Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-08-22
PERlLs OF INTERSECTION.
What Constitutes the Practical Christian
Temper


Temper
Despite the wisdom of the Greek
precept, know myself" it is none the
less true that introspection has it's
dangers. There is such thing as
morbid self-consciousness, and man
may dwell so much on the grounds of
his faith, and the state of his souls
health, as to become largely untitled
for usefulness.
One of the dangers of habitual in
trospection is scepticism as to moral
and spiritual verities. A man who is
constantly asking himself whether he
is sure that he is doing what is right
and holding to the truth may fall into
a state OF chronic doubt Men with
keen, analytic minds and passion for
testing and retesting the validity of
their conclusions, and men easily dis
turbed by attacks upon their beliefs
and principles, are particularly liable
to contract this infirmity. A healthy
appetite for gertrude degenerates in
to diseased craving for additional
evidence, until in the end sthe doubter
is certain of little but his uncertainty
regarding matters of the highest inn
portance.
So, too, habitual introspection may
develop into enfeebling distrust of
ones ability to meet the demands of
life. Some men brood over their de-
fects and deficiencies until their own
shadows brighten them. Asked to grid
themselves for an emergency, to quit"
themselves like men" and 'be strong"
they answer: "We are not equal TO
these things; you are asking us to at
tempt the impossible" U ndue self
distrust, born of constant introspec-
ton, has done its unhappy work, and
swords that should do good execution
in the battle of the Lord are allowed to
rust in the scabbards.
Thus, while determination is
Christian duty, the advantages, nay,
excellencies, of practical turn of mind
must not be overlooked. Life is not
long enough for the better part of our
spare time to be spent in examining the
reasons why we believe doctrine or
pursue line of conduct, or in dag
nosing our spiritual symptoms. Life
is, above all else, for action. Having
taken due pains to satisfy ourselves
that certain things are right and GER
tain doctrines true, we should act upon
our conclusions, regarding the steps by
which we reached them much as the
builder does the scaffolding that he
uses in erecting house, bu. when the
house is finished he takes down.
The childlikeness that our Lord COM
mended should be remembered in this
connection. The child soon learns that
food is to be eaten, that fire will burn
and that stone is hard. A few prac-
tical experiments as regards such
things are enough. 1t takes much for
granted, follows it's intuitions and is
rarely self-conscious. It's naturalness
and simplicity, it's readiness to believe
and it's confidence in those whom it
loves, together with its innocence, are
what especially charm us. The Chris
tian who is most childlike represents
the best human type. He knows that
there is such thing as sin, for he has
been convicted of it; he knows that he
must be upon his guard against temp
tation, and daily prays to be delivered
from evil; he knows, too, that there
are those who deny the truth of the
doctrines that are dearest to his soul,
and that he should be able to give rea-
sons for the hope that is in him; but
there is a spontaneity. a directness, a
naturalness in what he says and does
that makes him winsome He may
have strong imagination and be fond
of exploring the deeps within and
around him; but, in the best sense of
the word, he is practical. He consid-
ers some things as settled, and, feeling
that there is firm ground under his
feet, he goes about the duties of life
with love out of pure heart and
good conscience and faith un-
feigned." 1t is upon this type of char
acter that, as far as human agencies
are concerned, we must mainly rely
for the advancement of the kingdom.
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