The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-28
Religious.
REJOICE IN THE LORD.
REV. o. G. C0LEGR0VE.
STONY Point. Mich.)

"Rejoice in the Lord Away; aud again
say rejoice" Phil. iv. 4.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words
to the church members at Philippi
while he was in prison at Rome.
Throughout this epistle are words Of
commentator for the manner in which
the Christians at Philippi had kept the
faith, and for the preservation of their
Christian characters. The apostle ex-
presses his uhankfulness for their
thoughtfulness and generosity to him
and exhorts them to continue in the
work of the gospel with cheerfulness
and joy. He says: "Rejoice in the
Lord Away and again say rejoice"
Paul had been in prison for about
two years, and did not know when his
final and fatal hour would come; and so
feeling that the Philippians needed
more instruction and consolation, he
exhorts them to continue to work in
harmony for the upbuilding of the
cause of the Master; to enter the work
in the spirit of thankfulness and earn
estness, and to rejoice in this work at
all times.
There are times in life, perhaps, that
it would be more appropriate to exhort
men to be sorrowful than to rejoice.
The text says: "Rejoice in the Lord
Away" If we are working for the
Lord, we may always rejoice in that
work. In the works of sin, not so.
They bring US not gladDess, but sorrow.
We of to-day, and especially the
thinking part of the world maintain
the most hopeful views of life. Real
izing that ignorance, sin and misery
are prevalent to an alarming extent,
we also realize that knowledge, love
and peace are still more prevalent, and
that they are stronger than all The
powers of darkness. Believing then in
the superiority of the spiritual world
of righteousness, and peace, and joy, we
rejoice in the preaching of the glad It'd
ings of great joy which are for all peo-
pie. Believing the gospel of Christ to
be the power of God unto the salvation
of both Jew and Greek, we can rejoice
in the Lord always. Believing the Cos
pei to be the comforter of all men, even
in times of the greatest affection, we
can proclaim this blessed gospel with
the most cheerful spirit, and with the
most promising assurance Of its power
to make all human hearts rejoice.
There is no human being but has
seasons of rejoicing. God does not al
low his children to suffer beyond what
they can bear, although he Furnishes
them for every sin. Sometimes he
teaches them lessons that are hard to
learn-lessons that bring much suffer
ing, yet if we looked more to the ulti-
mate results, we should have irmer
consciousness of the truth of the sacred
word, that 1.-The Lord is good unto all,
and his tender mercies are over all his
works." Believing in the infinite good
Gess of God, and feeling that his good
ness can never leave US, nor forsake us,
we rejoice with joy that is unspeakable
and full of glory.
Every person should rejoice, because
of the fact that the prayer given by the
Son of God, nineteen hundred years
ago, and repeated by millions of his fol-
lowers in the centuries intervening,
asking the heavenly Father that his
kingdom should come, and his will be
done in the earth as it is in heaven" is
being answered. Yes, the kingdom of
God is coming to the world in our day.
We may all rejoice that while the king
doms of darkness, sin and misery yet
exist, the kingdom of God is gaining in
its conquests; that the boundaries of
this kingdom are being extended; and
the gospel is being preached even to
the remotest nations of the globe, bring
ing peace and prosperity to all men.
Practical Christianity has shown itself
to the world to be the greatest essential
in human life. The world has recog-
nized its force. Is not this a reason
for rejoicing? Mighty victories have
been won over materialism, atheism,
pantheism, and pessimism, and the
Christian philosophy is universally &C
cepted to-day by the thinking world
the world of intellectual investigation
and study, as the only true philosophy.
The enemies of the Christian philosophy
have humbly bowed to the genius and
true worth of the eternal and divine
Christian philosophy. Let US be care
full now how we use this victory. We
should rejoice over it, but we should
not think that this is all. We should
not be so over-joyous in this victory in
itself that we are content without con-
tinuing the constructive work. Listen
to the words of Luke SIN this rejoice
not that the spirits are subject unto
you: but rejoice rather because your
names are written in heaven"
In this is contained great principle,
and one which is capable of a wide
spread application. We are in danger
of moreoverdelighting in the destruction
of evil than in the upbuilding of the