The Newtown bee., 1900-09-07
in earnest. finds things dull, heavy and

in earnest. finds things dull, heavy and uninteresting himself, and he becomes stumbling. block, drag, hindrance to others. He will cool the ardor and en- thusiaam of others about him. Earnest ness, then, Is one of the great moral forces of life, it is power among men.
 T..is spirit should be manifested in proportion to the importance of the cause we are interested in. Men become very much enthused with a spirit of earnest ness in accommodating and preserving property. They show their earnestness by devoting time, work and life to the accumulation of property. Yea, they even devote themselves to the carrying out of their ambitions to the extent that they frequently sacrifice health and life. But what folly is this!
 LIFE IS WORTH MORE THAN HOUSES AND
 LANDS.
 Houses, lands, riches without life are nothing. Is man earnest in preserving his property? How much more earnest should he be in preserving his health and his life. Men in order to gain and preserve health and property sacrifice time, money, moral character and principle, salvation, God. eternity :! But what awful folly is this Time, money, property, health, and physical life shall all vanish at the summons of death. Without God of what profit is time when it is gone? Of what profit is money in the end? Of what profit Is property when you must leave it all be- hindP Of what profit is human life when it dies out? Without God in the heart what hope has manf Verify all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Is a man earnest in preserving health and life which shortly must end anyhow? How much more earnest should he be in pre- serving his soul that he may dwell with God forever and ever. "What shall it profit man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" Our earnest ness should be in proportion to the im- portance of the cause we are interested in. We should be supremely earnest in saving our own souls and the souls of others.
 We cannot shift the responsibility from our shoulders to some one else. No other person can be earnest for us because earnestness is quality of indiv- idual, personal character. Each one must have this spirit for himself. Other people may do their work but they can not do yours. Other people exert their influence but they cannot exert your in- fuence. Other people may be in earnest but their earnestness cannot be earnest ness in you. It is 8 personal individual quality. There is no such thing-prop- 'erly speaking-as the church being earn- est, for earnestness is not given to the church but to individuals. The church cannot have an earnest spirit unless each individual church member Is earnest. The
 CHURCH WILL BE EXACTLY WHAT THE
 INDIVIDUALS ARE.
 How important, then, Is the responsibil- ity of each one of us! We have a tre- mendous moral influence, a tremendous moral power, tremendous moral respon- abilities for which we are accountable. What need of earnestness in the individ- ual Christian heart! If each individual were truly earnest the church would be aflame with power! Heaven or hell hang in the balance. o, then, "whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might!'
 But what deplorable lack of earnest ness we find abroad! How many are ''at ease in Zion!'' Many who are in the church have the world in them. Many are filled with the love of ease instead of the love of Christ. Many are seeking the patronage and praise of man instead of the smile and approval of God. Many are pleasers of men instead of pleasers of God. Some are very diligent in thelr efforts to lay up for themselves treasures on earth while they are anything but earnest in laying up for themselves treasures in heaven. While many church members are in this state of spiritual apathy is it any wonder that men are not moved for God? While Christ's disciples sleep who shall do their work The great trouble is that there are too l many children of the King who are not in earnest to glorify their King. Why ;his apathy, this lack of earnestnesss
 One reason for lack of l