The beam in the eye sheds brightness, beauty, and joy upon life in
all its phases. It shines upon coldness, and warms it; upon
suffering, and comforts it; upon ignorance, and enlightens it;
upon sorrow, and cheers it. The beam in the eye gives lustre to
intellect, and brightens beauty itself. Without it the sunshine
of life is not felt, flowers bloom in vain, the marvels of heaven
and earth are not seen or acknowledged, and creation is but a
dreary, lifeless, soulless blank.
While cheerfulness of disposition is a great source of enjoyment
in life, it is also a great safeguard of character. A devotional
writer of the present day, in answer to the question, How are we
to overcome temptations? says: "Cheerfulness is the first thing,
cheerfulness is the second, and cheerfulness is the third." It
furnishes the best soil for the growth of goodness and virtue. It
gives brightness of heart and elasticity of spirit. It is the
companion of charity, the nurse of patience the mother of wisdom.
It is also the best of moral and mental tonics. "The best cordial
of all," said Dr. Marshall Hall to one of his patients, "is
cheerfulness." And Solomon has said that "a merry heart doeth
good like a medicine." When Luther was once applied to for a
remedy against melancholy, his advice was: "Gaiety and courage--
innocent gaiety, and rational honourable courage--are the best
medicine for young men, and for old men, too; for all men against
sad thoughts.
Pages:
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294