Evening star., 1905-11-04

yoked so much discussion as this ques-
ton OF the pledge. Some societies went 20
far as to dispense with it altogether, claim
ing that 1t was too binding, too solemn, too
sacred thing for careless young people to
enter into, scarcely realizing what It was
that they were promising. Perhaps the
ground for this objection. in the careless
ness with which they kept-or did hot keep
their pledges. Trusting In the Lord
Jesus Christ for strength / promise Him
like to have me do" they promised, and
went forth into the days. Were they any
more gentle and sweet in their homes, any
more attentive to business in the offices In
which they were employed? Did they show
that they were striving daily, hourly to
do as He would like to have them do?
They pledged to support their own church
services. and then they arranged thei- 1T
tie evening parties or made engagements
to go to the theater on the regular We'd
nesday evening prayer meeting night. Is It
any wonder that their elders, aid the
worlds ones looking on, did not beneve in
pledges?
And how much has the pledge meent to
us all these years? Have we kept it, you
and /! Have there not come days at
time when our Bibles have remained cinsed
no food for our souls? We can, it is tue,
look back upon long periods when we kept
strictly to our habit OF reading por-
tlon every day. Have there not been many
prayer? Is it part of our lives? 1t
seems delicate question to ask, for how
can one claim the name of Christian at all
VINO does not get his vital breath from
think of questioning whether a man walk
ing about the earth was breathing?
The phase of the pledge which deals with
the Christian Endeavorers relation to the
church is one that Is more often broken
perhaps than any other Or at least 1t is
more noticeable. Too many young people
consider that when they have attended
their own society meeting they. have fin
ished their duty. Now the whole fouDda-
ton of this society of ours rests upon the
church. 1t was formed that we might be
better church members, better workers in
the church of Christ upon this ear,h, and
II we let 1t make US worse church members
instead of better, can we possibly think
we are Keeping our pledge? For instance,
II we go on to some other church after our
own meeting Is over, or 30 home instead Of
gong regularly to our own evening se.
ice (habitually, Of course, for there might
De occasional instances IN which going to
another church would BE- perfac.Iy allow
abie). Can we feel that an example like
church members7
Now even the most conscientious of us
need now and then to look our lives over
ana mt them to this pledge of ours and see
II we have kept the covenant. Trusting
In the Lord Jesus Christ for strength" that
is GODS part of the covenant, and we may
find that sometimes our failing to keep our
part has made 1t impossible for God to keep
his part or the covenant. Have you looked
to Him for the needed strength when you
were tempted to do something not quite in
harmony with your pledge? A covenant Is
ike an arch upheld by two pillars or col
umns. The arch is Gods promise, His bow
In the clouds. but the two pillars are the
conditions, our part to fulfill. If we trust
God for the strength He will perform His
part and give the needed strength. But to
walk smilingly into temptation with a care
less belief that God will keep us from harm
is not trusting Him to save us from 1t.
Perfect trust In Him implies constant
looking to him for guidance and direction
We are not to walk into the temptation un-
less He points that way, and then we may
go safely, If on some God-sent duty bound,
knowing that He Will keep us. But when
We go, knowing It Is wrong for us to go
into the temptation, then we are not keep
ing our pledge and doing all in our power
to do whatever He would like to have us
do"
The theological definition of the word
covenant Is this: The promises of GOD
as revealed in the Scriptures, conditioned
on certain terms on the part of man, as
obedience, repentance. faith, etc" So then
a covenant in distinction from a promise
implies condition, and indicates that both
parties are concerned In the keeping of 1t.
We do not make this pledge alone; it is
not a promise to God that we will do GER
tain things for His benefit, but rather an
acceptance of His promise to keep us
through life, and give us strength to do
His will.
Applied Truth.
The Lords supper, the sign, the seal, the
center of our religion, is first of all a cove
nant a pledge. You know call it the
sacrament The sacrament is just the Ro-
man sacramentum transferred. The sacra-
rnentum was the oath of allegiance of the
Roman soldiers. When a new legion had
been enlisted it was the custom to perform
the solemn ceremony of taking the sacra-
mentum. shield was taken, upturned,
and into 1t were poured a few drops of the
blood of each soldier and of their COM
mander, which was collected from a sight
cash made in the barred arm of each by his
own sword Then the shield was held aloft
by the commander, and the soldiers passed
by in turn, each one as he passed dipping
his hand into the blood with the COM
mander By so doing captain and soldiers
swore fealty each to the other with this
solemn symbol, the captain promising to
stand by the soldier, and the soldier by the
captain even to the shedding OF the last
drop of blood. This spirit it was that made
the Roman legion the first military organl-
zation the world has ever seen. This spirit
it is that breatheS in every part of the
communion. the sacrament With this
spirit the Christian EndeaVor army setting
1t forth so clearly as is done in their pledge,
will recruit legion before whose endur-
ance and devotion to their Master the de-
votion and endurance of the famed Roman
legion will pale.
How to Help the Leader.
Do not let the following be true of you:
His promises were, he then was, mighty;
But his performance, he is, nothing.
~SHAKESPEARE, Henry VIII.
Keep your pledge in the meeting by taxi
ing some part from which you have al
ways shrunk.
Parallel ages-EZekiei, 34:25,2 26; Eze-
kiel, 37:26,27; jeremiah H:S10; L Thes-
salonians. 5:23 "a Jude, "a; Psalms, 1l6:
IA; Psalms 22:25; Psalms, 66:13; John, 1856
Hints to the Leader.-The Endeavor
Hymnal-33, 80, A, 80, 40, 1877, 157.
If you can be sure of brief, searching
thoughts, give out the various clauses of
the pledge to different members of the So
ciety to be spoken upon, and ask your pas
tor or some one else to say few words
about the solemnity of any pledge made to
God and to compare the Christian En-
deavor pledge to the vows of church mem
bershp.
Ask for personal testimonies to how
the pledge has been kept, and ways In
which 1t has helped. This meeting should
be helpful to the lookout committee. Warn
them not to allow careless pledge-making
They are the watchmen set to guard the
society against careless pledge-making and
breaking. Do not forget a renewal of your
vows in sentence prayers.