The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-11-01

time We have gone back TWO generations
o., at most. three, our investigation
alter and tail. Through the modern
interesting habit OF searching back "a
find the ancestral tree We may and a
long list Of names, but they are only
names. The conservation or abandon
ment OF some one 200 years ago was not
recorded. IL would not be 50 important
u you and J. by our good or bad be
haviOr, blessed or blasted only those i'm.
mediate,y around us, but our goodness
or our badness will reach as far a. the
strongest ray OF Alcyone-yea, across the
eternity. Under this Consideration
! what DO you think OF those vino give
themselves up to frivolity or idleness
| and throw away ffty years OF their exist.
ence - though they were shells or Deb.
bles or pods instead OF embyro eternites
| suppose one OF the greatest surprises
| OF the next word will be to see what
wide, far-reaching influence for good or
evil we have all exerted. | am speaking
OF ourselves. who are only ordinary peo,
PIE Bpt who can fully appreciate the
| tar-reaching good done by men OF wealth
in Great Britain for the working classes
! Mr.. Lister. OF Bradford. Edward
| Akroyd, OF Halifax; Thomas Skies, Of
| Huddersfeld; Joseph Wentworth, and
| josiah Mason, and Sir Titus Salt This
| last greag soul. with his vast wealth, pro-
! vided 7J6 houses at cheap rent for 1000
working people, and chapel and cricket
! ground and croquet lawn and concert
! hall and savings bank, where they
might deposit some of their earnings,
and life insurance for those who lool.el
further ahead, and lighthouses. and parks
! and museums and lecture halls with
! philosophical apparatus, the generou,
example OF those men OF a previous gen.
! Grafton being copied in many places il
Canada and the United States. making
life, which would otherwise be a pro-
longcd crudgery, an inspiration and a
JOY.
Ny text called job and Gals US to con.
sider the sweet influences We put
too much emphasis upon the aciditics OF
life, upon the lrritations of life, upon thc
disappolntments of life. Ammianul Mar
Cellinus said that Chaldea was in o,dcn
times overrun with lions but many f
them lost their power because the Crea5
swamps produced many gnass that
would get into the eyes OF the lions. and
the lions. TO free themselves OF the c03ts,
would claw their own eyes aad tnca
starye. And in our time MANY a lion
has been overcome by a cnat. The little,
singing annoyances of lie keep us
from appreciatiug the sweet influences.
And how many Of these last there are!
Sweet influences Of home, however plain
1t may be- That is the harhor INTO which
we sail; that - the goal Tor which we
run; that is the place where we rest;
there abide all confidence and affections;
there we lay out our plans; there We cy.
tend our symnathles; there we talk over
our successes; there we unload our
griefs. Its four walls shut out n prying
and nquisitive world. Thank God for
the home in which we were born, the
home IN which we now live, the home
in which we expect TO die
II something appears against Us, they
say. "Wait till 1 hear the other side
II, disaster shall bcfall US, We know from
whom would come the first coincidence.
Family friends. church friends, business
friends, lifelong friends. In our heart
OF hearts we cherish them
Sweet influences OF our holy religion,
surrounded as we are by all the amenl-
ties of Christian socety-men and women
who have felt the refining and eevatiag
power OF the Gospel! Sweet influences
Oi the Sabbath, hIty-two OF them Ginning
their JOY into every year, Sweet in
tuences oil the Scriptures, with their
balm for all wounds and their light Tor
every darkness.
When the heirs OF a vast estate in
England wished to establish their claim
TO property worth 100000, 900 they offered
a reward of $500 for the recovery OF an
old Bible the family record OF which
contained the evidence requisite. But
any Bible, new or old, can help US to
vaster inheritance than the one spoken
OF, one that never fades away.
The sweet influences OF the heavenly
world, which many wise men thought
for a long while was Acyone, The centre
OF the constellation OF the Pieiades-
world of our future residence, as we hope;
world OF chorus and illumination; world
OF reunion; world where We shall be
eyerRstngiy complete; world where our
old faculties will be itensded and quick
ened and new faculties implanted; world
OF high association with Christ, through
whose grace We got there at al and
John of Patmos. and Edward Young, his
Night Thoughts turned into eternal
day; and uoratius Bonar OF modern
hymnoogy, and Hannah More, and Mrs.
Hemans, and Mrs. Slgourney, who struck
their harps till nations listened; and
David, the victor over Goliath with what
seemed insufficient weapons; and Joshua
of the prolonged day IN Glbeon, and
Havelock, the evangelist hero, and those
thousands OF men OF the sword who
fought on the right side. What company
to move in! What guests to entertain!
What personayes to visit! What chors
10 chant! What bauQuets with lifted
kingdom!" What victories to celebrate!
The stories OF that world and its holy
hilarities come in upon our souls some
times in song, sometimes IN sermon,
sometimes in hours ot solitary reflection,
and they are, to use the words OF my
text. sweet influences But there is one
star that affects US more with ITS sweet
influences than the centre star, the
Alcyone Of the Pleiades, and that is what
one Bbie author calls the Star OF JACOB
and another Bible author calls the Morn
ing Star. OF all the sweet influences thas
have ever touched. our earth those that
radiate from Christ are the sweetest.
Born an Aslatlc vIlIager. IN mechanic
home, living more among hammers ana
saws and planes than among books, yet
at twelve years OF age contoundlnT rooed
ecc,esdstlCs and starting OUT mission
under which those born without opuc
nerve took IN the clear daylight ana
those afflicted with unresponsve tympa-
mum we're made to hear and those Almost
doubled up with deIormties were
straightened into graceful polse and the
leprous became rubicund and the widow
on'y son exchanged the bier on Thich
he Law lifeless for the arms OF his over
loved mother and pronounclng nlne oene,
dictions on the Mount OF Beatitudes ana
doing deeds and speaking words Whleh
are filing the centuries with sweet IN
huences
Christ started every ambulance,
kindled every electric ray, spread every
soft hospital pillow and introduced az
the alleviations and pacl1eaton' S"H
rescues and mercies OF all time.
He w.s the loveiicst beins that ever
trod orr earth-more beauty IN ms eyes,
more tenderness in His manner more
gentleness IN His footsteps. more music
an His voice. more dignity IN hls prov,
more graceflf,uess in the locks that loned
uuo, His shoulders, more comp-ss.on IN
Hi, soul