The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-01-28

NE, however DunDie TX may seem to
: be, God IS always there TO help you
TO do it. If your work is that Of a fish
er1nan, then God viii help you. as be
helped Simon when he dragged Gen.
nesaret. If your work is drawing
water, then be will help you, as when
he talked ut the well curb to the Sa-
marian woman. If you are engaged
in the custom house he will lead you.
as he led Matthew sitting at the re
ceipt of customs 4 religion that is
not good in one place IS not worth
anything in another place. The man
who has only days wages in his
pocket IA certainly needs the guild
ance Of religion is he who rattles
the keys Of bank and could abscond
with hundred thousand hard dol
lars.
There are those prominent in the
churches VINO seem to be. on public
occasions. very devout who do not
put the principles Of Christ's reli gion
into practice. They are the most in,
exorable of creditors. They are the
most grasping Of dealers. They are
known as sharpers on the street.
They fleece every sheep they can
catch. A country merchant comes
IN to buy spring or fall goods, and he
gets into the store Of one Of thoge
profe3sed Christian men who have
really no grace in their heartz and
he is completely swindled.
He is so overcome that he cannot
get out of town during the week.
He stays in town over Sunday, goes
into some church to get Christian
/ consolation, when what is his amaze
ment to find that the very man who
hands him the poor box in the church
Is the one who relieved him of his
/ money! But never mind; the deacon
/ has his black coat on now. He looks
solemn, and goes home talking about
( 1.-The blessed sermon" If the wheat
in the churches should be put into
/ hopper, the first turn Of the crank
would mako the chaff fly. | tell you.
Some Of these men are great stick
lers for Gospel preaching They say:
You stand there in bands and sur
plice and gown. and preach-preac,a
like an angel, and we will stand out
here and attend to business. Don't |
mix things. Don't get business and
religion in the same bucket. You
attend to your matters ana we will |
attend to ours They do not know
that God sees every cheat they hare
practiced in the last six years; that
he can look through the iron wall of !
their freproof safe; that he has
counted every dishonest dollar they
have in their pocket, and that a day
of judgment will come. These incon-
slstent Christian men viii sit on the |
Sabbath night in the house of God.
singing, at the close of the service,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me-" and
then, when the benediction is pro
nounced, shut the pew door and say,
as they go out, "Goodby, religion.
I'll be back next Sunday"
THE CHURCH Is TIE CHRISTIANS AR
MORY.
/ think that the church Of God and
the Sabbath are only an armory
where we are toget weapons When
Wal comes, if a man wants to fight
for his country he does not go to
Troy or Springfield to do battling,
but he goes there for swords and
muskets. i look upon the church of
Christ and the Sabbath day as only
the place and time where and when
we are to get armed for Christian
conflict; but the battlefield is on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs
day, Friday and Saturday. st.
Martins" and 'Lenox" and odd
Hundred DO not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. 4
sermon is useless unless we can take
it with us behind the pillow and the
counter. The Sabbath day is worth
less if it last only twenty-four hours.
There are many Christians who
say: I'VE are willing to serve God.
but we do not want to do it in these
spheres about which we are talking,
and it seems so insipid and monoto-
nous. If we had some great occasion,
if we had lived in the time of Luther,
if we had been Paul's travelling COM
panion, if we could serve God on a
great scale, we would do it; but we
can't in this everyday life admit
that great deal Of the romance and
knight errantTy Of life have d;e2p
peared before the advances Of this
practical age.
The ancient temples of Rouan have
been changed into storehouses and
snlithies. The residences of poets
and princes have been turned into
brokers' shops. The classic mansion
of Ashland has been cut up into walk
ing sticks. The groves where the ;
poets said the gods dwelt have been
carted out for fire wood. The muses.
that we used to read about have dis
appeared before the emig7ant's ak
and the trappers gun and that man
who IS waiting for a life bewitched of
wonders win never find it. There is,
however, field for endurance and i.
great achievement. but it is in every.
day life. There are Alps to scale,
there are tablespoons to swim, there
are fires to brave; but they are al !,
around us now. This is the hardest
kind of martyrdom to bear.
It took grace to lead Lati1ner and :
Ridley through the fire triumphantly |
when their armed enemies and their /;
friends We're looking on; but it re- 1
qulres more grace now to bring men
through persecution, when nobody is 4
looking on. Icould show you in this
city woman who has had rheurna- d
tlsm for twenty years, who has en- !
dured more suffering and exhausted -.
more grace than would have made I
twenty martyrs pass triumphantly :
through the fire. Il you are not S
faithful in an insignificant position in .
life you would not be faithful in q :
grand mission If you cannot stand l
the bite of nudge, how could YOU ,
endure the breath of a basiliskp Il
GOD Is GLoRJFTED IN ALI, GOOD WORK. .