The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-20

Text pray thoc have me excused
Many stand upon tho threshold Of the
Christian life, and Will not cross the line,
because they arc unwilling 10 assume its
Obligations, Their rule of life Is to avoid
al unnecessary responsibility They do
not wish to be fettered or trommelled
They feel little freer outside of the
church, Then II they make a mlsStcp no
ono is injured hut themselves What!
Avoid responsibility. No man adds to his
obligations by joining a Christian church:
no man escapes them by refusing al
lcSiance, Tho obligation 10 discipline Is
based upon the moral constitution OF man.
The law OF the pure heart, tho duty 10
hunger and thirst after righteousness, the
sin OF evil thoughts and lying words,
the murderous hand. did not begin 10
he when Christ affirmed them From the
beginning OF time II has been wrong TO
sal and kill Being so. Christ recognized
this eternal wrong The physician does
not create the laws of health. There be
Cluttony and drunkenness being Injurious
80 these organs. the physician warns
against excess ond incites moderation and
care. Now, do you think that when you
gestion and sleep and go down with
nervous prostretion, and reason Itself
IN the physician and say. What do these
tvinges and aches mean7 I have never
promised to obey the laws Of hygiene. !
refrained therefrom that | might have
more liberty. I do not wish to tranmel
myself by pledeing obedience to the laws
that forbid mn occasional excess In cat
ing and drinking and passion. You avoid
no obligation to obey the laws OF the
body by declining to recognize your duty;
YOU increase your obligation not one whit
by studying books OF health or Joining
society for the promotion OF your physI-
oal well-beins He who refuses to
study and obey the laws of arithmetic
Will soon drop out OF trade and com,
merce He who refuses TO study and
water. and acids will soon suffer r-
reparablo wreckage Of the body. He who
truth and friendship, and good citizen.
ship. will soon have no place In decent
society. The artist who wishes to avoid
the obligation to paint with harmonious
studying under a great master, has no
place among those who love supreme
beauty The minister, himself. ls under
roc more obligation to lead Christian
lte than the man who never opens his
Bible who never crosses the threshold OF
q church The obligation to follow Jesus
Christ, to study In his school OF charac-
rers and pursue the higher manhood,
- to--7 s--.rn 80 fn.~s thot mon men.
and not that they arc moral teachers, or
n 1nts, or iawyels or believers or
worldlinGs once for all. there fore let ne
end this superficial thought. that we have
more license and freedom By remaining
Christ's school and studying Christa
method OF making the most OF ones self.
Misconceptior Concerning Pleasure
and Denial
Other hceitant ores stand upon the
threshold because OF misconception re-
gRrdine pleasure. They think that the
Christian life involves giving up many OF
llfe's best things. and the ascetic ideals.
climbing his pillar In the desert. They
are Influenced by the thought OF Francis
OF Assist. wearing rags, eating crusts.
r,11i In hn md oil plr-
on a slab OF stone They remember Pas
cal, who was disturbed lest he loved his
sister too much Something of the Puri-
tan strain is In them Heroic men. these
Puritans, men OF oak and granite strong
enough to hew away the excesses and
destroy the political wrongs of feudal
ages, but narrow men The pattern OF
tho Christian life is not the ancient or
tho modern acestic. The pattern is Jesus
Christ. What characteristic OF Christ so
striking as His all-rounded manhood He