Milford chronicle., 1902-02-21
Putting Religion into Practice.

EUWlu dDfEOnu Win q LULU NAN1
sand dollars.
Putting Religion Into Practice.
There are those prominent in the
churches who seem to be on public &C.
casions very devOut who do not put
the principles of Christ's religion into
practice. They are the most inexOra-
Bile of creditors. They are the most
grasping of dealers. They are known
as sharpers on the street. They fleece
every sheep they can catch. A country
merchant comes in to buy spring or fall
goods. and he gets into the store of one
of these professed Christian men who
have really no grace in their hearts,
and he is completely swindled. He is
so overcome that he cannot get out OF
town during the week. He stays in
town over Sunday. goes into some
church to get Christian consolation,
when what is his amazement to find
that the very man who hands him the
poor box in the church is the one who
relieved him of his money! But never
mind: the deacon has his black coat on
now. He looks solemn and goes home,
talking about 1.-The blessed sermon" If
the wheat in the churches should be
put into hopper. the first turn Of the
crank would make the chaff fly, | tell
you. Some of these men are great
sticklers for gospel preaching. They
say: you stand there in bands and sur
plice and gown and preach-preach
gfn nd nfrt
here and attend to business. Don't
mix things. Don't get business and re-
ligion in the same bucket. You attend
to your matters. and we will attend to
ours" They do not know that God
sees every cheat they have practiced in
the last six years; that he can look
through the iron wall of their fireproOf
SAFE that he has counted every dis
honest dollar they have in their pocket,
and that a day of judgment will come.
These inconsistent Christian men will
sit on the Sabbath night in the house
of God singing at the close Of the
service Rock of ages cleft for me" and
then when the beuedction is pronounc-
ed shut the pew door and say as they
go out: "Goodby, religion. III be back
next Sunday"
think that the church of God and
the Sabbath are only an armory where
we are to get weapons. When war
comes. if a man wants to fight for his
country. he does not 20 to Troy or
Springfield to do battling, but he goes
there for swords and muskets. | look
upon the church of Christ and the Sab
bath day as only the place and time
where and when we are to get armed
for Christian conflict, but the battle
field is on Monday. Tuesday, Wednes-
day. Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
"St. Martins" and "Lenox" and "Old
| Hundredth" do not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. A ser
mon is useless unless we can take il
with US behind the plow and the cOun
ter. The Sabbath day is worthless il
it last only twenty-fOur hours.
The Work Nearest at Hand.
There are many Christians who say
1--WE are willing to serve God. but We
do not want to do it in these spheres
about which we are talking. and i
seems so insipid and mOnOtOnOus. Il
we had some great occasion, if we ha(
lived in the time of Luther if we ha(
been PauTs travelling companion, 4
we could serve God on a great scale
we would do it, but we can't in thl
| everyday life" | admit that a grea
deal of the romance and knight Grant
ry of life have disappeared before tn
advance of this practical age The an
cient temples of ROuen have beel
changed into stOrehOuses and smithies
The residences Of poets and prince
have been turned into brokers' shops
The classic mansion of Ashland ha
been cut up into walking sticks. TIL
groves where the poets said the god
dwelt have been carted out for fire
wood. The muses. that we used to rea
about have disappeared before the in
migrants ak and the trapper's guI
and the man who is waiting for a lif
? bewitched with wonders will neve
find it. There is, however, a field c
, endurance and great achievement, BIT
IL 10 III GNNA uuN AlAGs uGle art AL
TO scale. there are Tablespoons to swim
/ there are fires to brave, but they al
! all around us now. This is the hardes
, kind Of martyrdom to bear.
n 1t took grace to lead Latimer an
a Ridley through the fire triumphant
when their armed enemies and the
$ friends were looking on, but it r
quires more grace now to bring me
through persecution when nobody
looking on. could show you in tn
! city a woman who has had rheum
tism for twenty years who has e.
: dured more suffering and exhaustC
= more grace than would have mac
, twenty martyrs pass triumphant
y through the fire. If you are not fat
:. full in an insignificant position in lif
!, you would not be faithful in a graz
: mission. If you cannot stand the bi
:, of a nudge, how could you endure t
: breath of basilisk?
. DO not think that any work G,
= gives you to do in the world is on t
~ small scale for you to do. The who
universe is not ashamed to take ca
of one little flower. Plato had fat
which l have now nearly fOrgOtte
= but it ran something like this: He sa
- !" spirits of the other world came ba
-. to this world to find a body and find
- sphere of work. One spirit came a
: took the body of a king and did
=, work; another spirit came and took
= body of a poet and did his work; aft
% awhile Ulysses came, and he sa
u "Why. all the fine bodies are TAX
- and all the grand work is taken. Tit
IN is nothing left for me-" And some {
% g replied. "Ah, the best one has been l
10 for you" Ulysses said, whats thaf
NJ And the reply was. ''The body of
~ common man. doing a common WI
u and for a common reward" A g
fable for the world and just as gOO'
ne fable for the church. Whether we
y or drink or whatsoever we do, let
- do it to the glory Of God.
of- Religion of Everyday Life.
,at Again, we need to bring the relig
all of Christ into our cOmmonest tri
NV For severe losses, for bereavement,
on trouble that shocks like an earthqu
led and that blasts like a storm, we ]
nIy scribe religious consolation; but, b
IN? ness man. for the small annoyanees
ide last week how much of the grace
ion God did you apply? oh" you s
DDS "these trials are too small for such
ar, plication." My brother, they are 81
the ing your character, they are sOul
ear your temper. they are wearing out y