The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-02-20

smelling a poisonous rose. Columbus
by stopping and asking for piece of
bread and drink of water at Fran
ciscan convent, was led to the discov-
cry of a new world. And there is an
intimate connection between trif1es and
immensities, between nothings and
everythings.
Now, be careful to let none of those
annoyances go through your soul unar-
ralgned Compel them to administer
to your spiritual wealth. Do not let
any annoyance or perplexity come
across your soul without its making
you better.
Our national government did not
think it belittling to put a tax on pins
and tax on buckles and a tax on
shoes. The individual taxes do not
amount to much, but in the aggregate
to millions and millions of dollars And
| would have you, o Christian man,
put high tariff on every annoyance
and yeNation that comes through your
soul This might not amount to much
in single cases, but in the aggregate it
would be great revenue of spiritual
strength and satisfaction. And | have
to tell you, o Christian men, if you
cannot apply the principles of Christ's
religion on a small scale you viii never
be able to apply them on large scale.
LII you cannot contend successfully
against these small sorrows that conie
down single handed, what will you do
when the greater disasters OF life come
down with laundering artillery, rolling
over your soul?
Again, we must bring the religion of
CHRIST into our commonest blessings
When the autumn comes and the har-
vests are in and the governors make
proclamations we assemble in churches
and we are very thankful But every
day ought TO be thanksgiving day.
We do not recognize the common mer-
cles OF life. We are so stupid that
| nothing but the misfortune OF others
can rouse us UP to our blessings AS
the OK grazes in the pasture up to its
eye IN clover. yet never thinking who
makes the clover, and as the bird picks
UP the worm from the furrow not
knowing that it is God who makes
everything, from the animalcule in the
|
go on eating, drinking and enjoying.
but never thanking, or seldom thank
ing, or, if thanking at all, with only
half a heart
compared our Indifference to the
brute, but perhaps | wronged the
brute. | do not know but that. among
us other instincts, it may have an in
stlnct by which it recognizes the divine
hand that feeds it, do not know but
that God is, through it, holding com
lnunlcatlon With what we call ''irra-
tlonai creation" The COW that stands
under the willow by the watercourse,
chewing its cud, looks very thankful.
ana who can tell how much a bird
means by its song? The aroma of the
flowers smells like incense, and the
Hlst arising from the river looks like
the smoke of morning sacrifice Oh.
tIlar we were as responsive! Yet who
thanks God for the air, the fountain
OF life, the bridge of sunbeams, the
path of sound, the great fan on a hot
summers day? Who thanks God for
TINS Wonderful physical organism, this
sweep OF the vision, this chime of har-
ihony struck into the ear, this soft
tread of a myriad delights over the
nervous tissue, this rolling of the Grim
son tide through artery and vein, this
drumming of the heart on our march
TO immortality? We take all these
things as a matter of course.
But suppose God should withdraw
these common blessings! Your body
would become an inquisition of tor
ture. the cloud would refuse rain.
every green thing would crumple up.
and the earth would crack open under
your feet. The air would cease it's
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 scepters. Oh,
compare such life as that with the
HE you live with your families! Is
1t not time that, with every word of
our lips and with every action of our
life we began to acknowledge these
everyday mercies?
l was preaching one THANKSGIVING
day and announced my text. "Oh
give thanks unto the Lord. for he is
good, for his mercy endureth forever
| do not know whether there was any
blessing on the sermon or not, but the
text went straight to a young mans
heart. He said to himself as | read
the text "Oh, give thanks unto the
Lord. for he is good'-Why, have
never rendered him any ihanl,c, M
what an migrate I have beenw Can if
be- my brother, that you have been fed
by the good hand of God all these
days, that you have had clothing and
shelter and all the beneficent surround
ings, and yet have never offered your
heart to God? Oh, let a sense of the
divine goodness shown you in eyery-
day blessings melt your heart, and If
you have never before uttered one
earnest note of thanksgiving let this
be the day which shall hear your song,
What saw to one I saw to oil Mall