Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-07-26
GLORY TO Be OURS
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Saints of the Lord Shall Gather
in Glory and Receive Full Re-
ward for Service Done.

BROOKLYN, N. Y.-sunday even
ing the Rev Robert Macdonald. pas
tor OF the Washington Avenue. Bap-
list Church, preached to young wo-
men. His subject was Beauty How
to Keep It," His text was from Pro-
verbs iv., 23. Keep thy heart with
all diligence, for out of it are the is
sues Of life Mr. Macdonald said:
What has such text to do with
beauty? Everything. The source is
the heart. Beauty of character de-
pends on quality of heart. Every
thought, desire, sentiment, ambition,
that enters the heart is sooner or
later expressed in character and con.
duct. All the life issues radiate from
that center. And when the writer OF
the Proverbs tells us to keep the
heart with all diligence. he speaks
the foundation word of all wisdom and
carries us back to the primary cause
of truth or error, righteousness or
sin. We have already seen in this
series that beauty of character is q
divine possession, existing only where
truth holds sway. And that we can
never satisfy the claims of Almighty
God until we give back to Him that
which is possible to us all-beauty
of character, instead of Informed,
homeup. unsymmetrical lives. What
Michael Angelo said once to young
artist about his statue applies to us
all. "Do not trouble too much about
the light on your statue. The light
of the public square will test it's val
ue." So the light of the public square
beyond, which is the light of Gods
countenance, the unerring light Of
judgment, will be the test of our char
/, acters. All modelling, all building.
should be with the light Of eternity's
| public square in mind We .are all
under obligation, a contract based on
and rooted in our very constitution,
to build for eternity, inasmuch as the
! Creator has marked out a celestial
| destiny for us all, and it ought to be
our chief business to conform to that
! gracious provision which will mean
realization along all infinite lines
( throughout the eternal years. Be
careful, then, oh, be careful, what in.
| fluences you bring to bear upon the
formation Of your characters. No out
| ward embellishing, no exterior mold
|
what you receive in your heart wheth-
er your character will be perverted
! and deformed, or true, well proper
| toned, beautiful.
| Numberless are the precepts that
suggest themselves just here. All the
| Christian virtues bound toward us to
| offer their assistance to help us keep
| that we have striven so hard to ae.
quire. We gladly accept their help,
! but instead Of packing your memories
with these multitudinous aids to the
retaining of this high possession, let
us fasten our thought on few founda.
tion principles.
The first I would suggest is self
control. No beauty Of character can
be where there is no self-control
Daniel Webster was once asked which
| he thought the greatest virtue. It was
just. after one of his most powerful
speeches, but in which, interrupted
and coniradicted by the opposing
counsel, he lost his temper. and also
the case he was pleading. That even
ing, in the course Of conversation. hf
was asked the question, and answer
! ed, "Self-control, and it is the most
difficult. too" 'Tis true, young wo
men. It is an underlying principle
including host of greater virtues
Who has not felt sorely the need O
greater self-control. Patience is reI
resented in the Scriptures as the yer,
| fruitage Of Christianity, but patienct
is only a constituent part OF self-con
trol-namely, self-control in pain, Il
affliction. Very Christ-like it is. En-
durance of wrong treatment. Misun
! derstanding. So easy to complain, an
be disagreeahle when the sky is dull
and the way drear. refer not t
I that patience that springs from on
natural disposition. which is purel