The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-03-05
CHURCH LOCALS
AND RELIGIOUS NOTES OF GENER.
AL INTEREST.

thlng. by violence, fraud and
murder, he had taken possession of
Naboth's little vineyard. Though
a King, and large possessions, and
all the world before him, he robbed
the trusting helpless Naboth OF his
little all. He was walking in and
enjoying his new inheritance. And
yet not at ease Elijah met him. The
King said, elias thou found me, 0,
mine enemy?'' Elijah said, 81
have found thee because thou hast
sold thyselt to work evil"
The men of earth, qye as this
King. Though wide fields and
large possessions are theirs, they
rob Naboth of his little Inheritance.
The Eliiah's ee to- day are the enc
mics OF all such people. Not in
personal way, but in the truth they
represent. The King could have
nothing against Elijah IN this way.
He was not the Kings enemy, only
in the sense Of Gods messenger.
Still such as this RIB God, the
thought is always the same-"Hast
thou found me, 0 mine enemy"
The reply is always the same 81
have found thee because thou hast
sold thyselt to work evil" If it
was not so serious a matter, it
would sometimes be laughable, to
see how. such men look the other
way when the preacher comes along.
There is kind of relief and enjoy
ment in not seeing him. He comes
and passes as Gods messenger-as
a man of peace-as the friend of all
men. Yet by many he is counted
an enemy. He is in the community,
not as matter of personal choice,
but as sent of God. He does not
come to make money, to enter bust.
ness circles, and to run for Office, or
be the rival Of any one, in anything,
but to do one work In doing that
'to a. close" he brings help and
prosperity to all. Whether relig>
ious or not, all men in the communi-
ty are interested in his success and
all suffer loss in his failure. Pros
perity comes in ratio with the reign
of Goodness.
The world has been long time
reaching its present elevation TO-
morals andright living-in christian
civilization. Take out the churches,
Sunday Schools, faith, devotion,
prayer, hope-all that comes from
practical religion-all that it gives
and all that it represses-and the
time would be brief until the world
would reach moral degredation-the
days of Nero, the matricide-horri-
BILE to think or
And yet the question is, "Hast
thou found me, 0 mine enemy?"
Wicked men say it. Protested
christians, living SO far below the
plane of God, say it. Such stray
away from church. They are
afraid of the plain honest and open
message. They do not, even by ex-
ample and influence, give life to
that in which alone they have life.
All of business success, peace, 30
cial enjoyment, etc, comes to them
from that, which if they could, they
would kill.
The law of each human life is to
give back in all things, in proper
ton to what it receives. To violate
tnls law, is to suffer the penalty just
as in the violation OF any other law.
The man receiving his all Of liberty,
OF refinement, enjoyment, cultiva-
ton, and success in earthly pursuits
from the religion of christianity
from the fact of church lite,-and |
not only give nothing in return, but
do his best for ito overthrow, is the
verdict of folly. He is Poisoning
the fountain of his own life. lie is
a moral suicide. AS a matter OF
policy, to say nothing Of religion,
each man should give his heartiest
support to church life. And in
place Of counting the earnest pastor
his enemy, and find pleasure in pass.
ing him by as an enemy. ought 70