Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-04-05

DEPOSITS FROM 8
known, the most completely attested Of !
all facts, the facts OF his own religious
nature. He came to recognize that it
is reasonable to be Christian believ-
er." Before his untimely death he had
returned ito that full. deliberate COM
muniOn with the church of Jesus Christ
which he had for so many years been
conscientiously compelled to forego."
In the multitude of his thoughts with
In him he had secured a square deal
for his soul.
Our dificulEe- nay not be his, but
we have them. The things which
make it hard for us to secure our souls
their chance may be very different
from the things which made it hard
for him. Scientific men Of to-day have
less to make them feel as the seeming
~ triumphant materials of the sew
enties made young Romanes feel about
having God and soul. But our diff
culties may be of another class entire
". Perhaps they are far less credit
able to our intellectual sincerity, less
creditable to our moral purpose, evil
| inclinations and the multiplied oppor-
tunities for gratifying them that make
| it hard for their souls to get fair hear
| ing. "The lust Of the flesh, the lust OF
the eye and the pride of life are not Of
| the Father" John tells us. But some
thing more is true. They out-Herod
Hercl in their. conspiracy against what
Is heaven-bOrn in Us. rhey are not
only mot Of the Father" but they are
the deadly foes of all that is of the
Father. Happy are the souls in which
the flight into Egypt comes out as it
does in Matthew's Gospel Of the In
fancy. Let us net hesitate to play
/ Joseph - our threatened soul. All the
dreams and angels that we need will
] be forthcoming if we are faithful, and
| we shall get back to Nazareth. Some
how Herod will be circumventei. And
though it be neither scientific Doctrines
nor >yil propensities which do most to
make it hard for our souls, but just the
/ petty preoccupations and the daily
| burdens and the round cf more or less
irritating duties of our common life,
we are unGer the same sacred obliga-
ton and have the same encOur:. cement
to secure for our souls the square deal
God means tnem to have. Let us never
forget that Jesus Christ is the great
champion of square teal for every
soul, and that that means ours.
A square dea! in presenting the
claims of religion should be religiously,
| maintained. God is eternally against
anything else. jeremiah never said
anything which bears more unmistak-
| ably the seal Of q Givin, ratification
than when he called it "a wonderful
and horrible thing" that had come to
pass in the land; that "the prophets
prophesy falsely, and the priests bear
rule by their means; all m- people
love 20 have It So" But !. square deal
in presenting the claims Of religion
rules out, nc. merely wilful falsifica-
ton and perversiOn ct the truth. It
rules cut intolerance and demands q
square deal for the religious convic-
tions of other people. It rules out dog
matiSm and demands square Geal for
whatever new light may break forth.
It rules out the insinuation of doubt
and de hands a square deal for the
feeblest and most unintelligent faith.
1t -ules out insincerity of whatever
kind. But it does not rule on. loyalty
to deep convictions, nor defniteneSS
4 of teaching nor the replacing of the
4 broken reed of an OutWorn doctrine
4 with the strong staff Of living truth.
To be absolutely loyal to the truth, and
yet deal fairly with all the spiritual in
terests affected by the manner in which
the claims Of religion are presented, is
no light thing to achieve. But of one
thing, those to whom we go with the
call of Christ must be left in no doubt,
and that is that, so far as in us lies and
God gives us light upon our way, we
mean to be square with them. God
made our ears so that they instructive
ly protect themselves against cant.
They close as quickly as the threatened
eye.
The square deal in religion involves
square deal at the heart of religion.
The central doctrine should be the
righteousness Of God, the righteous
dealing of God with men, square
deal and nothing less for all men, a
square deal and nothing more for the
saved" Paul never gets tired of tell
ing us that God does not save us by
doing anything wrong. He is continu-
ally declaring Gods righteousness in
His way of saving men. that He is at
once 'just and the justifier Of him that
hath faith in Jesus" Paul proclaims
the triumph of the square deal in
Christ. In Him mercy and truth are
met together; righteousness and peace
have kissed each other" All that God
offers to us in Christ He has right to
offer. He comes before the bar of our
conscience with His great gospel OF
forgiveness. II it is not ratified there
it can never give us peace. 1t is not
the less sensitive consciences which
have borne the most unequivocal testi-
mony to the peace which God gives in
Christ Jesus. But there should be moth
ing to settle between your conscience
and your doctrine Of salvation. We are
not saved by dishonest bookkeeping.
Nothing is, credited to us which does
not belong to us in Gods sight. Every
item which justifies God in His mercy
toward us may not appear. But no
scheme that could not pass muster with
| o,,r loo 1i,,r with yaooy1 ran rQ1r{1.