Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-05-11
THE PULPIT.
4 BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. ALFRED H. A.. MORSE.
Subject: Secret Of Happiness.

Brooklyn, N. Yin the Strong Place
Baptist Church the pastor, the Rev.
Alfred II. A. Morse, spoke Sunday on
1.-The Secret of Happiness He said:
There are two hidden hands, con-
trolled by the same Intelligence, which
are constantly working upon the hu-
man heart. And these are pain and
pleasure. Man was made to be happy.
1t sometimes he must eat the bread Of
sorrow it is because, as Mr.. Beecher
said, Sorrow is medicine Joy is
more divine than sorrow, and does not
belong only to these passing days, but
shall remain with us when all tears
are dried and sorrow is swept forever
from the universe.
Now, JOY may be divided into three
classes. There is the joy of appetite,
merely animal condition. 1t comes
from the fitting of goodly organism
into circumstances which are suited to
supply its need. This is the joy that
makes the child skip and play and ELL
the home with laughter. It is the joy
of the singing bird. It is simply pleas
ure.
But we are not always children. We
grow and come into the place of work
and responsibility And here also is
joy, and this we may call happiness.
An earnest man finds JOY in his en-
plOyment. The lawyer and doctor and
teacher enjoy their professions. The
minister enjoys to preach. The mer-
chant enjoys his business, and the me-
chanic his shop in spite of all its toll.
This is joy but it is the joy Of the bee
that gathers the honey and stores it
away against the needs of hungry
winter
!; There is the JOY of living. and there
is the joy Of working. These are ali
that many man attains. But it takes
a higher joy than these to fill the soul
of man, as the sunlight fills the sky, or
i the ocean fills the deep. There is joy
| that is known as "blessedness," which
! arches these as the heavens span the
sea. It is the joy Of love, the joy Of
faith, the joy Of good conscience, the
Joy of doing right for the sake Of right,
! the joy of sacrifice and Of service.
| These are so far above the others that
fthey belong to another kingdom whose
! law is obedience, whose joy is right
eousness, whose fellowship is with
! God, and whose entrance is by means
! of birth from above. And into this
kingdom there are certain we'll defined
! steps.
Happy" said Jesus. "are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom OF
heaven" And poverty OF spirit is ma
kedness of soul before God. He is
happy who throws aside his own rags
Of righteousness and going to God says.
'Clothe me, for am naked; feed me,
for I am hungry; guide me, for I am
ignorant; put Thine arms under me.
for I am weak" AS in the mountain
passes of the West the traveller holds
up his hands before the bandit, SO in
the presence Of Gods righteousness the
soul must throw up its hands and snr-
render to God. Blessed are the poor in
spirit, the consciously bankrupt in the
presence Of God. So long as the young
er son remained in the far off land, SO
long as he was satisfied with the husks
from the troughs Of the swine, so long
las he wanted nothing, the father might
mourn. but there was nothing for him
to do. But when that son threw him
self upon his fathers love and said, Il
have sinred, and you see my want :
then the father could clothe and feed
and kiss; place sandals upon his feet
and give him the place OF the son.
Does a prodigal soul wish for happi.
ness? know of no chance for him till
he fling away his sin and standing in
his naked need acknowledges his pow
erty Of soul The happiest moment in
the prodigal's experience was when he
buried his face in his fathers shOuidei
and said, II have sinned." The hap
piest man at the temple gate was hs
who smote his breast and without st
much as lifting his eyes, said, God bt
merciful to me the sinner"
Happy are they who mourn for sin
It is not enough to be ashamed Of it
but there must be an actual sorrow
therefor. This does not mean to mouri
for its consequences. nor for its pub