The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-17

cause tney nad power over tnen Not 20
much that demons were held In cheek
but because IL was their power that
did it,
How many people there are in this
world who are well meaning and making
the effort 10 do well and are really doing
u and Imagining they have struck tue
truth were known they were rejoicing In
their power 30 do well, rather than In the
fact that well was being done. This Is
proven ofttimes by the fact that such per-
sons are Jealous OF others who are also
doing w'+il. but doing more and better
than they ARE. The rejoicing OF such
people Is not I'm the fact that evil Is over
come demons are changed, the kingdom
of God advanced. but in their own power
and effort 10 DO these things. Conse-
quently their rejoicing is like a house
built on the sand. Jealousy. like judg-
ment In great revealer. and for one
minister TO be jealous OF the work OF
another minister or one member OF the
church 10 be Jealous OF the work OF
another member reveals the fact that
minister and member are working, not for
the kingdom OF God, but for themselves.
liz Is 40 easy I'm this life 10 rejoice I'm
our power TO bring blessings TO 9TH
ers. rather than To rejoice I'm the fact
that others are blessed The distinction
may seem fine, but IL IL sufficient In
practice TO distinguish between the sell
fish ambition OF one and the sacrinclai
labor of another. IL Is common thing
20 nnd those who are doing most for
Gods kingdom overwhelmed with sense
OF their own weakness. IL IS JUST as
| common 10 ind tnOSe VINO are uOlns uOtn-
ing overwhelmed with sense OF their
power and Importance.
1t was to correct this evil i'm human
nature, TO save the disciples from disas-
ter that. doubt not Jesus directed their
minds TO an entirely different source OF
4 joy.
| ject unto you. Rather rejoice in the
fact that your names are written IN
/ heaven. We must peer through this
| Oriental phraseology 10 get the Occi-
1 revealed Jesus least
| OF all teachers. had a conception OF
| heaven as place resembling a book
| keeping establishment, where acts of life
| were put down either 10 profit or loss.
| The conception that II brings 10 our minds
| is this: They were 10 rejoice that they
were safe I'm God. that all fear and fret
| and uncertainty had been swept out of
/ life and that nothing could harm them,
| for God guided them. Through Him they
| future was secure. This complete sur
| render on mans part and this complete
assurance OF protection on Gods part
was for Christ the very essence OF re-
| ligion. This was the religious life. a
mans spiritual condition was 70 be meas
| ured by this.
| PROVISION FOR THE FUTURE.
In the kingdom of God this was the
Compare with IT, All that man could
| do and achieve was small and insignih-
| cant as source OF JOY as compared
|
OF unrest that robs us OF our JOY. Man
| may build against the future, yet he is
| ever certain that there are some things
! against which he cannot entrench him
/ self. There are known foes I'm the COM
| ing years against which we can OF our
own efforts fortify ourselves. But these
| known foes are Insignificant as compared
| with those unknown and about which we
have not even dreamt
To be sure not only that we are safe
| against all the future which we may not
| know. "A which knows
| feel the perfect trust in God that day
| by day He will give us our daily bread
| and that tomorrow is safe as yester-
| day, that is the true source OF JOY.
We know this from experience. for Is
| not much of our content at this hour due
/ TO the fact that we have made some pro-
vision for the future 1t is one thing
| TO come here with the assurance Of bod
! lily comforts during the remainder of this
| day and on through the year and coming
years. IL would be very different thing
| 10 come here without knowing where our
next meal is to be found feeling that we
| should have TO eat the bread of charity.
This peace and satisfaction that spring
| from material security for the morrow
is but a broken light OF that great truth
| that IL is possible for a man To- so sur
render himself and his all into the hands
| OF God and feel safe and secure That
! Is. the great and unspeskahle JOY with
4 which heaven Is blessed We have not
an unknown land. we have not made
| the complete surrender.
! =
such faith in the eternal as to walk,
despite life's storms and defeats, with
| happy heart and = certain faith thai all
hhnsS thnss Who So'n love God Either this is true
| or Christianity is false.
| The Joy that springs from this source,
rather than the JOY that comes from the
! consciousness and use of power. Is more
| in keeping with the spirit Of Christianity
| Jesus taught that men lead varying tai
ents. One man has five and Is genius
| a hnN n ie
| the plane OF mediocrity. Yet he never
| taught that IL was not as possible Tor
the one talented man to make as com,
plete a surrender OF his life TO God and
| consequently find rs much JOY In life as
! for the man with five talents. The most
gifted men i'm this world have been the
| most wretched. I cannot believe That
Matthew Arnold. with his abnormal cul-
ture OF mind. his extreme sensitiveness
TO crassness. enjoyed life as many a
simple peasant. How wretched was the
| life OF Heine. How sick he was, not
only I'm body. but in mind. Was IL
not thou think u was, that bard un-
! armed whom Goethe said had every 9TH
| er gift OF love. love without which the
tongue OF angels sounds amss. So wrote
| Arnold himself Of 1eine.
| It may be that genius rises toward the
skies from time 10 time and gets view
| denied TO humber mortals, but for once
| they rise. a score OF times they sink into
| tho depths OF veritable hell, unless sup
ported by that same everlasting arm
| that holds the one talented man close 20
| his happiness and JOY.
| We cannot deny the truth OF this. HUI
| man experience II too replcte with eX-
amples OF it's truth TO brook any contra
| diction But what H. this surrender 20
| God? Does ~ mean merely reclining
| upon the strength OF the Almighty ~
| so. II can mean nothing to the world. Its
| logical outcome ~ the life Of the solitary
| ascetic The individual may find this
| ioy and repose, but other men are not
| blessed It stands then directly opposed
| to- all labor and effort 10 is the oppo-
| site Of the rigor Of lifc's stern battle I'm
| which the multitude of men IL engaged.
| Yet that self-surrender and complete
| abandon 10 God did not mean this is evi-
| dent from all that Jesus taught. This is
| especially evident In our lesson. Instead
| OF his pointing them TO complete aksn-
| don 10 God a. an escape from their work
| i'm overcoming the demons he pointed
| -. ..kt.h ~. Iat,,apa rt,fObf hr atarqppnf