Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-07-23

chemistry of reckless human ingcn-
uity, blessing into positive curse.
Here is where the warning note
wants to be struck. Here is where
! Gods voice needs TO be heard and
needed. Not cry against vacation
rest, but against the unrest of the
! age, which turns the Saturday half
holiday into blighting influence and
the summertime outing into u pc
Rod of unrestrained indulgence in
every whim and caprice the self-in-
dulgent flesh bankers after. The
! perVersion of the Saturday half-holi-
! day Is beginning TO cast its miasmal
pail over the Lords day and is sap
ping the spiritual life and strength
of the disciples of Jesus Christ And
70 many il is proving the easy gate
way TO the downward road of self
indulgence and pleasure, and the
very threshold of hell The modern
development of the vacation habit is
proving an alluremeut whose swift
broad current is yearly drawing its
| thousands and hundreds of thousands
away from wholesome Influences to
the distractions of summer resort
life and merely sensual indulgences.
The place to which our Lord led
His disciples for their vacation rest
was quiet and restful spot, where
the beat of the heart of Nature
could be felt, and where God could
bless soul as well as body. To-day.
think you, He would lead to some OF
the popular resorts and watering
places? Do YOU believe He would be
found with His disciples at many OF
the pleasure places and roof gardens.
and Sunday excursions and outings,
which to-day are filing the land and
the world with their distractions?
! Pleasure, such as the world can give.
and plenty of it, but not that body
and soul invigorating rest which
comes as wholesome portion TO him
who, following the bidding of the
| Master, withdraws with Him apart
| into desert place. Not desert in
the sense of Il wilderness waste, but
a desert which is a stranger to the
whirl and allurements of the world
and where the voice of Nature can
be heard. Where one has time to
listen to the heavens declare the
glory of God" and the armament
shew forth his handiwork; where
day unto day may utter speech and
night unto night shew forth knowl-
edge. Not where gay companionship
is essential to happiness, but where
Bryant found the inspiration for his
| lines:
ITO him who in the love OF Nature holds
! Communion with her visible forms. she
| speaks
a various language"
Vacation Purpose.-The man Of
Jesus parable, who heedlessly built
his house upon the sand because il
happened to be the most convenient
spot available at the time, was not less
wickedly careless than is he who
thoughtlessly runs hither or thither
on his vacation with no other purpose
than that of going somewhere or do
ing something, in quest OF recreation
! and change and sO-called rest The
vacation should he definitely purpose
| full. Three elements are discernible in
the purpose of our Lord in providing
an outing for His weary disciples
Primarily it was that they might OBJ
tain much-needed rest. But as the
events of that short vacation rapidly
~
we find that Jesus sought to lead His
disciples thoughts away from the
! things of men to the things Of God
to help them to know Nature and Ma
| lures God better, and TO feel the pulsa-
ton and throb OF Gods almighty
arm as it. reaches out TO shelter and
| protect and feed needy world. And
lastly, He wanted them to learn that
the most perfect rest was TO be found
| in a new and enlarged service. And
] without these three elements, vaca-
tion plans are lacking and fail 20 pro
vide adequately for the weary body and
needy soul. Rest for the body. en-
| largement for the soul and new chan
nels Of service-where these three con
! ditions can be best realized there is
where the Lord is calling you apart to
rest awhile.
Rest for the Body-It is interesting
to note that the disciples were so in
| terested in the work in which they
! had been engaged as apparently to be
unconscious Of their bodily needs un-
! til Christ said unto them: Come We
yourselves apart into desert place.
and rest awhile" How blessed i,
| would be IL to-day JesusAdisciples were
/ so engrossed in the Masters business,
/ There would not be so much self-plan-
| ming weeks and months ahead rs 10 the
/ summer outing. II such were the case.
| To-day Christian people have hardly
I returned from one outing and taken
mp the dropped work before their
/ heads are full ~ plans for future
| rest and recreation. and they ret
ready TO let go again. Keep busy ir
| the work OF the Lord; don't think So
much ~ your weary body 2 Won do Of
/ the great need all about Won. and even
while you are telling the Lord about
I the work in which YOU are so much in
terested. lie viii bid you come apart
! L. -...----L D l.