The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-30

their sovereign disposal, and practically
treat God as If He had nothing to do
with them, and as if they had no occa
sion for having any thing to do with
Him-yes, to all such graceless presum-
ers the Apostle James speaks in the fol.
lowing words of description, monition
and truth:
Go to now, we that say: To-day or to.
morrow we Will go into such city, and con.
tinue there year, and buy and sell and get
gam. whereas We know not what shall be
on the morrow. For what is your life? It is
even vapor that appeareth for little
while. and then vansheth away. For that
ye ought to say: II the Lord will. we shall
live and do this or that But now We rejoice
In your Boosting; all such rejoicing Is evl."
james iv, Is. l6.
1t Is not to be supposed that the Apos-
tie meant, by this language, to condemn
or rebuke wise and provident regard
to the future in the present life, such
as is demanded by the circumstances Of
our earthly condition, and such as is
evinced by the virtuous and Industrious
"husbandman" who ''waiteth fos the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive
the early and the latter rain" Games
N7) There is nothing in the language
at war with the realities of our present
life, except as these realities are them
selves perversions of reason and viola
tons of duty. What the Apostle meant
was to rebuke those worldlings who live
for this world as if they were immortal
on earth, and on earth lay up all the
treasures they ever lay up. They prac-
tically never take death into their &C.
count, and hence treat life as if it were
an immutable fixture. They never take
God or the absolute dependence of life's
continuance upon His will, into the
account; and hence they treat God as if
no such being existed. They may not
be theoretical atheists; yet they are
practical atheists. The three items of
thought which the Apostle presents to
such persons are these: First. they
have no certain knowledge in respect
to the events of the future, and hence
can not tell before hand what shall be
on the morrow" Their tomorrow is q
day that may never come to them, and
that 1t will come is more than they GER
tainly know. Secondly, life in this
world, even at the longest, is but short
and feeting day, and in this respect is
like "the vapor that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away"
The story is soon told, and told forever;
and if one has lived simply for this
world, then he will soon lose all that he
has gained. He brought nothing with
him when he came into the world; and
he will carry nothing with him when he
leaves it. Thirdly, every one should
devoutly remember that whether he
will live to do this or that" de.
ponds not upon his own choice
or appointment, but upon the choice
and appointment of the great God who
made him. and in whom he lives, and
moves, and has his being. Mans ex'
istence on earth is not self-perpetuated
existence, any more than it is self
originated existence. Gods power un
derlies it in both cases. The ANNA
machinery of life does not run itself
independently of Him, or against His
will. These are the thoughts that the
Apostle submits to the self-seeking pre-
sumers on coming time. They are goot
thoughts, and such as every man should
carry with him as he pursues the jour
ney of life. He will live more wisely i
he lives under their influence than hi
will if he sets them at nought. Jane
was philosopher as well as an apostle
and a saint. He knew what was hes
for man, and wrote accordingly.-N. Y
Independent.