The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-26
leadlng a goaly llte. keeplng aod,s com.

) leading cody life, keeping Gods com
!. lnandments, praying to Him and trust
: ing In Him, YOU will be content; no
otherwise. And not only content, blu
happy. The man who serves God ha.
every reason to be contented, becaus,
he has all that lie absolutely needs
You may say that you are poor: wha
then? You have food to eat clothe.
to wenr; what more do you want? The
Lord Jesus had not SO much. Perhaps
4 your food is coarse and simple; 1t Is
4 better than a banquet with no appetite
I The millionaire may have his fine pic.
ture gallery, but the poorest man In
the country has finer gallery than
any king or emperor To see the sun
rise in the morning and set In golden
| splendor II the evening Is to look on
n picture more beautiful than any one
can paint. What artist can produce
winter. or river flashing in the sun
| light. or a rainbow spanning the heav-
ems, or q wheat field bending under a
summers breeze? You can breathe
Gods pure air as we'll as the richest
| or the greatest in the land, with per-
haps more freedom from care.
Godliness makes contentment-not
money or position. Neither wealth nor
honor nor conquest nor success can Of
itself make one happy. But with a
quiet mind, amid distress, Paul can
sing in prison and Bunyan write "The
Pilgrims Progress" in Bedford Jail. II
we have holiness with contentment we
have treasure which lasts forever;
none other does A man gains great
wealth by labor, anxiety and worry;
but what then? When he dies, what
can he take with him? Whatever
earth gave to him must be left behind
the kings crown, the conquerors sword,
the rich mans money-must all BIO left
on this side Of the grave.
Contentment teaches US how to bear
troubles. The school Of saints is the
school Of sorrow. The whitest robes
and fairest palms in heaven belong to
those who 'came from great tribula-
ton" If your path Of life is very
rough, it Is to teach you to walk with
more care. If it is very steep, it is
to teach you to climb. God intends to
make true mea of you-true soldiers
and so He puts you in the hard places
on hot battlefield. He wants you to
be like His Son. and so leads you by
the way of the cross. We are to fol-
low Him in all things. suffering here
that we may one day be with Him in
Paradise.
Are you disappointed in your hopes?
Are you bereaved Of those you love?
1t is to make you set your affection on
things above. We may not enter our
promised land here. Moses did not, but
he went on in his journey. fighting
the Lords battles and bravely doing
his duty. What though he filled a
nameless grave? God gave him Par
adise instead. The world calls our
losses and sorrows curses and misfor-
tunes. God teaches us to find in them
blessings.
Those who have goodness with con-
tentme'at know what to do with all
their worries and anXieties. They just
trust God and go on. Some people let
worries fix upon them and sting them
to death. Gods servant takes these
worries and lays them down at Jesus
feet, knowing that in His own time
and way He will put an end to them
Why should you worry about the fu-
ture? Cannot the same Jesus who fed
5000 people feed you? Cannot the
God who orders the whole universe
order your small affairs? Cannot your
Father take care of His children? NO
good thing will He withhold from them
that walk uprightly."
therefore, be content with such
things as YOU have. If YOU have God
for your friend you have all that you
need. If you have goodness with con-
tentment, you are rich beyond all that
this world can give. For you have
treasure n heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor
steal"-"an inheritance incorruptible
and undehled, that fadeth not away"
- -. 70