The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-04
APPLIcABLETo YOURSELF.
Continued from page 1.

we are told that God is Love-" that
Is he is benevolent. Benovolence COM
prises his whole character All his
moral attributes are only 80 many
notifications Of benevoence. An indi.
vldual who is converted is in this re-
spect like God.
do not mean to be understood that
no one is converted unless DO is per
fectly and purely benevolent, as God is;
but that the balance OF his mind, his
prevailing choice, is benevolent. He
sincerely seeks the good OF others, for
his own sake. And by disinterested
benevoience l do not mean that per-
son who IL diSinterested feels no in
terest in his object of pursuit, but that
he seeks tho happiness Of others for
lts own sake. and not for the sake
OF its reaction on himself, in promot-
ing his own happiness. He chooses TO
DO good because he rel ices in The hap
piness of others, and desires their hap
piness for It's own sake. God ia purely
and disinterestedly benevolent. He
does not make His creatures happy for
the sake of thereby promoting His own
happiness, but because He loves their
happiness and chooses 1t for it's own
sake. Not that He does not feel happy
in promoting the happiness of His own
creatures, but that He does not do it
for the sake of His own gratilc alton
The man who is disinterestod feels
happy in doing good. Otherwise doing
good itself would not be virtue in him.
In other words, if no did not love to
do good, and enjoy doing good, it
would not be virtue in him.
Benevolence is holiness. 1t is what
the law OF God requires: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God, with all thy
heart and soul and strength, and thy
neighbor as myself just as certainly
as the converted man yields obedience
to the law Of God, and just as certainly
as he is like God, he is bene VIOLENT. II
is the leading feature OF his character
the happiness OF others, and not b lis own
happiness. as his supreme end.
3. That true conversion is change
from state OF supreme selfshness 30
benevolence.
and not mere change in the means Of
attaining the end. 1t is not true that
the converted and tho unconverted
differ only in The means they use, while
both arc aiming at the same end. 1t Ia
not true that Gabriel and Satan are pur-
suing tho same end, and both alike
aiming at their own happiness, only
pursuing different way Gabriel does
not obey God for tho sake OF promoting
his own happiness. A man may ch ,nge
his means and yet have the same end,
his own happiness. IIo may do good for
the sake Of tho temporal benefit. Ho
may not believe in religion, or in any
eternity, and yet may SEQ that doing
good will be for his advantage in this
world.
Suppose, then, his eyes are opened
and he sees the reality OF eternity, and
then he may take up religion as means
of happiness in eternity. Now, evory
one can see there is no virtue In this.
1t is the design that gives character to
the act, not the means employed to Of
feet the design. The true and the false
convert differ in this The true convert
chooses, as the end of his pursuit., the
glory OF God and the good of his king
dom. This end he chooses for its own
sake, because he Vows this as the great
est good, as greater good than his own
individual happiness. Not that he ia
Indifferent to his own happiness, but he
prefers Gods glory, because il is a
greater good. He looks on the happi-
ness Of every individual according to
it's real Importance, az far as he is ca
pable Of valuing 1t, and he chooses the
greatest good as his supreme object.
4. Now, l am to show some things in
which the true Christian and the de-
ceived persons may agree, and some
things in which they differ.
LIST. They may agree in leading a
strictly moral life.
The difference is in their motives.
The true Christian lives moral life
from love and holiness; the deceived
person from selfish considerations. He
uses morality as a means to an end, to
effect his own happiness The true
saint loves it as an end.
I'd. They may be equally prayerful, so
far as the form OF praying is concerned.
he difference is in their no otives.
The true Christian loves to pray. The
other prays because he hopes to derive
some benefit to himself from praying.
The true saint expects benefit from
praying, but that is not his leading mo-
tive. The other prays from no other
motive
Sd. They may be equally jealous in
religion.
One may have great zeal, because his
zeal Is according to knowledge, and he
sincerely desires and loves to promote
religion for it's own sake The other
may show equal zeal, for the sake of
having his own salvation more assured,
and because he is afraid of going to hell
if he does not work for the Lord, or to
quiet his own conscience, and not be-
cause he loves religion for it's own sake.
4th. They may be equally conscien
tious in the discharge of duty; the true
convert because no loves to do duty and
delights in it, and the other because he
dare not neglect 1t.
s. Both may pay equal regard to
what is right, the true convert because
he loves what is right, and the other be.
cause he knows he cannot be saved un.
less he does right. He is honest in his