The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1888-08-25
Saturday. August 25, 1883.
SNAKES O. 2.


We did not intend to revert tc
this subject again, but a pious
friend desires an answer to two
questious-1st., are there no per.
feet clrishans2 2nd. what position
would You have a clergyman to
hold 10 society hence we continue
our subject OF last week.
in reply 10 the first conundrum
we would answer without hesita-
ton, Mop The most that
the best and most persovering
can do is to hy to be a
christian. We have heard people
"rigLt here in White Oaks" say
that they had found their Jesus and
their election was sure, whereas
the very parties spoken Of have
made breaks since which would
/ shame the devil. Only two weeks
ago Rev. Talmage, oneot the most
eloquent and eminent divines OF
the age, delivered a sermon on the
Prodigal Son, in which he referred
to these goody-goody folk. Tai
mage ought to be pretty good au
thority, and in using him as a nail
with which to clinch our argu
ment we think our self-righteous
friends are precluded from urging
that we argue from the plane OF a
scotfer Talnago said:
The only perfect people that l
have ever known were utterly OBJ
noXions. ! was never so badly
cheated in all my lie as by a per-
feet man. lie got so far up in his
devotions that he was clear up
above all the rules OF common hon
esty. These men that go about
prowling among prayer meetings,
and in places of business, telling
how good they are-look out for
them; keep your hand on your
pocket book! | have noticed that
in proportion as a man gets good
he gets humble. The deep Missis
sippi does not make as much noise
as the brawing mountain rlyulet.
There has been many store that
had more goods in the window
than inside on the shelves.
We hear q great deal IN our day
about the higher life. Now, there
are two kinds OF higher-Hte men.
The one are admired, and the 9th
er most ropuIsiyo. The one kind
of high4r-ljfa man IS very lenient
in his criticism OF others, does not
bore prayer-meetiugs to death with
long harangues, does not talk q
great deal about himself but about
Christ and heaven, gets hindlier
and more gentle and more useful,
unil ouc day his soul spreads a
/ wing and he flies away to eternal
rest, and everybody mourns his
departure. The other higher-life
man .oes around with a Bible con
spiciously under his arm, goes
! from church to church, a sort OF
general evangelist; Is nuisance TO
His own pastor when he Is at home
and n nuisance to other pastors
when ne is away trom home; runs
up to some man who is counting
out o roll of bank bills or running
up a difficult line Of figures and
ask him how his soul is; makes re-
| ligion a dose of ipecacuanha;sCGnd-
ing in religious meeting making
an address, he has patronizing way,
as though ordinary Christians were
clear down below him, so he had
to talk at the top Of hls voice in
order to make them hear, but at
the same time encouraging them to
hope on, that by climbing many
years they may after q wmle come
up within sight OF the place where
he now standsl ! tell YOU plainly
that a roaring, registering, bounc
ing sinner is not so repulsiyo to me
/ as that higher-lite malformation.
Til, former may repent; the latter