The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-22


Gentle speech Is oft like mama from the
skies.
Margaret E. Sansster.
Look TO tho Heart.
How many professed Christians can
stand this searching test? In the light Of
this chapter men who have been accus-
toned to think themselves free from the
terrible sins Of murder. adultery. perjury,
] revenge and gross se!ishness, find their
lives laid bare. and to their astonishment
ell Is not SO sweet and pure as they sup
BILE? After all these years OF reading
Chris:'s tceahings have ~e got no further
than Thou shalt not Eill." or, "An eye
for an eye, tooth for. a tooth?
Strange indeed to the cars of those dis
ciples. used 10 the letter of the law. must
have sounded Christ's words, "But say
unto you, that whosoever is angry with his
Brother without a cause shal! me in dam
ger Of the judgment" etc. Not only pun
| Gains. will be refused at the altar until
| the hate toward the brother 10 gone.
Therefore. il thou bring thy gift TO the
altar. and there remembered that thy
brother hath aught against thee; leave
there thy gift before the altar, and 90 thy
way; first he reconciled to thy brother,
and then come and offer thy gift"
Il is not much easier to-day to do this
than it was then. F. B. Meyer tells how
he came to church one morning and found
that his vcrger had done q very foolish
q! lost my temper. was going to preach
| WITHIN a quarter Of an hour. AZ result
Of losing my TEMPER was a. far out Of
fellowship with God a. q man may get.
Ny officers were all coming in to pray
| with me before entered the pulpit. I
did not know what to do. I knew had
fallen. knew ! dared not preach Gods
gospel until was right with man. because
on. cannot be more right with God than
with his brother man: ones position. as .
man is the gauge and indicator Of ones po.
sitior before God. I thought they would
all think that I was crazy, but rang tho
| bell, callod the verger in, and said 10 him:
! You did an uncommonly unwise thing
just now-I cannot take that back, but
| that did not exonerate me for losing my
temper. Forgive me- The man looked
more startled than pleased. but that did
not matter. ! had done what was right.
and my sonl shout into the blue Of Gods
, heaven again"
The fact that before God the thought in
the heart is equal to the action seems .
hard one for us to accept. We continue
judging others-and most Of all, ourselves
, forgetting that "thc Lord looketh on the
, heart"
To quote once more from Mr.. Meyer:
"Wsei water is left to stand the particles
| of silt betray themselves az they fall ono
by one to the bottom. So, IL you are quiet,
you may become aware OF the presence in
i your soul Of permitted evil. Dare to con-
slider t. Do not avoid the sight as the
bankrupt avoids his telltale ledecrs, or 40
the c.Jnsumptive patient the stethoscope.
Compel yourself quietly to consider what
ever evil the Spirit OF God discovers to
your soul. It may have lurked in the cup
years, suspected but unjudged."
! In lesson like this each one OF Us should
take this quiet time for determination.
It Is necessary that we know il we arc
one of those to whom the Lord is directing
the truth. For instance, how many Of US
are willing to take our revenge in doing
good to the one who. has injured Us? Nay,
how often our carnnl hearts cry out, IAN
eye for an eye" He did so and 90 to me,
! to do with him or his until he apologies?
| There is o much-needed lesson underiy..
ing the paragraph where Jesus speaks oe
purity OF heart and the sacrednesa OF the
home and the marriage relation. In it not.
true that the young people OF to-day have.
allowed themselves often 10 drift into .
relationship with one saother which they,
, t:TFm "harhqlea; firta.ipa," and Which q:
: now, the sacred names Of husband" and
STise" i is a delicate subjest e tSs, teSSe6s,
"harmless Airtations" which ena in bro
la, snask. ALL h~.t, E,.na
q. little thought upon it. The world needs .
. wholesome comfadeship between its young
men and women; comradeship which
shall keep the tender pressure of the hand,
the precious glancing Of the eye, for the
one. and not for the many, and which
shall make it impossible that Christian
young man shall be engaged to be married
to two young women at the same time.
from using her God.given charms to win
to herself the love OF hearts she does not
mean to keep. Let Us thank God il We can
truly say there Is nothing OF this sort in
our society.
Then that extending of "our neighbor"
away into the grounds OF "our enemy"
Are we even willing to b. made willing to
Glove our enemy" rs ourselves? And We
seem to hear His clear voice say, al His
dear eyes penetrate t0 the depths OF our
souls, "For il ye love them which love you,
what reward have yel And II you salute
your brethren only, waat d. ye more than
others? Do not even the publicaps tho
same"
Then do we bring up breathless against
these words, BE We therefore perfect,
even as your Father in heaven is perfect"
And we ask. why did He SET before US 50
unattainable height? We cannot be per
feet"
But Just so the teacher sets before tho
little child the copperpiate copy for the
little one to follow, and one day we, as
that little child, shall attain. Even tho
first trial is nearer The ideal for having tho
perfect" copy before us.
All this brings us 10 the place OF humil.
ity. the time for lasting and prayer. But
even here it is to hc heart Righteousness"
and not to be proclaimed in our dress or
countcnancc. There is I reason 70: this.
II the humility befor. God I've real it must
not show on the outside, else would men
praise us for our righteousness and il
would soon be gone. We must not show
other men our humility toward God, nor
orr tears and bewl,lin:yI OF our sins-no,
we must let that fasting and communion in
our heart speak through our lives. making
us sweet and serv;crablc" as only true
heart righteousness Can make US.