The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-03-02

But here comes another chisel, and
its name is hypocrisy. Christ with one
terrific stroke, in his sermon on the
mount described this character, when
ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a
sad countenance, for they disfgure their
faces that they may appear unto men to
fast" Hypocrisy having taken posses
sion of the soul, it Immediately appears
in the countenance. Hypocrites are al
ways solemn They carry several coun-
try graveyaras in their faces. They are
fearful when there is nothing to cry
about, and in their prayers they catch
for their breath and have such general
dolefulness that they disgust young peo-
pie with religion. We had one Of them
in one of my churches. When he ex-
orted, he always deplored the low state
of religion in other people, and when he
prayed it was an attack of hysteria, and
he went into paroxysm Of obs and abs
that seemed to demand resuscitation.
He went on in that way until we had to
expel him from the church for stealing
the property intrusted to him as admin
istrator and for other vices that l will
not mention, and he wrote me several
letters not at all complimentary from
the west, saying that he was daily
praying for my everlasting destruction.
A man cannot have hypocrisy in his
heart without somehow showing it in
his face. All intelligent people who
witness it know it is nothing but a
dramatization.
Here comes another chisel, and that
belongs to the old fashioned religion.
1t first takes possession of the whole
soul, washing out its sins by the blood
of the Lamb and starting heaven right
there and then. This done, deep down in
the heart religions says: Now let me
go up to the windows and front gate OF
the face and set up some signal that
have taken possession of this castle. ]
will celebrate the victory by an illumi-
nation that no one can mistake. have
made this man happy, and now ! will
make him look happy. will draw the
corners of his mouth as far up as they
were drawn down. l will take the con-
temrtuous curl away from the lip and
nostril. will make his eyes flash and
his cheeks glow at every mention Of
Christ and heaven. l will make even
the wrinkles of his face look like fur
rows plowed tor the harvest of Joy.
will make what we call the crow 4
feet around his temples suggestive that
the dove of peace has been alighting
there" There may be signs of trouble
on that face, but trouble sanctiied.
There may be scars of battle on that face,
but they will be scars of campaigns
won.
POWER OF A FACE.
Now" says some one, :" know very
good people who have no such religion
in their faces" My friend, the reason
probably is that they were not converted
until late in life. Worldliness and Sir
had been at work with their chisels or
that face for 30 or 40 years, and Grace,
the divine sculptress, has been busy with
her chisel only FIVE or ten years. Do moi
be surprised that Phidias and Green.
ough with their fine chisels cannot in 9
short while remove all the marks of The
stone mason's crowbar, which has beer
busy there for long while. say to
| all the young, If you would have sym
pathetic face, hopeful face, courageous
face. cheerful face, kind face, at the
earliest possible moment by the grace
of God have planted in your soul sym