The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-03-14
LIVING THE LIFE.

It is not true that clergyman has | any advantages over a layman in living the Christian life. The dulling effects of habitude may reduce the pastors supposed advantages to the very point of secularity, If he permits it. His duty to attend on the various meetings of his
 church may be suffered to become per
 functory. His constant association with
 religious things, from morning to night rom week to week, may rob those
 things of the awe and inspiration that
 layman at first thought supposes
 them to always possess. The very truths of the creed may become but
 the working tools of a profession, nec-
 essary to be well handled to earn ones
 bread, but of only passing interest to the workmen as he handles them. There is art in all things. Art is both safe and dangerous. We all know when the painter begins to consider primarily the market.
 This is not charging our clergy with any noticeable laXity It is only point ing out the possibility which any dis cerning man should freely confess. And II the position is correct, the conclusion
 
 should live as truly the Christian life as they demand that their pastors do. There is nothing in the dry goods trade that is less favorable to living the life than in the pastorate. In some respects, indeed, the Christian dry goods mer- chant has the very decided advantage For instance, the bright and vitalizing erect of contrast between his woolens and westerners, all day talking styles and dollars, and the prayer meeting midweek, this the merchant has, His entry at the chapel door is with the freshness of entrusted ideas. Not so the preacher in whose jaded mind an identical line of thought has been run ming all day and which is not to be changed at the evening service. Or if we consider the spontaneity of special religious acts, during busy office day; if the banker rebukes the prcfane swearer, if he slips round the corner to press the trembling hand of a friend in trouble and to whisper, God bless you! l pray for you. I offer to help you" it is not marred by professionalism. It is up-springinS like a fountain in dry place. It is the Christlike act of true Christian done because he loved to do it, because he filched the fifteen min- utes to do it, for loves sake. When such things are done they greatly excite the mind. They preach with angel tongues in ones soul. They are measureless thrusts forward in the way of holy liv- ing These are, in fact, the rewards, the salary of the layman. Probably there are clergymen, in fact, we have such one in mind, who, to obtain this mighty impulse, go afield, beyond their own parish from whom comes the wages, that to the poor, to the stranger. to him who cannot requite ministry may be done; for the sake of the warm ing that such ministry brings.
 Laymen have all the weight of the cross in full measure. To live the life the cross is to be borne To bear the cross Is to gain strength to live the life Let us not press the comparison here Doubtless the clergy have their cross. But surely the banker, the attorney, the ear driver have theirs. To fight for a clean conscience's sake, to decline the gains of extortion, to stand by the un- vanished truth, these cost all the manli- ness now that they ever did. No saint of the calendar, no cloistered ! monk, eyer met more mental devils han assail the mind If the active busi- tess man to-day who would do the sim | ,le right. He needs his Guide. He will | ind it just as easy to speak to that | iuide as will the clergyman. There are | )lain business men, thank heaven, in 10 small numbers who dare point to heir whole commercial history with ' confidence that they have never inten- ionally enriched their basket by rob X ping their bag that waxeth not old.' Men whose fortunes, little or large, are lot stained with the blood of others 'alling. Men who have not been con- ent to get and give at death but to ,et as they lived the life and caused no mans death. There is no such preach ng. These Christians are known among the Gentiles." Their clean lives lave santified their homely wares. 'heir reflection of the maniness of Je- us is the one eternal candle before the ltar of Christianity to-day. Nor are Il of them in the earthly churches where no doubt we are in duty bound 0 add they ought to be.