The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-04-09
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE"
1he Rev. DIR. Frank oliver Hall Says We
Must Learn How to Face the Pros
perity as Well as the Hard Condi-
uons of This World.

perity as Well as the Hard Condi-
tions of This World.
NEW YORK CITY.-The Rev DIR. Frank
EElver Hall, pastor of the Church of the
!1lvine Paternity, preached Sunday morn
ing on Facing the Circumstances of Life"
ne took his text from Philippians iv: II:
Il know how to be abased, and I also
know how to abound. l have learned the
secret" DR.. Hall said:
In other words, Paul said, T have
learned the secret of how to be independ-
ent OF circumstances. / know how to face
humble circumstances, and know how to
xace prosperity"
That is a great lesson, and one which few
men ever do learn But it 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
now 10 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
bank the cashier may abscond with it
and leave you with nothing but a book
with certain hieroglyphics scrubbed there
IN TO indicate that you were once affiuent.
AZ you put your money IN mining stocks,
the ore may give out, or bad management
may ruin the enterprise. If you invest in a
railroad, "a rival line may get all the traffic,
or some unscrupuhous Spectator may
wreck the business for his own enrich
ment If you buy real estate, it may de-
preclate upon your hands, or fire may
sweep away your holdings in night IF
you conclude to wrap your treasures in
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.
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?
III My 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 so 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
munlty In which you find yourself, in re-
turn for the service which you are able to
render.
L take 1t 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 a skilled work
man, and knew how, by the use of his
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,
no matter what the circumstances of his
lfe,. must be taught o trade. The boy
saul, although probably from an early age
predestined by his parents to become a
scholar, a teacher, religious leader, was
nevertheless taught to make tents. That
Is. he knew how to weave camePs hair and
other material into the fabric of which
tents were made. Thus, after his CONVEX
sion to Christianity, when his worldly
his lot with the poorest and humblest peo-
e on earth, he was, as far as it is posi-
Tor man, independent. How was it
this man was able to travel over the
delivering his message to slaves and
without. resources? When he went
cON lew community he at once sought
~ - nd found it because he was skilled
q Co. ng .something which that commu-
81 81 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 of
gratitude and wanted to contribute to-
ward his support, he accepted their hum
BILE gifts on the principle that the laborer
is worthy of his hire, and thanked them,
but repeatedly declared that such gifts
were pot necessary to his life For l am
not IN want" he said. II can earn. the
ueCeSSdLleS Oh lie.
In what an enviable position such man
stands. How much better it would be if
every religious teacher of our time had
been taught some useful occupation by
Which he could command the necessities of
life. be 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 to
those of the church authorities the bread
would be taken from the mouths of his
children. The knowledge that he had DOW
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
1t Is just as true of people in other depart
ments of life. Liberty is but dream for
any man who must conform his political
opinions to those of his employer unless he
would see his supply of food cut off, Many
man In the business world works for and
votes Tor measures in which he does not
believe, or becomes party to trickery and
dishonesty, because these are for the in
terest of the employer, and unless he works
for the interest of his employer his family
will lack food Many girl marries man
she distrusts, 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
BILE 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 of Paul's
secret. For one who has known prosperity
to be obliged to face humble circumstances,
to maintain courage and cheerfuness. is
extremely difficult. How shall he be able
to do this?
Let him mediate upon the relation of
values. Paul had been man of great
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 tent-making, and from being a re-
llgious leader became a common laborer.
But his courage, instead of being dimin-
ished, was increased. No drawer man ever
lived. His cheerfulness was constant.
When they had scourged him and placed
him in the torturing stocks he sang. No
pessimistic word ever escaped him. no
gloomy reflection can be found in his let
tiers. How did he escape gloom and de-
spair under such circumstances? He had
learned the relation of values ssAll things
which once stood to my credit have now
Cor ChriSt's sake come RI raelyon &c Loss