Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-25

yesterday morning, the pastor, Rev. w.
]. Hardness, Phi. D., preached very
interes ing and instructive sermon TO
large and appreciative congregation.
The theme was Cure for Dependency
and the text, "As the heart panteth
after the water brook, so pantheth my
soul after Thee. o Lord" The sub
stance of the ministers remarks was
as follows:
"One of the greatest difficulties we
have to contend with in life is dis
couragement. 1t meets us in business,
our social pursuits and our daily walk
of life. Nothing interferes so much
with a young Christians progress as
to be discouraged at the outset 1t
threw dark cloud over the prospects
of. the disciples, and even our master
felt its power when he bore the bur-
den of our sins on the cross. So when
David was driven from the throne by
Absalom he felt its power, and as the
hart is pursued by the hounds, fam
ishing for thirst, tired and bleeding,
was ready to give up in despair. So
David thought his life had been a fail
ure, as he had been driven from his
home as an outcast-
1.-The first cause OF David's despon-
dency was the thirst for God. AS
knowledge is power, SO man tries to
fathom out the mysteries of God, and 1t
is only by his energy and perseverance
that he is able TO grasp these great
problems. The more We know, the
more we realize how little we do know.
The higher we reach up into intellec-
tual investigation, the more we are
conscious that there are more still be-
yond and when these frail minds or
ours try to grasp and fathom out the
many intricate questions that face us
every day, we become discouraged and
disheartened. And so it is in the splr-
itual realm of investigation. When we
try to fathom out the hand of Provi-
dence and seek to understand the
secret of Gods love and the many mer-
cies He is constantly bestowing upon
us, we are lost in amazement.
eve realize that it is only By faith
that we can understand God and his
daily acts. Foolish is the child that
becomes discouraged because he cannot
understand God, but if he is faithful
all will be revealed to him in the
future.
1.-THE idle brain is the Devils work
shop. and the man that has nothing
to do is always the man that looks
upon the dark side Of life. The lazy
man and the loafer is always talking
about the hard times. He is always
picking flaws in the government and
the acts of those who hold power. The
lazy Christian is always finding fault
with his neighbor, but the active, live
man is too full of work to harbor such
thoughts. His mind is too active and
too busy to be disturbed by such little
questions. If difficulties face him he
bends his energies to remove them.
Live fish go up stream, but dead ones
float down.
TAITNTS OF THE PEOPLE.
David pictures to us here how the
herd is held at bay by the dogs Driven
from side to side, he realizes the taunts
of TIE world, Nothing will discourage
a man quicker than to be laughed at.
Mary a man prefers to float with the
tide than to be ieered at and ridi-
culed at as a crank. because he has
some originality in him. Peter denied
his master because the maiden pointed
her finger at him. Many Christian
will deny his Lord, when fashion and
custom point their fingers at him. The
cold shoulder or a little slight offered
by a friend win dampen the prospect
Of many an ardent spirit
FAILURES
From a shepherd boy David had
been made a king, yet from the hand
Of Absolom he had become an outcast.
How dark the end. 1t seemed a fail
ure Elijah might face Ahab, but the
words of Jezebel drove him into the
wilderness and he cried out: Take
away my life; | am no better than my
father. Many man gives up in de-
spair because the great idols of his
thoughts have not been accomplished.
When we fail in the little acts of life,
we are afraid TO reach out after greater
things. 1t is no use. has destroyed
the prospects of many bright boy, yet
the true man is the one that rises
above such difficulties and realizes there
is no such thing as failure in life. A
great philosopher said: That cant
is not in the dictionary.
Dayid's consolation was found in the
hope of the future. While there is
hope there is always life Although a
man may be discouraged and diSheart-
ened, yet he has the prospects OF hay-
ing brighter things in store for him. The
tunnel may be very dark, but il he
l. - L.