The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-04-03
DceTs of the word.

by Rev. II. NJ. Thomas, of Chicago:
Let US now reflect upon the other
phase of this subject, that OF doing as
vel as hearing. And here it may be
profta to note the emphatic words
of the Bible. Our Savior says: "Not
every one that saith unto me Lord,
Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven, but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in Heaven" Men
msy hear the word of God, and they
may talk about it, reason well, have
many good theories, and may even cay,
Lord God" but God knows-or recOg-
nizes in the sense of spproving-only
these who do His will. In the "PsrsN
BILE of the Sewers and the Seed the
different classes Of hearers are illustrated
by reference to the qualities of the soil
and the manner of caring for the seed
after il hiss fallen into the ground. The
thoughtless, the way side hearers, who
hesr without attention or reflection and
soon forget, are barren of results. Those
of little depth of thought or nature
the merely impulsive-hesr and are
moved for the moment, but, like seed
upon the rock, there is no depth Of soil
and the grain dies, the good feeling is
lost. Others hear attentively and with
good purpose, but soon forget all in the
cares OF the world and the love and fas.
cination OF wealth or pleasure, and moth
ing is developed or brought to maturity.
Others receive the word into go9d ground
they try TO prepare their hearts, to
open them to truth, and then take care
OF it when received, practice it in lie;
and then bring forth. fruit, thirty, sixty,
a hundred fold. And we should reflect
that of the iour glasses of hearers, only
one is fruitful, and that is the attentive,
earnest, careful one that kept the truth
and nourished it till the harvest came.
"Not the hearers of the word, but the
doors shall be blest." And in the reia-
ton of our text ("But b. ye doors OF
the word, and not hearers only, deceiv>
irg your ewn selves" James i % it
is said that the hesrel only is " like q
man seeing his Natural face in glass,
and straightway forgetting what manner
of man he is" We have all many
times looked at ourselves in the mirror,
but when we pause to think none of us
can carry very distinct imsge of our
Likeness; we straightwsy forget We can
carry the image OF other faces, but We
forget our own, and we go back and look
agar and turn away to forget again.
And 20, if we simply hear and do not do
the will O. God, there is no image, 10
lasting impression, no result in chsrac
ter. "But be that looketh into the per-
iect law of liberty and continueth there
in is changed into the image Of God"
If we hold these divine impressions and
actuslize them in deeds we ourselves be-
come like them in nature. a man may
hear about truth or justice all his life,
but it remains an abstraction, an OUT
ward thing, till he begins to practice
truth and justice, and then they become
q part of himself; they become chsrsc-
ter. a part of his nature.
Or let US look st this subject in tn
light of reason. We know that, in all
practical affairs, the theory of anything
is valuable only ssit comes out in results.
One may be good theoretical iarmer or
mechanic, and never raise grain or build
a house. The theory must be sctualized.
Knowing the kind of soil, and how to
plow, and the time to plant and SOW,
will never produce harvest without the
work. A plan of a building drawn on
paper will not shelter the mechanic from
the cold. The design is needful; but
the work is essential. One may have 8
theory of temperance, but whisky will
make him drunk, all the same, if he
drink it. There is no man more empty
of results in practical life than the one
who is so occupied, so filed with theories,
that there is no time or room for doing.
And it is 30 in religion. The finest
theories OF truth, or justice, or mercy,
4re valuable only as they take root in
character, only as trey are sctualized in
life.s One may have very little theory
or very little knowledge, even, and yet
be most excellent character and very
useful in life. And one may be very
learned, may understand all mystery
and have all faith, ;" and yet be as moth
ing in real goodness.
And now that we may al carry away
something practical, something in on
minds to do, let as now and always re-
feet that the end of preaching, the end
or truth is life, activity, obedience to
law and right. and looks to a result in
ourselves, and to doing something in the
world; and that these results can be
attained only through an sctive obedi-
ence. The word of God comes to US to
help us out of sin snd into righteous
ness. But it is not an elevator ia which
to be carried up to the fifth story
religion. 1t tells men to repent of sin,
to turn to God, to pray, to trust their