The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-04-20

4 leANthE the SndWls on the SecOnt
aoor. YOU 20 to the parlor to give for
NAL salntation TO the host and tn,
hostess and, then move around. spend
ing the whole evening in the discus
sion OF the weather and in apolog,
Cor trcading on long trains and II
effort TO keep the corners OF tn,
mouth up TO the sign Of pleasure, ant
going around with an idiotic he-h'
about nothing until the collation. IL
served, and then. after the COLLATION.
is served. going back into the parlol
10 resume the weather. and then al
the close going at very late hour &c
the host and hostess and assuring
them that you have had most de
lightful evening, and then passing
down Oft the front steps, the slam OF
the door the only satisfaction OF the
evening.
! know there is a great deal Of talk
about the self-denials OF the Chris
tian. l have to tell you that where
the Christian has one self-denial the
man of the world has n thousand
self-denials. The Christian is not
commanded to surrender anything
that is worth keeping. But what
does 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 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, find n great deal of re-
ligious sunshine in Christian and di-
vine explanation. To great many
people life is an inexplicable tangle.
Things turn out differently from
what was supposed. There is use
less woman in perfect health. There
is an Industrious and consecrated
woman n complete invalid. Explain
that There is bad man with $780,
900 of income. There is n good man
with $500 of income. Why is that?
There is foe of society who lives on,
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 SEN
tence that oftener drops from your
lips than this: 81 cannot understand
it. 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 of
their hats to him as he passed down
the street. The week his financial
| prospects were under discussion peo
pie just touched their hats without
anywisc bending the rim. The weel
that he was pronounced insolven
people just jolted their heads a.
they passed, not tipping their hat.
Mt all, and the week the sheriff solo
him out all his friends were looking
in the store windows as they went
down past him.
Now, while the world goes away
from man while he is in financia
| ict ha in;n 90 MI
to him and says: "You are sick, ant
your sickness is to be moral purif
cation; you are bereaved. Goo
wanted in some way to take your
family to Heaven, and He must begir
somewhere, and so lie took the on,
that was most beautiful and wa.
most ready to CO." / do not sa,
that religion explains everything il
this life, but do say it lays dowr
certain principles which are grand,
consolatory. You know business mel
often telegraph in cipher. The mer
chant in San Francisco telegraphs {,
the merchant in New York certain
information in cipher which no othe
man in that line of business can un
derstand, but the merchant in Sal
Francisco has the key to the cipher
and the merchant in New York ha
the key to the cipher, and on tina
information transmitted there ar
enterprises involving hundreds o
thousands of dollars. Now, the PROV
dences of life sometimes seem to b
a senseless rigmarole, mysteriou
cipher; but God has key to tina
cipher and the Christian key t
that cipher, and, though he ma
hardly be able to spell out the NEAR
ing, he gets enough of the meanin
. to understand that it is for the bes
Now, is there not sunshine in that
, Is there not pleasure in that? Fa
beyond laughter, it is nearer tn
fountain of tears than boisterou
. demonstration. Have you never erie
for Joy? There are tears which ar
eternal rapture in distillation.
I There are hundreds of people VIII
, are walking day by day in the sui
[ lime satisfaction that all is for til
best, all things working together fo
good for their soul. How man ca
get along through this life witho,
the explanation is to me n myster.
What! Is that child gone forever
Are you never to get il back?