Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-07-07
ORLEANS COUNTY MONITOR, MONDAY. JULY 7. i

smear OF JOY winch comes from the
realization that he has won some soul,
but he will also reap the gratitude
and the love of those who were brought
to Christ through his fundamentally.
This love and gratitude will transform
the jewel of his heart into glowing
gem, aflame with life, which shall
glow like the richest jewel that ever
flashed in the crown of a king.
The Sheaf of Contentment.
Another precious sheaf which is gar
tered by the Christian reaper is the
sheaf of contentment, the willingness
to live happily in that field of life in
which he has been placed by God If
a man does not mingle with the poor
and the troubled, the sick and the suf-
fering, he never fully realizes how
good and kind and loving God has been
to him. If q man does not visit the
sickroom and try to carry there COM
fort and good cheer to the wan invalid,
he never fully appreciates the bless
ings of health unless perhaps he him.
self has been carried into hospital.
Then, while recovering from a serious
sickness, he has seen intense sufferings
and agonies such as may be witnessed
in almost every ward of a large hos
pital. If a man has never entered a
home where diphtheria has played
havoc with the nursery or where con-
sumption has made the young mother
cough her life away, he never fully APP
preciates the blessings of having his
children and wife by his side. If a
man has not tried to carry the gospel
to the outcasts and the vile, he has
never yet realized the blessing of being
born in a Christian cradle and sur
rounded by Christian childhood. All,
the Christian sower who scatters the
good seed upon the troubled sea of
restless humanity, while he may be
carrying a blessing to others he is also
planting in his own heart the seeds of
gratitude to God and of contentment
with his own sphere of life.
My brother, you are unhappy. Will
you let me end your dependency?
Well, then. go first and buy few flow
ers at the nearest florists. "Oh," you
answer, Il cannot afford to buy any
| flowers" Yes, you can, my brother.
You can buy all the flowers l want for
the money you would spend upon CT
gars during the next week. Then l
want you to go with me for pastoral
call into the young mans room who
broke down physically and who is go
ing to die. Do you know what is the
matter with him? He broke down from
overwOrk. His life's desire was to en-
ter the Christian ministry. He used
to clerk during the day and send most
! Of his money home to help support his
fathers family. Then he used to study
at night. His clothing was very poor,
his food was poor, and yet if you will
go into that SickrOom and carry those
flowers you will find tears of joy CON-
/ ing into his grateful eyes; you will
hear him say that, though the greatest
ambition of his life was to preach the
gospel yet God knows best! Then he
will plead with you to take his place.
My brother, you had father to send
you through college; you had kind
friends to help; you have everything
for which to be thankful to God yet
the greatest lesson of contentment you
will ever learn is when you cast those
few flowers into the grateful fountain
of that dying boys tears.
My sister, you are fretting on ac-
count of the children. You say it keeps
your needle going night and day to put
dresses upon the girls. You complain
that the boys never seem to care
whether or no they wear holes in the
knees Of their stockings and pants.
Sister, want you to make up lunch
basket You need not fix up a bundle
of little dresses. They will not be
needed now. But as you take that
lunch basket, filled with delicacies, l
will lead you to home where a young
mother has just lost her baby. That
baby was an idiot. He had water up
on the brain. Yet, as you go into the
sickroom of the weak mother, you will
hear her say: "Oh Mr.. Talmage, did
love him so much! The doctors said
he never would be bright. But he was
all had. did love my baby so muchv'
And after you have gone there with
me you will stop your complaining
and faultfnGng and return to your
home and love your little ones as you
have never loved them before Yes,
one of the most precious sheaves the
gospel reaper ever gamers is the sheaf
Of contentment, the sheaf of gratitude
to God for his many, many blessings.
Plant Undying Seeds.
Another precious sheaf which is gar
nered by the Christian sower is the
joyful realization that the results of his
seed planting will never die as long as
the world lasts. AS we have before
said, one seed properly planted will
produce many seeds. Those seeds which
are produced by the one seed in turn
will produce many other seeds. And
these in their turn will produce many
seeds more. So Christians earthly
influence does not cease at the grave
but will multiply for good as long as
the world lasts IT will 90 on increaS