The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-02-15
is LIFE WORTH LIVING?
The Query Is the Basis of a Church
Sermon.

every Sunday evening, to hear the
Rev. John Sinclair preach on "the
uncommon texts of the Bible there
is hearty appreciation of this recent
departure from the old worn out
texts. The text last Sunday night
was from Eccles.: III, 'truly the
light is good and pleasant thing it
is for the eyes to behold the SUM-" For
fully fifty minutes the preacher held
the audience in rapt attention. He
has lately made the discovery, he said.
that in a number of texts, never
touched by ministers ordinarily, there
was splendid scope for preaching the
gospel, and chance of putting the
gospel in a fresh light so as to
make it attractive to many who refus-
ed, may be righteously, to come and
listen to what was sometimes desig-
mated "the platitudes of the pulpit"
During the previous week he had
asked number of people the ques-
ton els life worth living" The an
swers could all come under three cat
egories. A large number said eyes"
one man emphasizing it by ''you bet"
A very small number said, somewhat
hesitatingly, "no," while few said,"l
don't know; it depends" One man
gave the answer that suited him ex-
actly: "that depends on the DISPOSE
ton with which man is endowed. u
That struck the nail on the head. It
all lay in the man who lived it. Four
things were needed to make life worth
living:
First: Simplicity; simplicity in
eating was necessary to happiness in
life. The two hours fashionable din
ner of fifty years ago when men gorg-
ed themselves with food and sur
charged themselves with wine, often
produced more nightmare than joy.
Simplicity in drinking was necessary
The simpler the type of drink the
healthier always the man. The SIM
plest known form of drink was the
pure, bubling water from the stream,
the direct manufacture of God Him.
self. Simplicity in dressing was nee
essary. Fops and Washers among
men, and style-lovers among women
came in for an amount of amusing
criticism at this point. Simplicity in
everything, he declared was the brand
of Heaven.
Second: Work; He referred to the
chronically lazy man who would not
work, not to the man who could not
get work. Why did God ordain work
To make men happy. He gave the
philosophy of the proposition that
while the world rang with agitations
for higher wages, man would never
be satisfied with any wages if he
worked for the sake of wages alone
Apply the principle to farming, mer-
chandise or house keeping, and il
these we're done merely for the money
to be found in them, the pleasure was
a negative quantity. Rushing for the
purpose of grasping gold was to be
condemned. Rational, moderate, con
slant, common sense work made life
worth living.
Third: Affection: On nothing die
the happiness of life more depend
than on the history of the human
heart. The principle was, that affec
ton meant self-forgetfulness. Tenny
sons '1is better to have lived anc
lost was sacredly true. His Glove il
love for evermore" had to be qualified
That was true only If love was KEEP
up by little kindness. The finest sigh
a man could see was an affectionat,
family. Little kindnesses were ram
pant there. If there were more O
this in community more happines!
would be found in the community.
The same was true of church life
In hand shaking affection came out
There were cold, sour, vinegary ma
lures that were like wet blanket OF
a mans life. The hand they hold ou
for you to shake is like lump of lead
You dread it. It has been said of DR.
Carson, of Scotland, that his grip wa'
like vice, but it was the only vic,
he had. Emulate that type of vice
Cultivate affection in life, the tender
hearted kindness of Jesus and lif,
would be more worth living for mar
himself and his fellow men.
Fourth: Goodness, which mean
God-ikeness. The preaching of to