Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-05-21
NEW SERIES--VOL. XXI. NO. Il.

to which He had been invited as matter
of course The prodigal in his story comes
home to music and dancing. The kingdom
Of heaven is itself like-not a funegal-but
den which CALLED the necks of men and de,
frauded them Of their rightful happiness.
Doubtless many an hour in the intervals
of work His soul was soothed by the lyric
/ joy of nature-by the gentle starlight, by
the song Of birds, by those Syrian IL helds las
choral glee of young children on the bill
sides and around their homes.
But, my brethren, what, think you,
would the Christ have said to people who
had come to put pleasure before God? He
who said my meat is to do the will Of
Him that sent Me and to finish His work.
and again, A'The Son of Man came not to
be ministerial INTO, but TO minister and to
| give His life ransom Tor nfany. he who
| found the deepest satisfaction in life in
ciples and love as the redemption Of man
| kind--how must this Christ think OF those
/ who neglect their divinest duties for the
little, teasing, diverting amusements, the
little Weddings to the spirit OF sloth and,
idleness which so frequently fill human
| lives. "What is your occupation!' was
asked young Frenchman some years ago.
| His reply was. .'Je m amuse"-I amuse my.
self. That was only frank admission OF
what is the only business of great many
lives.
Some time ago went to call at,a house
| where there were several young men. 10
one or two Of them I bore a message from
| their while to hear. And, having fai:ed
repeatedly to find them in, took mother
into my confidence and spoke of my, dffi.
Guilty. YES" she said, they are so FULL OF
engagements outside of work hours that
| they seem to have time to think OF any
thing else but pleasure. It is continuous
round, and while they are at home they are
so utterly tired out that they rest"
How many does that simple description
fit? But what is the upshot Of it! Why,
this, while life slips rapidly away God and
eternal relations are wholly crowded out.
The young man subsists upon two diets-a
diet of hard work and diet of hard play.
And the motive in the work is to get the
means to play, while the motive in recrea-
ton is often chiefly to get the health with
fish circle that describes! How narrow and
poor and shallow is the young man who
prizes only his capacity to labor and his ap.
petite for play! Who so lightly values all
. those diviner elements of his being as to be
willing to make no provision for their cui-
| ers of Cod" 1t is terrible epitaph upon
{ us, whether living or dead: 'They wor-
SHIPPED ana served the creation more than
the Creator, who is blessed forever. Where.
fore God gave them up to their own hearts
lusts.' These are words to make us stop
, and think.
: I have often noticed that it is apt to be
: the case that it is precisely those young
men for whom God has done most who are
= = aptest to break away from Him and live
Z !. the most selfish lives. There are noble ex-
:. L ceptions to the rule, which shine like bea-
:. cons, from Moses to Phillips Brooks. But
i too often the privileged life becomes
IL | CO It,oc y,off foil in IA n a.,
: dom OF righteousness Generally the love
J of pleasure in some form has in such lives,
:, - likes the weeds in your garden, rooted out
the love and service of God.
! Men and women, we should try to see
life in it's whoeness. A great many peo-
5 reation in their lives. They would be
v wholesomer minded, freer in spirit, if they
: could get oftener out of their dark pas.
:, . sages and rigid grooves: There are more OF
> such people than we think, and they miss
J. great deal that God puts within their
! are thousands of others who make them.
q selves imbecile by the headiong pursuit OF
= mere pleasure. They never read, they
y never think, they let their minds go, they,
II forget that they possess souls, but spend
/ their seasons in things that give them lit
!, tie passing physical pleasure eating for
= the sake Of eating, and dress and getting
= themselves talked about, in contriving to
= have their names in some society organ,
r. till these things come to be the absorbing
= thirsts of life. What is not sacrificed by
d these giddy people on the altar of their
u social ambition? Where does not this sell
le fishness, this love of voluptuous pleasure,
Z this hard determination to force lite to
le yield them bodily comfort, even if God S
y; and natures laws must be broken to do SO
a where does not this spirit lead?
Is And how ready are our leaders OF opin-
" : ion, sometimes, speaking. great swelling
at words of vanity and sophistry, to ridicule
4 whisperings of an educated and reverent
II conscience and to revise for the softer age
II the statutes of nature and of God!
y y Now these are some Of the phenomena
u What is the remedy. First, this, Put
"a pleasure in it's true p,ace-as the divine
le Master did. If you look upon amusement
as the one great satisfaction OF LIE, you
le simply invert the intended order, and IN
I'd the end are not satisfied. Our deepest
at want is the great inner reconciliation. We
s. may be diverted, we may for a while es
u. cape from ourselves, but we shall never be
ct satisfied until the soul is at one with God.
brilliant writer the 3 author na of f. "9ur Our.
IN ''men called Napoleon the unamusable.' y
m .Ealma might play before him but
It. the conaueror -xtracted no gayety from
IS, the performance that is the nemesis Of
u found it's true life, the simplest things vii
e. serve. man then learns the heart
he laugh"
az To make men happy my friends, We
KS must not first feed them with pleasures o.
ne the senses The primal condition Of hap
en- piness is that they be true to God and te
ri each other. "The soul cannot laugh it,
n own laugh till God has filled it." In thai
de relation there are the unfailing wellspring
OF pleasure. "In Thy presence is fulness O
IT. joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures
forever more. "These things have spo
in ken unto you that My JOY might remain iv
at You and that your JOY. might be full,
as When we know that satisfaction OF dwell
sr- ing in God and having God dwell in us, WI
to have security against inordinate lower de
of sires of every kind. One did not have t.
W. warn Washington against wasting his time
en- or Gounod OF Beethoven against maxim;
it discords.
in If our diversions and amusenaents grow
ire on the same stem as our religion; if the.
is are part of one organic unity, there will b.
ty no trouble about their regulation: Their
III will creep in them no poison OF wilful Law
tie breaking, no grimace of an uneasy, con
nd science stricken soul trying 70 escape iron
tic itself, no waste of time and taculty, NJ
ok hunger for vulgar display. Being in the Sc
nm cret of God, we shall have entered into tn
! - 1ixyoI IN con