The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-20
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and the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where and when we are TO get armed
for Christian conflict. but the battlefield is
on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs.
day, Friday and Saturday.
Now, be careful to let none Of those an
novances go through your soul unarraigned
Compel them TO administer your spiritual
wealth. Tho scratch of sixpenny nail
sometimes produces loclSjaw. and the clip
Of most iniinitesimal annoyance may
damage you forever. Do not let any an
noyance or perplexity come across your
soul without its making you better.
Our National Government did not think
II bellttling to put tax on pins and a tax
on buckles and n tax on shoes. The ind.
vidual taxes do not amount to much, but
in the aggregate to millions and millions of
dollars. Aud / would have you. o Chris
tian 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 il would
be great revenue OF spiritual strength and
satisfaction. A bee can suck honey even
ont of nettle, and ii 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 for the great troubles of life is to
conquer these small troubles.
And have to tell you, o Christian men.
if you cannot apply the principles of
Chrst's religion on n small scale you will
never be able to apply them on a large
scale. III you cannot contend successfully
against these small sorrows that come
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 harvests are in
and the governors make proclamations, 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 to bethink ourselves OF what a grand
thing it is to have undimmed eyesight.
We have to see some wounded man hob
bling on HIS crutch or with his empty coat
sleeve pinned vp 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 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 sod to the seraph on
the throne, so we go on eating drinking
and enjoying, but never thanking, or sell
dom thanking, or, if thanking at all, with
only half heart.
| compared our indifference to the brute,
but pe:-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, l 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
ing its 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 morning sacrifice.
Oh, 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 its
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 hot summers day? Who 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 a matter of course
But suppose God should withdraw these
common blcssingsl Your body would be
come an inquisition of torture, the cloud
would refuse rain, every green thing woulc
crumplc up, and the earth would crack
open under your feet. The air would cease
its healthful circulation, pestlence would
swoop, and every house would become q
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
families! Is it not time that, with every
action OF your life we began to acllnowl-
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 woman who has not rendered to God
one single Offering Of thanks?
J. was preaching one Thanksgiving Day
and announced my teXt-"Oh, give thanks
cy endureth forever" | do not know
whether there was any blessing on the SER
mon 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 thanks! Oh, what
an migrate | have becn!" Can it be, my
DrOtner, tndJ You nave been fed by tho
good hand of God all these days, that you
have had clothing and shelter and all the
never offered your heart to God? Oh, let
benefcient surroundings, and yet have
sense Of the divine goodness shown you
in everyday blessings melt your heart, and
if you have never before uttered one ear
nest note of thanksgiving let this be the
day which shall hear you singl What I
say to one | say to all Take this prac-
teal religion | have recommended into
your everyday life Make every day a
Sabbath and every meal n sacrament and
every room YOU enter holy of holies We
all have work to do; let US be willing to do
it. We all have sorrows to bear; let us
cheerfully bear them. We all have battles
to fight; let us eouragcously fight them If
you want to die right, you must live right.
Negligence and Incidence will win the hiss
of everlasting seorn, while faithfulness will
gather it's garlands and wave its sceptre
and sit upon its throne long after this
earth has put on ashes and eternal ages
bave begun their march. You go home to-
day and attend to your little sphere of du.
ties. | will go home and attend to my lit.
tie sphere Of duties. Every one in his own
place. So our every step in life shall be a
friumphal march, and the hnmblest foot.
stool on which we are called to sit will be
a conqueror's throne.