St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-04-19

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generosities have been set down to
desire for display, and they have many
time been the subject of little tattle,
and they have had enough small as
saults like gnats and enough great at
tacks like lions to have made them per-
petually miserable if they would have
consented to be miserable. But they
have had enough divine philosophy to
cast off the annoyances, and they have
kept themselves in the sunslight of
Gods favor and have realized that these
oppositions and hindrances are part
of a mighty discipline 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.
Another practical thought: When
our faults are rerented of let them go
out of mind. If God forgets them, we
have a right to forget them. Having
once repented of our infeicities and
misdemeanors, there is no need OF our
repenting of them again. Suppose
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 I come in
and say: "You know about that big
debt owe you. have come in to get
you to let me off. I feel so bad about
it I cannot rest. Do let me Off" You
reply with little Impotence: II did
let you off. Don't bother yourself and
bother me with any more Of that dis
cussion." The following day I come in
and say: "My dear sir, about that debt
Il can never get over the fact that l
owe you that money. It is something
that weighs on my mind like a mill
stone. 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? l am almost sorry I forgave
you that debt. Do you doubt my
veracity or do you not understand the
plain language in which I told you
that debt was cancelled" Well, my
friends, there are many Christians
guilty of worse folly than that. While
it is right that they repent 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 forgiven? God has forgotten
them. Why do you not forget them?
No; you drag the load on with you, and
365 times year, if you pray every day,
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 turpitude of sin, but l
ask you to higher faith in the prom
Use of God and the full deliverance of
His mercy. He does not give receipt
for part payment or so much received
on account, but receipt in full. God
having for Christ's sake decreed your
sins and your iniquities will remem-
Der no more" AS far as possible let
the disagreeables Of life drop. We
have enough things in the present, and
there will be enough in the future, to
disturb US without running a special
train into the great Comedy to fetch us
as special freight things left behind.
Years ago. when there was great
railroad strike, remember seeing all
along the route from Omaha to Chica-
go and from Chicago to New York
hundreds and thousands Of freight
cars switched on the sidetracks, those
cars loaded with all kinds of perishable
material, decaying and wasting. After
the strike was over did the railroad
companies bring all that persisted
material down to tie markets? No;
they threw it off where it was de-
stroyed and loaded up with something
else. Let the long train of your
thoughts throw off the worse than use
less freight of corrupt and destroyed
past and load up with gratitude and
faith and holy determination. We do
not please God by the cultivation Of
the miserable. He would rather see
us happy than to see us depressed.
You would rather see your children
laugh than to see them cry, and your
Heavenly Father has no fondhess for
Mysteries.
Not only forget your pardoned
transgressions, but allow others to
forget them. The chief stock on hand
of some people is to recount in prayer
meetings and pulpits what big scoun-
drels they once were. They not only
will not forget their forgiven deficits.
but they seem to be determined that
the church and the world shall not
forget them. If yon want to declare
that you have been the chief of sim
ners and extol the grace that could
save such wretch as you were, do so,
but do not go into particulars. Do
not tell how many times you got drunk
or to what bad places you went or
how many free rides you had in the
prison van before you were convert
ed. Lump it, brother; give it to us in
bulk. If you have any scars got in
honorable warfare, show them. but
if you have scars got in ignoble war
fare do not display them. I know you
will quote the Bible reference to the
horrible pit from which you were
digged. Yes, be thankful for that res
cue, but do not make displays of the
mud of that horrible pit or splash it
over other people. Sometimes l have
felt in Christian meetings discounted
and unfit for Christian service be-
cause had done none of those things
which seemed to be, in the estimation
of many, necessary for Christian use
fulness, for I never swore a word or
ever got drunk or went to compromis-
ing places or was guilty of assault and
battery or ever uttered a s1anderous
word or ever did any one hurt, al
though l knew my heart was sinful
enough, and l said to myself: "There
is no use of my trying to do any good,