The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-26
Our pleasures are in exact proportion

Our pleasures are in exact proportion
to our duties.
You can tell how Christian is sane
tilted as you do about disease, by his
tongue.
Comparison, more than reality,
makes men happy, and can make them
wretched.
Sin is to be overcome, not so much
by maintaining 4 rect opposition to
it, as by cultivating opposition princi,
t pies.
1t is wonderful what strength and
boldncss Of purpose and energy of will
come from the feeling that we are in
the way of duty.
We are never more subject to attack
from our spiritual enemies than when
i'm the garden of ease. There is less
danger for us when out in the conflict
of life than when we sit down to rest.
A religion that never sufiices to gov
ern q man will never suffice to save
him that which does not sufficiently
distinguish him from a wicked world
will never distinguish him from a per-
ishing world.
The surest way to produce moral
blindness is to neglect moral convic-
ton. One who pursucs this course
will soon admire his own errors, credit
his own lies, and take pleasure in hi>
own wickcdness.
The only way to eternal life is
through the all-sufficient atonement OF
Il dying Saviour, and the only evidence
of our interest in his blood, q heart
sanctified by his Spirit, and life dedi-
Gated to his glory.
We must he in our own inner, secret
lives what we want our permanent in-
tiuence to he. This we can become by
seeking more and more the permeation
of our whole being by the loving in
dwelling Spirit of Christ.
One of the greatest needs Of the
Church is sanctilied lips. A tongue OF!
fire is not enough, for, according to St.
james, it may be set on fire from the
wrong place. 1t is vain to talk OF a
clean heart without clean mouth.
I am certain that it is impossible to
keep the law toward ones neighbol
eXcent one loves him. The law itself
is infinite, reaching to such delicacies
of action that the man who tries most
will be the man most aware of defeat.
We are not made for law, but for love.
Love is law, because it is infinitely
more than law.
Somebody has said: "Hidden sin
has chance to become firmly rooted
before we attempt seriously to dea!
with it," Is it not often rooted before
we are aware of it? Hence the impor-
tance OF daily examination and pray
ing, "Cleanse thou me from secret
faults" "If I regard iniquity in my
heart, the Lord will not hear me-"
Carry Il pleasant or, at least, placid
countenance around with you. There
is nothing gained by going up and
down the streets with sour, wrinkled,
clouded visage. You appear to be ag
gravating your own misery possibly
you are making yourself miserable
without real cause. Here is dead
loss of both reputation and character as
regards yourself. Then, in your rela-
ton to others, you are impairing your
chances and your ability to be helpful
and agreeable. Whoever thinks these
matters unworthy of consideration has
very distorted view of life and duty.
Sympathy with others is not learned
without personal suffering. The pow
er to comfort grows out Of our own af-
tiictions. Depend upon it, those use
| full workers whom you so much envy
have their private griefs which minis
ter to their usefulness, or keep them
under their success. Those whom the
Lord honors in public lie chastens in
private. These sicknesses and sorrows
of ours have a fcrtilizing effect, or al
least they ought to have. Every cold
wind as we'll as every sunbeam helps
to put oil into the olives and grace into
believers.
Child of God, let your first waking
act each morning be to remind your:
self (1) that your every sin is washed
away by the blood of Christ; (2) that
you are wholly his by purchase, and
| by deliberate selt-surrender; (3) that
thus there is now no cloud, nor even
shadow, between your soul and God
az that the Lord assumes the hourly
keeping Of the life and walk thus COM
mitted to him. Let this morning act
he the continuing attitude of the soul
all day. If interrupted by momenta'
fy failure, let instant confession restore
rull communion.