Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-03-09

ing some of the old, true, eternal, fixed
and established human religions; some
sof the old, true and established social
restraints. And if we look at our
modern society very closely we see it
not only appearing here and there
among the young men and the young
women, but also among some Others
that are not yet so young, too much
freedom, perhaps, among the old, If you
please, VIXEN they throw aside the. old
fashioned feminine graces, mOdesties,
proprieties, too much freedom in de-
meanor land department, hoping thus
ito show, perhaps, that they are ,eman-
| cipated. But, as some one has remarked,
*such freedom is not the result of high
+er education, or culture, or advance
:ment, or progress, but of a dull and
stupid ignorance. It is reversion of
the lesson of Peters vision, and always
! to call ,.all things common and un-
bclean.
Thus to-day we see here AID there
/ l'beginning to appear abuses of this
l INA gnifcent human freedom. a dispo-
;sition.upon the part of many of every
age to push and set aside whatever
seems to interfere with the freedom
of their lives, with the full and free
expression, indulgence and gratitica-
tion of their desire to live and do pre-
tciSely what they please And so the
i children soon wander off to do as they
please. Why not, are they not free?
i And the husband WanderS off to do as
he pleases? Why not, is he not free?
/ And the wife wanders off to do as she
pleases, and the marriage wow wanders
off. Why not, is it not a free age?
! And like a house that rests upon the
shifting sand, the home breaks up and
4 falls, and great is the fall thereof, for
itt'pulls society down.
l All, my friends, freedom is a mag
7ni6cent and glorious thing, and it has
it's great and magnificent uses, and it
has its great and malevolent abuses,
l and in spite of all our solemn declara-
ton papers and Magma Charta claims
human life is not free. except with that
freedom which is the sacred moral
sphere, for rich or poor. or young, or
old, from moral leading comes. Free
i dom which comes from elsewhere is
not freedom, but bondage to our pas
j sions, as more and more we give graft
Gfeation to them; bondage to our cir
j .cumStanceS as more and more we give
4 multiplication to them, anu, worst of
i all, bondage to ourselves, our own i'm
! perial selves, and from our own prison
/ selves unable to escape.
! There is no such thing aS true and
:undoubted freedom for humaN life,
freedom for the human conscience,
freedom for the human heart, freedom
for tho s=s'1l. nxcant 81 we 1oa"ss to-day
to stand before some great eternal
Lord. Where is the master who, as
1--we come and stand before him, and
enter into his presence to receive our
freedom, can give freedom to us, who
first of all can give what you and
need, conscience in freedom The
Master unto whom all hearts. are open.
from whom no secrets are hid, who
knows it all-the whole story Of our
Life, the secret sin and shame. con-
ceaFed perhaps from others, but not
concealed from Him, from whom no
secrets are hid; the Master who, like
no one else, can give conscience acquit-
tai and start us afresh in life, grant
us pardon Of the conscience, of sin and
wrong. Men have always wanted that
forgiveness, and in Jesus Christ they
have found it, and they find it in Him
to-day. The poor Outcast sinner upon
the streets of the city goes to stand
before Him, not like the servant in the
story Of the text, to condOne and eX-
cuse his sin, but to acknowledge his
fault and to receive forgiveness. And
that voice speaking to man, ringing
down through all the ages, is speaking
to them to-day, saying, 'Go in peace"
and to the SHINING woman, Neither
do I condemn thee, SO and sin no
more
With US ordinary and commonplace
persons. is there not some little spot
in our hearts where. in loneliness, we
dwell; where the heart cries out for
sympathy for some one TO stand beside
it: and it is not until it learns to so
| and stand before Him, unto whom
sall secrets are known-Jesus Christ
| the Master-that this sympathy and
. | fellowship is found. Conscience free
dom giving. heart freedom giving, and
then soul freedom giving, where the
soul seems to reach the home to which
it belongs and to find its greatest lib
erty i'll the bosom Of the Eternal.
, When once we come upon the limita-
tons Of person, some one has said. it
is all over with him. Has he knowl-
edge. enterprise, ability, it boots not;
no matter how attractive he was yes
terday. how great an inspiration, he
| seemed like a limitiess sea; but we
. aave found his shore. and found it a