The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-06
RELIGIOUS READING.
DrsEvoLENcE A pAnr or RELIGION.

DENEvoLENCE A PART OF RELIGION. 4
Religion begins with change of heart. The
greater part OF life In usually occupied with
The acquisition and use of property. A
change Of heart, II real, cannot leave this
principal part Of Life unaffected. The sub
ject OF 1t must be expected to show that he
has found more valued treasure In heaven
by his new aims In getting, and his new
principles In using the treasures of this
world. II, in that chief part of life occupied
with gaining and using property, the pro
tessed subject Of change consisting In plac-
ing the affections on things above, continue
great end to be sought, the same eagerness
In getting, the same tenacity in holding, tho
same self-seeking or exclusively selfish graft
fcation In using 1t, need It be surprising that
his worldly competitors doubt the reality
OF changer Must not Christ repel such
professors with his own searching
question-"What do ye more than Others2"
There is nothing less than. absurdity In
the idea Of change, in which man
becomes new creature in Christ, In which
old things are passed away, all things are
spirit through the business, and consecrate
the property as we'll as the heart to God-in
which the theory Is all for the glory OF God;
the practice oil for making money.
Religion is love. Now love Is an active
principle. 1t Is as natural for love TO act
benefcently as for q fountain to- dow or .
star to slime; and its action is ungrudRings
unstinted, delighting in toll for the loved OBJ
ject. Witness, for instance, the tolls Of par
entail love. Can love to God and man be, tho
very essence OF the character, while beneh-
cent efforts are left to hazard, crowded into
the by-corners Of Life, supplied by the chip
pings and remnants2 Can love control the
heart when at the same time 1t obviously
does not control the actions OF the life2
I Christians are laborers together with God
God is always giving, always employed in
the work OF benefcence; If we labor with
Him, then we must labor In the work Of love
of 'beneflcence God designs to form US
into his likeness and to this end, we are NO
sooner brought into His kingdom, thanwe
are put to doing His work Can any onethen
be laborer together with God, and mako
that secondary which He regards as prtmarys
pursue without plan, energy or stead dfastness,
the object which he seeks with steadfastr
ness which knows no abatement, q zeal that
spares no sacrifice, and an outpouring OF
treasure which arithmetic could not caleu-
late2 Atl8borer,, together with God, Is, ftp0H-
siDle that you, now reading these lines, can
be, and yet that object to which with
Him the destiny OF nations and the NOV
ing Of heavenly hosts are subordinate %
with you secondary to money getting, tofur:
niture, to equipage2 mere accidental
appendage to business2 Let the great fact
possess your soul, with the fulness It's reality
demands, that you are privileged to be la
borer together with God, and that God ts un-
ceasingly engaged in thework ofbenefcence,
and you will cease to make selfish gratifca-
the exclusive object Of your pursuit. and In
stead of benefcence being an occasional tnet-
dent or appendage to business, 1t viii become
steady aim, and business itself be pursued
mainly as means Of benefcence- -of being
like God and engaged in the same work. 'tt