Milford chronicle., 1895-02-01
Religion Defined.

, 2 ing gOOQ MUGaE laGbE on. ne AedllAOu lili
fact that the most Of those who sow ''wilC
oats never reap any other crop. He start
ed right and has kept right. He went
down in 1857, when the banks failed, but
be failed honestly and never lost his faitf
In God. Ups and downs-he sometime.
laughs over them-but whether losing oi
gaining he was growing better all the
time. He has been in many business ven
lures, but he never ventured the expert
ment of gaining the world and losing his
soul. His name was a power both in the
church and in the business world. He
has drawn more checks for contributions
to asylums and churches and schools than
any one, except God, knows. He has kept
many a business man from failing by
lending his name on the back of a note
till the crisis was past. All heaven knows
about him, for the poor woman whose
rent he paid in her last days, and the man
with consumption in the hospital to whom
he sent flowers and the cordials just before
ascension, and the people he encouraged
in many ways after they entered heaven
kept talking about it, for the immortals
are neither deaf nor dumb.
Well, it is about time for the old mer-
chant himself to quit earthly residence.
As it is toward evening, he shuts the safe,
puts the roll of newspapers in his pocket,
thinking that the family may like to read
them after he gets home he folds up a S5
bill and gives it to the boy to carry to one
of the carmen who got his leg broken and
may be in need of little money; puts a
stamp on a letter to his grandson at col
lege, a letter with good advice and an in
closure to make the holidays happy, then
looks around the store or office and says to
~. IgHn
home, stopping on the way at a door to
ask how his old friend, deacon in the
same church, is getting ON since his last
bad attack of vertigo. He enters his own
home and that is his last evening on earth.
He does not say much. No last words are
/ necessary His whole life has been tes-
! timony for God and righteousness. More
/ people would like to attend his Obsequies
( than any house or church would hold.
/ The officiating clergyman begins his re-
marks by quoting from the psalmist,
Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth,
for the faithful fail from among the chill
dren of men" Every hour in heaven for
all the million years of eternity that old
merchant will see the results of his earth
ly bene1icence and fidelity, while on the
street where he did business, and in the
orphan asylum in which no was1a direct
or, and in the church of which be was an
officer, whenever his geniality and benef-
icence and goOdn are referred to, bank
director will say to bank director, and
merchant to merchant, and neighbor to
neighbor, and Christian to Christ an
That is religion. Yes, that is religion.
A Changed Man.
There is a man seated or standing very
near you Do not look at him, for it might
be unnecessary embarrassment. Only
few minutes ago he came down of the
steps of as happy a home as there is IN
this or eny other city. Fifteen years ago,
by reason Of his dissipated habits, his home
was horror to wife and children. What
that woman went through with in order
to preserve respectability and hide her hus-
band s disgrace is tragedy which 1t would
require a Shakespeare or Victor Hugo to
write olt in five tremendous acts. Shall
l tell it9 He struck herl Yes, the one who
at the altar he had taken with VOWS so
solemn they made the orange blossoms
tremblel He struck herl He made the
beautiful holidays "a reign Of terror.
Instead of his supporting her, she support
ed him. The children had often heard
him speak the name of God, but never in
prayer, only in profanity. 1t was the sad
dest thing on earth that can think ola
destroyed homel Walking along the
street one day, an impersonation of all
wretohedness, he saw a sign at the door of
a Young Mems Christian association,
Meeting For Men Only" He went in,
hardly knowing why he did SO, and sat
down by the door, and a young man was
in broken voice and poor grammar telling
how the Lord had saved him from dissi-
pated life, and the man back by the door
said to himself, Why cannot l have the
Lord do the same thing for me?" and he
put his hands, all a-tremble. over his blOat-
ed face and said: 20 God 1 want thatl
must have thatl" and God said, You
shall have it, and you have it nowp And
the man came out and went home a
changed man, and though the children at
first shrunk back and looked TO the moth
er and began to cry with fright they soon
saw that the father was a changed man.
That home has turned from Paradise
Lost" to Paradise Regained.
The wife sings all day long at her work,
for she is so happy, and the children rush
out into the hall at the first rattle Of the
fathers key in the door latch to welcome
him with oaresses and questions of What
have you brought me?" They have family
prayers. They are altogether on the road
to heaven, and when the journey of life is
over they will live forever in each others
oompanionship. Two of their darling chill
dren are there already, waiting for father
and mother to come up. What changed that |
man2 What reconstructed that homer |
What took that wife who was a slave Of
Fear and drudgery and made her a queen |
on a throne of affection. hear a whisper
ing all through this assemblage. know
what you ara saying; That's religion
Yes, that's religionl'' My Lord and my
God, give us more Of It'll
The Heights OF Safety.
Why, my hearers from all parts Of the |
earth do you not get this bright and beau
tiful and radiant and blissful and trium-
phant thing for yourselves, then go home |
telling all your neighbors on the Pacific, |
or in Nova Scotia, or in Louisiana, or Maine |
or Brazil OF England OF Italy or any partof /
the round world, that they may have it, too; |
have it for the asking; have 1t tnowf Mind |
you, do not start from the pessimistio |
standpoint that David did when he got |
mad and said in his haste, IAN men are
liarsl' or from the creed Of others that ev-
cry man is as bad as he can be. l rather
think from your looks that you are doing l
about as well as you can in the circum-
stances ip which you are placed, but
want to invite you up into heights Of
safety and satisfaction and holiness, az
much higher than those which the world
affords as Everest, the highest mountain
in all the earth, is higher than your front
doorstep.
Here he comes now. Who is its l might
be alarmed and afraid II 1 had not seen
him before and heard his voice. thought
be would come before 1 got through with
this sermon. Stand back and make way
for him. He comes with scars all around
his forehead; scars in the center Of both
hands stretched out to greet you; scars on
the instep of both the feet with which he
advances: scars on the breast under which