The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-10-13
NO GOOD WITHOUT PAIN.
Personal Holiness Reached Only Through
..... Struggle and suffering.

Personal Holiness Reached Only Through
Struggle and suffering.
Our preachers often tell us, in COM
mcnding Q useful life. that it costs but
little to dc good. In sense this is
true. Without great outlay. either Of
money or of energy, one may do many
helpful things. Yet there is sense in
which one can not be real blessing in
this world save at much cost. 1t is
true, az general principle, that
nothing is worth more than it costs.
Even grain If wheat must fall into
the earth and die before it can yield
any harvest, and we have our Lords
authority fog carrying the analogy into
human life. To be truly useful we
must die to self and to all personal
ambitions and lon rings '.He that
loveth his life loseth it; and he that
hateth his life in this world shall keep
II unto life eternal. y .s. ..p p
So we have our choice. We may
live for self. take good care of our
lives, not exposing them to danger,
not making personal sacrifices, having
keen eye always for our own inter-
ests and advancement Then we may
reach old age hale and well preserved.
People may congratulate us on our
well-preserved state, and we may have
considerable pride in the result of our
prudence and carefulness.
There certainly seems something
quite pleasant about such life, but in
reality it is only the grain of wheat
preserved in the garner and kept from
falling into the earth. There is no
harvest The life abides by itself
alone, well enou h kept, but with no
increase. 1t has been no blessing to
the world. That is. indeed, tho whole
outcome Of sellishness. The other way
to live is altogether to forget self--not
TO think of or care for ones own life,
but to throw it away in obedience to
God and in devotion to His service.
People will say you arc foolish thus to
waste your golden life, thus to sacrifice
yourself in ways that return no profit.
But Christ made no m stake when He
went straight on to His cross rather
than turn aside to save His life; and nc
enc makes n mistake who follows Him.
The truth is we can not be great
blessings in this world. and at the
same time take good care of our own
lives. That which costs us nothing j.
worth nothing. This principle lies
a great deal deeper in the heart of al
life than we are apt to think. AL
along the ages, whatever is good ant
beautiful and worthy has been the
fruit OF suffering and pain. Civilixa
ton has advanced through wars, rev
olutions and failures. through the ruiz
and overturning of empires and king
doms. Every thoughtful reader of th,
worlds history understands this
What Christian civilization is to-day
it is ~ the harvest of centuries O
weary struggle and toll, and human
failure. Earth's thrones of power ar,
built on the wrecks Of hopes that hav,
failed. Every advice worth recordin,
no been made through carnage ant
disaster. 1t seems that without shed
ding Of blood there is not only no re
mission of sins, but no growth, NJ
progress in life. Heavens victoriou
throngs, wearing white robes and wav
ing branches of palm. come up out o
great tribulation. Even Jesus appear
in glory q Lamb that has been slain
His blessedness is the fruit of suffering
And we know that all the Joys an,
honors of redemption come from tn
Saviour's cross, and that personal holi
ness is reached only through stuggl
and suffering. Thus whatever is goo
in earth and in Heaven is the outcom
OF sacrifice, pain and death. DIR. j. Il
Miller, il B. s. Times.