Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-05-10
Joy the Fruit Of the Spirit.

We experience extraordinary Joys at times.
Some are of an equable temperament, and
they are almost to be envied, for stream of
gentle joy always glides through their spirit.
Others of us are of more excitable char
acter, and consequently we fall very fiat at
times. Ay, but then we have our high days
and holidays, and mounting times, and then
we outsoar the wings Of eagles. Heaven it.
self can hardly know more esctatic joy than
we have occasionally felt 1; we shall be vessels
of greater capacity there, but even here we
are at times full to the brim of ioy-I mean
the same Joy which makes heaven so glad.
At times God is pleased to inundate the
spirit with flood of joy, and we are wit
nesses that happy is the people whose God
is the Lord" We do not dance before the
ark every day, but when we do, our Joys are
such as no wording can understand it is
far above and out of his sight Besides our
own witness, the whole history of the church
goes to show that Gods people are joyful
people. am sure that if in reading the his
tory of the first Christian centuries, you are
asked to point out the men to be envied for
their joy, you would point to the believers in
Jesus. There is room in Rome which is
filled with the busts of the emperors. | have
looked at their heads they look like col
lection of prize-ighters and murderers, and
scarcely could | discover on any countenance
a trace of Joy. Brutal passions and cruel
thoughts deprived the lords of Rome of all
chance of joy. There were honorable ex-
ceptions to this rule, but taking them all
around, you would look in vain for moral ex-
cellence among the Cesars and, lacking this
thing of beauty, they missed that which is
a joy. Turn now to the poor hunted Chris
tians, and read the inscriptions left by them
in the Catacombs; they are so calm and
peaceful that you say instinctively--a joyous
people were wont to gather here. Those
who have been most eminent in service and
in suffering for Christ's sake, have been of
triumphant spirit, dauntless because sup
ported by an inner Joy; their calm courage
made them the wonder of the age. With
some Christians this fruit of the spirit is
perpetual, or almost so. | do not doubt that
many walk with God as Enoch did through
out the whole day of their life, always peace
full and joyful in the Lord. | have met with
some, dear brethren and sisters, of that kind,
whose breath has been praise, whose life
has been song. How | envy them, and chide
my own heart that | cannot always abide in
their choice condition. 1t is to be accom-
plished, and we will press forward till we
press forward till we are always rejoicing"
But with others joy is not constant, and yet
it is frequent. David had his mourning
times, when tears were his meat day and
night, and yet God was his exceeding 10Y.
How thankful we ought to be for the por.
trait OF David's inner self, which is presented
to us in the book of Psalms. With all his
downcastings, what joys he had David was
on the whole a joyous man. His Book of
Psalms has in it lyrics of delight; the glad
dest HYMNS that ever leaned from human
tongues. David is, | believe, the type of a
great majority of the people of God, who if
not "always rejoicing" are yet often so.
Please to recolect that the utmost fullness
of joy could hardly be enjoyed always in
this mortal life; believe that the human
frame is not in this world capable of perpetual
ecstasy. Look at the sun, but do not look
too long lest We be blinded by excess of light.
Taste OF honey, but eat not much of it, or it
will no longer please the palate. Let your
ear be charmed with the Halleluiah Chorus,
but do not dream that you could endure its
harmonies all the hours of the day before
long you would cry out for eloquent pauses,
and sweet reliefs to silence. Too much even
of delight will weary our feeble hearts, and
we shall need to come down from the mount.
Our bodies require a portion of sleep. and
that which is inevitable to the flesh has its
likeness in the spirit; it must be quiet and
still. | believe It is inevitable also. more or
less, that the loftiest Joy should be balanced
by sinking of heart. | do not say that de.
preston is certain to follow delight but us
ually some kind of faintness comes over the
finite spirit after it has been lifted M into
communion with the infinite. Do not there
fore, set too much store by your own feel
firm n