The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-21
CHEERFUL RELIGION.

CHEERFUL RELIGION.
Loving God VIII Ripen and sweeten All |
Our Enjoyments.
Religion is the science Of happiness. |
1t does for an ordinary enjoyment just |
what the sun does for green applet
colors, ripens and sweetens it. Itteaches
the secret of finding the beautiful hooks
and corners of life. When sorrows come |
and to whose heart do they not come?
it enables you to do whatthe bee does
to the nettle-get honey out of it. The
rude boy grasps the nettle in his reck-
less hand, and a thousand thorns, each
one sharper than the finest needle, re-
sent the insult. The tiny bee works its
way among the delicately tinted petals,
and, diving down to the root Of things,
comes back laden with sweetness.
Well, if you ask some people what
sorrow means, they shudder, shake
their heads, and get at once into the at
titude Of rebellion. Every tear they
have shed has helped to petrify the
heart Every piece of hard work they
have been compelled to do has simply
laid up in their souls a sort of grudge
against the Almighty. Every mis-
fortune they have had, every disap-
pointment, has put them farther away
from God. They can be very grateful,
as long as they have their own way in
every thing. If their neighbors get on
and they do not, then God is partial; if
they get on finally, and their neighbors
do not, then they can see why people
should be philosophic about these things,
and they are surprised that Mr.. Next
door does not recognize the ways of
Providence. Indeed, have found that
most people discover providences in the
lives Of others with the greatest ease,
and recognize those IN their own lives
with the utmost difficulty.
Now, to my mind, one of the magic
influences of religion is it's ability to
throw ray of sunlight into the very
darkest corner and to extract from the
the bitterest experience just a wee drop
Of sweetness. The cheerful endurance
of the true Christian proves conclusively
that he is serving a good master, one
who, though lie sometimes demands
| great sacrifices, and many tears. does it
through no caprice, and especially
through no ignorance or misjudgment
of the case. but who sometimes drives
you through the mires Of the bog, where
your clothes get soiled. and where your
hands and face are SCARED with the
wounds of the briers, because in that
way only can you reach the higher
ground, and get the more extended
view.
I have seen mother bury child,
and then, as by physical effort, push
Heaven away from her. She reproached
Christ with such bitterness of heart,
and such skeptical accusations, that
He has apparently melted away from
her sight altogether, and left her
alone with a grief, the larger share OF
which He would willingly have borne;
and have seen another use sorrow
like two long, strong arms, with which
she has seemed to get hold Of Heaven,
and draw it down to earth. The good
Christ has come to her, has appeared tc
her in vision, and brought the holy
angels with Him, and taught her to look
through her tears into the streets Of the
celestial city.
Some people when they repeat the
Lords Prayer, change one of the i'm.
portant personal pronouns, and say, il
not with their lips, at least with Their
| hearts. mn will he done.
There is no cause for hanging your
harp on the willow because you can not
have your own way. Play on, play on
my friend. You can not always touch
the strings with happy fingers. 1t is
sometimes impossible to make any
music, except that Of the minor key: but
to throw your harp away because God
asks you for sad song once in awhile
is neither kind nor grateful.
believe that nothing ever happens
to man from which he can not &c,
some comfort. People seldom look TO,
it. blt God certainly hides spark Of
Joy in every sorrow. Don't brood ovel
you, misery, as though you were the
mos. ill-used man in the world, but stil
yourself, look on all sides of youl
wreschedness, and, my word for it, yor
will find somewhere q crack or Granny
where joy or hope is hidden.
often think Of that soldier who wa.
struck down on the field Of battle
GenSle hands of comrades carried hin
to the rear. The poor boy looked a
the Jagged door, which the bullet hat
left open, and then said:
"Well, that's nice hole in my leg
isn't it? Now. that will get me a fur
Tough Of few weeks, and that is jus
what my wife wants CUES that wa
lucky bullet, after all"
Way can't we all look at things il
that way? If there were any good re
sultng from a grumbling spirit, tina
would be another thing. But one onl,
succeeds in making himself unhappy
and in setting other peoples teeth Oh
edge.
like the answer which the boy CAV
when he was asked why he was. s.
cheerful. and never fretted at disap
pomtments.
II think that God" he said. ''whel
He made me of the dust must have pu
little sugar in"
can have some sort of patience wit
worldly people to grumble. They d