Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-03-23
A REA10N FOK LENr.
BY Eey. n. p. N.ca Is.

Not IN the UNIFORM ana technical way
in which they are called bad, bat By
the side of the standards of the gospel
and by tho measure OF their own awak-
ened conscience they are as bad. as far
from good, rs any preaching puts
them. Everyay life is constantly chok-
ing out the spiritual nature.
The parable Of the soWer is perhaps
the best presentation OF the way men
treat religion, Some harden them
selves, some give it a light md pass
ing interest, some receive it enthusias-
tically and then choke it out from their
crowded lives
st. Mark tells us that one of the
things which choke out reigion is the
lusts Of other things.
Men start right. They 20 to church.
hear and receive the gospel, enroll
themselves in the chureh's membership
plan their part in duty and service. BY
and by they are found but rarely at
church. are present at the Lords table
only on great festival. drop their
sense of responsibility for the churchs
maintenance and life. What is the
reason? The Iusts Of other things.
What does it matter if mans spirit
ual nature is being choked? lie is hon.
est. good to his family. d respectable
citizen. He has other things in hand;
what matter that he loses his religious
life? Let Ills neighbors all initiate him.
Let a generation grow up without any
of the religion which he had in his
youth. Let there be among men only
material interests, without any spirit
ual ideals behind them. Weeds are
ready to grow in every garden. A God
less, Christless. churchless world would
be world of beasts, though they We're
twentieth century beasts, educated. re-
fined, ingenious. A material mastery,
gained at the expense tf spiritual earn
estness, would turn it's ingenuity to
devislng the quickest ending for life.
The loss of spiritual quality from hui
man life is the loss in the long run of
humanitys one reason for being.
The lusts of other things put that
spiritual quality most in peril. These
'..other things that men desire. lust
after are not bad things They are
even necessary for the lower ranges
OF human life. They are allowed to
become absorbing, They use up all the
vitality of the man; he has thing 70
spare for the higher. The petit TO relig-
ion, the loss from church worship and
church conservation are due not SO
much to hardness Of heart to vicious
living. as to material preoccupation.
The lusts Of other things are a reason
for tie pause and the searchlight OF
Lent.
What. in tl'~ .arge are these "other
things that choke out religion? There
is, first, ones occupation that which
IT is ones business TO do in the world.
The seed of religion once sown and
rooted. we go to our work, the school,
the home, the store. To that a man
owes his best. Yet all material work
should be from Il recognized spiritual
background. Bread is earned, the
house is ordered. the lesson is mas
tered not merely to satisfy the craving
of appetite. to enjoy ones ease, to
know one more language and die. An
ideal vision turks within all such ma
terial activity. even in the grossest ma
ture. of service to the world, of bring
ing in the kingdom, of rpening on TO
the divine All work. in the profess
sion. the home, the study, gets at once
inspiration and value from the spirit
ual purpose in the life of man. To
choke the spiritual nature with ma
terial occupation is as the sin of the
glutton. who destroys the body with
the body's, own sustenance
Comprehensive are a second lust of
other t.lings that choke religion. Com
panionship is as essential to man as
work. 1t may debase or Il may en-
noble him We make it our first con
Germ to secure for our children compan-
ions we can trust. We leave the spirit
ual light in our own matured lives to
be dinmed in the attractive company
of the careless. the cynical, and the ir-
religious
Love of novelty is another snowy
weed that cholles the spiritual life in
man. The latest book, discovery.
amusement leads us all captive and
lands us far from what has done the
best work for our lives, from all we
hold dear. A creed or a sect is not
accredited because it is new Mans
deeper life needs not new truths or
new methods so much as a fresh pre-
sentatlon of the old and tried; deeper
earnestness in using and commencing
what he has as Gods gift.
To the uDrooting of these choking
lusis Of other things, absorbing bust
ness. uuwise friendships, a running
after noSelists, Lent bids us.
1t is not the openly defiant trans
gressors of law that occasion question
ing anxiety in the hearts Of religious
people to-day. II is rather those who,
with good seed sown and taking a
promising start, are falling to bear
fruit because of the lusts of other
things. If the well born and privileged
sons and daughters of the church are
Irreligi0us. where can we look for the
church's support? Are we letting 9th
or things" use up the spiritual capacity
in our lives. and so missing. for our
selves and our fellows the purpose and
the beauty Of living?
GREAT NEED OF THE CHCRCH.
BY Rev. J. l.. ohroH.
The angel of the Lord babe Joseph
TO call~the son of man. Jesus, at his
birth. Thou shalt call his name I'M