The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-11

One mark is beauty Ripe fruit has its owr
perfect beauty. As the fruit ripens the sur
tints IT nth surprising loneliness; ana tne
cOlOrs deepen til the beauty OF tho irult
equal to the beauty of the blossom ana III
some respects superior. There ID ~ fip'
Christians the beauty OF realiZed sanctnca'
ton. which the word OF GOO KNOWS oy the
name of beauty of holiness.
Another mark Of ripe fruit Is tenderness
The vonng. green fruit IL hard and stone
like. The mature Christian is noted for ten
derness of spirit.
Another mark Of ripeness Is sweetness. The
unrpe fruit is sour. AS We grow in grace we
are sure 10 grow in charity, sympathy and
love. We shall SIS we ripen IN grace have
greater sweetness toward our felow-Chris-
tians. Bitter-spirited Christians may know
a great deal. bat thew are immature.
Those who are quick 20 censurs may be
very acute in judgment. but they are as yet
immature in heart. / know we who are
young beginners in grace think ourselves
qualified 10 reform the whole Christian
Church. We drag her before ia and condemn
her straightway but when our virtues be-
come more mature trust we shall not be
more tolerant Of evil, but we shall be moro
tolerant of infrmity. more hopeful for the
people of God. and certainly less arrogant in
our criticisms.
Another aud very sure mark of ripeness
u
parts from the bough.-Spurgeon.
All Things.
To the average man there is something very
faith-trying indeed almost exasperating. In
the sublime assertions of tho Bible. There
are no ifs" in them. Ne hint is given of
any possibility TINT the commands may
prove too much for human ability, or the
promises remain beyond the reach of human
AZ air u
mandments." If We shall ask ANYTHING in
my name. will do it." There is no BE as
holy as you can" Keep my command
ments as well as you are able. Il will do it
if think best Everything is present and
absolute, not future or conditional.
So with that wonderful argument. or rather
questiOn--for an argument implies premise,
and who can lay down premise that shall
include God,-with which Paul commences
that passage closing the eighth chapter of
Romans He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things"
Then follows the enumeration of the al
things" Not merely is tho justification as
sured. but the very temptations the tribula-
tons the peril. the sword are conquered and
put within our grasp. and these once over
come there is no power TO the limit of the
soul, to compassionate. life, angels. principal
ties. powers. or any other creature. and make
tleIu SuDSeINe lts huYhnce III growth INTO Ine
image OF God. IL is magnificent. and as we
read, the very words seem to lift our souls
into purer air. and we can appreciate the
feelings of the Disciples on the Mount OF
but pretty soon some very
and material thing disspates our
vision and we are apt to feel conquered
rather than conqperOrs.
Now. what is the matter? Two things, must
be recognized as settled. The Bible state
ments are accurate They mean Just what
they say We must be content TO say one
thing at time 'All things are made up of
single things" We cannot pick apples by
the bushel. We pick them one by one. The
secret of Napoleon's success was that he con-
trived TO have a majority at one point, then
having secured that he carried the same ma
iority 10 the next point. and so on until the
great armies often far outnumbering his own
were conquered What we need il TO do the
same thing III the Christian warfare. As we
go to our daily duty. whether at the Office. in
the school. or at home. we need TO start out
with tho assurance that not single tempta-
ton duty or experience will meet us but that
we may lay hold upon it and utilize II for our
own usefulness our own advance in Chris
tan life. But we must take each one as il
comes. Then when the day is over We shall
find that the single things" have bee me the
all things and that all are ours.-The In
New York