The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1865-08-03

stituted that they find shadow IN the very
brightest light. Indeed, in our world the
shadow must always co-exist with the sun
shine, and the brighter the one, often the
darker the other. Now it is great thing to
get on the sunny side of the rock. 1t has
both and we may dwell in either. There are
some who seem to love the shadow, at least
they seem unwilling to come out OF it. They
can never be convinced that anything will
issue we'll for them, but are always cherish
ing gloomy apprehensions about the future.
To such persons, times like these through
which we are passing are of course peculiarly
trying. They can see no light in the future,
and can cherish nothing but the most des-
pairing views of all external affairs. Let us
guard carefully against this tendency OF
heart. God has left us very many blessings
if we will only be at the trouble to recount
them. We can look around us and see hun
dreds who are worse off than we are, in some
respects, and if we begin to dwell upon our
blessings, our spirits will begin to rise. If
we sit moping in gloomy Encouragement, we
shall soon lose the very relish of the mercies
that are left to US, and God, in righteous
Christening may take them from us to teach
us gratitude. There are many elements of
cheerful hope, that we may either discover or
conceive in the future, if we are able to OBJ
tain a buoyant frame of heart. God is not
dead, and as long as that is true, his people
have reason to rejoice, AMI are bound to
do so.
We are in danger of unchristian tempers
and frames of heart. We will meet much
to try our tempers and to excite angry emo
tons. In an excited state of the public
mind, many things will be said and done
under the influence of mistaken conceptions
Hasty words will be spoken and written,
hasty acts will be done, even by those who
have really no malicious intent. And there
is always enough of the malignant spirit of
evil at such time to call forth malignant
feelings in response to it. We are in danger
of judging each other harshly Because an
other differs with us in opinion about some
question of minor moment, we are in dan
ger of suspecting him of being deficient In
fundamental principles. Because one, who
has acted with us in general questions of an
important kind, chooses to differ from us in
some new aspects or combinations of these
questions, we are in danger of charging him
with recreancy to his former principles, and
denouncing him as unfaithful and inconsis-
tent, if not insincere. Intolerance is not the
sin of Popery alone, but the sin of the hu-
man heart in every case where passion is
deeply stirred. When we think and feel
strongly, we are unwilling and indeed unable
to think that Others. can be as sincere as we
are, and yet differ with MS If we once be-
gin to cherish these unkind suspicious, our
hearts will soon become possessed withama-
lignapt emotions, and the gentle end loving
graces of the spirit will wither. Nothing SO
surely destroys all Christian feeling as vim,
dictiye emotions. Hence our Lord lays so
much stress on the duty of forgiveness, and
assures us that if we forgive not men their
sins, neither will our heavenly Father forgive
ours Let US then guard earnestly against
the entrance and growth of these maign
emotions, for they are the exact antagonisms
of the Christian graces, and the heart that
cherishes the one cannot long possess vigor-
ously the other. The frequency with which
Paul urges this point in his epistes, shows
its radical importance.
We are in danger of undevotional frames
of heart. The breaking up of our regular
church arrangements in so many places, and
even of the domestic arrangements of many
families, exposes us to this danger. We see
the effect of this in the diminished atten-
dance on public worship in many places, the
diminished interest evident with many who
do attend, the thinned prayer meetings and
Sabbath.schools, and many other equally
mournful symptoms. Where these things
exist we cannot think it likely that family
religion and closet religion are il flourish
ing condition, and if these are declining the
heart cannot be right before God. Each
Christian can and must determine this ques.
ton individually, and en- its determination
his or her growth in grace will greatly de-
pend, Let us then beware of relaxing our
diligence in the use of the means of grace,
for although we may use these means and
have but little grace, we certainly cannot dis
use them and yet have much grace in our
hearts.
There are other dangers that we might
note, did our space permit, but these will
furnish US food for reflection and self-exami,
nation Let the heart be gotten right, and
soon everything else will be, if not right, at
least much nearer to it, in our judgment,
than they ever can be, while the heart is
wronr. Let the heart be right, and we can