Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-08

by psecept and example, urging oDeoience
70 the golden rule, and allegiance to the
royal law. We can bequite sure Of ChrlsIs
ideal for Christians conversation. we
may know verv we'll what He would ap-
prove and what He would disapprove in our
talk about the failings and the faults OF
other people. All unnecessary comment,
all unpleasant speech; all unkind criticism,
all evil report, Christ would have US put
away. he iorbids us to throw stones.
Christ forbids US to comment unkinoly
upon our acquaintances, because we nave,
most of us, all that we can do to look out
for our own selves. II we are desirous OF
any reformation, we can begin at home. Tne
very best criticism into which anybody can
venture is the silent criticism ofexamPle'
THE PURPOSE OF RELIGION.
The men who brought that accusation had
a wrong idea about the purpose OF religion.
They thought that religion was capital de-
vice for keeping other people In order.
There are those to-day to whom that is tine
chief value OF the church. The parson Is OF
use in the community in proportion as ne
helps the policeman. The trouble with this
idea about religion is that it fails to begin
at the right place. Christ called the atten-
ton of these jealous people to their own
selves. He made them think about Them
selves. This they had not done before,
after that fashion. Whatever thought they
had given tn themselves had been tine sort
of thinking which the Pharisee bestowed
upon himself in the presence OF the PuDii-
can. It had been of the nature OF compli-
ment and congratulation. Christ changed
that Suddenly, within hearing Of His
voice, within sight of His eyes, new reVe-
lation came into the hearts of these careless
accusers, and they saw themselves as they
were. And you know that when they saw
that sight, they quietly went out, one after
another, beginning first with those who were
the eldest and most thoughtful, ending with
the youngest; out they went, letting their
accusation lapse, uttering no hard word
more, finging no stones; not one Of them re-
mained.
The Christian religion is above all else
intensely personal. Christ was forever in
sisting upon this application of it. Alone
we stand, each man and woman Of US, In
Gods presence, and are held responsible for
Just our own sins. The very first thing
which Christ asks of us is to give him the
undivided allegiance of our own hearts
When we begin to question about this one
and that of our acquaintance, Christ says
as He said in the old time, Follow thou
Mer' That is what we have to do, to follow
Him.
I am afraid that when we come to look
into the matter honestly, it will be found
that none of us can throw many stones. The
people who do the stone-throwing are for the
most part people who are quite ignorant
about themselves. They have SO much time
to find fault with their neighbors, because
they do not take time to amend themselves.
The best help toward kindly judgment ofother
people is honest and unsparing Judgment OF
our own selves. That will make US charita-
bic. That will make Us pitiful and fore
bearing. That will make us careful, just
and gentle in our speech.
WHICH WAS THE WORST?
Christ forbids us to comment unkinjly
upon our acquaintance, because the spirit
which above all others He desires to find In
us is the spiritof brotherly love. God loves him
who loves his brother. He. who judges not
will not be judged. Upon this loving
spirit Christ insisted more than upon any
other virtue whatsoever. Here He stood
before two kinds of sinners. On one side
was this woman, guilty of grieVous trans
gression; on the other side were these men
whose lives were probably righteous for the
most part, but who were rejoicing at her
humiliation. Which Of the two, the ac-
cused or the accusers, was the worse, do you
think, in the estimation of Him who knew
perfectly the will of God and the heart of
man? Plainly, He liked the accusers least.
There is no sin which so contradicts the
purpose for which Christ came into the
world as the sin of unkind speech. He
came to bring us all closer together, TO OBJ
literate all false distinctions, to break down
barriers Of ill-will and prejudice, to bind
men into brotherhood. ALI the time, we are
defeating that divine intention. We, are.
postponing the coming OF that kingdom
whose advent waits upon our spiritual readi-
ness for it. We are making other people
unhappy and ourselves unhappy. He came
to bring peace into this world, aud joy un.
speakable; and all the time, by our unkind-
ness, one to another, bv our careless eriti-
cisms, we are keeping bitterness in.
IF it did any good, there might be some
excuse for it. II unkind speech really re-
formed anybody, there might be some reason
for it. The truth is that it does no good at
all. IF what we honestly want is the bet
tering of our feilow-men, we will accom-
plish that by kindness, not by criticism.
One time in the early history of Austria
liza they wanted to persuade the natives to
leave the mainland and live upon a certain
island. They tried the plan Of arming all
the able-bodied men in the colony and going
out to hunt the savages like bears to drive
them to the seashore. The struggle turnsd
against the colonists. And the natives were
more troublesome than ever. At last
man who had some Christian sense, a work.
ingman, a brieklayer, put his trowel down
one day and started off alone into the savage
country. And in space of time not very
long, that single, unarmed man had done
what all the muskets and bludgeons in Aus
tralia had failed to do. He had persuaded
the native tribes to move.
MAKING THE WORLD BETTER.
Ihave no faith in violence. do not be-
lieve in reforming people by going after
them with sticks; nor in bettering people by
abusing them. The only thing which will
make good men out of bad men is the gen.
uine brotherliness of good men.
They wanted to throw stones at that poor
woman. What good would that have done,
do you think, toward making her a better
woman? Christ would have none of that.
He said kind word to her. He did kind
deed for her. And then when He told her
to go away and sin no more, do you think
she disobeyed Him? Mol
We have gone along now good many
centuries, trying in one way and another to
make the world better. But here is Christ's
way really untried, except by good man
and woman here and there; really untried,
this way which Christ Himself set down.
Would it not be good plan to try that?
1t is quite plain what Christ wants of you
and me. He wants us to think great deal
about our own sins and very little about
anybody else's sins. He wants us to be con-
siderate of eVerybody's feelings, and careful
of everybodY's character. He wants US to
be perfectly silent about the faults of other
people; to look always on the best side; to
put away prejudice, criticism and coldness;
to try to bring all the happiness we can into
this world, by every kind word we can say,
and by every kind work we can do, and to
keep out all the bitterness against which we