The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-03-01
THE GUARDED HEART.

RcEp lily mari AHtht al s4tNf 1870
guardest,
For out OF il are the issues Of life"
Proverbs.
There are three things to which a
good man must give earnest consider
alton; his body. his life. his soul. The
body is the clay tenement in which
his soul lives; it is the emigrant wag-
on in which he makes the journey OF
life. as one has said. II should not be
abused. it should not be allowed to
dominate or 10 enslaye the soul. 1t
is 70 be the servant and not the mas
ter.
The life of the man remains on the
earth a blessing or curse.
The righteous soul goes, according
to the Bible. into eternity to continue
an endless existence of peace and
blessedness.
The memory of the Just is blessed,
but the name of the wicked shall rot"
In every community men have lived
and died and their lives remain bless
ed memory. In every community men
have lived and died and their names
rot.
1t is wise for each responsible be
ing to seek to know the fountain from
which his life flows. The source of
stream may be hidden under a hill,
but if there be typhoid fever germs In
the fountain the stream will spread
disease. If there be healing elements
in the fountain invalids may seek the
stream to drink the healing waters,
the weary and the depleted may find
strength and vigor at it's banks.
Out of the heart it is here affirmed
are the issues Of life. BY the heart is
meant the centre of the soul. The
heart of the earth is the centre of the
earth. The heart of the tree is the
centre of the tree.
One day the scribes and Pharisees
found fault with the disciples of Jesus
because they did not wash their hands
before they ate.
But Jesus said:
There is nothing from without the
man that going into him can defile
him; but the things which proceed out
of the man are those that defile him.
For from within out of the heart of
man, evil thoughts proceed, fornica-
lions, thefts, murders, adulteries, COW
etings, wickedness, deceit, lascivious-
ness, an evil eye railing, pride, foolish
ness, all these evil things proceed from
within and defile the man"
These things defile the soul of the
man first of all, and then the man de-
files the world, as a rotten potato in
a heap defles the hill.
If the question be asked: What is
the heart of man, what Is the center |
of the soul? the answer is the will.
A man is what he has willed to be. |
No man is compelled by over towering
force to decide to do the right thing, |
and If he yields to such force on the |
side of right, it Is, not real yielding, |
4 real choosing of the good There |
is no power in the universe that can |
force a man to do wrong thing unless |
he chooses to do so. "As man pur-
poses in his heart, SO is he" Our
purposes are acts of the soul and
count as such with the Eternal God.
We are admonished to guard the
heart. One has declared that The
will is the citadel of the soul"
A man is to guard 1t as men in an
ancient city would guard the citadel
% keep the enemy out. 1t is not the
only thing we are to guard, but we are
o guard it above all other things.
The heart needs to be guarded, for
Evil purposes steal the livery of
Heaven to serve the devil in" A man
nay think he is moved by good pur-
rose when he is not, as a mariner may
hink- he is guided by lighthouse,
When he is being mislead by false
light on the shore, placed there to
wreck his. vessel and steal her treas
ire
Party spirit is one thing, patriotism
) another, and 1t is mistaken patriot /
SIN or party spirit or personal ambi-
ion and avarice that leads a man to
urchase votes and corrupt the bal {
1t box.
Pure and genuine patriotism forbids
whatever be the justice of the cause.
he end does not justify the means.
Better go down in defeat with clean I
ands, than to triumph, miry to the
blows with corruption or with fraud. G
The love for ones own church is one 9
hing, but love for the Kingdom of
cd may be very different thing.
It is not holy purpose which inn