The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-02-21

/ man wants 70 ugbt iOf MS country, ne
does not 90 20 Troy or 70 Springfield 20 do
battling. but he goes there for swords and
muskets / look upon the church OF Christ
and the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where and when we are 10 get armed
for Christian conflict. but the battlefield Is
on Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday, Thurs
day FRIDAY and Saturday.
st. Martins" and ''Lenox" and "Old
Hundredth' do not amount 10 anything
unless they sing all the week. \ sermon
- useless unless we can take Il with us be-
hind the plow and the counter. The Sab
/ bath day = worthless II 1t last only twen-
ty-four hours.
There are many Christians who say: I'VE
are willing 10 serve God. but we do not
want % do II in these spheres about which
! we are talking and II seems 80 lnslpid and
monOtOnOus. II we had some great occa-
! SION. II we had lived in the time OF Luther,
II we had been Pauls travelling companion,
II we could serve God on q great scale, We
| would do 1t, out we can't IN this everyday
life" | admit that a great deal Of the ro-
nance ana knight errantry of life have dis
| appeared before the advance OF this prac.
! teal age. The ancient temples OF Rouen
have been changed into storehouses and
| smIthles. The residences Of poets and
| princes have been turned into brokers'
4 shops. The classic mansion OF Ashland
has been cut up into walking sticks The
! groves where the poets said the gods dwclt
! have been carted out for firewood. The
| muses. that we used to read about have dis
| appeared before the immigrants axe and
| the trapper's gun, and the man who is
waiting for life bewitched with wonders
| viii never find II. There is however, a
! field Of endurance and great achievement,
but It IS IN everyday lie. There are Alps
! 10 scale, there are Hellesponts 70 swim.
! there are fires 20 brave, but they are all
around us now. This is the hardest kind
| OF martyrdom 10 bear
| Again, we need TO bring the religion Of
! Christ into our c0mmonest trials. For Sc.
| we're losses, for bereavement, for trouble
| that shocks like an earthquake and that
| blasts like a storm, we prescribe religious
| consolation, but, business man, for the
| small annoyances OF last week how much
of the grace of God did you apply? "Oh."
you say, these trials are too small for such
| Application Ny brother they are shap-
ing your character they are wearing out
your patience and they are making you less
| and less of man.
Now, be careful to let none Of those an
noyances go through your soul unarraigned
| Compel them 10 administer your spiritual
wealth The scratch OF a sixpenny nail
sometimes produces locljaw, and the clip
| OF most lntniteslmal annoyance may
damage you ,orever Do not let any an.
noyance. or perplexty come across your
soul without Its making you better
| Our National Government did not think
| II oehttllng 70 put tax on pins and n tax
| on buckles and a tax on shoes The indi-
| vldUal taxes do not amount TO much, but
! IN the aggregate TO millions and millions OF
| dollars. And ! would have you. O Chris
tan man. put high tariff on every annoy
| ance and veXation that comes through your
soul. This might not amount to much in
single cases, but in the aggregate it would
be great revenue oi splrltual strength and
satisfaction. y bee can suck honey even
| out OF ncttle, and If you have the grace
of God in your heart you can get sweetness
| out OF that which would otherwise irri-
| tate and annoy. The only way to get pre-
| pared tor the great troubles of life is TO
conquer these small troubles
Again, we must bring the religion OF
| Christ into our commonest blessings When
the autumn comes and the hervests arc in
| and the governors make prociamations, we
assemble in churches and we are very
| thankful. But every day ought to be a
| thanksgiving day. We do not recognize
the common mercies of life. We have TO
see blind man led by his dog before we
| begin 10 bethink ourselves of what a grand
| thing 1t Is to have undimmed eyesight
| We have 10 see some wounded man hob.
| bling on his cTutch or with his empty coat
sleeve pinned up before we learn to think
what grand thing God did for us when He
gave us healthy use of our limbs. We are
so stupid that nothing but the msfortunes
! OF others can rouse us up to our blessings
| As the OK grazes in the pasture I'D to it's
| eye IN clover. yet never thinking who
makes the clover, and as the bird picks up
the worm from the furrow, not knowing
| that II IS God who makes everything from
| the animacule in the sod to the seraph on
| the throne, so we go on eating, drinking
and enjoying, but never thanking, or sci,
dom thanking or, If thanking at all, with
| only half heart.
] compared our Indifference to the brute.
but pc 'haps | wronged the brute. do not
| know but that, among its other instincts.
| 1t may have an instinct by which it recog-
nizes the divine hand that feeds it, ! do
not know but that God Is, through it.
holding communication with what we call
| irrational creation The cow that stands
under the willow by the watercourse chew.
lny it's cud looks very thankful, and who
| can tell how much bird means by its
song? The aroma of the flowers smells like
! incense, and the mist arising from the river
looks like the smoke of a morning sacrifice.
| On, that we were as responsive! Yet who
| thanks God for the water that gushes up
| IN the well. and that foams in the cascade,
and that laughs over the rocks, and that
| patters in the showers. and that claps it's
hands in the sea? Who thanks God for
the air, the fountain OF life. the bridge of
sunbeams. the path OF sound, the great fan
| on not summer day! VINO thanks God
for this wonderful physical organism. this
sweep OF the vision this chime of harmony
struck into the ear, this soft tread of a
| myriad delights over the nervous tissue,
| this rolling of the crimson tide through ar
| terry and vein, this drumming of the heart
| on our march to immortality? We take all
! these things as n matter of course
But suppose God should withdraw these
| common blessings, Your body would be.
| come an inquistion of torture. the cloud
| would refuse rain every green thing would
| crumple up. and the earth would crack
| open under your feet. The air would cease
its healthful circulation. pestilence would
swoop. and every house would become a
| place OF skulls Streams would first swim
with vermin and then dry up, and thirst
| and hunger and anguish and despair would
| lift their sceptres. Oh compare such life
as that with the life you live with your
| famiiies' Is it not time that, with every
aston OF your life we began to acknowl-
| edge these everyday mercies? Whether
| We eat or drink or whatsoever We do do all
to the glory OF God" Do | address a man
| or n woman who has not rendered TO God
| one single Offering OF thanks?
! was preaching one Thanksgiving Dag
| and announced nv text-"Oh. give thanks
unto the Lord, for He is good. for His mer-
| cy endureth forever" | do not know
| whether there was any blessing on the SER
mon or not, but the text went straight to
a yoang mans heart He said 20 himself
a. | read the text: "'0h, give thanks unto
the Lord. for lie is good Why, | have