Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-02
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR.
Tonic For the Week beginning Aus.
.i-Comment by Rev. =. ii. Doyle.


Torrc--Gaining by Iosing.-Mark K, 1880.
It seems paradoXical to say that we
gain by losing, yet it is true, and that
il is true can be seen III all phases OF
life. Gaining by losing is law OF the
natural world. Except cora of wheat
fall into the ground and die says
Christ, ''it abideth alone, but if 1t die 1t
bringeth forth much fruit This prin-
cip!e is illustrated also In the temporal
world. If man places wealth BEFORE
him rs the goal Of his ambition, he
must sacrifice Nany things In order 10
attain to it, He must die to great
extent to the social world, the world OF
pleasure and the world Of learning. All
his time, all his energies, must be con
centrated upon this one object, ana II
with this as his one aim he is willing to
die unto all other things he can usually
become rich. SO it is in all the other
walks of life. Much must be lost in or
der to gain what we most desire to be
or have. The same principle holds
equally good in the spiritual world.
Spiritual life itself is gained by loss.
"Whosoevcr will save his life says
Christ. shall lose IT, and whatsoever
will lose his life for Ny sake shall find
IT," The life that must be lost is the
present life. 1t must be lost II we are
to gain the eternal life of the soul IN
heaven. Two lives are placed before
us. We cannot in a sense have both.
We may have either. If we prefer this
life. we may sacrifice the future Ire
and live for this life only and get IT; II
we prefer the higher, eternal life, we
can sacrifice this life and get 1t. 10
gain eternal life we must lose this pres
ent life. But surely we should not hes
itate to suffer such loss for such
gain. For what IS a man proiited II
he shall gain the whole world and lose
his life, or what shall a man give in
exchange for his lifeF'
But many blessings of the Christian
| life also come from loss. 1t not only
costs something to become Christian,
but something to live Christian life.
We may lose friends, home, loved ones,
but we have Christ's word for 1t that
our loss shall prove 10 be our gam.
.There is no man that hath left house
| or brethren or sisters or rather or
| mother or wife or children or lands for
NV sake and the gospels but he shall
| receive an hundredfold, now in this
! time. houses and brethren and sisters and
mothers and children and lands, with
! prosecutions and in the world TO come
| eternal life" If we lose temporal riches
| for ChriSts sake we gain eternal riches:
| If we lose an earthly home, we gain a
/ heavenly home: if we lose worldly
! friends, we gain all the people of God
/ as our friends; IL we lose earthly par
! ents. we gain God our Heavenly Ia
/ ther: If we lose brothers or sisters,
we gain as brothers and sisters all the
! children Of God. 1t is no loss. there
| fore, TO lose for Christ, but a gain.
| Therefore no sacrifice that may need
10 be made should deter us in deciding
| for Christ or in living Christian lives.
THE PRAYER MEETING.
Have the pastor open the discussion
upon the topic.
BIBLE READINGS.
Math. xvi. 24-2S; XVI, 7-13; Mark
will 34-3S; Luke tx, 1926; John Kill "a
%; xix. &c, 81; l Cor. Nv, SO; ii Cor
| XII, 1-10; Phil. Ii, liz.