Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-03-25
8eliginas Department.

geliginlas Department.
Next to God himself, there is nc
being in the universe that can do one
so much good or so much harm as he
can do to himself. He can, with this
exception, be his own best friend Oh
his own worst enemy.
Peter speaks of the sin of Ananias
as lying to the Holy Ghost, and also
as lying unto God, implying that in
living unto one he had lied unto the
other, and hence incidentally imply
ing the personality and divinity OF
the Holy Ghost.
Faith, in the Pauline sense of this
term, is exceeding simple. God says
81 give thee salvation" and faith
answers: 81 accept it." What God
gives faith takes, and salvation is the
result. 1t is saving faith, because it
accepts the "great salvation.
''Heirs-heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ such is one of the
Characterization of Christians by the
great apostle to the Gentiles. This
places the Christian in the royal fam
lily of the King of kings. Let him
appreciate the honor and thank God
for it.
The greatest battle of life IS the
one that we have to fight with the
evil tendencies of our own hearts !;
and the greatest victory that we can
possibly win consists in the conquest
of these tendencies. "He that ruleth
his spirit is greater ethan he that
taketh city prov. xvi, 32.)
Every one needs daily food for the
refreshment of his body, and just as
much needs spiritual food each day
| for the refreshment of his soul. If
he begins the day by taking the one
kind of food, he should equally begin
it by taking the other kind. He will
thus strengthen body and soul at the
same time.
DR.. Gloag, in his Commentary on
Acts, observes eve must receive
the Scripture as it stands: and, on
the one hand, not explain away the
natural meaning of the language, nor,
on the other, put meanings into it
which it cannot bear" This is moul-
tatn IN pdTUO, and contains the true
rule to be observed in reading the
Word of God.
The career of Judas Iscariot, the
betrayer of Jesus, forcibly teaches
two lessons. One is the fact that
great opportunities do not necessarily
carry with them great blessings. The
other is that fixed and confirmed de-
pravity may exist under the disguise
of fidelity and purity. Both of these
lessons are conspicuously inscribed
on the life record of Judas.
He who makes the best of every
thing is sure to have the best all the
time. No matter what happens to
him that will be to him practically
the best He will look upon it as
such, and such it will be in fact.
Such a man will at all times be on
good terms with providence. The
bright side of life will be before his
eye with its good cheer.
The history of the Church shows
that while ''God buries his workmen,"
he does not fail to "carry on their
work" The former die and disap-
pear, and 60 to reap their reward in
heaven; and other hands take up the
''wOrk," and are followed by still
others. Thus the ''work" goes for
ward, while the ''workmen' are con-
stantly changing.
OF the Christians in Jerusalem who
were scattered abroad by the perse-
cution in that city, it is said that they
event everywhere preaching the
Word" They fled for personal safe
ty, but they did not stop preaching.
The actual result of the persecution
was just the opposite of that intend
ed. What was meant for evil God
overruled for good.
The Bible is, upon its face and in
fact, a book of divine revelations,
directions, admonitions, warnings and
promises addressed to this world.
The one question for each man to
settle, having the knowledge of this
book, is whether he will heed its
teaching and act as he should in the
light of it. Upon his decision Of this
question depends his eternal destiny.
''If a man die shall he live again %
inquired Job in a moment of despon-
dency and gloom. Yes, says the BIZ
BILE, he will live again. Behind this
answer stand the infinite power and
unchanging veracity of God, as the
guaranty of its truth. The Bible an
swer to his answer to the question.
That is sufficient for faith, no matter
what may be the seeming destructive
ness of death. What we have to do
is to believe what God says on the
subject.
1t is but little that we know of our
own future in this world. We some
times talk and often act as if we
knew all about it. The fact, howev-
er, is just the reverse, as experience
is constantly teaching us. This ig
onnctitntQc