The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-11-24

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GOLDEN TEXT viii walk within my house
with a perfect neart-Ps ioi:e
TINE Written during Paui's nrst Roman
Imprisonment about A. ID a.
PLACE -Paul's prison nj Rome
PLACE IN BIBLE IiisroRy.-paui's imprison.
ment is referred 10 In Acts $50 u There Is
no mention OF the Colossians In the Acts. but IL
IL probable that the church there was founded
while Paul was ut Ephesus In that ncighoor-
hood lActs lg)
SENT by Tychcus ana Onesimus. the run.
away slave OF the Colossian Philemon. at the
same time with the letter TO the Ephesians and
the letter 10 Philemon of Colossal
TnE CHURCH AT CoLoss AZ was founded only
indirectly by Paul. either while he was for
three years in Ephesus. its natural seaport
tActs 49, or as n fruit of his tour through
Prrygia Acts go. Paul himself never visit
ties the city Col e;D. The chief name con
nectci with this church was Epaphras Col
Ia. .; t:is), who seems To have been their
pastor ana perhaps founder Philemon and
Onesiumus also belonged to this church lCol
40.
LESSON NOTES.
The True Spirit of the Christian
Family.-la Put on therefore," DR..
Maclaren speaks of these verses as a
description of the garments of the
renewed soul" and 1.-THE wardrobe Of
the consecrated soul" For these vir-
tues are represented here as put on,
not having existed before, and as en-
folding the whole life like a garment
which covers, adorns and protects the
whole body. Nor is this inconsistent
with the fact that every virtue must
grow ont of right heart. We speak
of trees putting on their leaves, al
though the leaves grow out of the
tree. SO these graccs should grow on
all sides freely, flourisbingly. till
they form "A beautiful garment las
the elect" The chosen ones "of God"
in whom lie delights. for they are
holy, consccrated in heart and life.
of Him as children are beloved of their
parents These two words describe
the proof that one is chosen. and the
love that accompanies the choice.
First. Compassion. Bowels of mer-
cies:" Rev Yer. heart of compassion.
Every person. rich or poor. prosperous
or unfortunate. sick or we'll. has need
of sympathy for his trials. his
weaknesses, his errors, his failures. his
aspirations ~ Without it no help
will be of much use to the receiver nor
of any to the giver. Much is said about
ingratitude, but very often it is but the
instructive recoil of the heart from the
unkind doer of kindness Aid flung
to a man as "A bone is to a dog usually
gets as much gratitude as the sympathy
which il expresses deserves. (2) Above
all things. beware of letting pity
tmeant to be the impulse toward help
be excited and then not allowing the
emotion to act. To stimulate feeling
and do nothing in consequence is a
short road to destroy the feeling
Maclaren. (3) Sympathy and com
passion are as necessary for the giver
as for the receiver They keep the
heart from growing narrow and selfish
and limited.
Second. Kindness. from kin, kinned-
ness. having the feelings which befit a
common nature. In the Greek the
root Of the word is profitableness. that
kindly disposition that would do good
to others, profit them. Some souls are
so lowered that they have this grace
without effort. and come like the sun
shine with welcome and cheer for all
the world. But even less happily en-
lowed natures can cultivate the dispo-
sition. The prudent hypocritcs who
get on in the world. as ships are
launched. by ''grcasing the ways" with
flattcry and smiles. teach rs the value
of the true thing. since even a coarse
caricaturc of il wins hearts and dis
arms foes. This kindness is the
most powerful solvent Of ill-will and
Indifference.
Third. Humbleness Of Mind. A lowly
estimate of ourselves is not necessar.
lily blindness to our strong points. II
a man car do certain things better
than his nei shbors. he can hardly help
knowing it. and Christian humility
does not require him to be ignorant OF
il. I suppose Milton would be none
the less humble, though he was quite
sure that his work was better than
that of Stcrnhold and Hopkins The
consciousness of power usually accom-.
panies power. And often 1t accompanies
also very small degree of power mag
nifed by the telescope Of sclf-conceit.
Humility does not exalt itself on &C
count of Gods gifts; il sees its weak
nesses as well rs its power: it sees and
acknowledges the greatness and good.
ness in others. Each one has some.
thing which others can look up TO-
and each one can find something as "a
which he must look mp TO others.
Hence between husband and wife
there can be mutual admiration and
respect; and similar experience
among members of the church.
Fourth. Mcekness-That is, patience
under injuries real or supposed; the
opposite of revenge. The meek are not
easily provoked or irritated. In order
to be meek there must be long-suffer.
ing. patient endurance Of the faults
and disagrceable qualities Of others. II
is our business to be right and to dc
right, no matter what others do or say
Now. since those who live in the same
family are Of different tastes and dis
positions and see things from differen,
standpoints-a fact on which depends
much Of the best discipline Of life
there can be no happiness. no best life