Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-09-08

warping the judgment and Intoxicating the
mind with nothing but shadow an
imaginary greatness derived only for what
is external-the dress position, the wealth
This has been from the beginning, is now,
and will be till that day Of His when He
comes again and finds us eating and drink,
ing, marrying and giving in marriage"
1.-THE world''-sLust of the flesh, lust Of
the eye and the pride of life" Now, OF
this world, it would be wrong, very wrong
to say that it can give us nothing at all
worth the having am inclined to think
that religious education that presents the
world" as altogether incapable Of impart-
ing any kind of happiness is incomplete
and erratic-for when the young upon
entering life find, as they will find a
pleasure in the world of which they have
not been told, but which rather has been
desired-a reaction will take place in the
mind and for time they will estimate the
world too highly-for the very reason they
haye been taught to treat it disparangingly
Our Saviour speaks in his own wise manner
He implies that the world can give-but
not as He gives He exalts His own super
ior gifts. Not as the world giveth give l
unto you" Our Lords discrimination be-
tween the two gifts seems to me to refer
partly to the actual gift bestowed partly
to the manner of the bestowment and partly
to the length Of time the gift is held by
the receiver.
II. AS to the gift. The utmost, [ sup
pose the world ever pretends to give is
pleasure; and in so far, pleasure is good
thing. But pleasure, if it be only pleasure,
does not match with the whole nature Of a
rational Spiritual and Immortal Being.
Hence those who seek and find only pleas
ure fail Of satisfaction, and because nnsatis-
fed, are restless. Restlessness IS the
characteristic of the world, just as rest is
the characteristic of the Heavenly. l
know Of no more touching or affecting
sight than the way in which many persons
in search Of happiness are always changing
their homes, their pursuits, their tastes,
their friendships, their amusements and
their object seems in all these changes a
confession of the inadequacy and impotency
Of the world. 1t is evident that they have
not vet found a place of repose. How
should they with capabilities for eternity
untitled? They accumulate a past of re-
grets, q present of emptiness and future
of deception. This is condition of man
living, if may so speak, in the lower scale
of his being, and all the time cut off from
the higher.
Jesus Christ gives peace. Peace with
God through forgiveness of sins peace with
the conscience through that peace with
God, and peace with men because of the
peace with God and conscience. The past
is pardoned-the present is fall Of real
deep and satisfying life, and the future is
assurance dOubly made sure. This is what
man needs. It may or may not be pleas
ure at first, sometimes it is not. But it is
something better, it is peace, and is sure to
become pleasure presently. l pity the man
who constantly seeks pleasure and ending
it, knows nothing about peace; pleasure
without peace is .damning in its nature;
peace that brings pleasure is salvation.
peace leave with you, my peace / give
unto you. Not as hhe world giveth give /
uneo you"
Let us now look at the method of the
giving for to this the words properly lead
us.
1t is really an act Of 'giftD by which
Jesus Christ bestows anything. 1t may be
questioned whether anything fellow crea-
ture gives Us is ever purely and positively
q gift. There is some sense of obliga-
ton in it; or there is some expectation,
direct or indirect, of return. There is
some degree of selfishness, some lower ele-
ment OF thought. Jesus Christ gives freely,
purely, absolutely-for no desert because
of no return-simply because He loves.
OH that we might all know the power Of
that word grace. It is simple, single
minded act Of favor to the poorest, un-
worthiest sinner; done for no other reason
in the wide universe than because God
loves us, because God is what He is. He
is love and everything man needs; remem-
Der, everything man can receive from his
Creator is ssgrace.n Pardon, sense of power,
holiness, hope, wisdom, heaven, all, all are
Of gracei It is all pure deed of gift, and
this leads to another trait in Christ's Civ
ling The world even where it gives,
often mars the kindness by some manner Of
expression which accompanies the gift.
Something that indirectly gives pain. It
I is scarcely in the nature Of the fworld" to
Confined % Fourth rage.