News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-04-28
FOOLISH PRIDE ABOUT WORK.

soiled; forgetting that a laborer's over.
ais are just as honorable as a priests
robes and an anvil is just as respectable
as pulpit. Health flies from the bed
of down and says, II cannot sleep here
and from the table spread with ptar-
migan and epicurean viands, saying, Il
cannot eat here" and from the vehicle
of soft cushions and easy springs, say
ing, 81 cannot ride here;" and from
houses luxuriously warmed and uphol-
stored, saying, Il cannot live here;" and
some day you meet Health, who declined
all these luxuriant places, walking in
the plow's furrow, or sweltering beside
the kissing forge, or spinning among the
looms, or driving dray or timing a roof
or carrying hods of brick up the ladder
of a wall.
FurthC more, notice that Incidence
endangers the soul. Satan makes his
chief conquests over men who either
have nothing to do, or, if they have, re-
fuse to do it. There is a legend that st.
Thomas, years after Christ's resurrec-
ton, began again to doubt, and he
went to the apostles and told them
about his doubts. Each apostle looked
at him with surprise and then said he
must be excused for he had not time to
listen any longer. Then st. Thomas
went to the devOut women of his time and
expressed his doubts. They said they
were sorry but that they had no time to
listen. Then st. Thomas concluded
that it was because they were so busy
that the apostles and the devout women
had no doubts.
Idleness not only leads a man into
associations which harm his morals, but
often thrusts upon him the worst kind
of skepticism. Loafers are almost al
ways infdels, or fast getting to be.
COnsummate idlers never read the Bible,
and if they appear in church can be
distinguished in an audience of thou
sand by their listlessness, for they are
too lazy to hear. 1t is not so much
among occupied merchants, industrious
mechanics and professional men always
busy that you hear the religion of Jesus
maligned, as in public lounging places,
given up to profanity and dissoluteness.
They have no sympathy with the Book
that says, LET him that stole steal no
more; but rather let him labor, working
with his hands the thing which is good,
that he may have to give to him that
needeth."
never knew man given up to thor
ough idleness that was converted. ST.
mon and Andrew were converted while
fishing and Lydia while selling purple.
and the shepherds of Bethlehem watch
ing their tiocks heard the voice of angels.
and Gideon gas thrashing on the thrash
ing floor, but no one was ever converted
with his hands in his pockets. Let me
tell the idler that there is no hope for
him either III this world or the world
which is to come. If the Son of God,
who owned the whole universe, worked
in the carpenter shop of Joseph, surely
we, who own so little yet want so much,
ought to be busy. The redeemed in
heaven are never idle. What exciting
songs they sing!
On what messages of love they fly
through all the universe, fulfilling Gods
high behests and taking worlds in one
circuit, rushing with infinite fierceness
against sin and cruelty and oppression,
and making the gates of hell to quake at
the overthrow Of the principalities Of
darkness, and in the same twinkle of an
eye speeding back to their thrones with
the news of sinners repentant. The
River of Life is ever flowing, and the
palms ever waving, and the hallelujahs
ever rising, and the harps ever sound
ing, and the temple always open, and
the golden streets always a-rush with
chariOtS of salvation and tba last Tlacn
which you ought ever to want to go to