Connecticut western news., 1894-07-26
DECEIyING OURSELVES.


 Miliiken in the Pilgrim Church,
 Canaan, Conn.,, April 22nd, 1894.
 Published by Request of its Hearers. Corinthians III. IS "Let no man deceive
 himself"
 The development of christianity in an individual helps him to deny him. self indulgence in that which first at- tracts then destroys, and to supply its place with that which saves and after wards attracts.
 The benefits of christianity in so far as they add strength and attraction to life are not understood by one as he first enters upon them. He has to be labored with and persuaded to begin, then does it on trial. Its advantages are not apparent, while the{ benefits of what you ask him to resign are so ap- parent that it is with difficulty he is persuaded. He will however, do it on trial and, if what you say prove true, will continue. The growth of christi. anity helps him put allurement aside and substitute safety for 1t. But safety is at first so weak and allurement so strong that one is tempted to leave the safe and resume the alluring The value of the best things is not at first perceived; the danger of many attrac- tions Is not at first perceived, and so one Is drawn by the attraction and forgets the best. Some times an event occurs when reason is summoned together with sober judgment, and one decides in these moments that what seemed of less importance is the best. He ac- Gpau1 1olo oaS thot # hoe fba huence on his living, that 1t saves him practical use of it; but the crisis passes, the everyday returns and behold al- lurement glitters and ere aware he is again following hard after it and has been known in its pursuit to come face to face with destruction.
 The thought which I am laboring to bring to the surface is we'll summed up in the following fable: A stag was proud of his horns and desplsed his feet; but when pursued by the hunter he found salvation in his feet, and after ward caught in thicket by his horns was destroyed. This principle = we must call it principle, and daily operative one-touches life in many and very common ways, and on every one who is not accustomed to be governed by sound reasoning it has deteriorating effect. Let us notice some ordinary ways in which peo- pie are thus influenced. It may help us to inquire whether we are victims of it's seductions, it may perchance ineite a soul to become master of itself and be no longer servant
 Tn T. who is plying work daily from morning till night, and must in order that cer- tain amount may be accomplished in a certain time, conversation was called out something as follows ssYou apply yourself with regularity to about SO much every-d day and 1t is hard work ;al @ you always in the mood for it? Does it not become drudgery and is there not desire occasionally to let it go for awhile and relax into something pleasanter?" The reply was, mo one is always in the mood for work, but then work has to be done If one is to accom- plish ones end, and I find that the more I hold myself to 1t when the temp tatlon IS to leave 1t, the stronger I feel and the greater is the satisfaction I came away from the conversation re- hecting on the lesson learned,-we can all learn lessons from our conversations with people,-and resolved to attend at once to piece of work which had been neglected for lack of mood; had it been longer deferred an injury would have resulted. It was attended to and no little discomfort avoided. There is such subtlety in leisure and in thin gs which please that before one realizes, one is entagled in it's web, and duty be- comes thing despised. The glory of manhood and womanhood is power to accomplish, to produce, to lift up and make better. This power can best be attained through slow and labori- ous development in early days. This attainment Is true salvation. To lose it, because the requirement has first but little attraction, is more than injury, it is permanent loss, still we easily de- spise the safety of labor and become fond of the ways of leisure, yet labor saves while leisure destroys.
 l knew young man, college mate, his picture hangs upon my wall, it is forever teaching me this lesson, who might have stood at the head of his class He had the ability, and anon by fits and starts it would flash out of his genius when for few weeks tho rest were willing to walk behind him {; but those occasions became less ire quent, and when occurring grew less in duration. He was fond of easy life and while first he was master over it, later 1t became his master, yet he was willing to say that work was the best hrr,N when 1t Is done." Leisure in- creased and introduced dissipation this led almost to ruin, when one brave effort was made for recovery, heroic in the forms it took, with safety in sight. But not many months after our fare wells and the four years of happiest days were over, a paper one morning announced suicide, the details told of relapse; caught in the thicket of pleasure he was destroyed.
 How fast the illustrations of this sad truth crowd upon my mind. Another youth wild in ways, scoffer at re- hgion, was injured in a railway calam- ity, companion at his side was killed, 1t awoke reason and sobered judgment; he became quiet in habits, industrious, charitable to religion and acknowledged that the calamity had been his saliva. tion, but now the allurements of the old life are again upon him and he is probably hopelessly entangled in its thickets.
 This principle in its play on human kind operates on the physical, the men, tai and the moral life. It catches the individual in his whole nature from the human that is in him to the divine.
 There is many a one whose health does not receive the respect that is its due; precaution will preserve it, being temperate in every indulgence,-eating drinking, late hours, and social pleasures. The person in moments of reasoning comedies the value of health but does not in practice appreciate it. The fascination which adheres to de- light is so strong that instead of using it in moderate measure, immoderation follows, the objects of enjoyment en- tangle, the eye loses lustre, the cheek