The Newtown bee., 1905-11-24

The strangest thing in the world is l this: that a creature formed for the highest happiness, and desiring above
 all things to be happy, should refuse
 even to be persuaded to do that which
 alone can satisfy the cravings of his
 nature! Why should a man prefer the
 fellowship of sin, and eat the bread of
 iniquity, and drink the wine of God $ | wrath, than So accept the fellowship
 of Christ, and feast on the bread of heaven, and drink the wine of the
 Holy Spirit? It often seems to me
 that this mystery of evil is the great est of all the mysteries: For the man
 who sins against God wrongs his own soul. And why will any one choose the less when the greatest is freely offered; and by having the greater all
 the good of the less is included. The invitation to the great supper of the
 Lord, in the Gospel, is the highest honor that can be conferred upon any one; and the fellowship of the saints without doubt affords the best possible opportunity for the true and lasting enjOymentS of the human heart.
 Now, the excuses we make, and the excuses we take, generally speaking are pretty good indications of our charact- CTS: for an excuse is an apology for the neglect or viola ation of an acknowledged obligation. If we ask another to ex- cuse us, the very word implies that we have failed to do what we ought to have done, and that we are in duty bound to explain, or apologize. And if we meant to do what we have not done, our excuse is a reason and justification for not doing it. But if we neglected, or did not mean to do what was right fully expected of us, our excuse must of necessity be of the nature of self condemnation, and the seeking of par don.
 Of course we may ask, and be ex- cused from accepting an obligation, or a favor: but there must Still be some
 reason or an excuse, because in the na-
 ture of the case all the relations of life
 in themselves imply that there are
 natural obligations, and the conditions of fellowship, from which we cannot escape. Life itself implies that we owe certain duties to God; and certain duties to men; and in fact we have no
 right to ask to be excused from any
 bounden duty, and any excuse is there fore confession of sin. For instance: We know and acknowledge that we ought first of all and. always to love
 God supremely, and our neighbor as ourselves; and that it is but our req
 sonable service, without excuse, and
 that it is only in the minor affairs of life, Din which we voluntarily assume obligations, that we may ask to be ex- cuSed.
 Thus, it would be perfectly proper for me to ask to be excused from par
 ticipating in any merely social pleas
 ureS, however innocent, in order that
 I might honor God in any service; but
 could not feel justified in excusing myself from Gods service for the sake of any merely social enjoyment. For the only true order of human life is that we should "seek first the King dom of God and His righteousness. /" We cannot presume to reverse the eternal principles upon which our lives
 were constructed. There can be no l valid excuse for sin, or the wilful neg l feet of duty; but there may be excuse l for mistakes, or failures by reason of
 eXegencieS or inability.
 l For most part our excuses are found
 ed upon necessities, real or supposed,
 in which case we justify ourselves; or l they are based upon our preferences
 and we beg off and put as good face
 upon the situation as we can. If any
 thing has prevented us from doing
 what we promised, and meant to do
 we plead that we could not help it and
 must be forgiven. If we could have
 done it, but preferred to do otherwise
 we must either confess the fact ol frame an excuse which will really be
 evaSive, if not false.