Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1899-05-18
WHAT is TRUE RELlGIoN1
When Brought to You 1t sheds Lurid
Light Across Your Path.

AI4 AAADuS To lou 1t EheQS = LUF1u ]
Light Across Your Path.
It IS not time to lose faith in the
verities of religion. It is not time
to doubt that God is in the world, rul-
Ing the nations, and preparing them
for the acceptance of a religion whose
foundations were laid once and for all
time. Religion never had greater re-
suits to show; religion never had more
beautiful characters to illustrate the !
saving and purifying power of the Cos
pei; religion never produced d broader
and more philanthropic spirit; it never
commanded the loving assent and the
anxious endeayors of so many people.
THAT which has done so much in the
long centuries of the past, is doing so
much in the enlightened present, and
has so large and prosperous an out
look. must rest on an enduring basis
It must be the word of the Lord en-
dureth forever"
But as long as you are looking upon
religion as a series of pretepts which
you feel you ought to obey, the more
will you feel reluctance to have any
thing to do with it; when It IS brought
to you you will feel that it sheds rath-
er a lurid light across your path; you
will fight against 1t. AS long as that
is the case. you have not entered into
the spirit of Christ, you have not I'M
derstood the power of an indissoluble
life. When you look at what real religs
ion is, you see it should be a living
thing. I see it in Christ my Master.
All that He does is simply the out
come OF what His very nature is. The
life is within Him and He lives accord
ing to it. It is His Joy to do the Faith
er's will He applies Himself for the
welI-being of mankind. The very yir-
ture of the sacrifice OF Christ lay in
this, that it is by His will that He Of
fers Himself unto God, it is the love in
it, the willingness in it. And this is
what religion ought to be-a joy; it
ought to be our nature; it ought to be
cur freedom, a delight to US. If you
say "Oh some day I will turn over a
new leaf, / will bring my life In har-
mony with the Decalogue, and begin to
act in the way in which the minister
says ought to act, according to the
precepts of the Ten Commandments, -
as long as that sort OF spirit exists,
you look through a dim glass, you do
not see the real significance Of faith
and religion.
Religion is life, and ought to work
out from you as q life, and therefore
should be your very nature.
The religion of the Bible Is a posi-
tive religion. It deals with eertainties.
It tells what Is, a1d what shall be, It
rests upon fixed and definite princi-
pies. It has to do with what is true.
It has an undertaking standard OF
right. It prescribes rules OF conduct
as we'll as articles OF faith. It has
promise for 1.-The life that now is and
that which Is 10 ccrIe." II proclaims a
God, and sets forth with clearness His
character, His will, His requirements,
His promises, His curses and His bless
ings. It presents the nature of sin and
its consequences. It insists on per-
sonal holiness, and pictures the result
ant benefit. It provides a Saviour for
sinners, and requires faith in Him in
order to the enjoyment OF His redemp-
ton.
It tells of His person, life, death and
work. It reveals the Holy spirit and
the oalces which He performs: 1t dis
closes a Heaven to be won, and hell
to be summed.
In it there is divine will to be fol-
Iowed-a revelation to be received and
needed. He who accepts it in its en-
rirety Is assured and responsive. He
has faith which prompts Him to ac-
ton.
He has love which gathers about a
living Lord and Redeemer. He has a
cause to uphold, and work to engage
His sympathies and activities. He has
a hope which rises above the present
and revels in the future. He is ever
on the move, and presses towards the
realization OF His expectations.
He has sure guide in life, a firm
support In death, and guaranteed re-
ward in eternity. The Christian re-
ligion. rightly and fully apprehendeG,
never fails to develop positive charac-
ter.
Adelaide May Thompson.