The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1878-02-15
4 Lesson for the Hard Tines.

llNVlng lOOu ana ralmcnt, says the
apostle, "lct us Herewith be content"
Tho injunction is qualified; the bible,
ii seems, does not ask q starving man
to look into the faces of starving chill
drcn and "bc content" And here
cmcrges an ethical phase of great and
growing question. Capital cannot deal
with it.; ii is too graspiDg. Labor can
not deal with ii; it is too prejudiccd.
Political economy cannot solve it; sci
cnce has no sympathy. 1t must be set
tied by the application of Christian
principles, and thoughtful Christian
men should address themselves to it
without delay. They are safe, more
over, i'll approaching the subject with
the foregone conclusion that men ought
not to staryc in land of plenty.
If, however, a man has food and raj
ment, his duty is clear; he should be
content. He should not rcproach Prov
idencc, envy his ncighbor, or give
countcnance to schemes which under
mine society. To be contented docs
not imply that man should be indo-
lent or unambitious; and to say that
having food and raiment man should
be content, does not imply any dispar-
agement of social amenities Better
food, more luxury, expensive raiment,
and commodious house may be very
desirable, but since one does not have
these and cannot afford them, il is q
wise philosophy which tells him that he
ought to be content with what he has,
inasmuch as the indulgence of feelings
of discomfort is only way of inflicting
wilful injury and pain OH ones self.
But the apostolic injunction does not
refer only to contentment with the bare
necessaries of life; it has a sphere of
application among those who are
blessed with abundance. 1t would add
greatly to the quiet and comfort of do
mestic life, if widespread disposition
to be conteDtcd with such food and raj
ment as they have should take posses
sion of families. For, unwilling as
they may be TO own it, a very large
proportion of the disquietudes of life
stand related to these two words. Our
appctites, our cooking, our servants,
our love of display, our ambition to
live as others live, our desire to have
the rich court us and the poor envy us,
our love of influence, our pride, in
short, conspire against our peace and
rob Us of tue happiness which content
ment with Gods blessings would af-
ford
To be contented, and especially to be
in possession of a godly contcntment, is
a source of "great gain" for who can
be more fortunate than hc who, So far
as the next world is concerned, has ey-
erything he can desire, and who, so far
as this Is concerned, desires no more
than lac has?
We hardly know of any lesson which
Is more timely or more generally ap-
propriatc than the one which is under
consideration. We are passing through
a financial crisis. We arc expecting
''hard times" Property has depreciat-
ed; investments have turned out badly 4;
income from funded money has been
cut of; partnerships have been unprof-
table; banks have suspended and bank
officers absconded with the deposits 4;
work is scarce and wages low; sales
are slow and profits small. NIultitudes
have lost heavily, and the story of dis
appointment is written on their faces.
But there are some things, Christian
friend, which you have not lost. You
have not lost your self resptct; you
have not lost the respect and affection
Of your friends and family; you have
not lost your health or your reason !;
and, above all, you have not lost your
hope. You have treasure where thief
doth not break through nor steal, and
you have an inheritance which is not
liable to depreciation or forfeiture, re-
served in heaven for yon who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto
salvation.
Christians who have been the sub
jects of these worldly misiortunes have
no real reason for discontent; what
they need is to learn how to adapt
themselves to their altered circumstail-
ees.
1--WE cannot live in fine house, we
must take plain one; if We cannot
keep a carriage, we can walk; if we
cannot mix on even terms with the So
ciety we should like, let Us find pleas
ure in the company of people who are
as poor as we are; if we cannot recip-
rocatc hospitality, we need not accept
it; If we cannot go into company, we
can stay at home; and when worst
comes to the worst, with home and
wife and children, bread to eat, raj
ment to wear, and fire to make us
warm, what more do we WANT
BE content, "for," says the apostle,
"we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carr, nothing
out" You cannot keep it, however
much you may acquire; nay, you can
not even dispose of it as you will. The
facility with which mans last will
and testament can be broken. and the
disgusting publicity which is given to
the sanctities of domestic life through
the rapacities of litigating heirs, should
make the poor man satisfied to leave
only an untarnishcd name to posterity
and the rich man anxious to BIZ his own
executor by disposing of his property
while he liyes.-TChrisIian Weekly.