The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-28
THE. POPULAR MAxIMS
Rev. Or. ", J. Young Begins a Series
Of Sermons Along This Line.
popE's FAMOUS LINE TALKED ABOUT
can Honest Mans the Soblest Work
or God,'' Says the Poet, nnd the
Reverend Doctor Tells Something
About tho Honest Mana Large
Congregation Present to Hcnr Him

On Sunday night at Epworth Church
| the pastor. DIR. Young, began n series
| OF sermons ION some OF the popular
maxi7ns. The maxim selected for the
first of the series was the famous line
| by Pope, AN honest mans the no
| blest work Of God" The text was,
above all these things put on love
which is the bond OF perfectness." The
church was crowded. chairs being plac-
ed In the aisles, and many standing
about the walls.
THE first objection have to the
maSim." said the preacher lis that 1t
leaves out Of account mans own part
In the work of man taking All human
life is a working together of God and
man. The schemes OF God are perfect.
and need ND Improvement by us; but In
order TO make them effective for US
We need TO touch them with the fingers
Of our own decision. 1t is just as when
the machinery of the Atlanta EXPOSE
ton, having been put in perfect order
waited for the hand of the President
to touch 1t, and set 1t going. The no
ton IS too common that In the work of,
salvation there Is nothing for us to do.
Witness some of the hymns, such as
oh, to be nothing and Nothing Eth
err great or SMALL In the first place
Christ does mot come In unless we let
him In. Repentance Is our act; we must
forSake our own sins. When we be-
lieve we cast ourselves on the promises
OF God. We are told that in the deycl-
opment of our character we are to add
to our faith virtue. and so on. These
materials are near ut hand, but we
must master them for ourselves and fl
J them into our souls. There Is sense
In which each man must make his own
. Christ. The materials In the four Cos
| polls are like the paints on the palette
| waiting TO be arranged in q picture on
| the canvas by the artist Many think
l ON ,,.It,
| exceptional, as freaks Of Divine PrOvi-
dcnce. BY the use of the sarne forces
we too may make our lives sublime
INC cloud OF witnesses surrounding us
call us to the same race the same self
denial, the Same crown
The definition OF nobleman Is too
narrow. We may thank Pope and
Burns for reminding us that n man
may be man though he be but the
knight of the ash-barrel; that outward
conditions do not count in the true es-
innate OF man. But where Is the
manhood? In honesty? In the use
OF TINS maxim. numbers have limited
It's meaning to every day business hon
csly; Fhss honesty is no mean vintue
the use OF money Is n revelation
or character. Avaricousness is an in
dioatlon of effectiveness. But why do
you insist upon honesty? The scales
you hold In your hand you watch them
whoh a keen eye; You see TO it that
Il
afraid that your side or your neighb boris
SIDE shsuld overbalance? Much OF the
TALK about honesty is traceable to our
love OF Eain-wc emphasize all those
laws moral and civic that concern our
money making. He Is q hero lin any
community who has made Il fortune
while paying his debts. though he may
nave made his money in n business
mat hurts mems bodies or by refusing
10 pay just compensation to those he
l,a,
protligate. You cannrt cut out n man
by any one item of manllneSs-we want
well.rounded men. That sculptor
would be thought a fool. who should
cut out of his stone the mere outline
OF an angel, and then spend the re:,t of
his life In fashioning the foot into n
thinE OF beauty. Then. too. there are
thinEs 10 be taken for granted in the
building up of life and honesty is one
or these. Why should we be forever
laying the foundations?
'Rut suppose we take the wider
meaning of justice in our all our deal
inGs and in all of our thinking. Even
then the definition is too narrow. Mos.
of us are stu hanging about Sinai-we
do not rise to the height of the cross
So many are described altogether Inv
nesativcs-they are not this or that or
the other-they are. in fact. not any
thinE; they are great zcroes That
would be poor commentator of n mill
Va d "a Sill iH.tl never killed any one
never broke down. Jesus said that he
sancttfied himself, not that liz. might
sparkle with the glorics Of holiness. but
Tor the sake OF those who followed him
along the path of his earthly career.
lie who had challenged his enemies TO
convict hNn of sin needed the perfect
ing influence Of the cross on calvary
lie nailed all the PROJECTIONS of his Di-
vine and human natures to the cross
for humanity's good.
christianity assures us that love
Is the bond of perfeotness. God is
love We are prone, when we would
describe Him. to llnger among his
oceans. and thunder-clouds, and heiro
giyphics of carth's folio pages. and mys
| teiles OF the microscope with its reyel-
atoms OF intricate ard skiful combine
lions. and systems of worlds piled on
worlds. But He leads us Himself forth
10 cross on which man hangs bleed
ing, crowned with no jewellcd crown.
nut with a crown of thorns, and he
says, Behold. this is God, this is God.
So man is in the trues, sense man
| not because he has amassed all Tho
| treasures OF wisdom and knowlodre nnr
| yet because he has by honest meane
| accumulated his millions. nor even
| because he has preserved In a sense bis
! Integrity in the midst OF the crash of
| great hosts OF human wrecks: but no.
cause he has nailed all his treasures TO
the cross, and oan say with PAM II
| am cruciiied with Christ
| 'The ideal of the world Is n blindfo,5-
| ed woman with scales in her hand
| hanging even; the ideal of the Bible is
/ q man hanging on n rroec