The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-09-28

ing fine half-tone of the NJ. +. Church
! at Williamstown, Mass, of which Rev.
J. f. c. Sawyer is pastor issued in con-
nection with the birthday offering ser
vice Sunday morning, Sept. 10th. 1t
contains the following address:
| CHRIST THE UNITY OF LIFE.
Human life is ordinarily very frag-
mentary. Too many people are alive
only in spots. Sharp division lines are
drawn between things secular and
things sacred. Average people find an
apparently impossible gulf yawning
| between their imagination and the
LONELINESS of their environment. Our
sorrows seem antagonistic to our af-
fections. Ideals are held entirely apart
from the petty tasks and trials of daily
life. The work that taxes the hands
and the brain too often seems remote
from those loftier elements of being
wherein consists the value of personal
ity. Millions of people, if they could
only be assured OF comfortable sup
port, would drop out OF their daily
work as unconcernedly as kernels of
corn or wheat slide out OF on elevator.
| Even those people who have intimate
and prosperous relations with both
business and society often have little
utility and strength of character. Their
lives are filled with events and nominal
pleasures; their wealth or ability or
position makes their lips rultltudlnous
! of details; but all their doing and get
ting and enjoyments and ambitions are
chaotic. There is no deep principle
that unifies their life, making character
harmonious, beautiful and strong. In
the streets of city one often sees a
great express wagon loaded high Wltha
vast number of packages OF varying
size and value, but these packages ara
directed to many individuals, and when
the wagon has made its round it IS left
empty. Many men and women are like
such a wagon. When in mid-career,
they are loaded up with enterprises,
engagements, pleasures, frvolltlns,
plans and ambitions, and they cut
quite a figure; but as health declines
| and old age comes Oh, one by one all OF
these things are taken from them and
| they are left empty, or death suddenly
! TIPS out the whole assorted cargo and
| they 90 forth into the unknown future
naked and poor. There is no unity in
mere things. The more of them man
has the worse he is distracted, unless
there be some living principle by which
thew are all handled and to which they
are all sub-servient.
| A noble purpose tends to the unity
of life, and yet even noble purpose IS
not sufficient. The unity toward which
il tends NAV be the narrowness of a
straight line rather than the soundness
of a well-orbed and symmetrical
character. LoftineSs of purpose has
sometimes seemed to promote impa-
thence with the Interruptions and i'm
pediments occaSioned by ordinary con
! dltions. To some men OF high aims
the small duties, cares and trials OF lie
have been positive distress.
In their devotion to principles some
have scorned what is sweetest and
most lovely in human nature; and in
striving to accomplish some far-away
noble end, they have neglected the
duties lying nearest them, and have
fretted at the salutary limitations OF
social relationships and sponsibllities.,
Christ gives unity to human life be-
cause he affords it an ideal which is
broad as well as lofty. He was com
pletely, because divinely, human. His
humanity is sufficiently ample to be
the ideal of those of all ages, all lands,
all social conditions; of those of every
calling and of the most varying gifts
and of all circumstances of joy or sor-
row. Everything that is human in us
finds response in Christ. He is ideal
and example for the lowliest as we'll as
for the Hottest duties. Those who
differ most from each other in tempera-
ment, genius and environment find
equal help and inspiration in his
character and sympathy. All seeming
contradictions of human nature and
human experience are resolved by him.
Christ makes us alive in the depths
of our being. Work, suffering, society,
pleasure, visions and daily drudgery are
all digpified and brought into relation
ship when we are alive in the depths.
1t is only the superficial life that is
really fragmentary. Nothing less than