The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-08-21
trunk is being packed, and everything

trunk is being packed, and everything
which possibly may be needed for the
better enjoyment of the trip are taken
along. Why should the needs Of the
soul be neglected? Why should the
physical be considered to the utter
forgetfulness of the spiritual? "Oh,"
you say, Il am not going off to read
my Bible. l can do that at home"
To be sure you can and ought, but you
may not read your Bible in the heart
OF Nature when at home. You may
not be SO situated as to have Gods
Word mingle in sweet harmony with
the voice and expression of Nature as
you are when away on your vacation.
You may lose fresh visions of God and
new glimpses OF the birds, and trees
and flowers, IL you shut the Lord out
of your vacation, and set of to have
good time at all hazards. 1t is un-
safe and unwise to go away on the
vacation without the conscious pres
ence of Jesus accompany you. We
sing: Anywhere with Jesus l can
safely CO." and have in mind the place
of trial and danger and distress, but
into the pleasures of life and upon
the vacations we somehow feel that
We can walk safely alone. But the
Christian needs the Lord with him
upon his vacation as at no other time,
for 1t is then that myriad temptations
coma whom tho couyaptiopoVt;ac opd
restraints of home are severed. And
If Bible reading and prayer are ne
elected in order that the pleasures of
the hour may be more freely and
fully INDUCED in, the soul suffers
greatly and perhaps irreparably, even
if the physical does not But with the
Christian the soul cannot be starved
and despised. without it's having a
reflex influence upon the physical. A
well-nourished, tranquil body never
shelters an uneasy conscience and ILL
nurtured soul.
UEVERY man that striveth for the
l. mastery is temperate In all things"
What would you think of the athlete
who INDUCED in his every within until the
day of the race and then, suddenly real
izing that he must get himself into con-
dition, would agonize and fret in the
effort? Could he expect to win? Could
he hope to make creditable showing?
What can the Christian expect in the fall
if the summer has shattered his spiritual
health by it's excuses? He cannot hope
to be in condition for the work his Lord
would have him do. At the last moment
he cannot agonize in prayer and cram
equipped for service. Christians too lit
tie realize that the reason for many a
failure and defeat dates away back to
the indulgence and neglect of days gone
by. The summertime excess bears fruit
in fall and winter barren of spiritual re-
suits.
The Divine admonitions: BE instant
in season and out of season." Pray
without ceasing" DO good unto all
men," are in force as much during the
summertime as during the other seasons
of the year Your prayers during the
summer will determine how much bless
ing you and your church are to have in
the fall. Your faithfulness to religious
obligations in the summer will determine
how we'll prepared you are for the work
of the fall. But it must not be supposed
that this intensity of Christian life and
service. this ceaseless prayer, this con-
slant attitude of helpfulness to those
about are in conflict with the keenest en-
joyment of the summer time. or is a
handicap to the most refreshing and
restful vacation. To be instant in sea-
son and out of season does not mean that
you may not leave the present work in
hand and seek new scenes and surround
ings. To pray without ceasing does not
mean that you must go around with
prayer rug in your hands and your eyes
rolling into Heaven. These are not so
much admonitions to outward express
sion as to inward attitude And if the
inward state of the soul is one of prayer
and eager yearning for service, there
will be the constant and refreshing ex-
preston in the life of that temperate en-
joyment of all things which Paul urges
in our text And God expects all Chris
tians to be of this type. That He is fire.
quently and sadly disappointed is GER
tain. But if the Christian would hope to
win the mastery he must be temperate
in all things, even in the summertime
case and the vacation rest.
NNE other thing which is often IN
~ Guided in the Christians summer
time excess. That is the extrav-
agance which is encouraged and
allowed during the vacation time
Many debt is contracted in
the summer which brings worry
and trouble all the rest of the year. The
desire and ambition have been to go to
a certain place, to enjoy certain things,
and when the funds are not adequate to
cover the expenses, the tempt alton comes
to run into debt, and the pricking con-
science Is quoted with the assertion that
change and rest must be had, and one is
justified in extravaganza when the
health demands 1t. Speaking generally,
1t can be asserted safely that one never
ought to obtain rest and change on bor-
rowed capital. AS surely as you do, you
saddle yourself with burden which may
ride you into distress and trouble which