Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-14
The Proper Place and Influence o
Fear as o Motive 10 Religion.

tnat nave no more that they car do But will fore
he hath killed. hath power to cast Into hell: YEA
say unto you, Fear him.
1t may have been a surprise to some that
the word hell should have fallen from the Inns
of the gentle and loving Jesus But it is to
be remembered that he is "The faithful
Witness, who had come from heaven to
testify according to fact, and not to entertain
mankind with pleasing fiction. His pure and
divine manhood enabled him the better to COM
prehend what sin is in its nature and its dire
consequences. Those who make light Of hell
are generally such men as regard sin as a lit
tie thing. The text suggests not obscurely
two opposite states of mind, as possible if not
actual; that of fear and fearlessness.
Both are indeed entirely appropriate and
eminently BETTING, each In its place. The
Scriptures every where enjoin that we enter
tain such a sense of God as shall make us
careful and anxious respecting our own con-
duct and its results, while il releases US from
the bondage of disquieting apprehension in
regard to what may beiall us through other
agencies.
Fear God and trust in him, but fear not
what man may do, or what tidings of evil the
future may bring 1t is an important ques-
ton. When IS fear ategitnaate nsotive of conduct
Ho,o far IS its influence salutary?
II is great victory when faith conouers
fear of certain kind. There is indeed an in.
sensibility to danger which comes from not
having measured the peril, from not UNDER
standing its nature, and which may be only
heedlessness. There is a stoical courage which
represses natural emotions which braces il
self to meet the inevitable, " lille il dares fate
to do its worst. The former is a blind bold
ness, and the latter is scarcely more than the
resolution of despair neither has the sound
and good foundation of reason and truth.
Reasonable and sure reliance for man is TO be
found not in himself,not ia the course of natu-
raj law, nor in fortune or fate, but in infinite
and perfect power and love in the God in
whom both these are united.
The courage which comes from this truth
is beautiful, blessed, even sublime. One
knows nothing of what the near future will
disclose as the scroll is unrolled. A city NAV
burn, or his own dwelling be consumed; the
dearest OF his friends, or himself may die, or
he may be visited with living trouble more
bitter than death. The great struggle for
power may convert the continent of Europe
into one bloody battle ground and derange the
finances of the world. Certainly there will
be an annual harvest of disasters of some sort.
ofdeath and sorrow.
One can not but perceive that mans lot has
been largely that of suffering from the first.
To such an extent is this true that the history
of the world is painful study. Many of the
human family are sorely pressed with want
through their lives. Their hard problem al
ways is, how to live. And those to whom
are supplied the outward conditions of COM
fort are never altogether exempt from trouble.
A soft couch does not always ensure restful
sleep. There may be some perplexity, or anx-
ious apprehension or bereavement NAV hide
the very light OF the stars. Even the Solo,
mons in all their glory, great, prosperous,
pampered, pronounce life, "vanity and vexa.
ton of spirit,' and sswhat can the man do
that cometh after the king?o
Life has its golden days, and glad hours.
and experiences of sweet pleasure. But what
bright moment is without some sadd ening
shaded And hcw many of the children Of
Adam have no relief from want, no protec.
ton IRON injustice, no cure Of disease, no sol.
ace for sorrow, no hope Of an improved condi-
ton. There are always some grief drops for
all, and at times trouble comes in like Hood
as when war enforces its hardships and multi
plies its horrors, or pestileuce sweeps CONT
nent.
Such being the constitution of the world
such the prevalence of trouble, such the LA,
bility to disaster, it is great victory when
the Christian conquers apprehension through
trust in God; when he learns to saw. Cod 20
good, and therefore all things coming from
him are full of goodness. God is good !: for
he has provided useful and beautiful things for
us in an endless variety. This right hand.
which extend to receive his favors, IS itself
rare gift and favor. The eye with which
behold the wonderful works of God is itself a
wonder, perfect optical instrument By which
pictures OF external nature are transferred TO
the mind. God pities and helps his creatures
in their trouble, and sends redemption 10
them. Christ appears, his appointed and ac.
credited messenger to man, the physician of
humanity, its healer. Through him am for.
given and reconcled, and become a dear child
of God. When therefore l am tried. as gold
is tried by fire, 1t is for the same purpose
that may be purified, and fitted for hea venlv
use. And so | may me the uncertainties n
the future without miss wing, being sure of
this one thing, that goodness, the infinite good
ness of God, is in all that it brings. This is
the great victory of faith over fear.
With respect to evils Of this kind the in.
juno ton, fear not, be not afraid, is right and
wise, for the Almighty Father in whom we
confide will not permit any real harm to come
TO trusting child. But with respect to evil
of another kind it is reckless presumption no,
to fear. In regard to the evil which we NAV
do, not in regard to the evil which we may
suffer, it is not well not to be afraid. Christ
braved and bore every thing which men are
accustomed to dread, but carefully Stunned
what they are 80 readily to cherish, and he
tells US OF how little consequence is outward
loss and harm, and how hurtful and ruinous is
inward defilement. You can better snare
your right hand or right eye than suffer any
curtallment ofthe spiritual faculty.
1t IS not necessary to say that one should
lear 10 commit such fragrant acts of wicked
ness as theft or falsehood, adultery or muir.
ner, aud it should be equally obvious that evil
in thought, Imagination, desire, intent is to be
as carefully avoided. Hatred is of the same
nature with murder and 50 we may say that
THEFT does not differ In its essence from more
cautious dishonesty and the same is true of
falsehood as compared with skillfuIly worded
and dark'y insinuated untruth. One should
fear to commit any, even the most hidden,
wrong as he would fear to swallow poison, or
to walk into the fire, or leap from precipice.
or do any hurtful and self destructive thing.
All sin has in it the beginning of the second
death, something of the fiery element of hell.
Sin assumes multitudinous shapes, but IN
every one of them it il the bane of all true
life; CONFEDERATION, consuming what is good
and fair and Joyous it is the SOUPS fatal tall
into ruin. Fear not the death of the body,
but fear the destruction of soul and body in
hCts WiouS anu Sli Will ODDOrtu0ltleS
to now, by observation and experience their
baleful effects, living in world where all are
sinners, and being sinners, alas ourselves,
the half is not known and cannot be told. III
you harbor feeling which is impure: which
is selfish, unkiDd, resentful towards man
which is undevout, ungrateful, rebelious to.
wards God, is it possible to foreknow the mi 8.
chief to yourself of that permitted sin in the
long ages OF existence through which you are
to live? Will even repentance and forgive.
ness remove all traces of harm from the de-
PRAYED conscience, the corrupted feelings, the
weak and perverted will ? If you say what
should not be said, or do what ought not to
be done, can you anticipate the double mis-
chief to yourself and your fellow beings, the
author and the objects, while eternity shall
roll its rounds? He who leaves the high
road of rectitude and pious duty, like the
traveller who turns off from the well worn
path among the mountains, goes he knows not
whittier and to what and as when one of a
company of mountain travellers, tied fast to a
common rope, imperis the rest il he falls, so
he is liable TO draw others after him into peril
and perhaps destruction.
My friend, if you fear any wrong done by
yourself to yourself or to others, you ere no
coward. Such fears are rational, right,
brave. He who fears to do evil will be most
likely to be free from the effeminate fear OF
some evil which may be done to him. "I will
not fear what man shall do unto me.o
In the matter of character and conduct