The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-05-06

of mirth. Martin Luther lived In fear
full days and perhaps few have had
more to worry them than he; but he
knew how to throw 1t off, he could play
as boisterously with the children as he
fought with his adversaries, he could
make music on the flute and gossip
cheerily with his wife Katherine.
Many persons look upon fun-not
peace and joy, but ordinary fun-as
smelling somewhat of sin. But reason
tells us that If there is nothing in the
divine nature to correspond with mirth
1t Is strange that He put in man funny
bone; and, as DR.. Holmes reminds us.
who taught the kitten to play with it's
tail. the canary to perk its head while
1T sings. or young children, of whom
is the kingdom OF heaven, to frisk and
romp?
One of the divine traits of Chris
tianity is that 1t is a religion of joy,
though designing men have done their
best to make 1t wretched. IT am
come" said the Master, that your joy
may be full" The very word gospel
means good news. The angelic over
ture to the drama Of our faith was
peace on earth and good will" The
greatest of the apostles exhorts: RE
joice and again l say, Rejoice!" None
had so tempestuous a career as Paul,
yet he insisted that he had learned, in
whatsoever state he was, therein to be
content. / cannot think, therefore,
that the atrabiliar saints are true repre-
sentatives of Bible Christianity
Some men may say: But was not
the Master sad?" He was; but why?
He bore our griefs and carried our sor-
rows; and why then should we bear
them? If He took the worlds weight
of woe upon His own shoulders is there
any sense in our lifting? Rather let
us be, as Peter says, casting all our
care upon Him, for He careth for u.s."
Therefore, take all the sins and griefs
of your past, and all you anticipate for
the future, and whatever you may have
on hand at present, and then borrow all
the trouble you can from your family
and your neighbors, and then reach
out and take up the problems and per-
plexities Of the city, the nation and the
whole world, and then roll them all up
into one large bundle, and push it in
the closet door, and go in after
1t, and shut the door, and drop the
whole package down into the bottom
less abyss Of your heavenly Fathers
care and providence which you will
find there, and then come out, and lock
the door, and swallow the key--be sure
to swallow the key, else surely you will
be back there tomorrow trying to fish
up your precious pack again-you will
be lonesome without it.
Worry is as foolish as II is sinful.
If you can help a thing, help It; if not,
hand it over to Him who has promised
to bear both 1t and you. Most of our
trouble is borrowed, part from the past
as remorse part from the future as
anxiety; the present is always tolerable.
Most of our crying is over split milk;
most Of our sweating is from climbing
hills we have not reached. When you
go to bed always hang your troubles
over the back Of chair with your
clothes; they may both be gone in the
then you can have a new suit
and also something new to complain of.
sas
And IL you would know how to laugh,
not specifically with the lips while sin
and darkness crouch sullenly in the
heart, but to laugh way down in the
depths of the soul, you must consult
that great Physician who keeps none
waiting in His ante room, who asks no
fee but simple gratefulness, yet who
alone can
Minister to a mind diseased,
Pluck from the memory rooted sor.
row,
RAGE out the written troubles of the
brain,
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that
perilous stuff
Witch weighs upon the heart"