The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-02

The end IF man. says Carlyle, "is an
action, not a thought That is not say.
ing that thought is not a necessary part OF
all high action, of course. But thought
that stops ii, itself is stopping on the road
to truth. Action and action alone. says
Philadelphia Young People, takes it for.
ward. Professor James, the noted psyche.
logist, has well represented thought as
"only place of transit, the bottom of
loop, both of whose ends have their point
of application in the outer world" All
that our eyes, our ears. our daily connec.
tion with the world and with others bring
to us, must pass through our minds and
souls, and return to the outside world
again transmitted into action. "In plain
English perception and thinking are only
there for behavior's sake" says the profes.
sor, and long before modern psychology
came to the conclusion that the Bible
summed up the same TRUTH Faith. if it
hath not works. is dead. being alone"
For this reason truth can never be
learned by mere argument. We do not
really possess truth until we have acted
on it. and it takes continual action on il
to make it nnrt of the fiber of our minds
and souls. We can fail to make progres1
The young man who holds the gospel mes.
sage in his mind, hut determines not to
take any action on 1t at present, is losing
clear perception of it. ard power OF clear
thought about it. daily. He may not think
so, he may think instead that he is gaining
an intellectual perception of its difficulties.
But the fact is. that he is losing power to
act by, not acting-that is all. He has
checked the advance of truth half way.
shutting it ~ in thourht when it ought to
he set free in act "If anv man will do
H,s will he shall know OF the doctrine
whether it be of God" Thought alone ia
powerless to know God; feeling alone ia
nowerless to love God. We must keep
Gods commandments. putting our emo.
tions and THOUGHTS into acts of obedience
before we can abide in His love. and know
HIN whom to know Alright is fe eternal
1t is a verv simple road. after all. TO
perceive. to think, to act-snrely any one
can reach truth without trouble. But that
third sten IL where many Young people
pause. 1t is easy to see the beauty OF holi.
ness. and easy to think about it. Those
two stems are unnoticed. create no antagon.
ism, make no costly demands. But to act
that means n great deal. Better wait for
little more knowledge. a little more con.
slderat'on Of the matter. whispers the en-.
er'v of sous. and manv souls weld to the
whispcr. And then. having blocked tho
road to truth they lose themselves in
ra7os of doubt, and never get anywhere.
perhans. like PLATE. who knew the right
hrt refused to act unon it. thev end by
falling hack rpon the philosonhical re.
"''ri: "What is truth" Alasl the reason
Plate ""ver reached onv further acouaint.
ance with truth was that hn would not act
~ the tnow'odrn Of Christ hn had already.
The dvn" thicf had not had half Pilates
opro"tunitiea. hut pc was man of action.
ard u saved him. For many of us to-day
salvation har7s upon action. Shall we act,
tue"-or sEill we pause in the barren ress
OF thought and never reach saving truth?