Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-06
SECRET OF SERENITY.
ALI Things Work Together for Good
to the True Christian.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.
Most of the Unhsppiness of the World
Comes From Wrong Thinking.
WAITING UPON THE DIVINE WILL

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| WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH,
All things work together for good to
them that love God.
Here is a spell that will make the sun
shine every day. 1t will change bitter into
sweet, tears into smiles, sorrow into joy,
loss into gain. He for whom all things
work together for good will find it easy to
keep that hard counsel which St. Paul
gives in this days epistle, and to give
thanks always for all things He has
learned the secret of serenity.
And what is it? What is the secret of
serenity? We all want to know it. Really
there is no secret about it. The apostle
speaks it out plainly enough. Everybody
can see what it is. All things work to-
gether for good to them that love God. We
must have God. Absolute happiness, COM
plete Transformation of human life so that
the Garden of Eden comes back again, all
doubts answered. all problems solved, all
dark places lighted up, joy entire, all-em-
bracing, celestial, without Interruption
this is the reward of loving God. Every
thing is right if we love God.
| Good Money Wrongly Used.
All things, indeed, are intended to work
together for good for all people, whether
they love God or not We are all of US
members of the family of God. God is our
Father. Whether we obey Him or not,
whether We love Him or not, whether we
are good sons or prodigal sons, it makes no
difference. Gods love for every child of
His continues unfailing and unchanged.
| All things may work together for bad, every
blessing may be perverted into malediction,
and the child of God may every day get
further from His fathers house, and forget
God, and prefer the devil But God waits.
The bad is not of the fathers sending, but
OF the sons making or choosing In the
parable, the father gave the son the portion
OF goods that fell to him; and the money
was good money. If the son had loved his
father better than he loved the wicked
world, all that treasure would have worke
together to enrich him. But the son went
wrong, and that converted every penny of
his fortune into temptation, sin, misery
and forsaken poverty. But that was the
sons fault The father waits. Sometime
the son may think Of home, and turn back,
and try if there is still welcome for him,
| He will always find welcome.
Setting the Face to the Wind.
Sometimes the breeze blows in mans
| face and hinders him; sometimes it blows
against his back and helps him. 1t depends
altogether upon the direction in which he
walks He must expect hindrance who sets
his face against the wind.
The meaning is that the quality of life
depends very much upon ourselves. The
event comes and to one it brings prosperity.
while to another it brings adverslty, not on
account OF any difference in the love of
God, but on account of the difference in
the hearts and minds of men. Perhaps the
book is not SO dull after all; it may be the
reader who is dull. Some other, brighter
than this one. may find the book blessing,
full of inspiration. And as with books, SO
with all life. God cannot bless US unless
we are ready and ready to be blessed. And
only they who love God are ready and re-
ceptive to the best blessings OF God That
is how 1t is that all things work together
for good to them that love God.
For think who they are that really love
God. They are the people of whom it is
possible to say these three things thank
fully: That they try to do the will of God,
and that they set the same valuation upon
the interests and rewards of life that God
sets and that they are willing to wait
good while for the complete revelation of
the meaning of God. So that the secret of
serenity is not such simple matter. Who
ever would gain the benediction of tran
guilty and look out confident without
trembling and without repining into the
midst OF all the ills of life and live in
heaven here in this uncelestial country, may
have his wish upon these three conditions.
A Condition of Happiness.
The first condition of perfect happiness is
the purpose and the persistant endeavor to
do the will OF God 1t is plain enough that
great proportion of all our adyersities
come through the open gate of disobedience
We know the will of God we'll enough. 1t
is written plain for US in the Book of God,
and made still palmer in the life of the Son
OF God. God desires US to live as close as
we can to the life that Jesus Christ lived,
That IS the broad avenue to perfect happi-
mesa. Most of US know by experience that
in proportion as we have followed Him we
have found happiness. And we know by
still larger experience that as we turn away
from Him the world gets dark and life
ceases to be worth living
Take, TOR example, such hard lot as st.
Paul had. He was poor; he was unsuccess-
full; he was disliked; men laid plots again t
him; be was prosecuted even to violence,
and at last to death. His life was full of all
manner of hardships He had not even the
assisting strength of good health, but was
sick often, knew what pain meant Take
some good Christian out of this generation
and set him down where st. Paul stood; let
him have no money, and no home, and very
few friends, and let the people of Lystra
pelt him with stones, and let the magistrates
at Philippi beat him with many stripes and
thrust him into the inner prison, and make
his feet fast in the stocks. What test of
the genuineness of religionl What hard |
proving Of the secret of serenityl
Happy in the Face of Persecution.
st. Paul actually enjoys it, delights in it,
glories in it. After he comes to his senses |
from the bruises OF the stones, and gets his |
hurts little healed, he goes straight back |
to Lystra and preached that same serm on
over again. In the stocks at Philippi, he |
and Silas sing praises unto God, SO that all |
the people in the prison marvel, absolutely |
happyi The letters of this man are full Of |
joy and thanksgiving. He knew very we'll
what he was talking about when he said |
that we ought to give thanks always and for
all things That was the constant practice |
OF his life. Nothing troubled him, except |
his sins, and he knew that Christ died that
even the chief of sinners might be forgiven.
He had learned, he says, to be contented
everywhere
That was because st. Paul was trying the
best he could every day to do the will of
God. Everything that came into his life
was n help to him toward this end The |