Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-03-16

faithI nave IL To thysClf before Cod" " 22.l
your conscience condemns you Tor doing
thing not wrong IN itself, don't do It, but
don't intruiu your condemnation upon
others, for II lie, or may be, false doctrine
having It's scat only In your own erroneous
conception. "ilave II TO thy self" Don't
spread It, Don't carry the false conception
to others. DONE teach II to your children.
| Don't preach 1t In your sunday school. Don't
urge IL upon yonr friends. In short don't
create or porpeiuatc false doctrines or do
| anything whereby thy brother stumblcth,
| or Is offended, or IL made weak" (N:2l.) We
mnst train our children to meet conditions
as they are, to look upon everything M com.
| ing from God and necessarily good Perhaps
our student his n sunday school class aud
some day one of the girls ur boys In his class
asks him II II is sinful TO dance lie replies
that II IA absolutely sinful "iccntious," etc.
Now IL the child unluckily has some conn
douco I'm the teacher, profound impression
II created, aud "a long as Il lasts, the dance
Is TO that child sin. Instead OF this, sup
| pose he had some regard for truth and
answered the child something In this fash
ion; My child, dancing may be good or evil
according to the use or abuse Of It, $ mo
have conscientious sctuples against II aud
such people ehould not dance. Others get
much harmless pleasure from Il; they are -
constituted that they can Join dance with
thanks to God that thoy have strength to
participate, brain to receive aud nnaly 20
the music and recognize Its cadence, the
| skin to execute the dance and tho ability to
enjoy Its associations ani privileges, To
such person dancing Ia not, ind never cnn
DO sin. My child, you must settle this
question wi'hyour conscience aud your o. .
My conceptions Of the lance may DO false.
| will not put btumbling block IN your way
ny imparting them to on. "Let Every on,
~ ~ ilessc his ueighbor for his good to edi
ncation." (Rom lS;2)
Let us not therefore judge ons another
my more, but judge this rather, that no
man put stumbling block or an occasion to
fall In his brothers way" Clom. lt:n)
This then, was the apostolic injunction to
the church NJ Rome. This church was made
M OF n mixture CT jews and Gontilos and
Their doubts ON these points were honest
and Paul so recognized them. In Corinth
things were somewhat dlt,erenti the churcL
was better informed and the causes for dis
cu,siun woro not 30 real, To them Paul
breaches II more pointed doctrine, not nj
variance with that preached TO tho Romans
but better suited TO their situation. Ho tell,
tho church ut Rome to be persuaded IN theii
own oonscienccs. lie does not tel
tho church NJ Corinth that, because h,
knows they are fixed In their belief Read
| Cor. g., In this connection. Tho last vers,
Of this chapter, or Its improper intrrprcia
ton rather, has proved averitable stumhlif !
BLOCK to many who seek honestly for IN,
truth,
"WherefOre II meat causes my brother I,
orond, | will eat no flesh while tho woilt
} etandoth." tv:l3l Thls Ia not an Injunction
orucommand, lisa proposition and In forn
II arsumentative. There IL no sort OF gruunC
for claiming that Paul ate no mcnt. lie 4
showing them tho absurdity OF their "A Gus
siJn white he keeps ON eating meat himself
Read the account OF the imprisonment o
Paul and silas ana their feast upon men
when liberated. (Acts l0:8t) Christ Him
self ate with publicans ana sinners and re-
hulSed those who criticised Him. luke 0
2L8l) We cannot apply the text quoted II
any other way Those who claim IL il
posi- i've Injunction against doing II thing
not wrong In Itself, because some one els
may turn the same thing To his own injury
are either insinccre or ignorant. IL las beci
tho effort of this entire paper To show tn,
iallacy u such II construction. AS we hav
seen there Is hardly human net or thing 4
/ which man cOud participate without rC
tnotaly, ut least, violating suOh a command
II perYadbs AL human aois and associations
from tho most holy down to the most com
monpluco. Let us rid our minds OF all blin
ur' Juiice aud marrow conception and let II
900 for that regonorato uind which vii
permit us TO receive and tnloy the beautio
sud privileges OF life. lot us not judge o
pronounce harsh DEGREES upon harmless
associations, but lot rs rather sock to sur
round thosi as Ociatons with tho best IL
= iluuncts nni protect thom from abuse. no
thou that iudgost dOost the Same thinHsn
Il A SINNER