SERMONS OF THE DAY. RELICIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED BY PROMINENT AMERICAN MINISTERS. "Christian Cheerfulness" 1* the Title of the Eighth Sermon In the N. W Herald',, Competitive Series—By a llrooklyn Minister— l)r. Tnlmace on Home Life. TEXT- "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.—Philippians, iv.. 4. What is so common among men as the disposition to see only the dark side of the events of life? Many of us h ave a tendency to exaggerate our ills which amounts al most to melancholia. If It is not always high tide in our course of fortune we sink Into a condition of morbid despair. We are too apt to forget that in nature the tide must fall as well as rise. We do not realize that it is the part of wisdom to make the best use of the opportunities we have. We compare our circumstances with tp o ® 0 °* others who are more fortunate and brood over "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." • The tendency to dwell upon our ills grows with time. In the beginning it can be checked easily, but in time it becomes like a torrent gaining impetus with its descent, until it is bevond control. Now and then we receive the sad news that one whom we esteemed as upright and godlv has allowed this morbid tendency to obtain such head way that it unseats the reason and with it the sense of moral responsibility. Then we learn of the self-destruction of such a one and we are not surprised. It was almost the inevitable consequence of a false, one sided view of life that is supported by neither common sense nor religion. With reference to the character of the mind men may be divided into the matter of fact and the exaggerative. While the former are liable to be unsettled and dis contented occasionally, the latter are apt to be so as a rule, because their minds, be ing imaginative, create for themselves ideals which they seldom, if ever, attain. Nevertheless, the normal condition of life is one of cheerfulness. God teaches us this in nature, which, as a rule, is bright with sunshine, gay with color and illled with joyous sounds. Laughter and song, harmonv and beauty are the radiant fig ures of that living picture whereby our Heavenly Father points out to each the road to happiness. It is the desire of every earnest mnn to please God. There is no better way to do so than by showing oursolves satisiled with what He gives us. A preacher once said: "We do not please God more t>y eating bitter aloes than by eating honey. A cloudy, foggy, rainy day is not more heavenly than a day of sun shine. A funeral march is not so much like the music of angels as the songs of birds on a May morning. There is no more religion in the guant, naked forest In winter than in the laughing blossoms of the spring and the ripe, rich fruits of au tumn." How few cultivate a sunny disposition! now few make an effort to bo cheerful when thev feel unhappy! There are some the hard lines of whose faces never break into a smile. There are others who know only that mirth which is provoked bv arti ficial means, such as a joke or a ridiculous incident. Some are cheerful only when they have driven a good bargain. You all know the business smile worn by those who are unxious to gala your good will or your money, l'erhaps you are acquainted with people who wear a mask of cheerfulness for the outer world and u mask of torror for their homes. Little do they who go through life dissat lslled and cheerless know how much they lose of that which is sweetest in human ex perience. Not only they but all with whom they come in contact are robbed of a por tion of the blessing of existence. We owe . it to our families, our friends, in fact to all our fellow men, as well as to ourselves, to make brighter, not gloomier, this human life. St. Taul's example shows that even in distressing circumstances cheerfulness is possible. His injunction, "Rejoice in the Lord," was literally obeyed by himself. The consistent Christian must be cheer ful. Even when the knowledge of his sin fulness weighs heaviest upon him he be lieves that God is forgiving and merciful. The bitterness of his sorrow is sweetened by the promises of God. The gloom of his soul is illumined by the light of God's love. However forbidding the darkness by which ho is surrounded, however great the suffer ing to which ho is subjected, however mer cilessly the hand of misfortune may tight en its grip, he knows he shall be higher iu the esteem of his God and more fit for his destiny if, with patience and a cheerful heart, he bears these things. The conso lations of his religion will never fail him if he appeals to them. Gloomy Christianity is a misrepresentation. However weil meaning those may be who dwell only on the sufferings of Christ, only on the wrath of God and the punishment of sin, they do God an injustice and teach only half the truth. There is nothing to gain from such a repulsive presentation of religion. It is not natural, necessary nor fair to our fellow men to minimize those features of our re ligion that God has made most prominent. There is a bright side which it is of the ut most importance to emphasize in order to win men to religion. The dawn of redemp tion and the Joy of spiritual triumph for ever obliterated the sorrows of Calvary. The justice, mercy and love of God irradi ate prismatic light on the sombre picture of sin and judgment. JAMES E. NIEH, Hector Church of the Epiphany, Brooklyn, N. Y. HOME LIFE. Dr. Talmace Preaches On the Cares of the Household. TEXT: "Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her. thereforo, that sho help me."—Luke x., 10. Yonder is a beautiful village homestead. The man of the house is dead, and his widow is taking charge of the premises. This is the widow, Martha of Bethuny. Yes, I will show you also the pet of the household. This is Mary, the the younger sister, with a book under her arm, and her face having no appearance of anxiety or care. Company has oome. Christ stands outside the door, and, of course, there Is a good deal of excitement Inside the door. The disarranged furniture Is hastily put aside, and the hair is brushed' back and the dresses are adjusted as well as, in so short a time, Mary and Martha can attend to these matters. They did not keep Christ standing at the door until they had elaborately arranged their tressfes, then coming out with their affected surprise, as though they had not heard the two orth'me previous knookings. saying: "Why, is that you?" No. They were ladles, and were always presentable, although they may not have always had on their best, for non of us always has on our best; if we beßt wou 'd not be worth having on. They throw open the door and greet Christ. They gay: "Good morning. Mas ter; come in and be seated." Christ did not come aloue; He had a group of friends with Him. and such an influx of city visi tors would t.irow any country home into perturbation. I suppose also the walk from the city had been a good appetizer. The kitchen department that dav was a very important department, and I suppose tluit Martha hud no sooner creoted tbe guests than she fled to that room Mary had no worriment about household'affairs She had full confidence that Martha oould get up the best dinner In Bethany She seems to say: "Now, let us have a division oi labor. MArtha, you cook, nn. | \ the] doctors said I //! /1 \ ' would never be /fI jl K \ well again. I > II \ "Soon afterl hap- tsSSS? j V pened to use four [jfA boxes of Dr. Will lams' Pink Pills for 1 HETIHED TO CITY LIFE. Pnle People, and since then I have been freo from ull pain, headache and dyspepsia. I oat heartily und have no appetite for strong drink or tea or coffee, und feel twenty years younger. "My weight has increased 48 pounds. I cannot say too much for Dr. Williams' Pink Pills and claim that they have cured me. "JOHN B. COOK." Subscribed and sworn to before mo this sixteenth day of February, 1897. A. P. BARKER, Notary Public. To people run down in henlth, from what ever cause—drink or disease—the above in terview will be of interest, The truth of it is undoubted, as the statement is sworn to, and wo reproduce tlie oath here. For any further facts concerning tliis medicine write to Dr. Williams' Medicine Company, Schenectady, N. Y. The name and address of the subject of above interview Is John B. Cook, of 203 South sth Street, Lyon, lowa. It is computed that all the houses in Londou and New York could be built out of the lava thrown out Jby Vesuvius since the first recorded erup tion. 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