The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-12-31
Our Evening Sermon +!
"But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered" Matt. 1870.

| In contradistinction to those smart
persons who affect disbelief in the
Scriptures are those persons who believe
in the Bible literally-the letter, rather
than the spirit. There are those who be-
lieve that every word in the book must
be taken just as printed and accepted as
the .ultim atum of Divine Law. True
this class of persons encounter many diff
ficulties and stumbling blocks in the
reading of the word; but as a general
thing they adopt the only course left
them, that is to shut their eyes and at
tempt, like blind horse, to Chamber over
it all without paying attention to detail.
AS showing the manner in which this
class of people run upon difficulties, let
us quote from single chapter: The posi-
tive man of this class will stoutly main
tain the beauty and wisdom of the quo
tation mo man can serve two Masters y;
the doggery-keeper will quote from the
same chapter, Take no thought for your
life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink" But neither of these would be
willing to abide by literal construction
of the next clause of the passage, NOR
yet for your body, what ye shall put on. !"
We are prone to quote Scripture. as well
as interpret it, to suit our own pleasure
and convenience, notwithstanding a
seeming belief in it's literal construction.
There are those however, who think it
absolutely dangerous and sacrilegous for
weak mortal to attempt to understand
the teachings of the Bible beyond what
the book itself says. This class for in
stance would interpret the passage eff
therefore thine eye be single, thy whole
body shall be full of light" to mean, with
all the peremptory authority of the Di-
vine command, that holy man could
have but one eye Then there comes
again an illustration regarding the man
ner in which the Heavenly Father paints
the lilies of the field. This class of Bible
readers might wade out into the face of
the storm and stand long time before
the Father would paint them with a ma
terial beauty which would outshine SOL
ONION in all his glory" There are some
things however which the person of
somewhat loosely-joined religious ideas
might find especial satisfaction in believ-
ing literally, as for instance, Il am come
| to set man at variance against his IA
ther, and the daughter against her moth
er, and the daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. The history of the hui
man family for the past eighteen hun
dred years very materially assists in a
| literal Interpretation of this passage.
Certain it is that the family fight has
been almost as prevalent as the family
altar. And this experience has played
sad havoc at times with the idea set
forth in the text. If the hairs of the
head are numbered, the family fight must
have seriously disarranged matters, and
left many odd numbers upon the heads
from which the unoffending hairs were
pulled.
1t has been observed by close students
of human nature that. as rule, the most
enthusiastic advocate of a literal con-
struction of isolated passages in the BIZ
BILE, is generally man whom it will do
no harm to number, and might not be a
bad idea to watch. We once observed a
man who rolled his eyes Heavenward
duo OO1Clullly uCCld1CL hAOM llou my
Redeemer liveth!" There was not shad
ow of a doubt but that the Redeemer
was in full and glorious existence, stand
ing at the right hand of the Father, and
earnestly interceding for the poor mis-
guided man who might have reason to
believe that his hairs were numbered,
but wemight be readily excused for doubt
ir,rr hot nixyino 110tionna aO11d
number his drinks. Then we have seen
some of these christians who seemed to
think that they were fully registered and
numbered, but in whose cases the num-
bering must have been on the outside of
the head, altogether-for the Spiritual
Manifest showed nothing recorded upon
the inside. It is well for us all to re-
member that admonition in the same
chapter which says that nothing is con-
cealed which will not be revealed. How
many professed Christians, to-day, would
be willing to have the whole life thrown
open to the gaze of the public congrega-
tion in which they bear their testimony
for the cross? Too many are like the
good old brother who was in the habit of
who sometimes dealt in stock during the
week. The good brother had the mis-
fortune, one day, to sell to quiet and in
nocent old German pig, which died a
couple of days afterward. And he had
the further misfortune of having known
that the pig was sick when he sold it. On
Sabbath day, not long after the trans
action, the victim attended Church.
When the meeting began to assume a
deep interest the good old brother sol
emnly arose, with cOmplacent, even
happy, look upon his face, and began to
give in his testimony for the cross. "My
friends said the good brother, eff there
is one thing which above every other
should claim our attention, next to our
duty to God, it is mans duty to his fell
bowman. AS for me, 1 can look the
whole world in the face, and say that no
man can accuse me of having wronged
him"-"Aw, aw! Yawcoob! Half you
forgotten der pig?" spoke out the old
man, who could stand it no longer. Thus
it would seem that it is difficult to plead
the spiritual cause when the witnesses
for the other side are all present, and
your own are absent.
He is happy man who can feel that
his Heavenly Father takes such an inter
est in him as to note the very numbers of
his hairs, but he should not forget that
He looks deeper, and notes the condition
of the heart. 1t should be remembered
that nothing is concealed. The same
power that counts the hairs of our heads,
knows our every act. The human heart
should give praise and thanksgiving to
the power which so completely protects
the life, and provides for every need.
The hairs of our head are numbered-let