Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-17
Cheerful Religion.

Douglas tender and true,
I'll hang my harp on willow tree
INV f''|'N1 49, : New York World.
Cheerful Religion.
Be of good cheer; 1 have overcome the
world.-John, xvi, 30.
What difference between the relig
ious outlook of to-day and, that of two
or three generations ago Is it because
the world is degenerating or because it
has a deeper love and reverence for the
truth?
1t used to be said that the best SER
mon was one that made the nearer
crouch in the pew as though Satan
were after him. In these times no such
sermons are preached. or, if they are, it
is in some obscure corner where the
lichen fiourishes and the moss on the
rocks is wet with everlasting and NAL
arial humidity. Have we turned our
backs on holy things, or do we see with
clearer eyes?
1t is an age of blessed optimism, for
which we cannot be too thankful. We
love forms and ceremonies less than
formerly, but we love truth more. The
standpoint from which we view relig
ious subjects has changed. and we look
upon creeds with an almost reckless in
difference; but the fundamental facts
of the religious life are more dominant
than ever, and spiritual verities are
more profoundly appreciated and more
vigorously defended. We have grand
er ideal for the present and a more en-
couraging prospect for the future.
wave of cheerfulness and hopefulness
is sweeping over the world with tidal
flow that is irresistible, and the earth
ic
heaven has come so near that we can
hear the rustic of angel robes and catch
the echo of our loved ones voices.
1t is a great privilege to be alive to
day, because we have keener sense of
the fatherhood of God and the brother
hood of man. Fear as an element of
the religious life has been eliminated,
and love, which is to the soul what sun
shine is to the field of wheat, has taken
its place. The heart rejoices. but does
not dread; and even in the direst peril,
when wind and wave seem cruelty
omnipotent, we feel secure in the con
seriousness that the Pilot at the helm
has never lost ship. There are no lee
rocks in the Providence of God, nor
any currents that can carry us out Of
our course The Lord has charge OF
our safety, and He neither slumbers
nor sleeps.
That is the religion of our age
bright, CHEEKY, buoyant. No grim,
capricious theological tyrant rules your
destiny, and for His good pleasure
dooms you to either temporary or eter
nal misery; no angry Deity tolerates
your presence or visits you with the
evidences of His wrath: you are not
wandering hOpelessly through a vale
of tears, a child of iniquity, with the
brand of Cain on your brow. You are
a hayward and sometimes a wanton
creature, self willed and obstinate.
whom the Father is trying to lead in
paths of righteousness, and you need
nothing except the Christ spirit to set
everything right and make your life
corner of paradise.
Your fault is that you trust yourself
too much and Him too little. You are
not enough of child in this matter,
for when it is dark and grewsome the
child clings closer to the mothers side;
but when you are smitten by misfor-
tune you let slip your grasp on Him
and bitterly accuse Him of neglecting
your interests. AT the very moment
when you need help most you separate
yourself from the source of succor and
become enfeebled by your distrust of
His goodness. Such is the perversity
of human nature.
You find the necessity for daily work
very irksome, perhaps, and onerous
Why, you ask, should you be doomed
to constant toll for daily bread That
question is not easily answered, and
the hardship of the common lot, for it
is the common lot, cannot be denied
1t is, however, futile to wonder why
we shall have leisure to solve the prob
lem by and by. In the meantime, how
shall we make the best of our environ
ment and extract from it all the honey
it conceals? By worriment and cynical
criticism By grumbling because the
universe is not made as we would have
made it?
Christ's life was one of toll and suf
fering, and yet He found divine salts
faction in obeying the law contained
hitherto, and ! work" Why should we
be better off than He was?
Your aim should be to do what you
can with what you have. When things
go ill with you it is better to go to God
than to go away from Him. He is not
your enemy, but your friend; He is not
Indifferent, but solicitous, and as your
faith increases so will your strength be
enlarged. That is the law, and, al
though it is hard to understand it, a |
blessing always follows obedience
Religion is well enough when the sky
is cloudless, but it is absolutely neces-
saay in time of trouble. 1t is not a |
broken reed, but a strong staff The |
more you have of it the lighter your
burden becomes. That fact belongs to
the necromancy of life. The harder
your trial, the deeper your faith-that
is the rule to follow. Even when death
despoils you of your treasure, say with
trembling lips, ut is WE'LL" and the
heart will glow and brighten like the |
blazing log on winter hearthstone |
And when you lie down to die yourself |
stretch out your hands to heaven and
angels will come trooping down to bear
you in their arms
That is practical religion, and unless
your religion is practical it is of no
value whatever.-N. Y Herald.