The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-12-17

domestic, social ana business Lille are not
inconsistent with the manifestation of
holiness of heart, but only multiply the
occasions for its revelation, and thereby
only strengthen its nature and enlarge
its sphere. When the sister of the pious
eighton was lamenting to her brother,
who was himself bachelor, that she could
not cultivate piety as he could, because
of her numerous family, he made reply:
No, no, that is all wrong, for is it not
written Enoch walked with God, and he
begat sons and daughters ?" And John
Keble has no nobler lines in "The Chris
tan Year" than these:
We need not bid for closterd cell
Our neighbors and our work farewell
The trivial round, the common task,
VIII furnish all we ought to ask,
Room to deny ourselves, a road
To bring us daily nearer God.
To be a saint is not to live upon pillar,
or dwell apart like Goldsmiths hermit,
" far in wild, remote from public view
but it is to live in the world as not of it,
to serve Christ in the place in which he
has cast our lot, and to serve our gener-
alton by the will of God in the labor of
every day.
2. I remark again that sainthneSs is
not to be manifested nerelyin punctiHous
regard to religious services, so-called
Here, however, [ wish you distinctly to
mark the point on which I insist. do
not mean to say that true saint will ever
be Indifferent to prayer and praise, either
in the closet, the family, or the great
congregation. On the contrary, the
holier man is he will have the more
delight in all these things The Word of
God will be increasingly precious in his
eyes; prayer will be more highly valued
by him as his resort in trouble and the
sanctuary will be dearer to him as
place of privilege, in proportion as he
grows in grace and in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, l should
be disposed to question the sincerity of
any man who claimed to be a Christian
while he cared for none of these things
But to value these ordinaces is one thing,
and to say that sainthood consists simply
and only in the observance of them is
quite another. The true place for these
things is that Of means, not of ends, and
their highest use is to revive us after past
exertion, and to strengthen us for future
labor. Hence, for a man to regard reli-
gion as consisting onl " in attention to or
dinances, Of whatever sort, is as absurd as
if one should allege that life consists in
eating and drinking. We eat and drink
in order that we may be able to do lfe's
constant work, and similarly we ought to
observe religious ordinances, in order that
we may be, by and through them-or
rather by Gods Spirit in them-enabled
to preserve our holiness4in daily conduct.
In spite of these plain principles, how
ever, there are many who resolve holi-
nese into mere matter of external SER
vice. They attend at the stated time in
the sanctuary, and are regular at the con-
ference meeting they are rarely absent
from any religious .gathering-but they
have no care to preserve amiability of
temper, or kindliness of disposition They
are selfish in heart, thoughtless in action,
hasty in speech, and altogether no diff
ferent from their neighbors who take their
dissipation is less reputable places than
the religious assembly. Their religion is
a go connecting thing, and if you ask
them what becomes of their holiness dur
ing the day-if you inquire where their
sainthood is ON the Monday or Thursday,
they give you to understand that religion
is religion, and that business is business,
and that it is their determination to at
tend to one thing at time. Now such
views as these, prevalent as they are
among many, have tended to bring saint
hood into contempt and to make it I'M
savory in the nostrils of honest-minded
men. When they see one punctilious as a
Pharisee about external service, and ur.
scrupulous as Publican in matters of
business, they cry, Out upon such mock
cry ~ and are tempted to reject Chris
tianity altogether. But true sainthood
knows nothing of the special sanctity of
times, or places, or engagements. The
whole life of real Christian is religious
service, and religious ordinances, So
called, are only variation of the sort of
work which he feels impelled to perform
for God. The saint who is indeed saint,
recognizes that he is doing the Lords
work as really when he is standing be-
hind the counter, or sweltering before
the forge, as when he is at the commun-
ion table or in the church. Away, then I!
with this mere connecting religion. If
your are not resolved to serve Christ on
every day, do not put on his livery on
the Sabbath and if you are not deter
mined to hold communion with him in
the daily work of doing his Fathers bust
ness, do not profess to hold fellowship
with him in the sacramental cup. We can
give no quarter to those canting Nav