OUR LAY SERMON FOR SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1267, 11 June 1896, Page 41

OUR LAY SERMON FOR SUNDAY READING.

THE SERENITY OF FATfI. “ A meek and quiet spirit. vVbich is in tho sight of God of great price.'' —I. I’ctcr, ili-, 4. Injunctions to maintain, oven under try* in?, r circumstances, a serene and placid spirit arc scattered throughout tho Scriptures. Thcso injunctions aro reiterated With such marked emphasis that it would see in as though quietness and placidity were of prime importance in our religious life. Without doubt quietness of shill has a groat deal to do with happiness • it lias also a great deal to' do with achievement.- A restless man is lieitb’et a happy man nor a strongman. If ono wishes do what is very difficult to do ho must needs hare f 'tll possession of himself, and if one wishes to bear what is very difficult to bear, he must first of all seek that quietness of soul which fluts lliffi at Ills best.- Restlessness is only another name for misery, and misery and weakness gd band irt band. But quietness depends on faith, and cannot exist without faith, if *at< Are on board ship with a captain who lids weathered a hundred tempests, tho lowering skies and the threatening winds prodiice "O terror. If tho captain tells you to keep quiet,- and you have confidence in him, you can even find, in danger a kind of stimulus, and the roaring of the fr'jdo and tho rush of tho mighty waters do turb your equanimity in tho least. Your quietness or your disquietude depends entirely on your trust in the captain. It you fool that in any way hois incompetent, you become restless, wretched and despairing. Your attitude toward tho captain, therefore, settles matters of great importance. Of yourself you can do nothing, for tho government of the vessel i-s a mystery. What tho emergency requires, what will avoid danger and what insure safety you are wholly ignorant of. You look to the man ah the quarter deck, and if ho is a skilled sailor Who laughs at tho storm, your heart is quiet and your soul is tit peace. So in your daily life, your state of mind depends not on yourself or on what you can do, but of your confidence in the power and love of God. It is impossible to bo quiet if yofl doubt tho Lord’s ability to see you safely to tho end of the journey. Ninetenths of tho spiritual restlessness in this world comes from an only half-concealed distrust of the Almighty. Once convince yourself that there is no Ruler and you can liavo no peace at all, or only that kind of peace which a chip has on the rapids when it is indifferent what becomes of it. On tho other hand, bo persuaded in your heart that over all tho varied experiences which aro possible—sickness, poverty, disappointment and death —there is a controlling Hand, that you can bear whatever that Hand places on your shoulder, and then you will be quiet, resigned, peaceful, for tho very greatest that can happen will be a journey to Heaven, and that certainly is not a piece of ill fortune. Tho habit of serono quiescence must bo formed before wo can make any real progress. It is a habit worth many a hard struggle to attain. It makes life moie profitable to yourself and to every one else. The person who locks at things calmly is apt to look at them charitably, and so quietness and charity, two of the noblest elements of character, go band in hand. On the contrary, if you render judgment on mere impulso you may possibly do a great injury, and so restlessness and harshness stand side by side.

If your lot is a bard one, and there are many such in the world, no better advice can iio given than that oi the apostle, “ In your patience possess ye your souls.” I ho man who can keep quiet, in the midst of difficulties has tho broadest shoulders and tho strongest arm. The restless seldom hit a telling blow, the merely impulsive beat tho air, whilo the quiet man fits himself to the burden, and alter a while may find it a blessing. Wo cannot meet God’s providences Avilli a fair prospect of making the best of them, and wo cannot endure God’s discipline with any hope of putting it to its highest purpose, unless tho soul is first trustful and then quiet. There ir, not only a dignity, but also an energy, a stamina, a vigour in the serene mind which commands our respect and excites our envy. This habit of quiescence must be acquired before avo can have any right to bo satisfied with our spiritual condition. Tho duty is imperative if we are to become our noblest selves, and I know of nothing better as a stepping stone than solitude and introspection. A half hour a day devoted to alononess and serious thought of your future, and your God, and your religion, would render it almost impossible for you to do wrung. “ Enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door,” Heaven will seem very near to you. iYo are in the world too much and away from it too little. The world makes us restless ; God makes us quiet. Serenity of mind, born of perfect

faith,■ enables us too feel tho pressure of tho Almighty arm that is beneath and us to sea tho faces of the angels who “ have charge over thee, to keep theo in all thy ways.”

Be still, for God livotli; bo still, for no harm can come to him who trustoth in tho Lord; bo still, and, though the day bo dark, at eveutido thcro shall be light.