Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-05-08

| O1y lIOF0, LOrQ VINO tOFeLu nos
| So shall Thy safest keeping
Hold me, awake or sleeping
+ Thy love my solace be.
THE ONE-SIDED PIETY OF TO-DAY.
Personal religion, normally cultivat.
ed and developed. would be symmet-
rical and round, presenting in due pro.
| portions elements of action and contem.
| plation. The perfect man. in the
Scriptural sense, would have gaze at
/ once retrospective and retrospective.
engaged with his inward state and his
outward duties. He would be equally
concerned for the health of his soul and
the nseful employment of his hands
that his conscious communion with God
remain unbroken, and his helpful min
istry to man know no intermission OF
lassitudc and reluctance. He would be
| devout and benefcent, fervent in
! spirit . and .sdiligent in business. -
Even the ardors and raptures of soul
/ on fire with Divine love would prove
perfectly consistent with an earnest and
| practical attention to the outward du-
| ties of the daily round aud common lot
Beyond a peradventure, this is the style
of personal piety which constitutes the
| ideal of the New Testament.
| It is pitiful to observe how much
given we are to divorcing these active
and contemplative elements, and culti-
waiting one to the exclusion or neglect
of the other. A distorted spiritual de-
velopment and a crippled spiritual eff
cheney are the inevitable result. Diff
ferent centuries and generations have,
from the beginning, taken on this or
that distinctive characteristic, and run
into absurd and hurtful extremes in
this or that direction. Now, and most
commonly, it has been the contemplate
i've disposition which has prevailed, and
we have seen its outcome of extrava-
gance in the useless austerities of the
Ascetics, i'll the dreams and rhapsodies
of the Myst;cs and Quietists, in the
struggles and self denying. ordinances
Of the Puritans. In its more restrained
development this style of piety is liable
to become morbid. Habitual introver-
sion of the spiritual eye, with lack of
robust exercise in the effort to bless 9TH
ers, almost Invariably disorders the
soul and gives an unhealthy action to
the moral powers. Such SANITY men
as Bunyan, Edwards and Payson
showed in their experience the painful
effects of excessive converse with their
own hearts ana consciences. When
Cecil said: Solitude is my chief ordi-
nance,'' he betrayed the secret of his
peril as well as Of his safety and
strength. In a world SO sad and earnest
as this the time given I'd solitude and
silence must not be large.
We are now in state of decided re-
action against the preUailing piety of
two generations ago. self-inquisitions,
the HASTINGS, the humiliations, the days
formal devotion, the inwaE G. H: ,str sgs
: with the powers of evil, " lh2 &C.
terized our fathers-all this given
place to a much more cheerful mode of
serving God. Our religion, taking its
type from the spirit of the age, has Beg,
come active, buoyant, erterprisinsf
The Christian, instead of questioniet
himself and dwelling upon bis PersoI
relation to God, questions everythi1 4
about him, and sets himself to.refE a
all abuses and put in order ali Vie DIS
turbed relations of his fellow-creatures,
Instead of allowing himself faqeh s*anx-
ious thought whether he k1ha Lords
or no." he goes out in ceaselA@ and
practical efforts to relieve the suffering,
educate the ignorant, and give fher
Bible to the world. His motto is tDo
good unto all men, and his Gospel is
enlphaticalIy the Gospel of work. "
And now again our religion has become
one-sided. If, indeed, we must choose
between extremes, we own that we pre-
fer the extreme of our time to that of the
days forever gone. But theh,is IN an
ektreme;. not perhaps in asking us to !
do TO mach, but in allowing us to reflect
too htle---not in causing us to be over
much concerned about our neighbours
spiritual affairs, but in encouraging US
to neglect our own soul-garden. The
representative preacher of to-day piles
whip and goad to keep his congrega-
ton under perpetual strain Of doing
until earnest Christians, who feel that
they own some duties to their own !
souls. have an uncomfortable suspicion !
that there is no room for them in the |
church.
Now it will be everlastingly true that
a mans first obligation in this world IL
in doing this he must be allowed
liberty Of choice as to the NEAR
he finds most effectual. GrantHaisberry
s.swork for others. may be
means, perhaps the best, it is ny to box
being sovereign prescription
cure of souls, and applica%
eases. We venture to PVT linen ot' the
plea of merciful consideration Tor the !
large class of modest, quiet disciples
who honestly feel that they serve God
best. if not by standing and waiting"
at least by treading rather secluded
walks. Let them. not virtually be read
out Of the church by sharp criticisms
and by reproachfnl comparisons with
their talkative and dogmat 81 bren.
1t should not be forgotten "a here
are, diversities of charactet Aem- |
permanent, as well as Of gias, u That
the yearning which has f1olishlY I'm
PEELED so many to conventual seclusten
is not in itself to be despised. y
). Beyond doubt. as already admitted.
the synthesis Of the active and con-
templative elements exhibits tket ideal |
type Of piety. There is, pqe0ne sided |
ness here. It may be tlfat che !,
prayeth. best who loyeth bOl2 bat it is |
not true that he prays best who works
most. The truest, most< abidfng and
Most fruitful Christian n medjtates as
well as works. His aetise LIE roots it, /
self in the rich soil lot devout knowl-l
edge, reflection and enncti6fE :. He is I
like q tree planted by tie river Of |,
waters m u Ezanairer. n
*sss<ss Il -