The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-09-16

and as painful, TOO, as men ever nave IN
this life. But what a contrast they pre-.
sent, for their life note is ,Yous and tri.
umphant,. Notwithstanding the cro.s on
their backs. Simon is the man who s
bearing his lot in gloomy and suicn 81.
lence, and bearing it in way that makes
you. feel he is none the better for having
to do it. Paul is the man whose sufferings
and losses you can plainly see are the
explanation OF his buoyant and courageous
spirit His lot, disagreeable and diftcu.
as it is, lie accepts, not as the other man.
with bitterness and resentment but in that
spirit OF faith and obedience that God
has right to expect from all His chill.
dren.
l know there are some to whom this will
sound strange and perhaps impossible. and
l know they are conscientious and religious
people. They accept it as n fact that men
must expect to be suddenly halted in life,
i~l, like Simon of Cyrene, made to bear
some heavy and humiliating cross, and they
endeavor to be stout-hearted and brave
under the ordeal, but it is always and only
disagreeable and unfortunate circum.
stance in their lives; and they resent it and
nate it as did Simon; and that is all. They
never seem to find the source of strength
and happiness in their cross. Now, is it
true that the Paul attitude and the Paul
spirit are possible? Possible to the aver.
age man, I mean? Or do they require the
Paul conversion and the Paul visions? ls
it true that the Paul spirit is possible in
ordinary life, or must one have first caught
a glimpse of the third heaveny l ask you
to ponder this query, in the hope that VIC
may clearly see and be convinced that it
is no unattainab.e principle for any man,
anywhere in this world.
Here are two young men-c'assmatcs nj
college, or shopmates, If YOU please. in the
same Office or factory. The one is about
as diligent as the other and about rs sue.
cessful. Nevertheless, there is marked
difference. The one finds study or bust.
ness, as the case may be, irksome and
savish. it neither inspires nor develops
him. He simply does what he does he.
cause he ought to or must. and his whole
life is nothing more than Il stolid persist.
fulness of the other. The other man is no
better scholar. no better workman or brsi.
ness man, but he Is contrast, notwith-
standing. Whether it is study or business,
he finds his JOY and inspiration in what he
does, and does what he does from sprit
OF love. There are the same restraints.
the same burdens upon both. but the ono
exults in them and is developed BY them.
where as the other is full of resentment
and is in no way benefited. WhRe the one
is full OF enthusiasm and anticipation. TIE
other is heart!ess and crushed The one is
dul, Tue v Is lDIIlDH.
People used 20 wonder why George Wi.
liam Curtis. the dist inguishcd and gifted
editor of Harper's Magazine. entered the
lecture field. He was known 10 have n
lucrative position and a considerable in.
come from his writings; and so it seemed
strange to many people that he shoud
take up lecturing. with its Inconvenience
and risks. Some were inclined to regard
him as mercenary, bat on his death the
explanation appeared. Years before. so il
is said. Mr.. Curtis had engaged in a bus
ness enterprise with a friend which proved
unfortunate for both, It was in order to
meet all the ob'i-ations incurred by the
firm which bore his name that necessitated
his goin- on those extended lecture tours:
and Mr.. Curtis lived long enough TO retire
from the lecture patform-and that. too,
after he had paid every dollar OF indebted
ness, with interest. Some might say that
!; superauous honesty, and yet nanv men
there are to-day who would DO this very
thing Mr.. Curtis did, and as matter OF
fact the number OF men who have done
so in the past is not small. Indeed. there
are men living in our midst who are striv
ing to do this self same thing. But all
men do not manifest the same spirit in
this otherwise noble task. One man will
act as if he were a bond slave. and while
lie is faithful to his duty, does it in
cherries, heartless manner, apparently
finding nothing in his hard experience to
rejoice in or be thankful for. He goes
about his task as Simon bore the cross
cursing the luck that brought him to the
hour, and full OF bitterness and resentment
on account of it. Withou heart or in.
spiration, and without comfort or Joy. he
takes up his cross and trudges toward
Calvary. On the other hand, there are
men to whom these heavy tasks become an
inspiration and source OF strength who
are finding their happiness and their de.
VpOpmpuf fln han.
piness and a DEVELOPMENT that they would
otherwise never have known.
# you and | are to have the Paul spirit
Of courage and contentmcnt, even while
we. stagger under the heavy cross. it can
only be by the way of tile Paul attitule
toward God and the Paul relationship to
Jesus Christ. This is the same Paul who
wrote, "We are children OF d and ii
children then heirs; eirs OF God and IDirt
heirs with Christi" the same Paul who
wrote. "All things works together for
good to them who love God" Afterward
Christ, and then he became a Pau. Though
the authorities turned him ont nj the syn
agogue as defiied. though be and his family
became ostracised, it mattered littic to
them, since they could clearly see how
great good had come to them in the form
of misfortune.
And do we not see how true this is OF
many people about Us? Do we not see that
the burdens OF the family to that Young
mother. and that the new and heavy re-
sporsibility to Others were Just what they
needed to round out their characters and
to fill their careers with force and
strength?
And whatever may he the form Of the
weight OF the cross laid upon us in this
life, my friends. let US remember these
two things: That it il possible like Paul,
the apostle. to find the inspiration and JOY
Of our lives in Che cross: and, further. that
it must be so ii our attitude toward God
is one Of faith and ooedienee and our
relationship to Jesus that OF loya. I'll
loving disciple.
Gods Gifts.
Into all our lives in many simnle r..