Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-02-16

RuEneS IOTtu, US lIOIIl NlOunC I1ekmO0
flows the Jordan and from the Ad-
irondacks the mighty Hudson.
But the pleading river teaches us an.
other lesson about the divine peace
which passeth all understanding. The
longer a disciple Of Jesus Christ lives q
Christian life the deeper and wider does
the river Of his peace become. 1t
should deepen and widen and grow
more majestic in volume, even as the
waters Of the hudson grow deeper and
wider rs they slip past the highlands
and lap the feet Of the Palisades and
sweep on IN their grandeur to the place
whore they are married to tho waters
of the mighty deep ut the nuptial altar
Of Governors island, in upper New York
bay. It should go on growing deeper
and wider. even rs become the waters
Of the river Orinoco where they empty
themselves into the unfathomable
depths Of the. sea. When, in 1893,
christopher Columbus for the first time
touched the mainland of South Ameri-
ca and saw this great river, one Of his
officers congratulated him because he
had discovered another island The
immortal explorer replied: NO such
river as that flows from an island.
That mighty torrent drains the waters
OF continent" Tho pleading river Of
Gods peace grows wider and deeper as
we travel along its banks In the journey
Of life At the beginning Of our Chris
tan course it may seem a small stream,
but as the years pass aud our feet come
nearer and nearer to the great ocean Of
eternity the volume of the river in
creases until it becomes peace that
passeth understanding.
Is this increasing power true in ref
crence to our spiritual peace? AS you
| compare your present life with that
Of your spiritual life ten, twenty, thir-
ty years Ago are YOU conscious that you
love God more now than you did then
| Do yon read the Bible more now than
| you did when you joined the church
and prepared for your first commun-
ion? Is your enjoyment of prayer and
your dependence upon II more intense
now than they wcro at first: Are you
striving more earnestly than formerly
to gather the showers of blessing that
are everywhere falling around you into
your own spiritual nature: Are you
more ready now than at the beginning
Of your Christian career TO go into thu
house of neiGhbor on whom sickness
or bereavement has fallen to admins
ter comfort and, TO cheer him with re
minders OF Gods promises? There is
something awfully wrong with a Chris
tan who, while his wealth and mental
power increase with the passing years
finds that his spiritual nature does no,
widen and deepen like the pleading
river of Gods peace.
Not Like n River.
Indeed sometimes think that oul
so called peace IS not like q river al
all II is more like a brackish. stag
nant pool or as n dried up we'll that
gives forth no water. There was 6
very good we'll here once" said an ole
farmer in reference to certain drink
ing trough Indeed" answered q
preacher on his vacation, "is that so
wonder what is the matter with it
How did It get filled up:' Neglect
sir" answered the farmer. First ,
little rubbish got in II, then Il littl,
more and little more and n littl'
NOR, The dirt and refuse were no
cleared out, and the water grew wors
and worse and less and less until 4
last the we'll became choked up.
wonder IL there Is any water at TIN
bottom of this well?" YES" said TIN
preacher, II wonder if there is any wa
ter at the bottom Of the well?"
that the figure OF our peace? Is it
well and not river:
AS the Mississippi river is fed by tn
Missouri, the Ohio. the Tennessee ant
the Red rivers and indirectly by tn
Allegheny, the Monongahela. the Ye
lowstone and the Platte, SO from man.
sources might the river OF our peace re
ccive the waters of blessing, but in
stead we allow the dirt and refuse q
this world to choke the passages ~
which they might enter and our rive
dwindles into 81 stagnant pool. Hay
we become dried up spiritual wells. A
the tourists dropping pebbles int
Jacobs well have choked ii up. som
Of us have chOkcd up our gospel well,
Years ago we dropped the pebble ,
Sabbath desccrntion into il. Years az
, in went another pebble absence frol
Sunday school and church worship
! Years ago we took to reading III
.. Sunday newspapers instead of the Is
bile. No wonder that our peace, whic
should pass all understanding and |
like river. widening and deepenin
each year, is like bracklsh, stagnal
t pool or dried up like Jacobs well.
1t be not like river. the fault is OIL,
and not Gods. God is pouring dow
y upon us everywhere his showers ,
1 spiritual blessing. which wc shou
t gather. freshet-like. into the river be-
I of our hearts.
But tho pleading river not on
u teaches our relationship to God, b,
: also our practical spiritual rclationsh
: to our fellow men. 1t clearly and er
I phatically and distinctly snys. "Gosp
peace must be eyes to the blind. fox
y for the hungry. clothing for the MAKE
. and happy fresides for the homeless
9 1t teaches man that the first great cor
u mandment is to love the Lord our CO
- with all our soul and strength al
70 mind. And tho second is like unto
we must love our neighbors as on
selves. 1t Is law of our nature tn
~ peace and happiness come to us throug
- service to others. No man Is SO happ