The Newtown bee., 1895-07-12
Around the Preside.

Around the Preside.
 THE MISSION OF FAITH.
 A SERMON BY REV CHARLES H. SMITH OF
 PLYMOUTH.
 Text, Romans 15 IS, 'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing" Among the stories which the Quaker poet, Whittier, tells us is the account of Barclay of Wry, the brave old Scotch man who became convert to the doc trines of the Friends. In his earlier days Barclay had been brave soldier under Gustavus Adolphus and was honored by his countrymep for his heroic valor. But when he became Quaker he was | made the but of persecution and abuse at the hands of both magistrates and populace. Our homespun poet puts into | Barclays mouth these words after one of his experiences with the mob.
 ''Through this dark and stormy night, Faith beholds feeble light
 \ Up the blackness streak1ng,
 Knowing Gods own time IS best,
 In patient hope trust,
 For the full day breaking"
 In these words are enwrapped the | germs of truth which the apostle Paul | gives us in his wish for the Roman | Christians. It is, to rouse the order of the thought of the text, that in faith in Christ the disciples of the Nazarene might ind great and abiding joy and peace. It is perhaps new domain for \ faith to conquer that we had not thought of before. We have considered faith as a thing that anchored us to God. We have been quite ready to assent to the dictum that faith is the root of all good works. But that man is to be a happy man because he believes, is new facet on this diamond of truth. Yet this is just the lesson that comes to us with this apostolic wish. Life is to be glad, the soul is to outride all storm and tempest because it is anchored in the God pro tected harbor of trust. My message then from the inspired word is the
 MISSION OF FAITH
 to the heart of humanity. Robert Collyel tells us that "Faith makes the discord' of the present the harmonies of the flu ture." We are none of us satisfied witt the present. There are things in oul lives which call for betterment. There are circumstances over which we hay, no control which we hope to see changed some day. And SO with a faith In tn, future we can be glad to-day ever though all our anticipations are no realizations. And it is faith in the un known future which makes us glad. Le me then first impress the thought tha the domain of Christian faith is the do main of cheer. It is a noteworthy fac that the history of the early church 3 filled with instances of the cheer whicl came to men as they accepted Christ an came to believe on Him as their Savior , When that great Pentecostal blessing tells us that ttS tngg ~ hn oIadIv t receiva the word, that is who beffeVea .--S 1.,ar made glad thereby, were baptized an 5000 souls were added to the apostles When Paul and Barnabas began t preach in Antioch in Pisiiia to the Ger tile they believed and were made glaC , The Philippian jailer also whom Go | awoke by an earthquake and converte by the words of Paul and Silas, believe | in God and rejoiced with all his house | These instances are enough to show U that in the early church, faith and chee went hand in hand. Nor has humanit changed through the centuries. Tn eclipse of your faith is the wreck of you gladness. We cannot guide the ship c ,l our life over the stormy pillows whe \ the pole star of faith is hidden by tn Il clouds. It is as some writer has sai , contrasting faith and unbelief. "Fait makes all evil good to us, and all goo better. Unbelief makes good evil, an all evil worse. Faith laughs at tn shaking of the spear. Unbelief tremble at the shaking of leaf Unbelie starves the soul. Faith finds food i famine and table in the wilderness.
 IN THE GREATEST DANGER FAITH SAY 'I have a great God" Now I am we aware that in these days it is a yer popular thing to be skeptical and t doubt this or that great truth of Goo The young man seems to think that h shows proper independence when h becomes an agnostic or a cynical criti of established belief. But oh, my broth I CT, did you ever think you were poisonin the springs of joy in your owa life b your doubts. A robin with faith in m kindly regard and that of my househoI is making his summer home with us He swings unconcernedly in the tre top as we swing in the hammock beneat him. What if he had no faith in us, at every sight of us he flew away, CT out in his bird language with terror, l would rob all his life in his nest an with his little ones of it's comforts. T doubt would be disaster to his life Yet you and I'are but birds in the tree of life with Gods love breeding over us Shall we distrust Him and cry out a every manifestation of His power 0 majesty or glory? Shall we deny tha we are children of God by faith in Jesu Christ? Shall we be bold enough t, doubt the abiding care of Him who i spreading carpets of green beneath ou feet and filling the tree tops with snow flake blossoms for our delight? Oh tn domain of faith is the domain of gladness The God of hope fills us with joy in be lieving according to the wish of the text | 1 look abroad in the world to day fo the happy person. Is it the rich mal with his millions? He says "I am galley slave who gets only his board and clothes for endless worry and care.' Is it the society butterfly whose nights are filled with receptions and function , and dancing and music and empty com pliments on her beauty and notices O. adulation in the newspapers? An! sh, rises at noon next day, wan and weary after the evenings folly, to. cry out, q am tired and miserable.n
 IS THE HAPPY MAN
 he who has risen to honor and who sit in the seat of power as the President oi the nation? Alas they pick flaws witt his administration. The comic paper, caricature his fishing or hunting or off cial action. men accuse him of this ol that immortality, drunkenness or de bauching until the word of old seems sadly true Uneasy lies the head thai