The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-15
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE"

AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE"
| che Rev. Dr. Frank oliver Hall Says We
Must Learn How 10 Face the Pros.
| perity 10 Well NJ the Hard condi-
| tions OF This World.
NEW YORK CIrY.-The Rev. DR.. Frank
! Oliver Hall, pastor OF the Church OF the
| Divine Paternity, preached Sunday morn:
| inr on Facing the Circumstances OF Life.
He took his text from Philippians iv: II:
| II know how to be abased, and ] also
know how to abound. have learned the
secret" Dr. Hall said:
In other words, Paul said, Il have
learned the secret OF how to be independ.
ent of circumstances. l know how to lace
humble circumstances, and know how 10
face prosperity"
That is a great lesson. and one which few
men ever do learn. But it is lesson
! which We all need to learn in order to pre-
serve happiness, the integrity Of character
and to make the most of life. -.
Frst-Let rs look first for the secret OF
how to face humble circumstances. Every
ore stands in danger Of being reduced to
poverty. No matter how much you may
pOssess to-day, on the morrow it may te
q bank the cashier may abseond with it
and leave you with nothing but q book
with certain hieroglyphics scribblcd there
in to indicate that you were once aff1uent.
II you put your money IN mining stocks,
the ore may give ont, or bad management
r,ay ruin the enterprise. If you invest in a
railroad, a rival line may get all the trafhc,
or some unscrupulons !specu!ator may
wreck the business for his own enrich
! .o.S h,x roal ootote = y,av da.
preciate upon your hands, or . fire may
sweep away your holdings in night. II
you conclude to wrap your treasures in q
napkin and hide it in hole, some thief
may discover and steal it. So no matter
how rich You may be, tomorrow you may
be as poor as any. Proverbially, riches
take to themselves wings and fly away.
It is. therefore, extremely important that
one learn the secret of how to face humble
be taken in this direction?
ID Ny first word Of advice is this: Train
yourself to work. Learn TO be useful IN
some specific way. Learn to perform some
service Of importance 80 that you might be
dropped down in any portion OF the civil
lied globe absolutely without resources.
and yet be able at once to command at
least the necessities of life from the com.
munity in which you find yourself, in re-
| lOy bCAhNS Sh4Sn ySe oAS eSsS ~
render.
i take it that this was one of the great
reasons for the contentmept of the man
who wrote the words Of our text. BE was
independent because he was skilled work
man, and knew how, BY the use Of his
hands, to command in cny community the
necessities Of life. The Jewish people were
extremely wise in many directions, and
their wisdom was nowhere more manifest
than IN the rule which they made as to
the education Of youth. Every Jewish boy,
lie. must he taught 4 trade. The boy
Saul, although probably from an carly age
predestined by his parents to become q
scholar, o teacher, q religious leader, was
nevertheless taught to make tents. That
is, he knew how to weave cameps hair and
Uthcr material into the fabric Of which
tents were made. Thus, after his conver.
sion to Christianity, when his worldly
prospects were ruined, and he had cast in
pie on earth, he was, as FIR as it 10 posi-.
be for q man, independent. How was II
that this man was able to travel over the
wcrid delivering his message to slaves and
people without resources? When he went
to q new community he at once sought
work, and found it because he was skilled
in making something which that commu'
nifty needed. He earned his bread by the
work OF his hands, and spoke his message
because he loved it. And when the peo.
pie to whom he spoke came to him out oi
ward his support, he accepted their hum.
bic gifts on the principle that the laborer
is worthy of his hire, and thanked them
but repeatedly declared that such gifts
were not necessary to his life. For am
no: in want" he said. Il can earn the
necessities of life"
In what an enviable position such man
stands. How much better it would be il
every religious teacher Of our time had
been taught some useful occupation by
which he could command the necessities oi
life. He might never be called upon to
use his ability in that direction, but the
possession of it would mean liberty. He
would no longer be haunted by the fear
that If he did not conform his opinions ia
those Of the church authorities the bread
would be taken from the mouths of his
children. The knowledge that he had pow
er to command bread for his family by the
toll of his hands would give to him entire
freedom in search for truth and in utter
ing it.
And if this is true of religious teachers
il IL just as true Of people in other depart
ments Of life. Liberty is but dream fol
any man who must conform his political
opinions to those OF his employer unless nc
would see his supply Of food cut of. Many
\ man in the business world works for and
votes for measures in which he does not
believe. or becomes party to tr;ckery and
dishonesty. because these are for the in
tercst OF the employer, and unless he works
for tile interest of his employer his family
will lack food. Many girl marries a man
SIZE distru ;ts, or even despises, because she
must marry or become pauper.
Therefore let those vino would find the
secret OF independence in the face of hum
bic circumstances first learn to work. learn
to command some useful occupation by
which they may win from the world the
necessities of life in return for honest and
worthy service.
2. But this is not the whole Il Paul's
secret. For one who has known prosperity
to be obliged to face humble circumstances
to maintain courage and cheerfulncss,- is
extremely difficult. How shall he be able
to do this?
Let him mediate upon the relation oi
values. Paul had been a man OF grea!
promise. and was on the high road to
wealth and exalted position, but he lost it
all and came to associate with slaves and
people held in social contempt; he went
back to tcntmaking, and from being u re.
lgious leader became common laborer.
Pat bjs common inakead of heinz dimin.