Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-11
WINDING ONES BUSINESS.
The Religion of Abstinence from
Meddling.
Rev. A. h Medium speaks His Mind
About GOssips and scandal MOngers
IAN Interesting sermon Last Ev-
eniug.

In the Central church last evening,
Rev. A B. Medium took for his subject:
The Religion of Winding Ones Own
Business" and preso he'd on the text John
xxl:2s:
''what is that TO theey Follow thou me-"
Mr.. Medium said this is what Christ
said to Peter in answer to the inquiry as
to what was to become to the beloved
disciple. John. 1t was just as though he
had said: Now Peter, don't worry your
self about John. will take care of him.
Your recent conduct might teach you the
necessity Of being a little more anxious
about yourself. Leave John to my care
and follow thou me-" This rebuke was
not lost on Peter. Henceforth he did
follow Chrst-followed him to the death
counting it a supreme honor to seal by
his death the testimony of his life.
We may draw some salutary and very
practical lessons from this rebuke which
Christ administered to Peter. We are
I'll PAohO W tBduSC luc WUIh WHICH
God has given us TO do, and to vex our
selves and waste Gods time by wander>
ing about. and meddling with things
| which concern us very little.
l. Is IL not true that we puzzle and
| distract ourselves a great deal with re-
gard to the mysteries of regulation and
| neglect the things which God has clearly
| revealed? We get hold of pair of doc
| trines-one relating TO God, the other re.
lating to man; we try to harmonic Them
but we can't-not because they are ire
concllable, but because we are finite be-
| lngs, who "see through glass darkly."
but we vex ourselves with our vain at
tempts to solve the problem while GOO is
| saying to us: What is that to thee
Follow thou me" Gods word tells US to
pray. but we want To know why, and so
instead of praying We begin to analyZe
| prayer, and the more we analyZe it the
more inexplicabe il seems. Instead of
mlndlng our own business, and doing
what God bids us GO, we get to argu-
| ing about II and we become so perplexed
with our reasonings that we can't hear
God say TO us: What is that to theef
Watch and pray; pray without ceasing 4"
so, also, we get 10 scussing the admis-
| sion of sin into the world and neglect the
means God has provided for its cure.
why did omnipotence allow il? Why
not have preserved the world from its
faint and humanity, from its havocs Why
must suffering, and famine, and wrecks,
and battlefelds. and sickness, and sor-
row, and death, still revel IN the midst of
the human family How shall we recon
Gle these with Gods love and omnipo>
tenceH' And when we have fairly worn
| ourselves out with our speculstions, we
are as near the solution as We were when
We started out, and while we have been
trying to fathom the purposes of the
eternal God, the eternal God has been
saying to US: What is that to
theeI Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" AS to
what We must do to inherit eternal life,
as to how We must live in order to please
God and benefit our fellow men, there
can he no doubt, no speculation; every,
thing there is plain.
2. Then again, when we take "pOpu-
lar sentiment" as the criterion of our con-
duct Christ says this what is that to
theer follow thou mt" Popular senti-
ment is sometimes right, but it is very
often wrong. God does not count by
msjorities. The scriptures have given US
clear and definite standard 1t Is this
That course of conduct only ia good
which is so when Judged by the law of
God. But the standard taken by the MAJ
)orty is not the law of God, but the law
nf man. They ask how does the world
ludgeT what shall satisfy human Opin-
ion2" Instead of having IL fixed and ab.
solute standard in our own breast we
adopt the sliding scale of fashion. GUS
tom and society; Il isn't exactly right
know, but then everybody does it," How
often do we hear such language. What
is that to thees" says Christ follow
thou me-" If you are worthy the name
OF man judge for yourself and act for
yourself. Weakness looks around to see
what is popular. Manliness looks with
In to see what Is right; self respect lies
at the bottom of true manliness. a Just
and dignlf1ed self-estesm which will not
abuse itself before men or things Too
many Of US drift with the popular tide,
and have DO personalities, no opinions,
no self reliance, no incisivs vigor. God
help you and me to treat with scorn the
cOwardly prudence which dares not act
until it asks, "whHt will others say ?"
what will others Think What does 1t mat
ter what they shall say or do or think SO
long az God and conscience approve our
course' What the world needs is men
with q back bone of solid principle. men
who have the courage of their convic-
tious and are not afraid of a sneer; men
rich in the higher qualities of manhood;
men Of moral courage which makes its
possessor ruler of himself-s steady in
doing what is right, and resisting what is
wrong, and raises him above the cligues
and customs and shsns Of the world.
3. "What is that to thee? follow thou
me-" That is what Christ says to the
man who is so busy discovering and de-
n0uncing the sins Of lis neighbor that he
has no thought tor his own. In every
community there are those who fully
answer the description given by the poet
of him who
.Devotes to scandal his congeuial mind,
Himself living libel On mankind
Indeed, most of us live in glass houses
TIE contradictions which arise In human
character are simply incredible. How
painfully pious we will be on one side
of our nature, and with what
villainous grace of manner will we hob
mob with the devil on the other. II
shows that the best Of men are but men
at the least, and how needful it is, that
before we foam at the mouth about other
peoples shortcomings, we see that our
reck onings are not seriously out at their
corners. Scandal mongers are always
towards. The devil is their master.
They are the meancst pest of the COM
mnnity. Beware OF the mudslinger
When you find man who is forever
dwelling upon the shortcomings of his
neiph5or, rest assured that he has an in