The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-04-23
CHURCH LOCALS
AND RELIGIOUS NOTES OF GENER.
Al, INTEREST.

a pastor in days of Jehoshaphat,
king of Judah. Jehu was spiritu-
al, faithful man Of God, in these
days of Judal's weakn ess and spec
ial temptation to do and to speak
and to act, like the people Of the
world. The greater Judah's weak
ness and worldliness, the more earn
est and yet tender, was Jehu's love
and pastoral care.
JEHosHAPHAT, representing the
church, was not at heart bad man.
On the contrary he was a good man.
He wanted to be, he intended to be,
he believed himself to be, a good
man, man of God, a true member
Of the church. But as to-day there
was in him a spirit of compromise
with the world. He leaned that
way, looked that way, had q kindly
touch for the world.
CHRISTIAN people do the same
thing, have the same spirit. to-day,
that this king of Judah and profess
ed friend Of God had. He felt safe.
They feel safe. Sin thus acting
toward the world and the pronounce
ed enemy of God, lam in no dam
GER" say they, "and may win them
to the church, by not being over
righteous" Then as he said and
felt they say and feel; "These are
my friends : are members of my fam
lily; my associates in life; and ]
must not be SO religious as to drive
them from me-"
So the spirit of compromise comes
to abide in them. They are hardly
conscious of it. When saying and
doing the same things, that wicked
people say and do, seem not to know
that ''they cruelty to themselves the
Son of God afresh. and put Him t.
open shame" Least of all are they
aware that they earn to themselveI
the contempt of the wicked, and de
stroy their own religious integrity
They come to lose their own self
respect, and instead of being tru,
witnesses for God, they are falls
witnesses.
The tender appeal OF Jehu and al
true pastors. is in the following
words: "Shouldst thou help tn,
ungodly and love them that hate thu
Lord?'' "Shouldst thou?' An.
swer me as in Gods presence, in
the presence of your solemn VOWS
"Shouldst thou?'' "Shouldst thou
help the ungodly ard love then that
hate the Lord?" Not thing, OF
the shadow of a thing in your
christian profession, but that an.
swers strongly-''Thou shouldst
no."
THERE are many ways in which
this :'help is given to the ungodly
I
and in which this love is seen toward
them that hate the Lord" Not on.
ly in actually and actively partaking
with them of their evil things, but
in passively yielding to their infu.
ence and evil example. There is
no stern protest against their sin.
There are no earnest words of warn
ing. There is, perhaps, no direct
or personal partaking with them,
but there is no condemnation Of
their doirgs. Indirectly, help is
given to the ungodly and love is
shown toward them that hate the
Lord.
THIS spirit of compromise chllls
the spiritual life. In religious
things the christian will come tc
love them only as the ungodly love
them. There will come an intense
dislike and final hatred of things
deeply spiritual and earnest. Such
will demand ga prophecy of smooth
things" If this mans darling be
not touched" he will be in harmo-
ny, if not in love with their pastor
II there is profound earnestn ess in
the spirit Of the'pre$eher, in such a
circle, you can hear on all sides,
"He is too religious" "He is over.
righteous" ''It will not last" AS il
was said of John, "He hath devil. y