Milford chronicle., 1901-02-01

we will fan. Out IN the fisheries there !
are set across the waters what are called /
gill nets, an Il the fish put their heads
through the meshes and then cannot with
draw them, because they are caught by
the gills. But gill nets cannot be of any
service in religious work. Men are never
caught for the truth by their heads; it is
by he heart or not at all. No argument
ever saved a man and no keen analysis
ever brought a man into the kingdom Of
God. Heart work, not head work. Away
with your gill netsl Sympathy, helpful
ness, consolation, love, are the names Of
some of the threads that we need to
weave in our gospel nets when we are
mending them.
A Soothing OmnipOtence.
Do you know that the worlds heart is
bursting with trouble and if you could
make that world believe that the religion
of Jesus Christ is a soothing OmnipO-
tence, the whole world would surrender
tomorrow, yea, would surrender this hour?
The day before James A. Garfield was
inaugurated as president l was in the
cars going from Richmond to Washington.
A gentleman seated near to me in the
cars knew ME, and we were soon in ia
miliar conversation. 1t was just after q
bereavement, and I was speaking to him
from an Overburdened heart about Il,
sorrow / was suffering. Looking at his
cheerful face said: Il guess you have
escaped all trouble. | should judge from
your countenance that you have CONF
| through free from all misfortune" Their
| he looked at me with a look shall never
forget and whispered in my ear: "Sir
! you know nothing about trouble. My VIII,
| has been in an insane asylum for l.
! years" And then he turned and looked
| out Of the window and into the nigh
| with a silence l was too OverpOwered
| break. That was another illustration
| the fact that no one escapes trOubl
! Why. that man seated next to you i
church has on his soul weight compare,
with which a mountain is n feather Tha
woman seated next to yOu in church ha
a grief the recital Of which would max
your body. mind and soul shudder.
When you are mending your net f.
this wide, deep sea of humanity, take o.
that wire thread Of criticism and til:
horsehair thread Of harshness and put
a soft silken thread of Christian symp;
thy. Yea, when you are mending yov
nets tear out those old threads of grui
ness and weave in a few threads Of Pc
litCness and geniality. In the house O
God let all Christian faces beam with
look that means welcome Say goo
morning" to the stranger as he enter
your pew ard at the close shake hand
) with him and say. Glow did you Ike tn
music?' Why. you would be to that ma
a panel Of the door Of heaven: you wOul
be to him a note of the doxolOgy IL
geraphs sing when new soul enter
heaven. | have in other days entered
t pew in church, and the woman at the otl
E er end of the pew looked at me as niue
as to say: "How dare you? This is II
e pew. and pay the rent for it, Well,
r crouched in the other corner and mac
e myself as small as possible and felt ;
h though had been stealing something.
e there are people who have a sharp eds
g to their religion, and they act as thoue
e they thought most people had been cleo
d ed to be damned and they were glad OF
# Oh. let us brighten up our manner al
e appear in gentemanliness or ladyhOOd.
# The object in fly fishing is to throw Il
o fly far out and then let it drop gent
st down ard keep it gently rising and ia
II ing with the waters and not plunge it Ii
s. a man-Of-war's anchor. and abruptne
y and harshness of manner must be aVOi
II ed in our attempt at usefulness. | Enc
a man in New York who is more 81
shiny and genial when he has dyspeps
is than when he is not suffering from th
IN depressing trouble have found out
~ secret. WScn he starts out in the mol
Is ing with such depression. he asks for 81
ne cinl grace ~ l"0u g." '-'- '-'->'''-- ''-' 80