The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-08-27
Our Evening Sermon !

Our Evening Sermon
' sssp in @ and
less as doves.''-Matt. 10-16.
Perhaps no better simile could have
been presented to the good men who
were commissioned to carry on the work
of the Divine Master, than that of the
sheep and the wolves. The work of the
Apostle must necessarily carry him into
the great multiplicity of dangerous in
fluences surrounding life in this world.
To pass through these with safety re-
quired the wisdom of serpents, and the
amiable disposition of doves.
The man starts out as an Apos tie of the
Savior. All is brightness, and buoyancy,
and anticipation. Along smooth high
ways, and by green pastures of Christian
hope the journey is extended, even unto
the shady groves where abides peace and
rest for the traveller on the highway of
Christian life. But along the way, and
over the experience of his everyday life,
occasionally falls the grim, dismal howl
of the wolf. From the copse of doubt
along the pathway of Chris stian life, comes
the cheerless sound; from the associations
of the ocial world, even though all may
seem fair and beautiful, the voice of the
wolf will occasionally rise to strike terror
into the soul.
Over there live two neighbors, who are,
according to the observations of the
world about them, on the best of terms;
the visits and return-calls are pleasant
feature of the social atmosphere of the
neighborhood. Surely, nothing can dis
turb the peaceful relations of that little
social world With the warmest possible
neighborly feeling, these friends begin to
fix up the surroundings of their respect
i've homes. Almost imperceptibly, the
low growl of the wolf, comes stealing
through the sound of saw and hammer
An offending chicken from the one home
scratches over an old boot or shoe in the
grounds of the other home, or line fence
is painted in different colors upon its two
sides. The wolf shows his teeth. A way
ward child unthoughtedly casts a stone
at pet cat belonging to the other home,
and the wolf growls yet more fiercely.
From the one home there springs terri
BILE scandal. Some member thereof
proves false to the confidence of friends
and relatives-at least so says scandal,
and the wolf howls until the entire
neighborhood resounds with the echoes.
There is an undercurrent to human af-
fairs, which perhaps prompted the Ian
guage of the text spoken to the Apostles.
Verify, "things are not what they SEEM"
What can be more sublimely beautiful
than the sight of couple of Gods Great
ures, who have taken upon themselves
the matrimonial vows. going through the
world arm in arm, perfectly content to
bask in each others love, to the exclusion
of everything besides? That is, in so far
as the outside or surface appearance of
things goes. But let us follow the couple
into the shades and privacy of the domes-
tic life-into the VOLTS den so to speak.
We find that the patronizing smile of the
husband as he appears upon the street, is
changed to the angry snarl of the wolf as
he appears at home. And the lips of the
wife, which were wreathed with the
sweetest and most innocent smiles when
appearing in public, are curled in scorn,
or perhaps rolling out a torrent of obscen-
ity, as the wolf growls in its den. True,
these are not common cases, yet they
exist. And such people are included
among those to whom the Apostles were
sent. The public appearances and utter
ances may be of that nature most encour
aging to the Apostles, yet there is the in
ner life, the deep undercurrent of social
experience, to contend with. And this
is the worst influence with which the
Apostle has to contend. 1t is not diff
cult to fight the wolf, if one may only be
reasonably certain as to where he may be
found, but the fact that he appears unex-
pectedly, and from many directions, rem
ders the contest. one of great difficulty,
and one requiring the exercise of great
shrewdness and great watchfulness. The
wolf may assume the form of the rough,
strong man, or he may appear as beau
tiful and delicate woman Everywhere,
all through the social system, the wolf is
present, ready to snarl, to growl, and to
bite. TO battle with such an enemy in a
war of determination seems a monstrous
undertaking, and it is easily understood
why the Divine injunction to be charm
less as doves" and "wise as serpents" was
given. Even this Injunction is distorted,
and occasionally the self-styled Apostle
becomes so thoroughly imbued with the
portraiture, that he actually becomes
snaky, 1t is not the literal character of
the snake which is to be considered, and
it must not be understood as in accord
ance with the solemn injunction of the
Savior to crawl and sting like serpent.
The harmless character of the dove is to
enter into the work of the Christian.
Thus the Apostle who goes forth to
teach the word of the Divine Master
must exercise the closest judgement in
his work, or fail. The world is full of
unbelief; the world loves discussion and
controversy; the work of the Apostle is
a great combat with ignorance and Stub
borness from the start, and the religious
teacher should exercise that discretion