The Newtown bee., 1902-01-24


 in it's little measure every man, woman and child that you ever knew" And Richter exclaims, ''If thou knewest how that every black thought of thine, or every glorious thought, took root outside of thee and for half century pushed and bored it's healing or poi sonous roots, oh, how piously wouldst thou choose and think"
 Now, dear friend, we are brought face to face with this thought-our personal responsibility for the infu- ence of our lives. Let this thought ring in our ears and go to the heart and every Christian in the ranks.
 If you will turn over in the Old Tes- lament you will find the word spoken of Jeroboam. Eighteen times he is re- ferred to as
 "JERoBoAM, THE SON OF NEBAT,
 who caused Israel to sin.'' This is the lasting monument of the man. Down through history he goes as the man "who caused Israel to sin" Then think of that woman who annointed Jesus and Christ's approval of her deed, re- gardless of the fault found by others "She hath done what she could. " "Wherever the gospel is preached this that she hath done shall be spoken of as memorial of her.' And so the in fluence of that woman is felt to-day. This is her monument. One for evil and the other for good. I think Pontius | Pilates chances for less punishment in the day of judgment are far bright CT than that wicked Jeroboam "who 1 caused Israel to sin" And yet there are those in these our days of whom it can be said "he caused Israel to sin." 1 Here, for illustration, is man who is the head of a large business or man. ufactOry. Hundreds of young men are learning their business methods from that man and are going to reproduce them in after time. The induced cur rents of his life, if honest and Chris. tian, are going to tell in those lives; if
 false and dishonest are going to be re.
 produced down these coming years and go on and on through the ages and
 grow worse and worse until finally they
 shall condemn the world. The influ
 ence of that life neglectful and care
 less and like Gallo of old who "careC
 for none of these things" shall end ir
 the disaster of noble manhood. Are
 there bright sunny-eyed children look
 ing into your eyes? Are there inno cent boys looking up to you for guid
 ance? Know that the fatal influence of your indifference, of your worldli ness, will induce a similar current ir their young lives, with all the inexor able certainty of this same law il
 the natural world and before God yol , shall stand condemned because thu
 shadow you cast over your children i the shadow of deadly blight.
 Look at Eve in her fall. What hat
 she done? She disobeyed God. In he sin she opened the flood-gates of hell and ever since there have been poure' into the hearts of men oceans of sO1 row and pain. She lived long enough , witness what awfullhavoc sin brough
 man into and to see her own first-bor murderer. The influence of that on act has been echoing through the age and the contagion has simply been be yond the power of imagination; to cor z ceive Life after life has caught tn disease until the world has been plune
 into convulsions of blackest sorrow. a Saul, the king, had seeming relie 7, iousness.
 n HE FOLLOWED THE PROPHETS n and prophecies as we'll as the rest. H $ met Samuel and said he had fulfille l. the commands of the Lord, and yet }. was false and brought disaster to tn t armies of Israel and sorrow and de
 struction to his family.
 e The Pharisees of old were outward l. religious, but their influence worke o for unrighteousness throughout tn d land. Yet how strange that iii 1T often influences another both way Q Take the life of Jesus. To some tha ,l life ever emits an influence wholesom e beneficent and divine. Millions to-da 9, are moved to good deeds and chara ,t ters are made sweet and pure throug n the power of His life. While to Othe
 the opposite is true. Men rage an r. swear and blaspheme the fair name q, Jesus. For some to think upon H le pure, lovely and unselfish life is on t. to enrage and embitter them. The