The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-11

at the head. instead of all executive power being vested in one man. He wanted the President of the United States to serve without salary But said the grand old sage of Philadelphia. "the older l grow the more 1 doubt my own infalibilitv and the more I believe that others may occa- sionally be right l am not like the French lady who one day said to her sis l ter, I do not know how it happens, sis l ter, but l meet with nobody but myself 1 that is always in the right Therefore though I may not like this constitution in toto, I do feel that it is the best for all l parties upon which We could ever agree. 1 And, MT. President. l cannot help express l ing a wish that every member of this convention who may still have objections l to it would with me on this occasion 1 doubt a little of his own infallibilitv, and | to make manifest our unanimity put his | name to this instrument" That nlea of Benjamin Franklin is a good exposition | of what Pauls moderation means It | means giving up a little in order to fit 1 your life into the nonessential peeuIiari- l ties of other people. It is this useless friction. this useless rubbing each other l the wrong way this useless expecting l other people to be like ourselves, instead of all people trying to bear and forbear, l that have caused much-aye, perhaps most-of the trouble of the world Let your kindness, your tolerance. your gen. tleness' your pliability be known unto all men"
 Practice Forbearance.
 Be patient in the next place, with those people who were born spiritually blind, because their ancestors like the prpgeni- : tors of the blind fish in Kentuclky's Nam moth cave, passed their lives in total darkness. Be patient with those men, in whose veins flows the tainted blood of generations upon generations of sinners
 Blood should be thicker than water. Blood should be a potent factor in the making or unmaking of man. I am in no sense fatalist 1 am not one of those indifferent, never may care men who try to excuse their sloth and laziness by ad- vocating the doctrine. What is to be will be- and what is not to be will not ber | am not foolish enough to think that "a man can be born to be eternally destroyed, no matter how he may try to prevent it or what he may do or say" But l am one of those believing people who are ready to grant that, by reason of the op- eration of the laws of heredty, it is hard CT for some people to do right than for others, and to grant also that, because of heredity, 1t is easier for some to do wrong than for others. Never was a more sensible salutation given than that with which King Saul accosted the young SutpHeTu DpNt DaNlu, W nose son art thou, young man?" If David was the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite Saul had a right to expect that the lad would grow up to be good man. If he was the son of a bad father the king had a right to be wary of such offspring. Blood thicker than water? Of course 1t is. All of us should believe what our eyes everywhere behold. Baldwin apples do not grow upon fall pippin trees unless ingrafted In the I.1 animal kingdoms like always produces like
 The hereditary law in all It's different as- poets being agreed upon, why should you not be patient in your dealings with those whose ancestors were not good and true and pure Christians as were your fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers? Have you q right to expect the child of an Aztec sun worshiper, within the first year of his conversion to have as beauti- ful a conception of the cross as the child of that Indian missionary who last year gave up his life for Christ within sight of d horrible ghat burning upon the banks of the Ganges? Have you right to ex- pect that young boy whom you took from a founding home and adopted to have as easy a time living the Christian fife as your own flesh and blood? Per haps that boy is the son of two thieves, while your child is the son of good mother. Remember, a spiritual oeuist, you cannot in day open the visual win dows of one born blind. Remember, it is a greater triumph to teach the deaf ana the dumb to correctly pronounce the five vowel letters, a, Q. l. o. Il. than it is to teach a well schoolboy the whole of Web ster's famous reply to Senator Hayne. Oh. my brother, do not fret and worry and lose your patience in your dealings with those of bad spiritual ancestry. Be gen tie! Be forbearing! Be forgivingl Be kind Be merciful Be moderate in all things. Forgive not only seven times, but seventy times seven.
 Be Slow to Condemn.
 Be patient, in the next place, with the Peters of the three denials. There are many, very many, of them. They are not the sinners who mean to do wrong, but they are the sanguine temperaments who overestimate their own abilities. They at times love the Lord with all their strength, but, then, understanding the strength of evil they deliberately run into temptation, to be overthrown not once, but twice and thrice.
 The Peters of the three denials Per haps that young man whom you dis charged only last week was one of them. He was a fine young fellow. Everybody who came in touch with him liked him. I your store He was not only bright, but he was the son of a good Christian father. He knew better. but he would drink. He came into your office drunk about one year ago. You forgave him once. You for gave him twice. When he did it the third time you said: "Out you gov' And out of the store last week he went. Or perhaps he was that employe of yours who was arrested because he stole from your safe and then, to cover it up, manipulated the ledger His defalcations went on for months Or perhaps he was that Peter whom you caught lying to you. The first time you said nothing. The second time you proved to him that he prevaricated. The third time you discharged him on the spot And yet in spite of those lies of those defalcatOns, of those drunkennesses you could not help liking this Peter of the three denials. You loved him for his own sake You liked him on account of his father and mother Then, my brother, if you like that lad, if you think he has even vet the making of a good man in him, if he can overcome that one fault why not take him back again? Why not give him another chance? "No. mo-" you answer. 'I have given him three different chances. Three times are enough" Are they enough, my brother? Remember the lads parents. Remember that he Is an impuIsive fellow and not bad at heart Remember that Christ forgave Peter again and again until at last Peter rose above his weaknesses and gave his life fully and freely back to Christ Will you
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