The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-27
PROMISE OF BLESSING
INTERESTING SERMON BY REV.
 STEWART MCQUEEN.
Episcopal Rector shows the Com fort That Ultimately Comes from Mourning. One of the
 Beatftudes.

At the Episcopal Church of the Holy
 Comforter the Rector. Rev Stewart Meoueen, preached an interesting ser-
 mon.
 He chose as his text: "Blessed are
 they that mourn" for they shall be comforted. St. Matthew, 5:4
 Mir. Mcqueen spoke as follows:
 This is the second blessing our Savour promises in His sermon on the
 Mount to the Christian Life. At first
 sight. 1t fills us with engagement.
 Blessed Mourn How strange! How
 seemingly contradictoryi How aI-
 most repeilent even! Blessedness in
 mourning? You might as we'll af-
 firm there is pleasure in pain or there
 is health in sickness. The two can-
 not possibly go together we say They
 are mutually exclusive But let us
 see.
 You remember there is a great deal
 in Holy Writ about mourning. It is
 mentioned more than six score times.
 Nor ia this surprising. for mourning
 Chat Is sorrowing, grieving, which is
 the meaning of the word our Lord here
 uses), mourning. I say. in some form
 or other. Is one of the commonest facts
 of human life. Indeed, 1t is a matter
 of almost every day experience. More
 over, 1t is characteristic of man alone
 to mourn. It is peculiar to him. Of
 the millions of creatures in thls Uni-
 verse only man mourns. Therefore.
 common sense tells us there is some good reason why he should mourn.
 One of the frequent causes for
 mourning. grieving, sorrowing, is:--
 discomfort with the affairs of this
 world because of their changefulness. their instability, their incomplete and nature. All through life there are things which attract our fancy, or engage our affections. For a time only do they give us happiness. It Is rarely permanent. and never per- feet. Look at the things of childhood, for example. As we grow older they cease to interest us. So with the pleasures and distractions of youth. We wonder that we ever cared for them at all. We have passed beyond them. They no longer attract us. for now our energies are devoted to getting gain. or earning a livelihood, or to gratifying some ambition. After q while the events and happenings of our younger days become q faint mem ory As time goes on, if we learn the lesson of Christian life, we realize that this side the grave. the only thing true and lasting is faithful service to God and our fellow man. And all this, | (changefulness and instability of life). | brings mourning. sorrow, grief. Yet even here the Master meets us with the Blessed are they that For our mourning is proof | that we have capacity and longing | Tor something nobler and better. It Is sign that we are reaching for ward to something higher than earth y things. It shows we are looking up- ward and moving onward And is not hat blessedness?
 There is another reason--the trongest of all-why we should ,ourn. or sorrow. It is on account of UT slnfulness. Now let us beware ot lise mourning for sin--a pernicious nd deadly illusion. It engenders llse humility, one of the commonest nd most insiduous goes to spiritual fe It prompts people to give up the Eht with Satan and sin and to justify leir cowardly course by saying as deed one often hears them say; veli, I know I am weak and sinful ut evil cannot be helped. It is ,rt of disease. It must be borne the , sst we can and forgotten when we m. Or they say: I have all kinds i
 faults I know it. But, some day II intend to repent, and join the church ( Id be a good Christian. 1t is too ' uch to expect of me new, however { rue mourning for sin is altogether g e reverse Of this and has an entirely [ fferent effect. For it makes us feel c e rality of sin. It makes us feel ! at sin ought not to be and shall s It be in us It opens our eyes to | lights of Divine virtue yet to he V Imbed. It reveals to us standards of g wine righteousness yet to be at-- a ined. It discloses to us beauty of a illness yet to be won. And some re- | I've by Gods grace to conquer sin, 8 solve that we will cruelty it, while 3 turn to Christ in prayer and re- Il ntance. This kind of mourning for l is sign of spiritual life. It eans hope for us. and is not that essedness? Again We mourn because so fre- r ently we are made to pass beneath e christening hand of our Heavenly Ither, Who-whatever we may feel
 our moments of rebellion and bit l know is the embodiment
 gracious tenderness. of mercy and ye Yet, We are often chastised, not nished but disciplined, and made to c burn. Is 1t arbitrary and meaning is on Gods part? An! no, 1t is be- use-among other reasons--we make 1 Dls of our earthly blessings. And cc t we know they have no real abld- E quality, and must soon pass away. f ,n remember how frequently Gods | losen People had to endure chastise- I ant bcaus of idolatry It is even so tn Ra Christians, only cur idols take f