Cheerful Christianity

The only cheerful Christianity is a Christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with Jesus Christ . There is no way of men being religious and happy except being profoundly religious, and living very near their Master , and always trying to cultivate that spirit of communion with Him which will surround them with the sweetness and the power of His felt presence . We do not want Pharasaic fasting , but we do want that the reason for not fasting shall not be that Christians like eating better , but that their religion must be joyful because they have Christ with them , and therefore cannot choose but to sing , as a lark cannot choose but to carol . "Religion has no power over us , but as it is our happiness ," and we shall never make it our happiness , and therefore never know its beneficent control , until we lift it clean out of the low regions of outward forms and joyless service , into the blessed heights of communion with Jesus Christ , "whom having not seen we love ."

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