Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-01
UNITED LENTEN SERVICE z q < saft5 <,<
 AT crisisT CHURCH.
Rev. William H. Smith Preacher at the
 Tf3ifd irxhs Series.

Smith sof sAndrewz delivered the Lenten address. Rev. Mrs Smith said in part:
 l haweI based my sermon upon the well known text Matthew il: 2ssi Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and will give 5@zl rest, because the Lenten season Is one in which we enter the vale of humH- iation, so that we. may listen more attentiveiy to the voice of Christ call -sl ing us to rest.
 These words of Christ, no matter how often they are read, always have 8 charm about them. There are no words quite like them. You may bring
 out all the literature of the ages but you will find no few words which ap
 peal 50 strongly to the religious in stincts in man, and the reason is partly
 because that in this text you have the
 appeal of a strong natuEe to weak
 and needy one, and the remarkable
 thing in this world is that weakness.
 has so marvellous ari influence over strength The weakest child will ofteh
 do more with 8 strong man than "a
 strong man could do. Have you not seeh baby reaching out It's little hands to it's father with such potency
 
 stand two or three ordinary men. those little needy hands have drawn him down to their level until the naby's face has been hidden in the face of the father? And when you saw that, did you not realize that you also have a
 power with God-the power of weak ness-whieh can draw Gods power to
 your help r.
 If you had never known weariness and helplessness, you could never have learned so much oftIod asfyou can now, because the one thing that 1 God cannot resist is the appeal of the most absolute helpiessness. The real ization Of your weakness will of neceS- sity bring more of God into your life; l the realization of your helplessness 1 will of necessity bring more of God i consciousness. It is a law in God. l How universal is the need of rest! All are seeking for it.; rich or poor, it matters not: Mere wealth or position l does not give it, for you will. remember how Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles the First, was taken prisoner and languished alone in Carisbrook castle, and now that. when death set her free, she nass found dead with her
 head leaning upon her Bible, which l was open at the words Come unto me l and will give you rest" Even she needed the rest of God.~
 | Yes, we all need soul rest. It is found only in God, and all must ulti
 n1ately seek it in him.
 i Every one of you have nislaid- ar | article, and have searched every, nook
 and cranny. but failed to find it be. cause it was not there. So mankint often. seek soui.res in world where they will never find it. You found your lost valuable when you searched I for it in the place, where. it. lay. So too. men will find rest when they seel l it in God. It is law in God tha.
 soul rest can be found only in him
 and man must sooner or later subni ! to this-law in God. God conquers tn,
 soul, of man through his inexpressibl,
 craving for rest. He does it as nat
 urally and in much the same way a;
 heat oyercomes the, cold.
 I But now let us think a little Ip0l the text itself: Come unto me, y
 weary and heavy 1aden.''
 Christ felt the pathos of human life 1 He knew how the shadow lies on ey ] cry heart. He knew show the thorn : of life prick our fingers as we try t
 ] pluck the roses. Hesknew how eftel men are weary with disa ppointmerat el daresay you have heard old storie
 { of men who in the night receive I.fron1 fairy hands gifts Of gold in som leave, and when daylight came wha , had seemed to be gold and jewels wa ] a bundle of witheredS leaves and re
 berries, already half corrupted an
 altogether worthless. So the sweetes pleasures of the world are like fair Igold that turns to dust and dros ! Jesus knew this, and heg strove teach men where true rest can b l found, and Christ has never zdisap pointed those who rest in him. T E their great and endless comfort, the :. have ever found him better than hi ] word.
 ! Weariness and sorrow has som great mission for us. It's mission not to break our hearts, but to softe them. Its mission is not to drive U
 away from God, but to draw us neare to him than we have ever been. Il Rev. MT. Smith then went on I ! speak of the things which make up tn : rest of God. The first thing was the conscious ness of the fafthfulness of God, an l that even though our faith fails yet | 3 abideth faithful for he cannot der : himself.
 And close akin to it was the thougf 2 that he who permits the sorrow of tl s world, knowing best it's burden be e cause he has borne it, will proportio 2 accurately the balm to the wound ar ; the strength to the day.
 : Then there is that simple sense s pardon in Gods love which has sue a. strange power to the soul; like tt s sunshine dispel1ing shadows: like s sunbeam in the bosom gathering U the clouds.
 In conclusion Mir Smith went on ], say that we are wont to imagine ths ! l God has placed his rest upon u
 mountain tops to which only the piou : learned and superior can climb. bl : experience has discovered that God hs }, put the precious jewel in his churc in the valleys beneath which i've in ol
 blindness. ignorance and self-esteei overlook but to which the babes : Christ can crawl and the old divinl s with stiff backs can bend and fro whence Christ beckons to the wear 5 and heavy laden and says Come uni Q me and I will give you rest" z R. T.. CROSBY HAS
 r ARRIVED IN FRANC