The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-22

But says some a that fellow
who cheated me out of those goods or
damaged my business credit or started
that lie about me in h newspapers
of by his perfiGy broke up my domestic
happiness; forgive him I cannot, for
give him I viii not" Well, brother,
take your choice. You win never be
at with God till you are a. peace
with man. Feeling as o now DO, you
would not get 50 near h harbor OF
heaven as to e h lightship. Better
leave hat man with b God who said.
Vengeance is mine. I viii repay"
You may say, 81 VIII make him sweat
for that yet: I viii make him squirm:
I mean to pursue him to the DEATH
but you are damaging yourself more
than you damage him, and you are
making heaven for your oul an i'm
possibility. II he VIII not be reconciied
to you, be reconciled to him. In five
CT six hours it viii be shutdown. The
dahIfas win bloom against h western
sky. Somewhere between his and
that lake a shovel and bury the old
quarrel at least six feet deep. Let
lot the SUI go down upon your wrath"
THE FATHER KNOWS.
But" you say, Il have than I
can bear; Toe much is put upon me,
and I am not to blame if I am some
lA6 1&4A4 4AA
Then I think of the little child at the
moving OF some goods from a store.
The father was putting some rolls OF
goods on the child's arm, package after
package, n some one said, THAT
child is being overloaded, and 50 much
ought not to be put upon her." when
h child responded. Father knows
how much I al carry" ar Coz.
Father, win not allow too muc impo-
-:+.~- 49, n>s~ 1IsTl-n, IT, eL1 Ia- "a
eternity it will be foun you had not
one annoyance too many; not n ex-
asperation too many; not one outrage
too nan YOur Heavenly Father
knows nov much you can carry.
Again, we ought not to allow the pas
sage of the sunset hour before the dis
missa1 of all our a~ffronts, because we
may associate the sublimest action of
the soul with the sublimest spectacle
in nature. 1t is a most delightsome
thing to have personal experience
allied with certain subjects. There is
a tree or river bank where God first
answered your prayer You will never
pass that place or think of that place
without thinking of the glorious COM
munion. There was some gate or
some room or some garden wall where
you were affianced with the companion
who has been your chief joy in life.
You never speak of that place bur with
a smile. Some of o have pleasant
memories connected with the evening
star, or the moon in it's first quarter,
or with the sunrise, because o saw
it Just as you were arriving at harbor
after a tempestuous voyage. Forever
and forever, o nearer, associate the sun
set with your magnanimous, out and
out, unlimited remuneration of all hat
red and f~orgieness of all foes.
THE PRACTICE OF GRACE.
I admit it is the most difficult of all
graces to practice, and at the start o
may make a complete failure, but keep
ON in the attempt to practice it. Shake
speare wrote ten plays before he reach
ed Hamlet and IL plays before he
reached Merchant of Venice and %
plays before he reached Macbeth"
and gradually o will come from the
easier graces Ito the most difficult.
Besides that, it is not a matter of per-
sonal determination so much ais the
laying hold of the almighty arm of God,
who will help us to do anything We
ought to do. Remember THAT in all
personal controversies the one least
to blame will have to take h first
step at pacification if it is ever effected.
The contest between Aeschines and
AriStippus, who was least to- blame,
went to Aeschines and said, Shall We
not agree to- be friends before we make
ourselves the laughing stock of the
whole country" And Aeschines said,
'"Thou art a far better man than I,
for I began the quarrel, but thou hast
been the first in healing this breach"
and they were always friends after
ward. So Let the one of % that is
least to blame take the first step toward
reconciliation The n most in the
wrong will never take it.
Oh, it makes ONE fell splendid to be
able by Gods help to practice unlimit-
forgiveness. Ut improves ones body
and SOUL. My brother, it will make
you measure three of fou more inches
around the chest and improve your
respiration so hat you can take a
deeper and longer breath. Tt improves
the countenlance by scattering the
gloom and makes you somwhat Like
God himself. He is o~mnipotent, and
cannot copy that. He is independ-
emit of all h universe, and we cannot
copy that. He is creative, and we cam
not copy that. He is o~mnipresent,
and we cannot copy that. But he for
gives with a broad sweep all faults,
all neglects, and all insults, and all
wrongdOings, and in that we may copy
him with mighty success. Go harness
that sublime action of your sou to the