The Delta independent., 1901-04-19

Christ? He denies himself pardon for
sin. he denies himself peace Of con-
science. he denies himself the Joy Of
the Holy Ghost, he denies himself
comfortable death pillow. he denies
himself the gfories of heaven. Do not
talk to me about the self denials of
the Christian life. Where there is one
in the Christian life there are thou
sand In the life of the world. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness."
Again. l find great deal Of religious
sunshine in Christian and divine ex-
planation. 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 indus
trious and .consecrated woman a COM
plete invalid. Explain that. There is
a bad man, with 100000 OF income.
There is good man with $500 of in
come. Why is that? There is 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 fam
lily left helpless. Explain that. Oh,
there is no sentence that oftener drops
from your lips than this: Il cannot
understand it. l cannot understand
it."
Well. now religion comes in just at
that point with its illumination and its
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 dis
cussion people Just touched their hats
without anywise bending the rim. The
week that he was pronounced insol-
vent 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.
All Il for the Beat.
There are hundreds OF people who
are walking day by day in the sublime
satisfaction that all is for the best all
things working together for good for
their soul. How man can get along
through this life without the explana-
ton is to me a mystery. What! Is
that child gone forever? Are you new
er to get 1t back? Is your property
gone forever7 Is your soul to be bruis-
ed and to be tried forever2 Have you
no explanation. no Christian explana-
ton. and yet not maniac? But when
you have the religion Of Jesus Christ
in your soul II explains everything SO
far as II is best for you to understand.
You look on In life. and your soul Is
full OF Thanksgiving to God that you
are 20 much better OF than you might
be. A man passed down the street
without any shoes and said: Il have
no shoes. Isn't 1t a hardship that
have no shoes? Other people have
shoes. No shoes. no shoes." until he
saw man who had no feet. Then he
learned lesson. You ought to thank
God for what he does instead of
grumbiing for what he does not. God
arranges all the weather in this world
the spiritual weather. the moral
weather. as well as the natural wealth
er. What kind OF weather will 1t be
today" said someone to a farmer. The
farmer replied. 1T will be such wealth
er as l like" What do you mean by
that?" asked the other. well" said
the farmer. 1T will be such weather
as pleases the Lord. and what pleases
the Lord pleases me-"
Oh. the sunshine. the sunshine Of
Christian explanation! Here is some
one bending over the grave of the
dead. What is going to be the conso-
lation? The flowers you strew upon
the tomb? oh. no. The services read
at the grave? oh. no. The chief con-
ISOLATION on that grave Is what falls
from the throne OF God. Sunshine,
glorious sunshine! Resurrection sun
shine!
A Place for stsdy.
And geology. What a place that
will be to study geology when the
world Is being picked to pieces as
easily MS a school girl in botanical les
sons pulls the leaf from the corolla!
What place to study architecture.
amid the thrones and the palaces and
the cathedrals-St. Marks and st.
Paul's rookeries in comparison.
Sometimes you wish you could make
the tour OF the whole earth. going
around as others have gone, but you
have not the time. you have not the
means. You Will make the tour yet.
during one musical pause in the eter-
nal anthem. i say these things for the
comfort OF those people who are
abridged In their opportunities, those
people to whom life is humdrum. who
toll and work and toll and work and
aspire after knowledge. but have no
time to get 1t and say. IF I had the