Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-09-01
GOLDsBORO N. G. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1898.
SATURDAY SERMON.
For Sunday Perusa1 and Every Day
Guidance.

/
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall
not want.-Psalms, xiii, 1.
| The man who looks on the
bright side Of life even when
standing under the shadow of a
bitter experience is called an
optimist.
The man who always sees the
cloud, but never it's silver lining,
who predicts that there will be
lightning, floods, and plaques to-
morrow, in spite of the sunshine
which floods the earth to-day, is
called pessimist,
Of all people in the world the
most irreligious is he who looks
at the evils of life so persistently
that he cannot recognize any
good in it, and of all hursful
habits which characterize man
kind the most injurious is the
habit of keeping ones eyes open
to catch a glimpse of the disas
greeable and keeping them shut
| whenever a moment of good
cheer IS approaching. Such a
habit is demoralizing and spirit
ually weakening. 1t seems to be
continually assuring US that Gods
providence has fallen into a
sound sleep from which there is
no waking.
It is as much duty to put the
hard experiences of life away
and to keep in mind it's possible
enjoyments as it is to be pure
hearted or charitable. Never
dwell on your misfortunes though
they be many, for it will embitter
the soul and render it unfit for
the work of the future. Brush
aside unpleasant memories, so
far as lies in your power, and
even try to forget them. There
is 40 use in living over again and
again the scenes through which
you have passed, whether they
refer to the evil you have done to
others, the evil others have done
to you, or unavoidable sufferings
which you have borne. God has
said that so far as He is related
to your mistakes they shall be
"buried in the depths of the sea-"
and if He can forget them fors
getfulness is one of the virtues
which ought to be practised on
our part. It is not what you have
been in days gone by, nor what
you have done which is most inns
portant but what you are to be
and do 10 the future.
We can find much that is
beautiful in nature and in life if
/ we will but look for 1t. The
which lead a thoughtful mind
along narrow upward path
world is to the thoughtful mind
a never ending panorama, with
it's stars, its ocean, it's hills and
valleys, it's crops and it's clouds,
it's flowers and fruits. It is an
awe-inspiriug mystery, a realm
of wonders that must needs rouse
the dullest soul to worship. The
change of a seed into a sapling;
the transmutation of a blossom
into an apple or cherry; the
chemistry by which from the
rugged soil color and perfume
are extracted-these are miracles
whose terminus is the throne of
God Himself.
And a human life is full of
beauty and mystery, too. The
tears you shed and the reasons
for shedding them; the laughter
that fills the air and the causes
which produce it; the slow deYel-
opment of the child into a man;
the gradual sunrise of ideas into
his soul until the whole is being
flooded; the love that draws him
to his mate; the home which the
two will make when they have
found each other; the sorrow that
breaks the heart when the old
parents or the young child is
taken away; the grave, which is
as much a part of the home as
the rocking chair or the cradle
who can fail to worship the uns
seen but allseeing God as he
contemplates these things?
And add to this the thought,
the certainty that there is no
death, only departure and tenn
porary separation; that unknown
and unmeasured influences are
about each one of US; that what
we call Heaven is just on the fur
ther side of the church yard. You
may call that optimism, but it
would be better to call 1t the
truth, for truth it is. It brings
the cheerfulness of designations;
it stirs the deeper ambitions of
the spirit; it takes the various
experiences of life, just as the