The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-02
postmortem Laudation.

If men despse those Tor Whom we I'M
wisely have become sureties they are apt
to despise us also, and if they learn. to de-
spise us they are very apt to leran to de-
spise us they are very apt to learn to de-
what you will, every unfaithful Christian
is a representative, however sadly de-
linquent of the God In whom he pro-
fesses TO believe. We are, or should be,
the lights Of the world--the cities set
upon hill. which cannot be hid. If we
are unfaithful in our dealings with others
our faithlessness reflects on religion and
is an offense against God himself This
fact is never better demonstrated than
when minister is untrue to his divine
Master and his sacred calling. At the
public funeral of a worldly man or
worldly woman sometimes in order to
give comfort to the living minister
will try to smooth things over, though
the dead man may have been an extor-
toner, a drunkard. libertine, gamb-
Ter or despiser of the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ. OF course we should
speak no evil of the dead, and 1t Is not
necessary that anyone should cause pain
by reflections at a funeral, but surely
there is limit to postmortem laudation.
Yet he will talk about a twelve gated
gospel. He will say there was pardon
for Paul, who was the chief of sinners,
and therefore there is pardon for us. He
Will not quote the passage, Except We
repent ye shall all likewise perish but
he will talk from the text God is love-
and he will try to make people believe
that the unrepentant soul has entered
through the paradisaicai gates. But
tell you. my brother, even with the men
of the world 1t won't go down. IL we
dishonor ourselves by trying to become
surety for our friends we dishonor God
also.
/ once heard a minister dishonor God
in this way: Many years ago out in the
country a person of evil life was buried.
That life had been wholly worldly life
but in order to please the relatives who
were members of his church the minister
whtewashed the record and though the
dead had died as far as we knew unre-
pented the indulgent speaker opened the
gates of heaven and had the departed liv-
ing in the whitest mansion nearest to the
great white throne. After the service was
ended man Of the world said to me:
What does that minister mean by talk
ing like that? II heaven Is for such a
one then / am sure of reaching there
blasphemer that | am" No my friends
you cannot be untrue I'm your cOmmenda-
lions or recommendations without at the
same time dishonoring Him OF whom you
as Christians stand before the world as
the representatives.
/ would beseech OF you therefore In
the smallest details of your life always
remember you are the representatives Of
Jesus Christ. Sturgeon once said Many
horses fall at the bottom otsa hill be-
cause the driver thinks the danger past
and the need to hold the reins with firm
grip less pressing" Many men lose their
Christian discipeship al the foot of the
hill after they have climbed Calvary and
descended on the other side. They lose
il because they do not serve God in the
little things They lose 1t because they
reedlessly throw themselves into tempta-
tons by becoming false sureties for their
friends They lose II because unthink-
ingly they throw moral dangers in the
way Of others. They lose II because when
they dishonor themselves they dishonor
o'hrist May God help us one and all to
. true 70 Christ: then We shall be true
. our fellow men in every way.
Copyright 1905 by Louis Klopsch)