Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-04-19

leaving the shawls. on the second
floor, you go to the parlcr to give for
NAL salutation to the host and the
hostess and then move around, spend
ing the whole evening in the discus
sion of the weather and in apology
for treading on long trains and in
effort to keep the corners of the
mouth up to the sign of pleasure, and
going around with an idiotic he-he
about nothing until the collation. is
served, and then, after the collation.
is served, going back into the parlor
to resume the weather, and then at
the close going at very late hour to
the host and hostess and assuring
them that you have had most de-
lightful evening, and then passing
down off the front steps, the slam of
the door the only satisfaction of the
evening.
I know there is great deal of talk
about the self-denials of the Chris
tan. I have to tell you that where
the Christian 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 comfort
| able death pillow, he denies himself
| the glory of Heaven. Do not talk
to me about the self-denial of the
Christian life. Where there is one
| in the Christian life there is a thou
sand in the life of the world. "Her
| ways are ways of pleasantness."
Again, I find great deal of re-
| ligious sunshine in Christian and di-
vine explanation. To a great many
people life is an inexplicab1e tangle.
Things turn out differently from
what was supposed. There is a use
less woman in perfect health. There
| is an Industrious and consecrated
| woman complete invalid. Explain
that. There is bad man with $780,
900 of income. There is good man
with $500 of income. Why is that?
There is a foe of society who lives on,
doing all the damage he can, to rs
years of age, and here is a Christian
father, faithful in every department
of life, at 35 years of age taken away
by death, his family left helpless.
Explain that. Oh, there is no SEN
tence that oftener drops from your
lips than this: ST cannot understand
it. I cannot understand it,
Well, now religion comes in just at
that point with it's illumination and
it's explanation. There is business
man who has lost his entire fortune.
The week before he lost his fortune
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 began people all took off
their hats to him he passed down
the street. The week his financial
prospects were under discussion peo-
pie 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
at all, and the week the sheriff sold
him out all his friends were looking
in the store windows as they went
down 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: "You are sick, and
your sickness is to be moral purifi-
cation; you are bereaved. God
wanted in some way to take your
family to Heaven, and He must begin
somewhere, and SO He took the one
that was most beautiful and was
most ready to CO." I do not say
that religion explains everything in
this life, but I do say it lays down
certain principles which are grandly
consolatory. You know business men
often telegraph in cipher. The mer-
chant in San Francisco telegraphs to
the merchant in New York certain
information in cipher which no other
man in that line of business can I'M
derstand, but the merchant in San
Francisco has the key to the cipher,
and the merchant in New York has
the key to the cipher, and on that
information transmitted there are
enterprises involving hundreds OF
thousands of dollars. Now, the provi-
dences of life sometimes seem to be
|. a senseless rigmarole, a mysterious
cipher; but God has a key to that
cipher and the Christian key to
that cipher, and, though he may
hardly be able to spell out the mean.
ing, he gets enough of the meaning
to understand that it is for the best
Now, is there not sunshine in that
Is there not pleasure in that? Far
beyond laughter, it is nearer the
fountain of tears than boisterous
demonstration. Have you never cried
) for joy? There are tears which are
eternal rapture in distillation.
There are hundreds of people who
, are walking day by day in the sub
[ lime satisfaction that all is for the
best. all things working together fol
| good for their soul. HoX a man car