Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-02-22
90 onr- UocD-1yg, teagion. TIL be bacS
next Sunday"

to get weapons. When war comes. II q
man wants 10 fight for his country, he
does not go to Troy or to Springfield TO DO
battling. but he goes there for swords and
muskets. look upon the church al Christ
and the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where and when we are To get armed
for Christian conflict. bus the battlefield IL
on Monday. Tuesday Wednesday, Thurs
day. Friday and Saturday.
Now. be careful to let mono of those an.
noyances go through your soul unnrraigned.
Compel them to administer your spiritual
wealth. The scratch OF a sixpenny nail
sometimes produces locEiaw. and the clip
of most inhnltesimat 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
il beiittlmg TO put tax on pins and tax
on buckles and : tax on shoes. The indi-
vidual taxes do not amount 10 much, but
IN the aggregate to millions and millions of
dollars. And / would have YOU. O Chris
ti2n man, put high tariff on every annoy
ance and vexation that comes through your
soal. This might not amount to much in
single cases, but in the aggregate it would
be great revenue OF spiritual strength and
satisfaction. A bee can suck honey even
out OF nettle. and If 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 lie is to
conquer these small troubles
And have to tell YOU. o Christian men.
ii YOU cannot apply the principles of
Christ's religion on n small scale you will
never he able 20 apply them on a large
scale. If YOU cannot contend successfully
against these small sorrows that come
down single handed. what will you do
Nt-bn,, hn s
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 prociamations. 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 bethnk ourselves OF what Il grand
thing 1t Is to have undimmed cyesight.
We have TO see some wounded man hob
bling on his ciutch or with his empty coat
sleeve pinned up before we learn to think
wha. grand thing God did for us when He
gave us healthy use of our limbs. We are
so stupid that nothing but the misfortunes
OF others can rouse us up to our blessings.
As the OK gra2es 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 animalcu,c in the GOD to the scraph on
the throne. 50 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 pc -haps | wronged the brute. | do not
know but that, among its other instincts,
1t may have an instinct by which il rocog-
nizes the divine hand that feeds it. | do
not know but that God is. through il.
holding communication with what we call
Irrational creation" The cow that stands
under the willow by the watercoursc chew
IN its cud looks very thankful. and who
can tell how much a bird means b. its
song? The aroma OF the flowers smells like
incense. and the mist arising from the river
looks like the smoke Of morning sacriice
On. that we were As responsivei Net who
thanks God for the water that Cushcs up
ia the well, and that ioams in the cascade
and that laughs over the rocks and that
pattcrs IN the showers. and tina; c!aps its
hands IN the sea? Who thanks God for
the air. the fountain OF lie. the bridge OF
sIubeams. the path OF Sound. the great fan
on q hot summers day: Who thanks God
tor this wonderful physical organism. this
sW'e3 Of the vision. this chime of harmony
struck into Inc ear. this soft tread OF Il
myTiad delights over the nervous tissue
th., rolling OF the crimson tide through ar
terry and vein. this drumming OF the heart
on Cur march 10 immortality: We take all
these things as 4 matter ~ course.
But suppose God should withdraw these
common blessings, Your body would be
come an ;aquisltioa Of torture. the cloud
would refuse ia.n. every green thing would
crumple Up. and the earth would crack
open under voIr feet The ali would cease
its hcaithful circulation. pestilencc would
swoop. and every house would become n
place OF skulls Streams would first swim
with vermin and then dry M. and thirst
end hunger and anguish and despair would
Int their sceptrcs. On, compare such life
rs that with the life you 1--we with your
families, IL it rot time that, with every
action Of your lie We began TO acbnow!-
Cdce these everyday mercies? Whether
We eat or drink or whatsoever We do, do all
- the glory Of God Do | address man
or 4 woman who has not rendered to God
one single Offering Of thanks?
] was preaching one Thanksgiving Day
and announced my text-"0h, give thanks
unto the Lord for He is good. for His mer-
~ cndureth forever" [ DO not know
whether there was any blessing on the SER
mon or not. bat the text went straight to
Young mans heart. lie said to himself
= 1 read the Text: - I'm. give thanks unto
the Lord. for He il good WIZ. | have
never rendered Him ai.y thanks Oh. what
m migrate | have becn," Can it be. my
brother. that you have been fed hy the
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
bcne.iciCnt surroundings. and vet have
4 sense of the divine goodness shown you
III everyday blessings melt your heart, and
II you have neve: before uttered one car
nest note OF thanksgivia: let this hc the
day which shall hear YOU sing. What
say TO ono l say to ALL Take this prac.
teal religion / have recommended into
your everyday life. Make every day a
Sabbath and every meal sacrament and
every room you enter holy OF holics. We
all have work to do; let us be willing to do
1t. We all have SORROWS to bear; let us
chcerfully bear them. We all have battles
TO fight: let US couragcously fight them. II
Won want TO die right, you must Ike right.
Negligence and Incidence will win the hiss
OF everlasting scorn while faithfulness will
gather its garlands and wave its sceptre
and sit upon its throne long after this
earth has put on ashes and eternal ages
have begun their march. You go home to.
day and attend to your little sphere of du.
ties. l will go home and attend to my lit
tile sphere of duties. Every one in his own
place. So our every step in life shall be a
triumphal march. and the humblest foot
stool on which we are called to sit will be
"a conqueror's throne.
tcopyrieht. 1909. L. Klopseh.l