The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-04-02
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE"
Sunday Sermon By the Rev. DR..
Frank Oliver.
Says We Must Learn How 10 Face the Pros.
perity as Well as the Hard Conditions Of
This World.

NEW York CITY.-l'he Rev. DR.. Frank
Oliver Hail. pastor of the Church of the
Divine Paternity, preached Sunday morn.
ing on Facing the Circumstances of Life"
He took his text from Philippians iv: IL:
II know how to be abased, and / also
know how to abound. | have learned the
secret" Dr. Hall said
In other words, Paul said, II have
learned the secret of how to be independ.
ent of circumstances. l know how to face
humble circumstances, and 1 know how to
face prosperity"
That is 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
how to face humble circumstances. Every
one stands in danger OF being reduced to
poverty. No matter how much you NAV
possess to-day, on the morrow it may be
all swept away. II you put. your money in
a bank the cashier may abscond with il
and leave you with nothing but book
with certain hieroglyphics scribbled there.
in to indicate that you were once affluent.
II you put your money in mining stocks,
the ore may give out, or bad management
may ruin the enterprise. If you invest in
railroad, rival line may get all the traffic,
or some INSCRIPTIONS speculator may
wreck the business for his own enrich.
ment. If you buy real estate, it may de.
prec!ate upon your hands, or n fire may
sweep away your holdings in a night II
you conclude to wrap your treasures in a
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 Ay away.
1t is, therefore, extremely important that
one learn the secret of how to face humble
q Ia
be taken in this direction?
~ 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.
munity in which you find yourself. in re-
turn for the service which 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
necessities of life. The Jewish people were
extremely, wise in many directions, and
than IN the rule which they made as to
the education of youth. Every Jewish boy,
no matter what the circumstances of his
life, must be taught trade. The bow
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
u.s.. he knew how to weave camel's hair and
other material into the fabric of which
tents were made. Thus, after his conver.
sion to- Christianity, when his worldly
prospects were ruined, and he had cast in
hip ~ xxyifh ha l..
pie on earth, he was, as far as it is posi-.
pie for man, independent. How was it
that this man was able to travel over the
world delivering his message to slaves and
people without resources? When he went
to new, community he at once sought
in making something which that commu.
mty needed. He earned his bread by the
work of his hands, and spoke his message
because he loved it. And when the peo.
pie to whom he spoke came to him out of
gratitude and wanted to contribute to-
BILE gifts on the principle that the laborer
is worthy of his hire, and thanked them,
but repeatedly declared that such gifts
were not necessary to his life. "For I am
not in want" he said. II can earn the
necessities of life
stands. How much better it would be il
every religious teacher of our time had
been taught some useful occupation by
which he could command the necessities OF
life. He 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 pow
er to command bread for his family by the
foil Of bia ha nd would oi,-
freedom in search for truth and in utter
ing it.
And if this is true of religious teacher,
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
a man in the business world works for and
votes for 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
Will lack food. Many girl marries mar
she distrusts, or even despises, because she
must marry or become pauper.
Therefore let those who would find the
secret of independence in the face of hum
bic 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.
q But this is not the whole of Paul's
secret. For one who has known prosperity
to be obliged to face humble circumstances
10 maintain courage and cheerfulness il
extremely difficult. How shall he be abe
to do this?
let him mediate upon the relation Of
vaIues. Paul had been a man Of great
promise, and was on the high road tc
wfeolth and exalted position, but he lost il
al ana came to associate with slaves and
people held in social contempt; he went
pdck 10 tent-making, and from being q re
nHious leader became a common laborer
Dut MS courage, instead of being dimin'
iished' was increased. No braver man ever
Me. uHeu. MS cheerfulness was constant
tMhen they had scourged him and placed
him IN the torturing stocks he sang. Nc
PssslIhlstlc word ever escaped him, nc
gloomy reflection can be found in his let
@ 'ers. now did he escape gloom and de,
Spar uhder such circumstances? He had
iearneu the relation of values. "All thing.
whicn once stood to my credit have now
ut ohtists sake, come to reckon as loss
More than that, l reckon everything elst
az az ioss' on account of the exceeding value
81 knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. And
ior HIS sake l have lost everything. and
tiechon IL all as the merest refuse il car
i. ~. gam Christ, and be found in unior
,n wth MN. Here was a man who counted
,Weaith, position, country, home, every
thihg as so much refuse il only he couit
like character.
O. But that is not the whole of the SO
tret. Listen: 81 have learned the secret