Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-07-25

4
w. We.msy be reminded, by tho,oaroer
Of State prison Christians, how necessary Il
is 70 rostst the beginnings Of evil. This Is
the only way to avoid great falls. II Is
oasy to see how the downward course of aY
religious defaulter begins. 1t is by slight
deviatioas from absolute integrity. Ho
needs, little money. for short time, to be
speedily replaced. There are funds in bis
keeping drawing no interest harm to
borrowv True, it would not do to lot il be
known people have a yory general opnAi
yietion. that .cashicrs' have no right to- uso
other peoples money that is under their
charge. He oohvipocs himself that there
is, no great harm 10 borrowing littlo money
for q short time. Thep he ventures! to iuse
little moro, and keep It longer. " The rishai
Increase; he resorts to deliberate falsifytng
of his books to cover up his Grimes. Whon
tho end comes, ho is exposed and he goes
to prison; but his crime was not 10 being
found out, nor in borrowing too much 1T
was in departing from tho path ofsstriet
honor and reotitude. IW6ehS ho beganjso
tanper with money that was not his, ho
entered the downward path whose. end is
destruction. Those who are found ont and
punished in this world are not tho most
unfortunate ones; they may getftlieit eyes
t0Aop to atheirJ real charaoter and. repent t..
Worse is tho fate Of transgressors who ore
never found out and die enjoying their i'll
cotton wealth, who never discover that their
piety is of tho State prison type till they
learn it at tho judgment-seat Of Christ.
No believer can tell what will become Of
him, if he allows himself to depart from
oheolufo n r;rbfa0oonoee of oora,,k
seemed small matter wien an ant, found
it's way ipto smooth and solid post Of ook;
and whom another crept in, aud another.
But they sealed the fato of the post; and
prophet who saw the first ant 60 ip might
look forward year or two to the carpenter
coming with tho caue to thrust through
the ruined pillar, and the axe to smito it
down.
It is not possible to dwell in q etato Of
salvation, aud OF tho same timo in wilful
aud deliberate sin. No matter if tho sin
appears small; if it be cherished, it wiil eat
out Of the heart ell true faith If you arc
unfair in trade, if you ovcrrcaoh when you.
have opportunity, if you despise as im--
practicable in real life in Chrsts golden
rule, your religion is vain. However
punotual in your religious observances,
God looks upon you as upon the brigand
kneeling before the shrine. He will not
accept your sacrifice. Go road tho first
chapter Of Isaiah, and see with what strong
disgust the Lord expresses for all such
worship, for a religion that does not bruce
virtue. "Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of
rams"
You say you havo believed in God. But
it is to such that the message of our text is
directed, that. they "might be careful to
maintain good orks"-"oareful to main
tain them; for true religion does not
develop itself without our eudeavors.
Think not that bcoausc your first Christian
experience appears to you genuine, there
fore you arc now whcro you should bc.
There Is no greater mistake. lie who has
believed must cultivate works meet for
repentance and tho now life, which are tho
only evidences that fifth is alive aud opera
tive. H.
Evidently the Church Of Christ has not
yet outgrown the need of the preaching Of
good works. If tho State prison Christians
who arc now mcditating in their .eells upon
the sad revcrses that havo ovcrtakcrt. them,
had heard End believed that piety ,,moans
goodness and right, action, they wo1ld not
have gone from tho communion tabo to
tho conyiots cell. We must bc ridggradu.
ally at least, Of sin. We canpot be good
Christians without being good men
honest, kindly, conscientious, unscJfsh-.
careful to maintain these and other good
Tho difference between true end, false
religion is :hat true religion controls the
conduct, in business and trade, every day
and hour in tho day. False religion -four.
lshes at meetings aud on Sundays, aid has
no hold on tho daily life, but allows US to bo
purely selfish in nil that We do. When
Christian does mot maintain honesty, obarity,
and like good works lis piety is Of the
State prison type. It may not, bring him
there, but it suro'y will,to worse Prisoh,
from which no conyicts evor issue forth, !
and among whose inmates no pardons are
distributed. let us not think ourselves
safe because none of us are dcfaultess, and
have no opportunity to snhbozzls largo SUMS.
We have caoh our temptations, and by
unfairness aud thickness we may display
tho same want of principle that charaoterizes
the defaulter for 100000. "IIe that is
unjust in the least" says our Lord, "is
unjust also, in much." IL is n6t tho
amount that makes tho guilt; it is tho
graspiug and unjust disposition that lives
for self, not for our ncighbors and our God.
,y.S,rIEy [Congregationalist.
ss;giq 81, ---Uz77~ ! .~------t-.-1j - t-..--1.j t,d q
josh, Diliings to the GIrIs.
Dear girls are you in search Of husband7