Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-17

agemcnt aud advice and warning
which would help keep that young
man from turning to the left into the
path of sin When he should keep
straight in the narrow path of virtue.
My brother, are you doing your duty,
your Christian duty, to that absent
friend? You know you had mighty
influence for good when you were by
his side. shall you drop that influ
encc for good merely because you can
not touch his hand or appeal 10 him ex-
cept through the influence Of the writ
ten page?
stronger Than Death.
True friendship is proof, also, not
only against absence, but survives
death itself. The widow of your friend
and his fathcrlcss children. his brother
and sister and all whom he loved will,
II you are true friend, have claims
on you which you will recognize. When
David became king of Israel, one of the
first things he did was 10 send mes
scngers through the length and breadth
Of his Kingdom to see if there was any
Of Saurs family living to whom be
could show kindness. for his friend
Jonathans sake. one was found son
OF his dead friend. He was n cripple,
and David took him and made pro
vision for him in his palace, He did
this for the sake Of his dead friend
o brother, is there in your life a friend
ship that death has sunderedf Was
there some Jonathan who loved you
and whom you lovedl Was there one
who helped you when you were start
ing in business or who stood by you In
some troublef Perhaps that friend has
! left wife who needs help, n son who
| is struggling with the world, a daugh-
| ter who needs protection Let your love
go out to them in loving service. You
| can do nothing for Jonathan dead but
for those whom he loved better than
! his life you may do much. How better
| can YOU prove yourself a true friend
| than 10y helping them for his sake
| He may be awaiting their arrival In
the land of blessed reunion. Let them
go there to tell him how your love for
him frightened their lives
Thus the "love altar" is not TO be a
despised altar. We should love the hui
man race collectively. We should love
the Lord our God with all our strength
and our nelghbor as ourselves. But
that does not mean all the members of
the human family should occupy the
same sacred thrones in our hearts.
Christ came to save a world. but Christ
again and again wendell his way out
| OF Jerusalem over the Jud@an hills 10
lodge in Bethany with Mary and Mar
tina and Lazarus who were his true
friends. Christ came to save world,
but when he partook of the last sup
per he gathered about him the twelve,
even though he knew one Of these was
a traitor. Thus you should have your
sacred friends in Christ, You should
have those sacred friends as Paul had
them and John had them and Peter had
them. We should have those Christian
friends about us who will lit us up
instead of dragging us downfriends
with whom we can laugh and sing and
-omp and play; friends with whom we
can while away vacation, but also
true friends. with whom we can re-
joice in their prosperity. and with whom
we can weep over the casket, and with
whom we can kneel in prayer-true
friends who are true to us because
they are true to Christ Thus / bid
YOU do az ST John commanded Gaius
Greet the friends by name" Greet
them collectively. Hold fast to them
us individuals
Copyright 1908, by Louis Klopschl