, 1886-02-14

ms 10 the DESCRIPTION OF ditoasef when
p-oplo hro broken-limbed. they must have
surgery, but would It DO right to describe n
perfect man by the conduct hat is required
OF the wounded man. Yet just exactly that
has been done in the theology OF the past.
Christ declares that they that are Immersed
in the world, In bondage, living proud
and selfish, hating and hateful, must
stop. must tnko the medicine, must get well
OF this corruption OF nature; but that Is n
medical prescription; and when they have
got well. now WHAT Must a man limp 10
cause he had TO when he wns getting WELL
Must he tako bitter things because he did
when he was under tho regimen of n physi-
ciani That has been the prescription OF a
great many OF the churches.
The popular feeling still runs In that di-
r%ection, and IL stands In the why OF multi
tudes entering the Christian life. They put
II of MS they put Off having an aching tooth
extracted. When they can't get sleep nor
comfort anyhow, they go to tho dentist
Aud many feel, know l nave got TO repent
some time or other, but 1t will take way
when 1 join tho church, all my light
and elasticity, and sweetness, and lib
erty, and pleasure. I will put 1t of
until it is dangerous to put It off any moro,
and then | will take and have my heart
changed and go 10 heavenl Oh, wretched
SANDER on tho thing most beautiful in
human life-the emhncipated reason and
the emnncipated feelings that belong to tho
very highest f~aculties of the human SOUL
For religion Is joyous, free, airy. CAV. full
OF music, full OF light, full OF liberty, and
just in proportion "a you recede from these
qualities, you recede from the nctuality OF
religious experience.
Tn popular misconception as TO what
constitutes n good sound Christian man is
- - IL # CIT
urc. 1t Il supposed that after n man has
been convicted of sim" and has had an aw-
full time with himself and the devil, and has
become ''convertei," that you will know it
by this; that hereafter he will be very sober;
that no will have a stern countenance. and
that he will deny himself of every thing, on
the ground that the moro self denial the great
or the virtue that inures TO his benefit Now
! say that II n man has received n facs that
can't smile, he ought not to DO blamed for
IL any more than he ought to be blamed for
a club foot or any other deformity, but that
mans face is very much against him that
can't smile, and smile very easily A man,
therefore, that has a grave, severe aspect,
and. that at the most heartrending
jests barely smiles, and then tucks
up his lips as il he was sorry for It, and is
therefore looked upon as a saint, is the an
tithetical saint, Sobriety, in the sense OF
unsmiling gravity. is not n Christian
quality. The freer, sweeter, more versatile
joyous moods you can cultivate the nearer
you are to the typical Christianity.
l don't deny that there is n work for the
conscience, and even for fear. But fear. in
its more crude and remorseless experiences,
belongs to the animal man. II it has any
true function, it is drastic. 1t il only to bc
prescribed in desperate cases. The
fr,,a (p,rfg4fop aw1arf.nra fo uanfIa bnnaful
and imaginative; full of light, spright-
Illness. gladness. / don't mean that the
Christian Is merely allowed to be these.
Those are 10 be n Christian; to come TO that
state of mind in which these are the ruling
and II atu raj experiences of the soul. You
sit In dnrknes4. Religion brings you
into light. You arc under tho thrall OF
fear; religion releases you from that
fear. You arc without joy and light. Re
hgion sweeps away tho clouds and brings
such n view of life and immortality and
glory in Christ Jesus, that the whole soul
moves on and up with music and with
dancing.
1t was a child of Spartan New England.
Now England was the child of war. 1t came
from the era of controversy, when religion
had TO embattle itself, as it were, in castles
and towers; when Christian men. whose
lives were imperiled by their fidelity to
the truth. wore steel armor. And they
framed their theology in those times Of
controversy, when a mans life and his prop
erty and his reputation and all his happiness
hung on n definition. But to bring down
tho forts and the castles for domestic dwell
ings nowadays, and for n man to walk
around In "A steel hrmor because once
it was necessary, is to reverse the
cannons Of common sense.
II one is called to Christ life, and is mirth-
full, for heavens sake don't repress it. II
one Is called from the selhshness of the
worldly life to n Christ life, and is gay and
OVERLOOKING in cheorfulnes5, for the
love OF Christ do not ropresi it.
These arc tho q%ualitioi out OF which
the silver thread should be spun that weaves
the garment Of righteousness for the church
OF Jesus Christ. The soul as we'll as tho body
nourishes better u nder the light of these
genial qualities than under tho hard, fear
inspiring conscience-oppressing qualities.
l will ndmit that great men have
been mado by conscience. l will ad-
init that foundation qualities are established
by conscience. But | do declare that CON
science IS, 10 the Christian temper and OK
perience, what foundations are to domestic
dwellings No man ever goes and sits
down on a cellar wall, and yet he
could not Luild a good house unless
1t has a foundation OF stone or brick. But
on those foundations he carries up those
walls and incloses those spaces where chill
dren's mirth and v%irtuous love flourish in all
forms OF gaiety and pleasure Conscience is
fundamental It Is an undertone; but he would
be II poor player that only should sound
melody from the pedal bass OF tho organ.
It may underlie all the rest the sweet flight
OF its singing stops and the great burdens OF
IT, harmony, hut il is underneath them all
It ~ what the ocean Is to the ship that sails
huoyantly over its abundant bosom
The attempt, then, to repress in young
Christians these joy-bearing graces is not
only not necessary, but it IS positively per-
mcious. IL Is like picking canary birds OF
all their feathers
lilo who seeks TO divest the mind Of these
losf l qualities would pick the petals from
n uors
How shall l enough express tho fact that
throughout the whole Now Testament the
atmosphere characteristic OF n Christian ok
porience Is radiant, I had almost said the
atmosphere OF lovity itself is better than
thnt Of gravity, which is nearer the ground
aud nearer the animal life.
It is true that we do not live merely 10 DO
happy righteousness Is tho aim. We live
10 develop tho highest traits Of the soul.
But the atmosphere in which we do perform
all these duties 10 tho atmosphere OF heaven
There the tear is who'd from tho
eye; there there Is no night; there
there Is no sorrow and no TT ouble, and the
atmosphere Ut the earth, in so far as 1t re-
seinhla heaven, has no cloud, no storms, no
lightning bolts TO blast OF 10 threat
The world neods this development II IL
full OF sorrow, Of dependency. It needs
hopA IL needs courage IL treds joy
10 ripcn tn higher qua Titles. May God
grant not only that We may grow
In grncn and In the knowledge OF our Lord
Jrsus Christ 10 Our own exceeding Joy and
ilumuna inh Tut may God grant that men.
ts.inn our light. may Rlorify Our Father