The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-08

GoOuhtns.
That which is right and good In the
sight Of the Lord.--D Deuteronomy vi,
Is.
Being good is closely related to do
ing good. 1t may be possible, because
of an Interior motive. to do good
without being good but it is wholly
impossible TO be good without doing
good.
Your actions are evidence OF the
kind Of thinking you do. Show me
man who talks about justice and then
acts uniustly and | will show you a
man who has in him all the elements
of hypocrisy. He is not trusted on
earth, and Is discredited and pitied In
heaven. He is like a piece OF common
pinewood covered with a thin veneer
which tries TO pass itself of as solid
mahogany. The religion Of pretence
worse than downright infdelity.
can take the hand Of one who openly
declares that he belieys neither In
God nor Righteousness. and then lives
a purely selfish life. but not the hand
OF one who pulls the coyerlid of re-
ligion over a life Of immortality An
honest atheist is better far than a dis
honest Christian. The atheism OF the
former may be forgiven. because IL Is
honest. but how can we forgive the
latter. who processes the high and
lives the low? For myself / would
rather stand in the presence OF judg-
ment, saying: Il could not see the
light and therefore did the deeds OF
darkness than be forced 10 confess
that though the truth was plain to me
lived lie.
No mars creed is Of any avail as
a protection against the consequences
OF sin Religion is too serious a matter
for any deception OF that kind Eter-
nal justice, eternal fair play, eternal
common sense cannot be put aside by
your intellectual assent, or dissent
You are not as large as your kncwl-
edge. but as large as your practical
use of IT, Take your good deeds to
heaven. but leave your creed behind.
II w1ll do you no good to trail your
dogmas behind you but II you can
carry with .rou an armful OF generous
actions, or kin'ly words TO the erring,
and II your daily life has been an en-
couragement and help, you will be as
welcome as the stars are to the travel
eler on a dark night A concert does
not consist Of a lecture of music, but
OF the sounds which the orchestra pro-
duces. Theories are well enough in
their way. but when your theory is all
you have it is worthless. A bridge on
canvas is not like a bridge across the
river. What we call our religion is
too much in the clouds. It is thin and
unsubstantial. God Is an idea, but not
a fact. when the man OF science ex-
plains the law of gravitation to me
see at once that must build my house
along certain perpendicular lines or
1t will fall and involve me in the gen
eral ruin: ! am not foolish enough to
disregard the law and build according
to caprice; but being a practical
man. use my knowledge to
insure my safety The mere
knowledge does memo good, but rath-
er the use make Of it. My beams and
joists and mason work are laid accord
ing to the laws mandate, and no
more dare to swerve from it than
would wilfully do myself an injury.
Everything depends on my fidelity. my
own happiness and that of those who
are dear to me- The law has existed
from eternity. but 1t is my law, my
protector. my defender when my ac-
tions accord with it. Just so with re-
ligion. 1t is not mine until make it
mine by putting it into my life. When
l am told that am Gods child that
II | trust Him and call upon him
mysterious something will creep into
my soul which will make me a new be-
ing. the mere contemplation of these
glorious thoughts is of no more value
than a stan is to a lame man who is
afraid to use It. When the lame man
leans on the staff and finds that he
can walk with it then he knows its
worth, and having used 1t he will new
er throw It away. So when your relig-
ion ceases to be a belief and becomes a
practice. you learn that It IS Just as