Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-04-19

] know there is a great deal Of talk
about the self denials of the Christian.
l have to tell you that where the Chris
tian has one self denial the man of the
world has a thousand self denials The
Christian is not commanded to surrender
anything that is worth keeping. But
what does a man deny himself who de-
MES himself the religion of Christ? He
denies himself pardon for sin. he denies
himself peace Of conscience. he denies
himself the joy Of the Holy Ghost. he
denies himself a comfortable death pill
low. he denies himself the gi0ties Of heav-
en-. DC not talk to me about the self de-
mails Of the Christian life. Where there
is one in the Christian life there are
thousand in the life Of the world. Her
ways are ways Of pleasanthess."
Again. find great deal Of religious
sunshine in Christian and divine expla-
nation. To a great many people life is
an inexplicable tangle. Things turn out
differently from what was supposed.
There is a useless woman in perfect
health. There is an industrious and con
secrated woman complete Ilvalid. Elk
plain that There is a bad man with
$4,000 Of income. There is a good man
with $500 of income. Why is thai?
l.
doing all the damage he can. to IS years
of age. and here is a Christian father,
faithful in every department Of life, at IS
years Of age taken away by death, his
family left helpless. Explain that. Oh.
there is no sentence that oftener drops
from your lips than this: Il cannot I'm
derstand it. | cannot understand it."
Well. now religion comest in just at
that point with IT'S illumination and its
explanation. There is a business man
who has lost his entire fortune The
week before he lost his foHune there
were 20 carriages that stopped at the
door of his mansion. The week after he
lost his fortune all the carriages you
could count on one finger. !, The week
before financial trouble hogan. people all
took off their hats to him as be- passed
down the street. The week his financial
prospects were under discussion people
just touched their hats without anywise
bending the rim. The week that he was
pronounced insolvent people just jOlted
their heads as they passed, not tipping
their hats nj all. and hhe week the sheriff
sold him out all his Friends were looking
IN the store windows as they sent down
4 past him.
Now, while the world goes away from
/ a man while he is in financial distress
the religion Of Christ comes to him and
/ says; "N0u are sirk. and your sickness is
/ to be moral publication: you are be-
reaved. God wanted in some way to
take your family TO heaven. and he must
begin somewhere. and 50 he took the
ne that was most beautiful and was
most ready to go. ! do not say that re-
ligion explains everything in this life. but
] do say i lays down certain principles
which are grandly cOnsolatory You
know business men often telegraph in ci
phpr. The merchant 10 San Francisco
telegraphS to the merchant in New YOrl
certain information in cipher which nj
other man in that line of business car
understand but the merchant in SaI
Francisco has the key to the cipher. an,
the merchant in New York has the key I,
the cipher, and on that Information
transmitted there are enterprises involv
ing hundreds Of thousands OF dollars
Now, the providences Of life sometime
seem to be senscless rigmarole. a mys
teriOuS cipher; hut God has key to tina
cipher and the Christian key to that ci
pher, and, though he may hardly be abb
to spell out the meaning he gets enOugl
Of the meaning TO understand that it
for the best Now is there not sunshin
in that? Is there not pleasure in that
Far beyond laughter. it is nearer til
fountain of tears than bOiSterous demon
Etratinn Have yor never cried for joy
: There are tears which are eternal RAP
ture in distilatinn.