The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-05-28
CHURCH LOCALS
AND RELIGIOUS NOTES OF GENER.
AL, INTEREST.

MANY ldll OF OOO FAVOR anu eter-
nal life, in the neglect OF one or
more of four essentials. The first of
of these, is in ''heart preparation"
God can reach the life only through
the heart. And as preparation for
given thing, is needful in all world
ly matters, it is necessary in relig-
ious things. "A man might just as
we'll and wisely, propose to take
charge of great commercial inter-
est, or to practice medicine or law
without preparation, as to become a
religious man without preparation.
The second thing is the end and
object of this heart preparation-it
is to know the laws and will of God.
This is the end of preparation, or it
has no object. Many seem to anter
upon the work of preparation with
out definite end in view. They
will begin to repent, to pray, to at
tend church, and use other minis.
tries of preparation without a clear
and exact statement of the object.
There will he a kind of general i'm
preston of it, but not an exact
recognition of the end.
The third thing in the process is
to do-frst to make preparation in
order to know, the second is to know
in order to do, the law and will of
God. Men in many things in life,
as we'll as in religion, make prepara-
ation-they know and then fail to
do. Hence there are failures along
all lines of lite. But for this reason
there are more failures in matters
religious than in all others. Men
prepare the heart in order to know.
They know in order to do and then
do not. 'Why stand ye here all the
day idle?"
But now there Is a fourth thing
in the whole process just as essen.
tial, aid yet perhaps more frequent.
ly neglected than any one of the
three named. First. prepared
heart, in order, secondly to know
and this, thirdly, in order to do, and
this, fourthly, doing in order tc
teach .others. The teaching par
of the whole process is overlooked
Each man, becoming religious, is tc
become teacher of others. Each
man saved is to be saver of other
men. He is saved to this end. The
religious man, net saving others, will
lose his own sense and knowledge of
salvation.
lhese are Ae four essentials in
every religious life. This is Gods
tOur-fold witness. We have in the
vision of the prophet four faced
image; the face OF the lion or king;
the face OF the OK, the laborer; the
face of the man, the brother; the
face of the eagle, the Divine. This
is Gods witness to Himself and His
witness to each man. The four es.
sentials above named, many answer
to the four faced image. The man
must prepare his heart in order to
know the man must know in order
to do; the man must do in order to
teach others. The neglect OF either
one, renders all others inefficient
and useless.
Rev. J. L. TilIman, the successful
Evangelist, wants to come to Marietta
and hold one of his great tent meet
ings. He has recently been doing
good work in Augusta If he should
come, we hope our people will give
Tim a cordial welcome and render all |
possible help.
We heard OF visit from Rev. Mr..
Bayes, of Rome, to Marietta, last
week. He did not report tc these
headquarters, and is therefore sub.
ject to heavy fine. We hope he
will call soon and pay up. 1t is con-
trary to laws for a preacher of any
chorch to enter our territory with
out reporting in person.
We know one Marietta pastor who
has resolved to have short sermons
only, from this on, specially at
night. The service, beginning