News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1912-01-17
936
Ministers
Three
By-Products
BY THE
REV. DIR. FRANK w. GUNSAULUs

SWEsILy the Christmas and New
-=6SSssHS@esasa Year season is the tarthest
|AeN from a holiday for him.
He is then in mid-stream, and In full
sail AS he confronts his years work,
now, it is we'll that he wishes to have,
especially for the sake OF his people,
these three things, in full measure:
orthodoxy, happiness and a great SER
mon. Let him know that no one OF
these may be obtained, except as his
by-product.
1t is ones by-product that oftenest
saves the factory and our business. 1t
will be a great saving of unemployed
ardor, difficult labor and sincere desire
which is sure to be disappointed, If
our preacher shall cease to expect
either of these three valuable things
to come to his hand, by starting out
to create or obtain either OF them as
the first and main object OF his en-
deavor.
He cannot get great sermon with
out happiness, in mind and temper;
and it must be such happiness as COM
municates itself to his audience, IN
fine contagion. He and his audience
must have a wholesome regard, also,
for orthodoxy-ortho being, OF
course, only what the constituted au'
thorities. whatever they are, accept as
truth. 1t may not be the truth. 1t
may be less; it may be more.
Truth Above All.
ut ha
thing. Truth is. Put your pillow in for
the harvest of Truth and up to the
beam. Then you are likeliest to turn
I'D a hidden pot of gold, old and sure
to be admired even by the dull folk
who often get a-weary waiting for
things richer than pots to get ripe.
Happiness is a child which wise
parents never pray for or anticipate
Set your life upon holiness; work for
it, and you will have happiness. Hap.
piness, without such a fatherhoOd as
only life set upon holiness gives to
it is a poor bastard, always homeless,
and not little ragged.
An aimless, drudging and gloomy
thing is any happiness which has been
conceived and born without holiness
and self-sacrifice as its father and
mother. 1t usually dies teething. Ii it
lives, it is scrawny, gets ill-tempered,
requires to be petted and has the self.
consciousness of a poor egotism.
Start out in any manner to be hap
py; let that be the main thing, and
you will soon see how miserable you
can be- The birthmark of selfishness
upon your offspring called happiness
will develop into a sore.
Follow After Holiness.
On the other hand, determine by
sweet compulsion of vision of Gods
holiness to follow after holiness. Hear
and obey the command: BE We holy,
for l am holy" Put out of your head
and heart any vision of God himself
which could possibly make him say to
you: BE happy, for | am happy"
Follow after Gods deeper joy, until
he leads you to his Calvary; behold
and love your Christ, who, for the
joy that was set before him, endured
the cross" and you cannot fail to find
the by-product of happiness wrapped
up in a JOY like his who reigns from
his cross.
All that I have said of happiness is
true of orthodoxy and the great SER
mon. There is only one main thing
for us, as the result of any religious
activity within and without ourselves,
and that is to get truth and get men
and truth together
This last-the bringing of truth and
men together, on good terms of per
suasion and profound alliance-this is
the grand labor whose by-product, in
the form of speech, is a great sermon
Refuse to make the slightest deliber
ate effort to make it. Be happy in try
ing to be holy. Be orthodox in being
true. Then be intent on making men
better
Let US put the pillow in up to the
beam, for these alone, and the least OF
us will now and then find a great ser.
mon cleaning from his plowshare.