Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-03-08

1 smote it. until on the rocks of G
gotha that life struck with a resonnd
of agony that appalled, the earth an
the heavens. But in the wake of that
life what phosphorescence of smiles
on the cheeks of the souls pardoned
and lives reformed, and nations re-
deemed.
The millennium itself is only one
roll of that irradiated wave of glad-
ness and benediction. In the sublimest
of all senses 1t may be said of Him: lie
mal1eth a path to shine after Him.
But l cannot look upon that lumi.
Mostly that follows ships without real
izing how fond the Lord is of life
That fire Of the deep is life. myriads of
creatures all a-swim, and a-play and
a-romp in parks of marine beauty, Ia
out, and parterred. and roseated. and
| blossomed by Omnipotence. What Is
the usc of those creatures called by the
naturalists ''crustaceans' and ''co ne
pods, not more than one out of hun
dreds of billions of which are ever
seen by human eye? God created them
for the same reason that he creates
flowers in places where no human foot
ever makes them tremble, and no hu-
man nostril ever inhales their redo-
lence, and no human eye ever sees
their charm. In the botanical world
they prove that God loves flowers, as
IN the marine world the phosphori
prove that he loves life, and he Loves
life in play, life in brilliancy of glad
ness, life in exuberance.
Ana so / am led TO believe that he
loves our life If we fulfill our mission
as fully as the phosphori fulfill theirs.
The Son Of God came "that we might
have life, and have it more abundant
ly." But / am glad To tell you that our
God is not the God sometimes described
as harsh critic at the head Of the uni
verse, or an infirm scold: or a God that
loves funerals better than weddings;
or God that prefers tears to laughter,
an omnipotent Nero, ferocious Mana
Sahib; but the loveliest being in the
universe, loving flowers, and life and
play, whethero of phosphori in the wake
of the Majestic. or of the human race
keeping holiday.
But, mark you, that the phosphores-
ence has glow that the night mo-
nopolizes, and / ask you not only what
kind of influence you are going to
leave in the world as You pass through
it, but what light are you going to
throw across the worlds night of sin
and sorrow? People who are sailing
on smooth sea and at noon do not need
much sympathy but what are You
going to do for people in the night of
misfortune? VIII you drop on them
shadow, or will you kindle for them
phosphorescence? At this moment
there are more people crying than
laughing; more people on the round
world this moment hungry than we'll
fed; more households bereft than
homes unbroken. What are you going
to do about it? "Well," says yonder
soul, Il would like to do something
toward illumining the great ocean of
human Indebtedness, but l cannot do
much?" Can you do as much as one of
the phosphori in the middle of the At
lantic ocean, creatures smaller than
the point of a sharp pin? 80, yes. you
say Then do that. Shiue Stand
before the looking-glass and ex-
pertinent to see if you cannot get
that scowl off your forehead;
that peevish look out of your lips.
Have at least one bright ribbon in your
bonnet Embroider at least one white
cord somewhere in the midnight of
your apparel Do not any longer inn
personate a funeral. Shine! Do say
something cheerful about society, and
about the world. Put few drops OF
Heaven into Your disposition. Once in
awhile substitute "A sweet orange for a !
sour lemon. Remember that pessimism
is blasphemy. and that optimism is |
Christianity. Throw some light on the |
night ocean. If you cannot be a Ian
tern swinging in the rigging, be one |
OF the tiny phosphori back of the keel |
Shine. Let your light SO shine before |
men that others seeing your good |
works may glorify your Father which |
is in Heaven" Make one person happy |
every day and do that for twenty years
and you win have made 1900 happy. |
You know a man who has lost all his |
property by an unfortunate invest
ment, or by putting his name on the
back of friends note? After you
have taken a brief nap, which every |
man and women is entitled to on
Sunday afternoon, go and cheer
up that man. You can. if God /
helps you, say something that
will do him good after both of
you have been dead thousand years.
Shinel You know of a family with a
bad boy who has run away from home.
Go before night and tell that father
and mother the parable of the prodigal
son, and that some of the illustrious
and useful men now in church and
state had a silly passage in their lives
and ran away from home. Shinel You
know of a family that has lost child,
and the silence of the nursery glooms
the whole house from cellar to garnet.
Go before night and tell them how