Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-12-02

decisisely Ged reproyed those who
I gloried-i in themselves, and how swiftly
he visited them with punishment. God
made use of the King of Assyria to
punish Israel for its sins. whereupon
this king boasted thus, .'by the strength
of my hand Ihave done it." Where.
fore God says. "Shall the ak boast il
self against him that heweth Herewith
or shall the saw magnify itself against
him that shaketh it? as if the rod
should shake itself against them that
lift it up, or as if the staff should lift
itself up as if it were no wood" i. e.
as if it could act itself and were not
mere wood. For this it was declared
that "The Lord, the Lord of hosts,
would send among his fat ones Lean
ness, and under his glory would kindle
a burning like the burning of fire.
or as one forcibly expresses the idea,
would cast the rod into the fire.
God used the Assyrian King to accom- :
plish his purposes, and because he
boasted as if he had done it without
Uod, G0d consumed him.
Nebuchadnezzar in his pride said:-
"Is not this great Babylon that 7 have
built, for the house of the kingdom, by
the might of my power and for the
honor of my majesty?"
What was the consequence?
"While the word was in the kings
mouth, there fell vo,ce from heaven,
% King Nebuchadnezzar; to thee it is
spoken, the kingdom is departed from
thee. >" "The same hour, too, it was
fulfilled; he was driven from men, he
did eat grass as oxen; his body was
wet with the dew of heaven, till his
hairs were grown like eagles feathers,
and his nails like birds claws; till he
learned that the Most High ruleth in
the kingdom of men and giveth it to
whomsoever he will"
The same adherence of this spirit
of self-exultation was manifested at a
later era. The Pharisee who went up
to pray, congratulating himself on Hhisf
own superiority; 81 am not as other
men are, extortioners, unjust, adulter-
ers, or even as this Publican; 1 fast, l
give tithes;" was not justified while the
humble Publican was, for said Christ:
"Whosoever exalteth himself shall be
abased," while "he that humbleth him
self shall be exalted
The Apostles were reproved by Jesus
for an undue regard for themselves,
which led them "to forbid others from
casting out devils in the name of Christ,
because" as they said, "they followed
not with U.S. :"
Religion is promoted by divine pow
er through the truth and the Spirit, and
God will not stultify himself, by giving
efficiency to church or a denomina-
ton which assumes this power to be
itself.
Cd. Nor must we indulge the
thought, that this reunion is to be re-
joiced in as affording us the opportuni-
ty of greater ease
1t is proper to rejoice that less effort
and less means are needful to maintain
the ordinances of religion in our own
city; or that we are able to do, what
before we felt unable to do; but to re-
ioice because we can shift off our du-
ties or burdens upon another manifests
a spirit antagonistic to that of Christ,
and is palpable wrong. Until we
haye reached the highest degree of
christian attainment, secured the ut.
most possible knowledge and grace, un-
til every child and every man is taught
the gospel, we have no right to think of
ease.
Net until the whole world is subdued
to Christ should we fold our hands in
idleness, and say to our souls, stake
your ease, eat, drink and be merry"
God says: "Woe to them that are
at ease in Zion," and "curse ye Meroz
because he came not up to the help of
the Lord against the mighty" Jesus
says of wicked and slothful servants,
"Cut them asunder and appoint them
their portion with hypocrites, where
shall be weeping and gnashing ofteeth. "
Death alone is the era of release from
self denying toll in the service of Christ.
Sd. Nor are we to make one great
spasmodic effort, to do something for
the cause of Christ, and then relapse
into state of comparative inactivity.
l am no foe to revivals, nor TO spe
cial efforts at special times to wake up
a slumbering church. l am not op-
posed to new measures if wisely adapt |
ed to the end in view; but l am OPP
posed to the idea being entertained
that we will, for one year, make huge
efforts to extend the gospel, as a men,
orial of reunion, and then relapse into
state of listlessness and inactivity.
We should not hesitate to do. more and
to give more, but we should neither do
nor give with the idea that this will ex-
cuse us from future doing or giving.
4th. Nor should we make one sided
efforts to do good.
This tends to fanatacism. If we are
wholly devoted to the idea of medito-
ton, we shall be led into the deserts, or
into caves, or among the rocks, or into
VI anu tCtdiiy
ignore a practical christisn life. Too
great regard for clutch edifces will
lead to worship of the building, (as
the Jews the temple not its God. Too
great a regard for the forms of wor-
ship will lead to the adoption of a splen-
did ritual, as of Rome, but to the al
most total loss of spiritual life
No part of christian development
must be neglected, and no part of
christian work must be left undone.-
Every part of the work of evangelical
ton must be fulfilled.
More positively, let us ask what we
must do, if we would persuade the
world to believe that Christ was sent
into the world to be its Savior.
lst. We must ignore past differences
No. forget them, this perhaps is i'm
possible. Nor be Indifferent to truth