The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-11-10
A SUNDAY TALK.
Rejoice eyermore.
Pray without ceasing.
Qnenrh not the Shirt


Qaench not the Spirit
Prove all things: hold fast that which is good
II Tbessalonaus v:l6. T. 10. a.
In the short letter which Paul wrote TO
the Thessalonians, letter in which he
was Joined by Sivanus and Timotheus,
the note is one OF hnaI exhortation and of
rejoicing that the seed of the church
which had been earlier planted was giving
signs Of bearing fruit And yet. the letter
is one of warning also, Warning against
contentment with what had been accom-
plished, and urging the Thessalonian
brethren 20 keep UP the good work; to be
not weary in well doing. for the world was
as yet all 20 conquer for the living Christ.
One does not often think much about
the literary style Of the Bible, and yet
cannot forbear from pointing out how, in
his various epistles. It will be found that
St Paurs literary style-which after all.
is only excellence I'm expressing thought
was constantly improving In this letter
10 the Thessalonians We find him not only
saying fine things, but saying them in a
fine way. Each of the sentences quoted
above resounds like a trumpet call. and
each note Of that call may be taken heed
of to-day as guide to conduct and a d.
rection toward the goal Of happiness.
Rejoice evermore' Is one Of the
primary duties And yet We ind men and
women going about the world with long
faces and dreary thoughts; crawling
through the day as II tpe days duties,
which. properly used. should be a source
OF delight. were mere burden. heavy and
to be groaned over. That Is not what life
means. Life was made for rejoicing; life,
material life. is a good thing; good in it
SELF in the glory of the skies. the gran
deur Of the hills the laughter of the
brooks. the verdure of the trees. the smiles
of little children. the happy light in the
faces Of the old folks who have toiled
thus far toward the ultimate goal, Surely
II one think bravely and see clearly. life
In Itself is n thing 20 rejoice over and
beyond that there is the cause for rejoic-
Ing In the fact that through life We are
passing spite of our sorrows and our
drawbacks-to a life beyond, where no
sorrow is, but only eternal JOY and fellc-
uy.
Pray without ceasing' another admo-
milton, terse and stirring For here is the
call TO that Christian faith without which
life is grossly material. The instinct to
prayer in the human soul is as natural as
the instinct 70 breathe, but in our cares
and worries and ambition, IN our successes
much more than in our failures. we some
times seem 10 lose sight OF the healing
power. the reserve strength that IS wait
Ing for US In prayer. There has never
been discovered a people yet Who were
able 10 live without prayer. The oldest rec
ords Of the old Chinese civilization show
US people praying for help-which they
knew was outside of themselves-to
strange gods In the cannibals Of the
South Sea Isles, We find the bloody and
cruel savages praying. II only to a wooden
image that stood as a symbol for god
In the frozen north the Eskimo We find
praying TO his gods-the instinct OF prayer
has been universal always
Too oft we are apt 10 use prayer as the
little lad Of whom the poet Riley tells.
who boosted that he went to bed without
saying his prayers last night, and" he
adds, nothing happened. I'm not going
10 pray tonight. and. IL nothing happens.
reckon / won't ever say my prayers any
more"
But when something does happen. It is
then we feel the need OK prayer. and then
we can realize the importance OF ST.
Pauls admOnition. Pray without ceas-
Ing"
And as 20 the latter part OF hts advice.
"Quench not the Spirit ''' Hold fast 10
that which is good" How we need to fol-
low that advice to-day Around US con-
stantly We can see the bad flourish and
the constant temptation IS 10 let go the
best that is in us and 20 follow the sue
cessful multitude. St Paul knew that a
man. by striving. can crush down those
fine impulses that come 70 US all: can
deaden conscience: can forget the right:
and what he meant by his letter 10 the
ThessalOnians was that whether they
prospered or not. they should still persist
in the way ii which they had started:
should keep their eyes firmly fixed on the
high ideal which the truths Of Christian
ity had taught them. and should continue
faithful 10 the end
That Is the lesson we need 10 heed! To
rejoice in life. which gives us such glorf-
Gus opportunities for good; 10 pray for
strength 10 fight the battle decentlv and
not 10 be dismayed by many defeats. and
to hold fast-in spite OF all temptations
TO that good which is IN us. which will
lead us. if We cling 10 II. triumphant
from the darkness into light