The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-07-29
Or. 1lLAl@'S SUNDAY SERMON.
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.

Plea For Checrfulness-Three Prescrip-
tions For the Cure of business De-
preston: Cheerful Conversation and
Behavior. Proper Christian Invest
ment and u Great Spiritual Awakening.
TEXT: Wherefore doth living man
complaing-Lamentations ill.,, 80.
cheerful interrog atory In the most mel
ancholy book Of the Biblei Jeremiah wrote
SO many sad things that we have n word
named after him, and when anything Is
surcharged with grief and complaint we
call 1t jeremiad. But in my text Jere-
miah, as by sudden jolt, wakens us to a
thankful spirit. Our blessings are SO much
more. numerous than our deserts that he is
surprised that anybody should ever find
fault. Having life and with it a thou
sand blessings it ought to hush into perpet-
ual silence everything like criticism Of the
dealings OF God. Wherefore doth living
man complaint"
While everything in our national finances
Is Frightening, for the last few years the
land has been set to the tune Of Naomi, ("
There has been here and there q cheerful
soloist, but the grand chorus has been one
OF lamentation, accompanied by dirges over
Frustrated commerce, silent manufactures,
unemployed mechanism, and all those dis
ShoNis oesNiipVu Wy tut tWO SuOTt WOruS,
hard times" The fact is that we have
been paying for the bloody luxury OF war
more than thirty years ago. There were
great national differences, and we had not
enough Christian character to settle them
by arbitration and treaty, and SO we went
into battle expending life and treasure and
well nigh swamping the national finances,
and north and south, east and west have
ever since been paying for those four years
indulgence in barbarism.
But the time has come when this denres
sion ought to end-yea, when it will end IL
the people are willing to do two or three
things by way OF financial medicament. for
the people as well as Congress must Join in
the work OF recuperation. The best politi-
cal economists tell us that there Is no good
reason Tor continued prostration. Plenty
or money awaiting investment. The ma
tional health with never so strong an arm
or SO clear brain. Yet we go on groaning,
grooming, groaning, as though God had
put this nation upon cruel and allowed us
but one decent breakfast in six months
The fact Is, the habit of complaining has
become chronic In this country, and after
all these years Of whimper and waiing aud
objurgation we are under such momentum
OF snivel that we cannot stop.
There are are three prescriptions by which
believe that our individual and National
'ahhu''o may bt OI tltlr present de-
preston. The first is cheerful conyersa
tion and behavior. have noticed thnt the
people who are most vociferous against the
DAY In which we live are those who are I'm
comfortable circumstances. have made
inquiry OF those persons who are violent I'm
their Jeremiads against these times. and
have asked them, Now, after all. are Won
not making living?" After some hesitn
ton ana coughing and clearing their throat
three or four times they say stammeringly.
Yes" So that with n great multitude If
people 1t is not question OF getting a
livelihood, but they are dissatisfied because
they cant make as much money as they
would Ike to make. They have onlv
$4,000 In the bank, where they wonld lik.
to have $4,000. They can clear in n yenr
only $4,000, when they would like to clenr
$4,000, or things come out Just even. or
In their trade they get SO day when thov
wish they could make 81 or IS. oh
says some one, ''are you not aware of the
lact that there Is great population out Of
employment, and there are ! hundreds of
the good families Of this country who are
at their wits end, not knowing which way
to turn?" Yes, know,it better than any
man In private life ran know that sad fact.
for 1t comes constantly to my eve and ear
put who is responsible for this state of
things? .-
Much Of that responsibility / put upon
men In comfortable circumstances who by
an everlasting growing keep public conf
uehce depressed and new enterprises from
starting out and new houses from being
built. You know very well that one de-
spondent man can talk afty men into de-
spondency, while one cheerful physician
can wake up into exhilaration whole asy
lum OF hypochondriacs. 1t Is no kindnes.
10 the poor or the unemployed for YOU to
join in this deploration. If YOU have NOT
the wit and the common sense to think of
something cheerful to say, then keep silent.
NOW Will make a contract. III the peo-
pie OF the United States for one week will
talk cheerfully, will open all tho manu-
factories, will give employment to ali the
unoccupled men and women, | will make n |
lively market for your real estate that is
eating you up with taxes. l will stop the
long professions on the way to the poor |
mousse and the penitentiary and will spread |
plentiful table from Maine to California
and from Oregon 10 Sandy Hook, aud the !
whole land shall carol and thunder with |
national jubilee. But says some one, II |
Will take that contract, but we can't affect |
the whole nation" My hearers and read |
ers, representing rs you do all professions, |
all trades and all occupations, il |
you should resolve never again to utter |
IL dolorous word about the money |
but by manner and by voice |
and by wit and caricature and. above |
all, by faith In God to try to scatter this
national gloom, do you not believe the in
huence would be instantaneous and wide
spread? The effect would be felt around
the world. For God sake and for the sake |
OF the poor and for the sake of the om /
ployed quit growing. Depend upon 1t, II |
you men in comfortable circumstances do
not stop complaining, God will blast your
haryests and see how you will get along
without corn crop, and He will sweep YOU
with floods, and He will devour YOU with
grnsshoppcrs, and He will burn your city.
III you men in comfortable circumstances
keep on complaining, God will give Won
to complain about. Mark that
The second prescription for tho alIeyin-
tion of financial distress is proper Chris
tian investment. God demands OF every
Individual state and nation certain pro-
portion OF their income. We are parsimo-
nious. We keep back from God that which
belongs to him, aud when we keep back
anything from God he takes what we keep
back, and he takes more. IIe takes II by
storm, by sickness, by bankruptcy, by any
one OF the 10000 ways which he can en-
Ploy. inc reason many of you are cramped
IA business is hnapnSa bn, |