The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-07-11
Good and Evil, or the Heavenly
FOld-.-NO. 1.

One of the saddest mistakes mans
religious conceit ever makes is that
which divides mankind into two dis
tinct classes of good and bad, distin-
guished by some external sign. 1t
has not been uncommon for the
world to be classified according to COM
mon notions into saints and sinners,
placing among the saints those who
belong to the church, or who are en-
gagged in some occupation that we ap-
prove, or with whom we sympathize;
while among the sinners we place those
who have not identified themselves
with any religious body, or whose life
we presume to judge and condemn, or
who hold to doctrines we believe to be
false.
Thus to divide humanity is an act
of inexcusable presumption and in
effable vanity. The true doctrine which
we can receive with humility, and
cherish in our hearts as divine, teaches
us first that it is a wickedness in us to
presume to have judgment in the
matter; and secondly, that so far from
being divided thus, every one is in
character a possible angel, however
wicked may be the apparent life, and
that every one in character is pos
sible devil, however pure and lovely
the apparent conduct. The Lords
saints have rather whatever there is of
purity or holiness in ones heart, and
the sinners have whatever there is
selfish and worldly in any ones soul.
The Lord has sheep and lambs in
every human soul throughout the earth
which he is to cherish and to save.
There are also wild beasts in every heart,
which he endeavors to combat and over
come.
The sheep and goats, so far from
being two distinct classes of persons in
this world, have rather two divisions
of qualities of character which hold
sway in the breast of every individual.
There is a whole world of emotions and
thoughts in every bosom, an unnum-
bered variety of affections and ideas in
every soul. Those who have the good
or true are the Lords sheep, which he
is fostering with divine tenderness.
Those who have the evil or false are
the beasts he is conquering with in
finite power. In every heart the Lord
has lambs to care for, and in the same
heart wolves to overcome. The good
things of the character are the flocks
he speaks of in the Word. These are
the sheep he tells us he will care for
and protect; while, at the same time,
exist the goats within which he has
doomed to everlasting shame.
1t may seem to some that the way of
understanding these words may not be
so real as where by sheep we mean the
members of the church or certain per-
sons. But it is more real; and if we
look into our own lives and consider
the treatment we give our own chill
dren, when we are wisest with them,
we shall find that we observe this same
law. In caring for our children we do
not encourage them to grow in every
direction in which they may have a
natural inclination. We strive to fos-
ter in them what is good, we restrain
what is evil. Every lovely disposition
we put our arms around and gently
lead. Every form of passion and sell
fishness we seek to put out of their
characters, or induce them to put aside.
Our real children, those whom we
make ours, are the characters we seek
to develop in them; just as the Lords
real sheep have the heavenly things
he is seeking to implant in the hearts
of mankind. We do not classify our
children into the good and the bad.
This, too, is the intent of our schools in
their treatment of scholars committed
to them for training in the worlds
work. 1t is to encourage whatever is
true and good and noble, wherever and
in whomsoever found, for this is to
carry the lambs in ones arms.
Mrs. Brown.
WOman,s Work