Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-31
ALWAYS REJOICING.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again l say,
Rejoice. Philippians, iva.
1t is true that man may be good
natured without being in the slightest
degree religious; but certain it is that
a man cannot be truly religious with
out taking bright and good natured
view of life.
The habit of fault finding, of looking
on the dark side, is just as truly oppos-
ed to the genuine religious spirit as is
infidelity or atheism, and, indeed, may
be regarded as species of infidelity.
If you see the Lord in the right light
you must needs also see whatever hap
pens to you in the right light, and the
right light is always the brightest light
which the circumstances allow.
We cannot be mistken in declaring
that religion was intended to produce
happiness, to put the soul into the best
possible relations with the events, both
joyful and sorrowful, which must in
evitably occur, and if this result is not
produced you may be sure either that
what you call religion is not genuine
or that there is some radical fault in you
which renders it Intellectual.
A soul, like fresh milk, may become
sour. There is a difference, however,
and serious one, for sour milk has its
uses, while sour soul has not. If
man is contented with nothing, there
is no place either on the earth or in
heaven where he can feel at home. We
like the sour of a lemon, because the
Lord made it to be just what it is; but
when a man becomes a lemon we like
him not. He is unpalatable in his con-
versation, rasping in his continual
criticism, and as disagreeable as it
would be to cut into an orange and find
therein lemon taste.
The discontinued soul is, first of all,
at odds with itself, and there is nothing
more demoralizing spiritually than to
cultivate the tendency to find the black
spot on everything that happens. 1t
is even possible to make ones self
chemically miserable by cherishing
and thus developing this tendency, and
to spend ones time in making a jang-
ling discord of events which if rightly
considered would afford a modicum of
happiness. The man with a lemon soul
is sour in himself as we'll as to others.
He is a one sided creature, whose talk
is as modifying as the tones of harp
whose strings are broken or out of tune.
There is no beauty in the landscape be-
cause the wind is east, no Joy in the
sunshine because it will be cloudy to-
morrow, no sublimity in the heavens
because the full moon blots out the
stars, no grandeur in the ocean because
the tide is going down. There is a
shadow on everything, for he always
sees the seam of lead in the bar of sill
yer, always sees the weed that grows
by the side of the flower, and the black
feather in the white birds wing. Tell
him of an honest man, and he shrugs
his shoulders; tell him of a pure woman,
and he arches his eyebrows.
Not only is this all wrong, but it is
positively criminal. No man has a
right to make the worst of things, but,
on the other hand, it is his duty to
make the best of them. There is a
great deal of truth and love and loyalty
in the world, and you are guilty if you
ignore that fact. While it is also true
that there is plenty of evil, you are not
only bound to believe that the devil is
waging losing warfare, but you must
contribute toahis discontinue by your
personal efforts. If God will surely
win, then will the millennium come some
time. If you skulk in this fight, if you
| lift up your voice in disbursement,
you are on the DEVILS side, even though
you punctually attend church and nod
your assent to all the creeds in Chris
tendon. What God wants is large
hearted, brave and hopeful soldiers
not men who go to sleep in the rear and
disparage the generalship and the tao
tics of the hour. God has no use for @
man who thinks He will lose the battle
for that man, however devout and
prayerful he may be, is half traitor
| What, then, is religion and what is
its object? What is the gist of the
matter as Christ taught it and illus
trated it in His short public life? Throw
your theological speculations into thu
background for moment and look a
it from purely economic standpoint
What can religion do which it is desir
able to have done.
Well, it is full of good cheer and com
fort and brightness and peace. 1t doe
not deny that some paths are very hare
to travel; that some experiences requir,
all the fortitude you possess; that som,
trials wiring the heart to the point o
rebellion and bitterness. "My yoke ii
easy" but it is still a yoke; my burden
lis light" but it is a burden. Yokes anC
burdens abound, and not even religion
can make you quit of them.
How shall you bear and endure? II
Sucn way as TO make the worst or III
such wBy as to make the best of events
The lemon soul, which thinks every
thing wrong, makes it's burdens heavi
er, while the cheerful soul makes them
lighter. Your religion tells you thai
there are stars over Gethsemane: that
God has not abdicated; that though the
battle RACES the victory will be won by
sun down, and that when the shades
of night fall on the earth you will catch
a glimpse of heaven.
Break the chains of your ill nature
and discomfort, therefore. Destroy the
habit of fault finding. Look for joy in
sorrow. and look until you find it, for
it is there, however deeply hidden. See
the good in yourself, and, above all,
see the good in others. Throw dismay
to the winds, take bright and cEeer.
full view of life, love your fellow men,
and do them what service you may.
That kind of religion is worth hav-
ing. He has good fortune who possesses
it, for its price is far above that of
rubies.-N Y. Herald.