The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-23
TRUE PIRIY.

Joubert, whose insight was 50 deli
cate and clear, and who has bequeatheo
to the world so many admirable and
illumining thoughts, has left striking
comment upon piety. "Piety" he
he saya, attaches us to all that is
most powerful-that is, G0d; and to
all that is weakest, such as children
and old people, the poor the infrm,
the unhappy, and the afflicted. If we
have not piety, old age shocks our
sight, inirmity repels u.s., imbecility
disgusts US: if We have piety, we see
in old age but the fullnes of the years;
in infirmity, suffering; in imbecility,
misfortune; and we feel only respect,
compassion, and the desire to give re
lief" The thought contained in this
sentence furnishes a searching test for
those who are trying to find out Wheth-
er or not they are controlled by the
love of God. In the light Of this
thought, cynicism, repulsion from men
because they are unhappy, unlovely,
or unrighteous, is seen to be in its es.
sence atheism. 1t ia atheism which
makes men shrink from contact with
those less fortunate than themselves,
which impels them to shut their ears
against the cry Of the unhappy lest it
bring them unhappiness. If we think
much Of ourselves, we detest every
thing that is d~isagreeable, unlovely,
and degraded; if we think of God, and
of his creatures in the light Of
thought Of him, then we are drawn to
the unlovely and compelled to make
terms with unhappiness; and the ccm'
pulsion of our own strength is laid
upon US in the care for the weak
Christ sho we'd his divinity in his com.
plete surrender to the needs Of the
most nelected and the worst. The
further a man had fallen, the greater
was his claim upon the Son Of Man,
because the greater his need. Those
men and ONE who go though the
world caring for contact only with
those who can give them pleasure and
who are agreeable to them, must set
themselves down, by this test, as with
out the love of God, because they do
not bear the inevitable fruit of that
love. The Sin of the world grows more
and more repulsive to the good man,
but as it grows in responsiveness his
desire to aid the sinner must grow in
intensity. Il the exac5 degree in
which we draw near to God must we
draw near to the most defiled of his
children. The OItlook.
Can there be any greater sin than
that Of a wife who betrays her hus-
band and IS unfailhful TO him because
she believes he viii pardon her infdel
ity and take her back again if things
go i'll with herr Yes, there is one sin
greater than that. Il is for men to
trade on the mercy of God, to say,
We will take our fill Of sin, will disre
gard his love and ignore his will be-
cause he is merciful, and, when re are
"O6Lg VI O0A "hAOC1A1SS u5 Will ldk0
US back again. This was the spirit of
Israel, aud o. this Israel spirit there is
no lack IN own time. 1t is the
spirit which torgets the secret of life,
forgets that God is truth, is purity, is
righteousness, and thinks that this for
getfulness Of him and the resultant dis
regard OF truth and righteousness can
be condoUed by the careless penitence
and the false faith which says, after
two days he will bring US to life, and
we we shall live before him "-Ex
There is too little church hospitality
A welcome to the house of G ID il a lit
sle thing decently and delicstely done,
but it counts. Toom9ny Christian PEG
pie deny any claims upon them. But
do they reRlize that often q man is
hungry for an honest, cordial hand
shake, and g voice that speaks words