The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-05-11

pure? It means to be single in pur-
pose. The diamond must be OF the
first water" if it is to fash the light.
The man must be single in purpose If
he is to see God. The double-minded
man can never see the vision Of Him
whose countenance is as the sun shin
ing in his strength; for his vision is
broken and disturbed, like the waves
of the sea driven by the wind and
tossed. All! I love the sea. I've
watched it on a windy day, and heard
it weep and moan and sob, and breathe
out its anger in an awful curse. I've
seen the waves rise bufeted and beat
en-. now backward, now forward, till
it's face was white with rage, but its
heart was black as death. I've seen it
reel and toss, till at last sobblng as
though it's heart would break, it would
burst into a myriad briny tears upon
the shore and pour from it's wretched
bosom the seaweed and driftWood ana
filth it has gathered in the journey.
That wave never saw the sun. But
I've looked again. The sea was like a
mirror, as clear as crystal. could see
the pearly pebbles. and there in its
heart could see the sun. The pure
hearted waters lay all day long and
looked into the face of the sun. Hap
py, blessed are the pure, the single in
heart, "for they shall see Cod"
The man who has supreme desire
to please God, he is pure. He may
have temptation, he may stumble, ne
may fall, but he rises again, and ne IS
farther ahead. I shame to confess 1t,
but once played football, the barbar-
ism of college. I've seen man fall
and slide four times as far as he could
90 without falling. He's a pure man.
though his clothes are covered With
CRIME. The man who is pure in heart
shall see Him that is invisible. The
man who serves God shall see Him.
Happy are the peacemakers, for they
shall be called the children Of God.
God is q peacemaker, and hath recon-
ciled all things unto Himself. And
now the man who makes peace shall
be called His son. he has passed
through the school, and has learned
poverty and mourning and mercy and
singleness Of heart. and now he is
taken into the family Of God as Moses
was taken into the family Of Pharaoh's
daughter.
There is one other "blessed" spoken
by Jesus. It is found in the. compara-
tive form. 1T is more blessed to give
than to receive" It makes more for
happiness to give than to get. When
self is the centre there is no happiness.
But when self is forgotten there is hap
piness at its height. When q man
knows he has nerves he cannot be
happy. Mr.. Rockefeller thinks that
happiness can be ruined by sensitive
stomach. The happy man is he who
not knowing that he has nerves or
stomach cares for the other man.
This is tie call to self-sacrifce. How
utterly intolerable this world would be
if every one lived for himself. Happily
this cannot be, and the altruism lies at
the bottom Of family and social life.
But there are different kinds Of sacri-
fee. There is the sacrifice Of self to
Sell, of. the lower to the higher. Of the
passion to principle. There is the sac
rifice of self for others, and there is
the highest sacrifice, that is, Of self to
God. Do we talk Of Joy in these
things? Most people think Of them as
a disagreeable sort Of necessity. May
be we see that this necessity serves a
useful end. But to rejoice in them!
To take up our sacrifice with song,
that seems out of the question. That
is the dream Of the poet. IT.. i
Giving is blessed, because it is most
like God. He has need of nothing but
just to give. The glory Of the gospel
is happy God, but He gave His Son.
He might have stripped heaven Of it's
angels and it would not have impover-
ished Him. The only gift that BE
could feel was the gift Of His Son.
And that was what made Him happy.
God Himself could not be happy if He
had withholden this greatest gift.
That was the law which Jesus de-
clared. It makes more for happiness
to give than to get. The whole life Of
Jesus was giving, but the happiest mo-
ment was that last, when he said:
Father, into Thy hands I commend
Ny spirit" and He had given His life
for ransom.
In these simple words, then, find
the whole philosophy Of salvation, Of
happiness and of heaven. If a man
mourn for his sin, he shall be COM
forted and an infinite peace shall dry
his tears. If a man hunger for right
ness, he shall be filled. If he strive to
serve God with single heart, he shall
see Him. If He do the work Of God
and live at peace, he shall be called
the child Of God, and if he seek for
chances to pour out his life in service,
he, shall find heaven about him on
every side. And this is the secret of
happiness.