The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-10-20
Our first thoughts turn to

very lightly on conscences Our first thoughts turn to
those things that ought not to have done while those
things that ought have done and have not done soon
fade from memories Sins OF commission are ike the
shot and shell that with sudden and swift destruction re-
move defender here and there along the walls OF be-
leaguered city; sins of omission are like the gaunt and
CHASTITY famine that spreads the city, unnerves the arm
of every defender and at last throws open the gates to the
enemy Sins of commission destroy Christians here and
there sins of omission and deaden Christianity
This truth is most powerfully presented IN that vision OF
the last judgment which Lord has given us in the
twenty-fth chapter of ST. Matthews gospel The King
seated on the throne of his glory and before Him are
gathered all natons separation is made and to those on
the right the gracious words are spoken. Come ye
blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared tor
yo not because you have been pure and holy and have
done wrong have been guilty of fault but because
in the person of humanity hungered and ye gave
me meat stranger and We took me in; naked, and
ye clothed me; SICK and visited me; in prison. and ye
came unto me-" And So to those the left, the SEN
tence of pronounced not because OF usts and sns
but because to hungeed and thirsty humanity they had
never given meat and drink because humanity naked
and sick and prison they had mlnstered AS our
Lord then presents the image of the last Judgment sins
of omission and of commission occupythe chief place.
And He so presents it, because Christianity love, and
love means and always service for Others and where
there is no SERVICE there love- and Christianity
Full and developed Christianity, then means the ceas-
ing do evil and is the learning to do WELL the eeva-
tion and power of life unto God How then are these
one shall not ntrude upon another so that one OF itself
shall not be taken all religion? How are we to die to
the fesh and live unto God? ST. Paul gives us the rule
when he saws Walk in the Spirit and ye will not full
FL the lusts of the hesh Most attempt the Christian
life in order the very reverse OF this They strive to
conquer the luss of the flesh order that they may walk
in the Spirit And so their whole energy is taken up
fighting appetite and passion. They know Christianity as
death; they know nothing of active noble life.
For them is system of not DOING they know nothing OF
the inspiration and power that belongs to as positive
system of being and doing Such life must fail in at
tanning object its whole attention and thought are dl-
rected towards sn and does not having to do
with SIM and freed from sim only by positive
doing we'll that one can cease SHINING To struggle with
sin directly to be contaminated And so it that ST.
Paul says in one place to his Timothy flight the good
fight of fah and yet recognizing that there may be cir
cusances when fight the truest Christian tort
tude in another place says, "Flee also youthful
uss Walk then in the Spirit life in the power and
truth of God and you will be enabled not to fulfil the
luss of the flesh.
I said above that bodily indulgence is wrong be-
we have been placed this earth-a life OF love
and service for men, And so is that St. John in his
epste does so intimately connect love and the fulfilling
Gods commandments He shows that he that lives unto
God-loves God-cannot sin because that which is con-
Trajectory to the nature of love, that which destroys
ove-tha which prevents the life from going out in loving
abors and efforts for men, Live unto God then that you
NAV die unto sim Realize and have in yourself the love
of God and in Him love of all things and let that love
be SUPREME let have undivided sway, and you cannot
sim because to sin would be to violate that love- In the
words of St. Iohn "for this is the love of God that we
keen his commandments; and his commandments are not
grievous" Not grievons my friends to the heart that
loves.