Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-05-02
For the Essex County Herald
Falling from the Crust"
NOT No. II, But SOMEBODY ELSE.

Your correspondent, some weeks
since, in writing on this subject said :
Every good housekeeper knew just
the reason why the loaf fell from the
crust" Sometimes the yeast is poor
and if that is the case, no matter how
well skilled the cook, or how good the
flour, the bread iVW not be good
So Christ, Himself, says, Neither
can corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit" This is so true that mere
copYists of eithe: morality or Chris
tianity always fail. Sooner or later
the true character appears to the
world in all its natural deformity, and
almost always just at the time in the
individual history when the exposure
comes with the most singing bitter
ness.
Men may easily be mistaken as TO
the strength ofthei: principles in COM
parison with the strength of their
character and the force of outward
circumstances that may be brought to
bear upon that character or against
principle, but that man, who does not
know whether he is lacking in princi-
pie, or whether he is overcome
by temptation, even when he
would do good, is as carelessly neg
ligent, as the good housekeeper would
be, should she use inferior yeast with
out knowing it. Principle has but
one standard, Viz.: Right because il
is right, or Truth because it is truth,
and ii is very lamentable fact that
it is only here and there one who
finds this path, while the great mass
of those who make pretenslons are
only copyist, and are SO because prin-
ciple has its market value-like that
fellow who ''put the dollar bill on the
collection plate, on Sabbath, land then
got trusted next day for ten times the
amount on the strength of it," or to
the man who, a short time since, APP
Piled for admission to one Of the
churches, mot" as he said, "that he
had met with any change, but be-
cause he would like to enjoy the ben
efits Of home among Gods people"
Because such men abound, "fall-
ing from the crust" is painfully prev
alent. The term may not be applied
to mems principles, overpowered by
human nature, so that they apparent
ly fall, for though they fall they
shall rise again, but to men ofsin and
passion, for though they build with
very fair proportions, yet their found
alton is sand and when the storm
does come, most terribly great will be
the fall.
am aware that there is much
more satire taken, and comments
made about protesting Christians who
.'fall from the crust" than about those
outside the church, and very proper
ly it should be so. AS matter Of
course those who make these sharp
criticisms about professors, do not
themselves claim to be Christians, al
though they may be as ''good as those
protesting Christianity" If such an
one is not q Christian, then it follows
as matter Of course that he is an i'm
penitent sinner, and an impenitent
sinner cannot do anything inconsist-
ent with his character; he is serving
the devil anyhow, and if he engages
q little more heartily in the service
and passes on from "walaing in the
counsel of the ungodly," to standing
in the way of sinners" or from that
to "sittinS in the seat of the scornfup'
he is still perfectly consistent with
himself. 1t is the nature Of the SER
vice, and the work of the flesh, as re-
corded in Galatians 5: 1921, in
part or the whole may be reasonably
looked for as his own.
Neither need it be q matter of sur
prise ifmore imitators of Christianity,
than of mere morality are found.
The prize is infinitely larger as-mucll
better as Heaven is better than earth.
Therefore the term "falling from the
crust" may not be applied to the
real Christian overtaken in a fault, but
to those who servo the devil with the
Christians livery on, so as to get the
whole of this world, hoping to cheat
the devil in the end.
The one ovcrtaken in fault, like
Peter, finds repentance too bitter for
repetition. The other, following the