The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-06-05
REV. PowGoK,s SERMON.


The Discourse in the Methodist Episcopal
Church Yesterday.
The sermon on Sunday morning in the NJ.
E. church was on the subject of Discomfort"
The text was taken from the history of
Hannah: Esther-V IS, "Yet all this availeth
me nothing so long as l see Mordecai the
Jew sitting at the kings gate" Haman had
risen suddenly into prominence and power.
The king had promoted him aboye all the
princes which were with him, and had COM
manded all his servants to do him reverence.
We know he was wealthy because he offered
the king millions for the slaughter of the
Jews He alone had been invited with the
king to the queens banquet. He was so
burdened with honors that he called his
friends to listen while he rehearsed the story
of his riches and his promotion and power.
But what did these amount to while Mordecai
refused to bow before his majesty "Yet all
this availeth me nothing so long as ! see
Mordecai the Jew sitting in the kings gate"
We sometimes laugh at the trihes it takes to
amuse child; but does it not sometimes
make angels weep at the trihes it takes to
poison the life of man2 The Haman's are
not all dead yet.
Among the causes of disconten. we may
safely place vanity. Not every discontented
one makes such an exhibition of inordinate
vanity as did Haman, but there is species
of vanity lurking in every feeling of dscon.
tent-thinking more highly of ourselves than
we ought to think-feeling as though we are
not dealt with according to our merits-act-
ing as though the universe ought to centre in
ourselves and as though God himself was
greatly at fault for not making his providen
tial allotments after consultation with oul
feelings. Strangely enough such spirit il
usually aggravated by prosperity and seldom
| by adversely. Discomfort is prominently
sin of the well to-do. There is doubtless
more of real cOntentment in the novels thar
in the palaces of the land. Haman, next t,
the throne, was not half so happy a
Mordecai the gate-keeper. Nero upon the
throne, was a miserable prisoner in a luxur
iOus palace compared with Paul, the happy
freeman who could write in Roman dung col
upon the receipt of donation from hi
friends 81 have all and abound; am full"
A characteristic of the discontented is tn
pettiness of the things over which they fire
and fume. Haman found so much sorrow il
Mordecai's refusal to take off his hat to hir
that he forgot his wealth and his honor.
Jonah had not cared if God had destroye,
Nineven but the destruction of the gour
was more than he could bear. After all d
not the petty nothings of human life max
us more unhappy than its real sorrows.
What remedy shall we suggest HOY
would it do to write ont the occasion of ou
discomfort and our reasons for contentmen
and see how the lists would compare? Woul
they look any better in black and whit
than Haman's? think we might get som
help by contrasting our lot with that of mul
titudes who are worse off. Above all let L
contrast it with that Of our Lord whose W
are and whom We are commanded to imitat,
Let us be filed with His spirit, who thong
He was rich yet for our sakes became poo
Let us set our affections ON things above an
seek the meat and drink of human happines
in doing the will of our Father in HEAVIER
Let us not only accept Jesus as our Saviou
and commit our whole eternal destiny int
His hands, but also the smallest details
daily life True humility is never discoi
tented. 1t is more likely to feel that it h
more than it deserves instead of less,