The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1897-11-12
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR.
Topic For the Week beginning Nov. IA,
Comment by Rev. S. I'll. Doyle.

Topic For the Week Beginning Nov. IA
Comment by Rev. S. HI. Doyle.
ToPIc.-stThe blessedness of serving God
Dent. xviii, l-20, 45-47. Injecting to be held
by the pastor, or, if your church has none, by
come older Christian.)
In these references we have the bless
1ngs and cursings of God promised to
Israel. The blessings were promised for
Dbedience. The cursings were pronounc-
ed upon disobedience. These blessings
and cursings have been realities. God
does bless and God does curse. These
things are not exploded superstitions,
but actual facts demonstrated daily by
the experiences of men. The curse is
Just as real to the disobedient as the
blessing is to the obedient. 1t cleaves
to the sinner, pursues him, hunts him
down, ruins and Stays him. The sinner
feels its presence and cannot flee from
1t, unless he fee to God Himself.
Temporal blessings come to those who
serve God Temporal blessings were
promised to Israel in all the relations
of life. City, field, fruit, cattle, kline,
sheep, basket, store-all were to be
means of blessing to the nation. Gods
people are blessed in the things of this
world The man who obeys God will
find that blessing does come upon him.
A cody life conduces to health; cody
habits tend even to worldly prosperity.
Goodness has its reward in the approx
al of a conscience void Of offense before
God or man. Temporal blessing does
not preclude adversely. Adversely it
self may be blessing; prosperity is Of
ten curse, and in withholding it God
often blesses us most richly and album
dainty Temporal prosperity must al
ways be subordinated to spiritual good.
Christ promises His disciples adversely,
but only as a stepping stone to some
thing higher in the spiritual life.
God specially blesses His people in the
new dispensation with spiritual bless
fngs and with the promise of ga far
more exceeding and eternal weight Of
glory in the life to come. No amount
of temporal prosperity will compensate
MS for the blessing of God. Unblessed
wealth and prosperity are not to be de-
Bired4 Unblessed good is i'll. The only
way TO know the blessedness Of serving
OOu Is W ScIN6 Till. In pSI16lCS uSIo
as elsewhere is the best of teachers. In
fact, it is the only teacher. What the
blessing of God is and means only
those who are blessed of Him can know
or understand Do we know from expe-
rience how blessed it is to love and
serve God?
In the most dramatic scene that ever
occurred in the United States senate
Henry Clay closed his famous farewell
address in these eloquent words to his
colleagues: And when you shall retire
to the bosom of your constituents, may
you meet with that most cheering and
gratifying Of all human rewards, their
cordial Well done, thou good and
faithful servant - If this is the most
gratifying reward that public men can
have from their constituents, how much
more blessed it will be to the servants
of God to have His Son pronounce upon
them in that last great day that same
welcome plaudit, well done, thou
good and faithful servant, y and that
not all, center thou into the joys of thy
Lord. T" It can be had for serving God.
= Bible D e-7d<-s ssseSs~s szsuza
rs. i, 1-6; Ky, 4; lxxxiv, liz; cxii,
1; cxix, 1, 2; lisa. xxx, IS; Math. V,
1-12; xiii, 10-17; Luke XII, 20; xiv, Is;
Rom. xii, 1, 2; Jas. i, 1925; Rev. i,
8; xxi, IA.