The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-26

were told that 1t had been abandoned.
They entered it without resistance,
and set UP their banners on the
towers. The fortress fell, and the
kingdom fell, and the invaders gov
erned the country with tyranny. The
fortress was eventually destroyed by
an earthquake shock. but had never
been captured by siege Or assault.
Every nan and every woman is a
fortress of Morambad, and when there
is no foe, we fear; when there is none
near enough to be seen, we go sneak
ing into our chamber, we tremble, we
pray, we fret ourselves until our faces
are pale, our breath is short, and our
step is feeble; we rush out over the
moat, and hasten away, to hide in the
forests and amid the rocks and the
fields in the towards country because
we have fretted ourselves. Fret not
myself. There are too many evil
doors in the world" How can we ab-
stain? Is there a remedy? Is it real!
Is it something that each one or us
can get-the power to be brave, to
stand fearlessly, to worry not, to have
cheerful faces, to sing when the
enemy is coming? 1t can be done In
| / 1000 cases it has been done. When
we ask the reason why God command
ed us in this beautiful psalm not TO
fret ourselves, the answer is simply
| common sense, and it amounts TO say
| ing that we can be our own worst
| enemies. Usually that is so. 1t is the
sins that we voluntarily commit that
weakens us. We surrender the Tort
ress by fretting ourselves into the in
| ability to defend it any longer. God
commands us to preserve this temple
of God, the body; to preserve THIS
| agency of God, the mind; to preserve
| this most valuable of all Gods treas
ures, a pure, human soul. we nave
| need of every possible force. There
is need for all we could know, all the
evenness of temperament that we
could command at all times, n we
are weak sinners before God because
we have sinned against ourselves IN
fretting ourselves.
How often have men and women
| destroyed their physical health by
| foolish. sinful habits? They are their
| own worst enemies. When h time
comes from them to be courageous,
| there is c~owardice. When the time
| comes for them to remember, they
| have broken down their memory;
when the time comes for them to
| fight, they are too weak to hold a
| spear or sword, and when the time
| comes for them to get strength by
| sleep, they are too nervous to n
longer sleep. They have destroyed
themselves, committed suicide.
Unfit for Lies Battle.
We destroy our own fortunes and
the fortunes of other people by weak
| ening our powers and our influence
by fretting ourselves unnecessarily.
How ii units us for the battle of life!
have seer two nurses at a bedside,
one with trembling hands and over
wrought nerves and the other going
| quietly and carefully about her tasks.
| have seen physicians at the dissect-
| ing table, one with trembling fingers,
| and the other cool and calm. The
Young urgeon, beginning his nrst
| case, will feel so unnerved by MS
| anxiety that he will be almost unit
ted for his task, where the slightest
| deviation of a knife will destroy a life.
| So God says, Fret not myself"
We can do almost anything il we
| have the ability to keep ourselves
| from fretting. We are told IN the
| scriptures that if we cease from wor-
rying. we can have the peace of God
that passeth all understanding. But
nothing but divine help will enable us
to reach that condition. You have a
great days work tomorrow, mi II
you are going to do it properly you
must sleep in peace tonight. You say
it is impossible. 1t is not impossible.
A Young oma failed in her ex-
aminations at the university last year.
The report that came to me was so
bad. that | said there was no use Tor
that woman to go to school. Inc pro-
lessor said she was not a bad scnoiar
in class, but she was her own worst
enemy. When examination time
| came. instead of going to bed, resting
for the work, she would study half the
night. and then find herself unable to
| sleep, waking up and finding herself
weak, so that it was impossible for
her to get her mind down to real, hard
work. and to show herself in her true
light. But there is a power above us
! all to enable us to get control OF our
| selves. and to rest, and obtain the
peace of God. o, what a peace that is
to be anxious for nothing, but by
| praver making known our requests to
| God. and then the peace OF God that
/ passeth all understanding shall keep
our hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.
I have tried thus rudely and hastily
to lead YOU forward to the rainbow OF
promise at the end of this command,
Fret not myself" God says we are
to commit ourselves to him. Then
comes the promise, viz, Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace whose
mind is stayed on thee."-Russell ID.
| Conwell. in The Standard.
From the horny hand of toll comes
the richest harvest OF content.-Ws
stewart RoyStOI.