The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-08-24


And nj midnight Paul and Silas prayed and
sa,g praises unto God aad the prisoners heard
them'--Acts. is, 2S.
1. The first lesson CLEANED from this
incident is that some people have no es
pecial dislike to religion until it begins
to cost them something If these preach.
ers had said or done nothing to interfere
with the property Of any one in Phillip
they would have met with comparatively
little opposition. But here was slave
girl possessed Of "the spirit of divina-
ton" She was, perhaps, fortune teller.
She was at least very profitable in
vestment. Paul, however, commands
the evil spirit to depart and the slave is
no longer of so great profit to her mas.
tiers. This excites their opposition: "And
when her masters saw that the hope of
their gains was gone, they caught Paul
and Silas and drew them into the mar.
ket place, unto the rulers, and brought
them to the magistrates As soon as
this new religion began to interfere with
their hope Of gain they resolutely OBJ.
jected to it.
/ am not sure but this element of
human nature is still abroad in the
world. A deacon says to friend who
belongs to no church, I" How do you like
our preacher ?" Why, think he is
just splendid" is the reply. Il never
before heard such preaching. | never
III all my life felt as religiously inclined
as now" " l am really glad to hear
you talk in that way" rejoins the dea
con, and by the way, there is little
: matter that | might as we'll introduce
now as at any time: we are little short
of funds at our church and / thought |
would give you an opportunity to sub
scribe wbatever you may feel able TO do"
Ii IN astonishing how soon this appeal
cools off the religious feelings of that
man He falls from grace almost in
stantly He was all converted except
his pocket. book, and he who can con-
vert that is mighty revivalist Across
his spiritual pathway he placed his purse
and then turning to religion said, "hith-
erto shalt thou come but no farther"
| sometimes think that we Americans
more than any other people look at all
questions from a commercial standpoint.
Some writer has said if you show bou.
quot to German. a Frenchman, an
Italian, be will make some remark ex.
pressive of bis appreciation of its beauty
or fragrance Show the bouquet TO an
American, ami be will Immediately Ill.
qurc " What is it worth ?" . What did
it cost ?" The one had some aesthetic
taste, the other only commercial one.
The same writer adds that when the
teeming millions of the earth come up
to Judgment at the last day, all other
natIonaities will stand bewidered, daz.
zed before the splendor of the great
white throne but that the Yankee, put
ting his hands in his pocket, will slowly
inquire, What did it cost ?"
,. We have here an illustration of the
meanest kind of an attack upon per.
son or doctrine, namely, an appeal to
popular prejudice In their charge
against Paul and Silas they say, "These
men being Jews" They make this re.
mark because they know that in that
region there was popular prejudice
against the Jews. Were not Paul and
Silas good men ? Their characters were
irreproachable. Were they not compe-
tent preachers ? Few men could preach
as did Paul. Why persecute them then?
They are Jews. Because they were of
different nationality, different faith,
they would not listen to them.
believe that every christian should
have home in some church and that it
is perfectly proper to think that there is
no place like home. But carry not this
love of church.home to such an extent
that you can receive no truth uttered by
one who is not one of your denomination.
The oak stands out in the field and
through its every root it draws nourish-
ment from the earth. Every variety of
soil affording food is laid under contri
button TO further the growth of that tree.
Through its ten thousand leaves it is
receiving nutrment from the heavens
1t says to the North wind bring me
food, it says to the South wind. bring
ne food, to the East and the West it
sends the same cry. 1t says to the sun
pour down light and | will receive it, it
says to the clouds, pour down rain and
[ will drink it. The tree refuses no
food whether it comes from the earth
beneath or the heavens above, whether
1t comes 10 the sunlight or in the
shower So should the christian accept
truth, no matter by whom declared.
). But consciousness of Right, and
above all, u firm faith in Christ, will
enable one to rejoice even when in
trouble. Here Paul and Silas have
been scourged, cast into the inner prison
"a damp dark dungeon-and their feet
made fat 10 the stocks. Their suffer.
ings arc intense. If any one ever had
an excuse for having the blues these men
had But not a murmur escaped them.
"And at midnight Paul and Silas PRAYED
aud sang praises unto Cod Songs in