The Penn's Grove record., 1910-09-16

Text: In everything give thanks; for
this Is the will Of God in Jesus Christ
concerning you.-Thess. Sis.
Have we not set the song Of the
Christian life to much to the tune
of difficulty, danger and sorrow? In
everything give thanks" l am pretty
certain, will, in the multitude Of in
stances, be translated as meaning
that whatever difficulty or distress
enters your life, be of grateful mood.
Do not murmur. Be glad through
whatever roughness the water wear
as we voyage across their uncertain
pillows.
am certain of two things in this
matter. First, that this is how this
Scripture is pretty generally viewed,
and second, this is not what 1t
does actually mean. 1t does mean
that, but it means indefinitely more.
A farm is on a landscape; and he Who
confounds farm and landscape Is not
seeing things as they are. Difficulties
are to be encountered and SORROWS
are to be met and they are to be met
with the mood Of manly and womanly
resignation to the Woodworking Will
Of God. But that we are to be CRATE
full for the clouds rather than the
sunrise and the noon and the blessed
open sky is to me absurd and a list
less Interpretation Of the good God
our Heavenly Father. To be glad on a
holiday is as devout as to be sad on
a funeral day. We shall not need to
reset our estimates of God and his will
concerning US before we are in har-
mony with his mood. He is the glad
God of out-of-doors and the happy
singing things whether they be birds
or children or women or strong men.
This anaemic notion of religion is I'M
wholesome because 1t is untrue. God
gives no assent.
A good man and great said this:
In everything give thanks" Nobody
but a good and great man could have
said It. The sentiment Is like Mount
Lycabettus from whose top all OF
distorted Greece lies under the eyes
without straining an eyeball. All life
mes at Iu0 UdOO u q L4OhhI
and of praise like this: 'In everything
give thanks" The fact which is
meant to be lifted into light at this
moment Is that there is a devotional
element in all things whatsoever. We
say grace before meals. except we De
heather. We often say grace before
labors and battles without or within
and reading of books and taking OF
Journeys and husking corn or going
to picnics or a stroll through sum
burnt fields for the sheer love OF the
crisp grass under foot and the hot
sky overhead.
We do narrow beyond the permits
sion OF God this thought of devotion
or we must be at church or prayer
meeting or at family prayer to be de-
votional. Those places and occupa-
lions are greatly good, but they DO
not monopolize the moods of devotion.
The devotional frame is the deep con
sideration. Are we open to devotion
for all things as Paul was? 1t Is e
to give thanks for the bird voices,
and a good way to give such thanks
is by listening to tho voices.
That is worth Weighing. To love
things enough to give things heed Is
a mood of gratitude, whereas not to
care enough for things to notice them
is a first-class specimen of ingratitude
toward God and his doings. The
cricket's chirp is a species OF poetry
which may well set the heart singing
after its fashion, too. Such a little
warmth makes the cricket set his
heart to song. Were We as good at
the voicing Of our gratitude as the
cricket of the hearth, what a shout OF
chorusing would the great God hear
from men.
The religious nature is wiser and
wider than many religious folk are
given to supposing. Christianity Is
generosity. Thank God" How
often have l found my given to
that gust of gratituCeE"thank o
And | am not slow to believe God
hears such prayer and smiles with
gladness to hear it. Why should we
not give thanks for the finding OF a
wild flower or the striking graceful
ness of a child at play, or the toss OF
apple branches lit with bloom. or the
hlue laws note with its musical I'M
musicality.
No. secularities are just theme for
praise and prayer. We have no call
r. ask for things for which we have
not call to answer to God in sDon-
taneous words of thanks. Il thank
YOU" is a phrase which the debonair
use frequently. Courtesy is a good
habit for a body's W sake. To be
genteel is a soulinstinct OF fineness,
and If a man or a woman lived alone
and broke bread with himself, Gal
though such a way Of living is not
necessary or to be desired. If n is
alone and has no relatives. then
should such a one borrow some child,
or. better, some homeless body, some
body human, not feline nor canine. to
keep alive the humaneness in ones
own soul), he would do we'll to say:
81 thank you" when he passes food to
himself, for SO would the method of
good be kept alive and the
social impulse would be hearkened to
Father, | thank thee" eavs -
Christ; and Sin everything gica
thanks" says his brainiest olIor,
And for one / will take this advice
and will find provision for devotion In
everything. books, folks. church, la
Dor, song, tears and cares. And for
the least and largest to the God and
Father Of our Lord Jesus Christ will
make my alteration for the Christ. my
Saviour and my King.