Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-03-13


for no one can be happy II he carries
perpetually in mind the mean things
that have been done him. On the 9TH
er hand, you can find here and there a
man or woman (for there are not many
of them whose disposition is genial
and summary. Whyf Have they al.
ways been treated wer7 Oh, no. Hard
things have been said against them.
They have been charged with ofilcious-
ness, and their generosities have been
set down to a desire for display, and
they have many time been the sub
ject Of title tattie. and they have had
enough small assaults like gnats Snd
enough great attacks like lions to have
made them perpetually miserable II
they would have consented to be miser-
able. But they have had enough d.
vine philosophy to cast off the annoy
ances, and they have kept themselves
in the sunlight Of Gods favor and have
realized that these oppositions and hin
ORANGES are a part Of mighty disci-
pine by which they are to be prepared
for usefulness and heaven. The secret
Of it all is they have, by the help Of the
Eternal God, learned how to forget.
CanceIing Your Debts.
Another practical thought: When our
faults are repented Of let them go out
Of mind. If God forgets them. we have
right 70 forget them. Having once
repented OF our infelicities and misde-
meanors. there is no need of our re-
penting Of them again. Suppose l owe
you large sum Of money. and you are
persuaded l am incapacitated to pay
and you give me acquittal from that
obligation. You say: II cancel that
debt. All Is right now. Start again."
And the next day l come in and say:
"You know about that big debt l owe
you. have come in to get you to let
me off. feel so bad about it cannot
rest. DO let me off," You reply with
little Impotence: 81 did let you Off.
Don't bother yourself and bother me
with any more of that discussion" The
following day come in and say: my
dear sir. about that debit can never
get over the fact that | owe you that
money. 1t is something that weighs OF
my mind like a milestone. Do forgive
ME that debt" This time you clear
lose your patience and say: You are
nuisance. What do you mean by this
reiteration OF that affair? am almost
sorry l forgave you that debt. Do you
doubt my veracity or do you not under
stand the plain language in which l
told you that debt was canceled?'
Well, my friends, there are many
Christians guilty of worse folly than
that. While it is right that they re-
pent of new sins and of recent sins,
what is the use Of bothering yourself
and insulting God by asking him TO
forgive sins that long ago were for
given? God has forgotten them. Why
do you not forget them? No; you drag
the load on with you, and 363 times d
year, If you pray every cay. you ask
God to recall occurrences which he has
not only forgiven but forgotten.
Quit this folly. do not ask you less
to realize the turpltude Of sin. but l ask
you to higher faith in the promise OF
God and the full deliverance Of his
mercy. He does not give a receipt fol
part payment or SO much received or
ing for Christ's sake decreed your sins
and your iniquties will l remember NJ
! more" AS far as possible let the dis
agreeables Of life drop. We have
enough things in the present, and there
will be enough in the future, to dis
turb us without running special traI
into the great Comedy to fetch us q.
special freight things left behind
Years ago. when there was a grea
railroad strike, l remember seeing al
along the route from Omaha to Chi
cago and from Chicago to New Yorl
, hundreds and thousands Of freight car
I switched on the sidetracks, those car
h, loaded with all kinds Of perishable ma
: teiial, decaying and wasting. Aftc
t the strike was over did the railroad
e companies bring all that perished ma
: tcral down to the markets? No; the.
b threw it off where 1t was destroyed anc
= loaded up with something else. Let tn
: long train of your thoughts throw OF
+ the worse than useless freight of
i corrupt and destroyed past and loa
up with gratitude and faith and hol
: determination. We do not please Co
| by the cultivation Of the miserable
u He would rather see us happy than t
J. see us depressed. You would rather Sc
& your children laugh than to see thcr
@ cry, and your Heavenly Father has n
e fondness for Mysteries.
y Allow Others to Forget.
: Not only forget your pardoned trans
- gressions, but allow others to forge
> them. The chief stock on hand @
:, some people is to recount In praye
- meetings and pulpits what big scouI
:. drels they once were. They not onl
=, will not forget their forgiven deficits
:, but they seem to be determined tha
:. the church and the world shall not TO
. get them. II you want to declare tht
"A you have been the chief of sinners an
~ extol the grace that could save such
Il wretch as you were. do 80, but do M
Ia 90 into particulars. Do not tell no
RI many times you got drunk or to wh'
w bad places you went or how many FRI
"a rides you had in the prison van befol
ID you were converted. Lump 1t, brothe
,r give 1t to us in bulk. II you have ar
Of scars got in honorable warfare. sho
10 them, but If you have scars got In ign
" BILE warfare do not displa y thom. kno
es you will quote the Bible reference
mr. the horrible pit from which you We