Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-02-12

they opposed, But it is his vision
of God that inspires the saint to bel
meek and the reformer to be fearless,
and in that physical pain and moral
and moral evil have no part. The
beauty of the vision of God
was given to US in Christ Jes.
us, who said: He that hath
seen me hath seen the Father y
and in that vision physical pain
l never heard it argued that his good
ness and power to bless had any
other sources than the Father-God-
with whom he was one. He was rec.
ognized as the expressed image of
Gods character, but who would say
that the hypocrisy of the Pharisees,
the envy of the priests, the treachery
of disciple, were agencies in form
ing the Christly nature? Why, then,
will men argue for the beneficent
reality of evil? If evil works good,
then its agents are our benefactors;
and why should the most active doors
of evil, be restrained from their
beneficent activity by our prisons?
If physical pain is the teacher of
fortitude, why build hospitals and at
tempt to heal pain?
The philosophy of contrast is also
-
if thieves do not help us; how ap-
preciate truth if no liars abound:
how be grateful for the ease of
health if it is not offset by disease?
This leads too far, if the action of
error is in any way conceived of as
having place in the plan of God; be-
cause it would include in that plan
all the workers of iniquity. If lying
lips were ordained to teach us to
value truth, they could not then be
"abomination to the Lord" If it is
only by meeting offences that we
grow in grace, then blessed is the
man by whom the offence cometh,-
blessed be Ahab and Jezebel; blessed
be Ananias; blessed be Herod and
Judas! But this we do not believe.
When we say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord" we
mean "one that bringeth good It'd
ings, that publisheth peace"
1t ought to be universally clear to
human comprehension that evil in be-
lief constitutes a condition of per-
verseness or reversal from which
conversion must be gained, before
what is true and normal can be
known at all, or man be apparent as
the likeness of God. Jesus repre-
sents the Son of God Judas repre-
sents the reversal of true manhood
or integrity, and in that condition of
mind misrepresents both man and
God. 1t ought to be clear, also, that
| the process of overcoming evil with
| good is not struggle with adverse
environment, but a contest with
wrong habits of thinking. The king
dom of heaven must first be estab.
lished within. Goodness or goodness
must displace ungodliness or god
| 1essness.
Here we are confronted with a con.
dition which seems to be concomi-
tant part of mans history, which
theologians discuss under the name
| of sin Some teachers claim this to
be the great activity of the present
life, and some believe it's disastrous
effects to be eternal. But if we scien.
t1tically examine the claims of sin,
we see how they can be overcome
and annulled as they Z were by the
Master who was in all points tempt
ed like as we are, yet without sim
1.-The first axiom regarding man in
Scripture is that he was made in the
image and after the likeness of God.
Jesus reminded his disciples of what
this implied, saying, BE We therefore
perfect, even as your Father which Is
in heaven is perfect" What, then, is
sin? 1t is any theory, belief, thought,
or action which misrepresents the
likeness of God. Per contra, what is
righteousness but right action, cor
rect conduct, truthful thinking,
whereby man expresses as Gods
image 1.-The beauty of holiness"
We have the right to expect of men
that they will express Gods likeness.
Is it not SO that the faith and trust
OF almost every child asks this of~us?
The child expects truthfulness, relies
upon kindness, trusts goodness, has
faith in love. Why are defalcation
and graft so severely condemned?
Not only because the breach of trust
d1sappoints our expectations regard
ing the one man who is untrue, but
because it poisons us with suspicion
of others and makes us doubtful re-
garding manhood. On the other hand
why is it that a true man helps
US and gives us joy and hope. He
lifts up again the fallen ideal of man;
he restores our trust in manhood; he
expresses God likeness and reas-
sures us of good
Christian Science deals success
fully with sin as with sickness, heal