RELIGIOUS READING

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXVIII, Issue 131, 28 May 1932, Page 6

RELIGIOUS READING

FOR THE SABBATH DAY CONTROL OF THOUGHTS A tolling sermon was delivered to a large congregation at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford, one evening this week by the Rev. Canon Faneourt, of Auckland, who is conducting a mission. Taking as his subject, “ Control of. the Mind,” Canon Fancourt said: — I am going to talk about the mind,. A middle-aged woman—a good woman and a good churehwoman—said a few months ago to me: U I believe in theteaching of the Roman Catholic Church, that you can sin in thought as well as in deed.” I said, ”Don’t you know that this is teaching of.' Christianity that the commandmentsmust be kept in thought as well as in letter?’’ She said, “I don’t think people nowadays bothei’ very much about keeping control of their * thoughts.” You know wo clergy often get a shock, when we find out what you people really think.” Everything in you and in me commences in the mind. Every word, every action has its birth in the mind. Your character has its birth in your mind. So we have to take great care of the most fundamental part of the body. Control of the mind is the secret of health and happiness To illustrate let us consider different types of mind. Despondent Mind First there is the despondent mind. Those who have such a mind are depressed and morbid —full of darkness and dark thoughts. With such a mind it is impossible to have good health. Just think how the control of the body by the mind is shown. Blushing is caused by some disturbing thought. Fear drives the blood back to the heart and the action of the mind is reflected in the white fac-e. Our digestive systems our blood systems, our nervous systems are all controlled by the mind; and a morbid mind is the cause of a sluggish body, prone to disease, both physical and mental. Christ said: ”If thine eye is evil, thy whole body shall he full of darkness.” With such a mind happiness and health are impossible. The Worry Mind Next there is the worry mind —the mind that very often worries over trifles. A dear old woman once spent all her- life worrying; and then a few weeks before she died she began to worry about having worried so much. Such a mind is sinful. It shows lack of trust in God. Does it ever do any good? It is the cool and alertmind that sees a way out of most difficulties; the worrying person can never see a way out. Christ said, “Be not anxious about the morrow.” This, the revised version, is a better translation than the authorised version, “Take no thought for the morrow.” It would be foolishness to take that literally. Critical Mind Then we find the critical mind —the mind that is always looking for other peoples faults, failures, and shortcomings; sneering at them, and pointing them out to others. Christ said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” This means don’t be critical of other people’s failings.” No one can be a Christian who is always looking round for other people’s faults and failures. Remember the parable of the mote and the beam; and before you draw attention to the mote in your brother’s eye, be very sure you have got rid of the great big beam in your own eye. Again there is the divided mind — the mind that is always hovering between two things, like the boy who cannot decide as to his future calling and ends by getting nowhere. Numbers of people do not make a success of their lives because they try' to serve both God and Mammon. You can’t be divided in your life; it is foolish to try to serve both God and the devil, as you are sure to fall between.

Furthermore, there is the evil mind, full of malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, and Christ says “that whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” If you hate a person, you are equal to the primitive savage, who in such' cases would certainly kill the person. Then there is the impure mind full of awful, horrible imaginations;’ full of filthy thoughts. “Whoso lusteth after a woman hath committed adultery with her in his heart.’ ’

These examples show how the mind' controls the body.