cheer up. He did not need
more faith he needed food and sleep. Twice
did lie fall asleep and twice did he eat The
body "A well as the soul must be cared for
Faith on an empty stomach avails but little.
Have Won not retired at night when your
troubles seemed to loom up before you as If to
crush you. and the next morning awake and
find that those same troubles appear differ
entyf The world looks brighter than it did
the evening before. What has wrought this
change! You have bad good nights rest
refreshing sleep has chased away the blues. /
verify believe that much of the religious de-
preston that visits people is the legitimate re-
suit OF improper care OF the BODY In our
hymn books we have Illustrations OF the mel
ancholy and cheerful mood. Here are some of
the former:
Full OF trembling expectation,
Feeling much and fearing more.
My thoughts on awful ubjects dTell,
Damnatlon and the dead.
Still another
Ny heart now dreadful hard il is.
How heavy here 1t lies
Heavy and cold within my breast
Just like lump OF ice.
1t Is fair to presume that the writer of this
was troubled with Indigestion. 1t sounds like
the nightmare. Let one pay no attention to
what or when he eats; let him eat in hurried
manner; give no time for digestion: cram
down the beefsteak. the bread. the potatoes,
the cucumbers, and large quantity of hot cof-
fee TO wash the whole down let him eat three
such meals per day and good quantity of
sweetcake between meals let him pay no at
tention to bathing let him thus violate the
simple laws OF health, aud | do not wonder
that he sings, my thoughts on awful subjects
dwell, damnaton and the dead! Some seeing
such a Christian greatly depressed in spirit,
might say OF him that he needs revival to
cheer him mp. To secure the revival he most
needs, uss Graham bread and bath-tub. Many
grace when all that ails him Is = disordered
stomach or diseased liver. In this condition the
gospel OF Esculspius avails more than the Cos
pei Of Christ. He needs physician more than
apreacher Health Of body restored, we would
expect to hear that man sing hymns OF differ
ent sentiment Now you hear him say:
Awlke my soul to joyful lays
And sing the great Redeemers praise
8. Want OF occupation, or something to do,
Is another cause OF dependency. A Christian
very much discouraged, went to his pastor and
requested him TO take his name from the church
record He said, Z" / have given up all hope of
living Christian life. don't want to be
disgrace to the church. Please take my name
OF the records" The pastor. after moments
reflection, replied that he had not time then to
attend to the subject as he was going away to
be absent several weeks. When he came back
ho.would give the request his earliest attention
de would, however. ask one favor of this dis
couraged brother. lie wished he would see
that certain poor family that the church was
supporting was properly cared for until his re-
turn. The man replied that he would do the
best he could. Tho next day the despondent
man, true to hrs promise, visited the moor fam.
iiy. He FOUND them in need. They reouested
bim to pray with them. 1t was new work FOR