Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-08-09
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Rrayer Meeting Topic For the Week
BegfBaInn Aug. IT,


By REV 5. IL DOYLE
Topic. - t4'Ifiag OF character - II
Pet. tSz-ll; szee - =
Characser Is vat we arc, net what
we ueeri. What we seeia IS but reputa-
ton. Lat what we are AZ Cod see US
teeIs down in our heart Is CT .r@cter.
Cha. actcr is the all Inn GIANT Gang ia.
afa r. some riches is the sEa eme
th.na. ut tie we man has wei sid
"a % ua.ne y rather 10 be chosen
than great rc4es." To others worldly
pleasure IS the chief concern 81 life.
but the apostle does well 10 enjOin US:
Neither the things that are ina the
world, - for all that is in the world,
the lust Of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the pride Of life, is not Of the
Father, but is of the world. And the
world passeth away and the lust there
Of, but he that doeth the will of Col
abideth forever" The things Of the
world are temporal--character Is eter-
nal The supreme importance OF char
acter, therefore, can be clearly seen
and we should prize il above silver and
gold ard whatever else VIC ray win
or lose in life We should make sure
that life Itself is what 1t ought to be.
for life is character.
The building of a human character is
no chIld's play Many people who are
most careful about everything else in
life that has a value are most careless
when It comes 10 their own lives. If
buIl5ing a home. they are very partic-
uIar and want the very best things that
It Is possible for them TO procure but
IN erecting the tabernacle OF life, which
Is to be eternal In the heavens" they
are careless and Indifferent Would
that all could appreciate the real values
Of life, Then the gold would not so
frequently be mistaken for the dross
and the dr'oss for the gold.
The elements that enter into char
acter building are well Illustrated in
those that 90 to make ND the build
tngs we see about US in life
j. The materials out Of which we
build our character are important. We
may well ask ourselves most seriously
what makes Us what we are? The ma
terials OF which any structure is com
posed have much to DO with the hulld-
ing. So il is with life Many impor-
TINT elements enter into our making:
% Heredlty II must be admitted that
we do inherit the dispositions Of our
ancestors. A man has been lilzened TO
an omnibus with all his ancestors on
the inside and again II has been said
that ''the training OF child should be
gin a hundred years before It Is born"
But the evil Influences Of heredity can
hy the grace of God be overcome. C2l
Environment. Our circumstances in
hfe have much to do with the
development Of our characters. Tie
surroundings Of our home life. the
place where we do the work Of life,
the work itself. our associates-all
these are important factors in char
acrer building. But when necessary n
man can control his circumstances
rather than allowing them to control
him. Our lives should be founded upon
Jesus Christ, the only true foundation,
and should be built upon Him. Pos
sessing His spirit by the new birth,
we should gradually add to the free
grace IN us until we possess in as large
q measure as possible full rounded,
symmetrical ChristIike character. Then.
and then only. shall we possess
the character that is worth striving
and sacrificing for.
BIBLE READINGS.
Prov. xxi, /; Eccl. vii. /, 10. IA; lisa.
II. 2o-31: Matt. vi, SO; vii. 24-29;
Pa cxxvii. /: Acts Xxx. 30; .Eph. ii, 10
e; vi, !, 2.