Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-12-29

@- -" ''a R1ANA - 49,
lachrymose, and repulsive, is bright and
beautiful, fairer than a dove, its wings
covered with silver and its feathers with
yellow gold.
See, in the first place, what religion
Will do for a mans heart. | care not tow
cheerful a man may naturally be before
conversion, conversion brings him up to
a higher standard of ch~eerfulness. | do
uot say lie will laugh any louder, | de
not say but he may stand back from some
forms of hilarity in which he once in
obliged, but there into his soul an
Immense satisfaction. A young man,
aot a Christian, depends upon worldly
success to keep his spirits up. Now he
is pro5pered, now he has large salary,
now he has a beautiful wardrobe, now he
has pleasant friends, now he has more
money than he knows how to spend;
everything goes bright and well with
him. But trouble comes-there are many
young men in the house this morning
who can testify out of their experience
that some times to young men trouble
does come-hls friends are gone, his
salary is gone, his health is gone; goes
down, down. He becomes sour, cross.
queer, m~isanthropic, blames the world,
blames society, blames the church?
biamcs everything, rushes perhaps to the
intoxicating cup to drown his trouble,
but instead of drowning his trouble
browns his body and browns his soul.
THE CHRISTIANS INHERITANCE.
But here is a Christian young man.
Trouble to him. Does he give up2
No. He throws himself back on the re-
sources Of heaven. lie says: God is
my father. Out Of all these disasters |
shall pluck advantage for my soul. All
the promises are mine, Christ is mine,
Christian companionship is mine, heaven
is mine. What though my apparel be
worn out? Christ gives me a robe of
righteousness. What though my money
be gomez | have a title deed to the
whole universe in the promise. AN are
yours. What though my worldly friends
Tall awayg Ministering angels are my
b~Odyguarl. What though my fare be
poor and my bread be scant? | sit at the
Kings banquet
On, what a poor, shallow stream is
worldly enjoyment compared with the
deep, broad, overlooking river Of Gods
peace, rolling midway in the Christian
hcart! Sometimes you have gone out on
the iron bound beach of the sea when
there has been Il storm on the ocean, and
yOu have seen the wave dash into white
foam at your feet. They did not do you
any harm. While there you thought of
the chapter written by the Psalmist, and
perhaps you recitcd ii 10 yourself while
the storm was making commentary upon
the passage: God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in time of
trouble. Therefore viii not fear though
the earth be removed, and though the
mountains be carried into the midst Of
the sea; though the waters thereof roar
aud be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swelling thereof. Selahp'
Oh, how Independent the religion OF
Christ makes IA man of worldly success
and worldly circumstances Nelson, the
night before his last battle. said: To
morrow ! shall win either a pecrage or q
grave in Westminster Abbey" And il
does not make much difference to the
Christian whether he rises or falls il
worldly matters he has everlasting re
nown any way. Other plumage may be
torn in tie blast. but that scul adorned
with Christian grace is f&i~er han the
dove, It's wings covered with silver ant
its feathers with yellow gold.
EOT TRUE t~IAPPINTsS.
You and | have found out that people
who pretend TO be happy are not always
happy. Look at that young man Carlca
turing the Christian religion, scott
ing at every thing good, goin}
into registering drunkenness, dash
ing the c%hampage bottle t'
the floor, -olling the glasses from the ba,
4,-. -,,.,,. 1n,,rl,ar nIn,nttnr ctn,,n
ing the floor, shrieking. k lac happy?
will 60 to his midnight pillow. | will SCI
him turn tie gas off. | viii! ask myself /
the pillow on which he sleeps is as soft a
the pillow on which that pure young ma
sleeps. All! 40. When lie opens hi
eyes in the morning, will the world be a
bright to him as to that young man wh'
retired at night saying his prayers, invok
ing Gods blessing upon his W soul ant
the souls of his comrades, and father AM
mother and brother and sister far away
No, no. His laughter will ring out from
the ssloon so that you hear II as you pas
by, but it is hollow laughter; in it is tn
swapping of heart strings snd the rattl
Of prison gates. Happy! thtt young ma
happy Let him fill high the bowl; h
cannot drown an upbraidiag' conscience
Let the balls roll through the bowling al
ley; the deep rumble and the sharp crac'
cannot overpower the voiceSf condemna
ton. Let him whirl in the dance of sil
and Temptation and death. All the bril-
liancy of the scene cannot make him foI
get the last look of his mother. "a he lef
home, when she said to him: Now, m,
son, you will do right, | am SIRE you Wi
do right; you will, won't your" Tha
young mar happy Why, across ever.
night there fits shadows Of eternal dark
ness; there are
coiled up in every cup; there are vuliure
of despair striking their iron beaks int
his heart: there are skeleton fingers o
grief pinchiag at the throat. l come il
amid the clicking Of the glasses and un
der the flashing of the chandeliers, and
cry: Woe! woe. The way of the un
godly shall perish. There is no peace
saith my GOO, to the wicked. The way
Of transgressore is hard." Oh, my friends
there is more Joy in one drop of Christian
satisfaction than in whole rivers Of sinfu
delight. Other wings may be drencheC
o. tn torn and splasheG Of the tempest
but the dove that ONE in through thu
window Of this heavens ark has wang
like the dove coz cred with silver, anC
her feathers with yellow geld.
Again I remark. religion is an adocn
ment in the style Of usefulness inc