The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-04-24
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
CIRCUMSTANCES or LIFE"

NEW DIRK CITY The Rev. Dr. Frank
Oliver Hall, pastor of the Church OF the
DIVINE Paternity preached sunday morn.
ing on Facing the Circumstances of Life"
He took his text from Philippians ": y:
Il know how TO be abased and ] also
know how 10 abound ] have learned the
secret" DIR. Hall said:
In other words, Paul said 81 have
learned the secret Of how 10 be independ-
ent OF circumstances. i know how TO face
humble circumstances, and i know how to
face prosperity"
That is a great lesson, and one which few
men ever do learn. But 1t is a lesson
which we all need to learn in order TO pre-.
serve happiness, the integrity of character
and TO make the most Of life
First-Let us look first for the secret OF
how TO face humble circumstances. Every
one stands in danger OF being reduced to
poverty. No matter how much YOU may
possess to-day, on the morrow it may be
all swept away. If you put your money in
q bank the cashier may abscond with 10
and leave you with nothing but a book
with certain hieroglyphics scrubbed there
IN TO indicate that you were once afiluent.
II you put your money In mining stocks,
she ore may give out, or bad management
may ruin the enterprise. If you invest in a
railroad, rival line may get all the traffic,
or some INSCRIPTIONS Spectator may
wreck the business for his own enrich
ment. If you buy real estate, it may de.
preclate upon your hands, or a fire may
sweep away your holdings in night. IL
you conclude to wrap your treasures in
napkin and hide it in a hole, some thief
may discover and steal it, So no matter
how rich you may be, tomorrow you may
be as poor as any. Powerfully, riches
take to themselves wings and fly away
1t is, therefore, extremely important that
one learn the secret Of how to face humble
circumstances. What is the first step TO
be taken in this direction
(l) My first word of advice is this: Train
yourself to work. Lean to be useful in
some specific way. Learn to perform some
service of Importance 50 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 fnd yourself, in re-
turn for the service whiSh you are able to
render.
l take it that this was one of the great
reasons for the contentment Of the man
who wrote the words of our text. He was
independent because he was skilled work
man, and knew how, by the use of his
hands, to command in any community the
AaeNN37Abi@o VI nv 4 llC - bh ISL DEODIG 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,
no matter what the circumstances of his
lie, must be taught a trade The boy
Saul, although probably from an early age
predestined by his parents to become q
scholar, a teacher, a religious leader, was
nevertheless, taught to make tents. That
Is, he knew how to weave cancels hair and
other material into the fabric of which
tents We're made. Thus, after his CONVEX
sion to Christianity, when his worldly
his lot with the poorest and humblest peo-
pie on earth, he was, as far as it is posi-
bic for a man, independent. How was il
that this man was able to travel over the
world delivering his message to slaves and
people without resources? When he went
to a 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 PEG,
pie to whom he spoke came to him out oil
gratitude and wanted to contribute to-
ward his support, he accepted their hum
BILE gifts on the principle that the laboreI
| IS worthy of his hire, and thanked them
but repeatedly declared that such gifts
were not necessary to his life. For / an
not in want" he said. Il can earn the
necessities Of life"
In what an enviable position such mar
stands. How much better it would be i
! every religious teacher of our time hac
been taught some useful occupation by
! which he could command the necessities O
hte. lie might never be called upon tt
| bIn ohilitxy IN hot J;rook,o, L,,A l.,
! possession of it would mean liberty. III
would no longer be haunted by the fea,
that II he did not conform his opinions t
those of the church authorities the breaC
would be taken from the mouths of hi
children. The knowledge that he had pow
er to command bread for his family by tn,
toll of his hands would give to him entir,
freedom in search for truth and in utter
ing it.
And if this is true of religious teacher
it Is just as true of people in other depart
ments of life. Liberty is but a dream fo
any man who must conform his poltica
opinions to those of his employer unless h
would see his supply of food cut off. Man,
man in the business world works for ant
votes for measures in which he does no
believe, or becomes party to trickery ant
dishonesty, because these are for the in
terest Of the employer, and unless he work
for the interest of his employer his famil
will lack food. Many girl marries a ma
she distrusts, or even despises because sh
must marry or become pauper.
Therefore let those who would find tn
secret of independence in the face of hun
bic circumstances first learn to work, lear
to command some useful occupation b
which they may win from the world tn
necessities of life in return for honest an
worthy service.
2. But this is not the whole of Paul
secret. For one who has known prosperit
TO be obliged to face humble circumstance
to maintain courage and cheerfulness,
extremely difficult. How shall he be alb
to do this?
Let him mediate upon the relation
values. Paul had been a man of gree