Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-04-13


Of the Episcopal church as long as
you do believe in Jesus Christ as the
Son Of God and you do accept him as
your pardoning Saviour" The doc
trine of the atOnement Of the cross we
hold to with viselike grip Of Paul.
May God help US to let all the nom
essentials 60
Paups Reason.
But there was still another reason
why l think Paul said, # will eat no
meat" What might lave been non
essential to Paul In his spiritual life
might have been more than nom
essential to some one else. Therefore
| think I can Lear Paul say to himself
when this question came up: "Of course
If I give up eating this sacricial meat
I shall have to work harder than l
otherwise would. I may have shorter
hours for preaching l may even have
to work at my tentmaking trade when
I return home at night. But what Of
It? Again l say, what Of 1t? can
afford to go to any extreme rather
than put q spiritual stumbling block
In the way Of my fellow men. If meat
make my brother to offend, / will eat
no meat as long as the world stand
eth" And Paul was right My broth
er, are you ready to firmly and un-
equivocally refuse to throw any spir-
itual stumbling block In the way Of
your fellow men?
Certain amusements In themselves
are harmless, but those amusements
on account of their evil associations
may be most perniclous to others, and
especially to our young folks as a
whole. When was a lad, my father
hired for me a beautiful western mus
tang. AS a riding pony he was simply
perfection. He could run like a deer
over the toughest roads, and he was as
sure footed as an Alpine goat. In the
few months had him learned to love
that pony as an Arab does his thor
oughbred. He would follow me around
like a dog, and he would carry me like
the wind. | begged my father to buy
him. He was only mustang and not
of much value, and the owner was
willing to sell. But my father answer
,, ed: mo. You can have him as long as
you are in the country, but you cannot
have horse In the city. | know how
YOU love the beast. Horseback riding
is one of the most exhilarating and
healthful exercises, but when a young
man owns horse in the city the temp
tations of the stable and Of the road
taverns are too strong. When a young
man rides q horse in the city he too
often rides into sim" Horseback rid
ing In itself Is no harm. Theater going
for you may be harmless, but what are
the surroundings Of the average thea
ter? If you as a church elder, If you
as a church member, If you as a Sun
1ay school teacher 90 to the theater, do
ron not see that the example you may
be setting may encourage some to
90 who are not morally and spiritually
as strong as you are? DO you believe
Jesus Christ, If he was upon earth,
would ever be seen in a theater
What would Paul say If you asked him
TO 90 with you to the theater? / know.
You know. He would answer: Nay.
IF this amusement, like the sacrificial
meat. cause MY brother to offend, l
will abstain as long as the world
stapdeth A..
How about the card table and the
dance hall? You say they do no per-
sonal harm. If you indulge in them,
will YOUR personal example do any one
else any harm? This Lords day
have made a most earnest plea for eY-
ery man. woman and child to come to
our next Wednesday night prayer
meeting. You know and | know that
the most essential meeting Of all the
church life is the midweek prayer
meeting. That young man Is going 10
be at our midweek prayer meeting
next Wednesday night. VIII you DE
conspicuous by your absence! Inc
next Thursday morning on his way to
business he opens the paper ana reaus
there of q big dance or progressive eu'
chre party being given in this city
The names Of all the guests are print
cd there. The names of the prize win
ners are also given. Your name may
be among the prize winners. You VII
then be in the same position as the
man who wins a prize at Monte Carlo
or at some race track. What will he
say? Will he say, "Well, If the promi
nent men and women OF this churcf
stay away from prayer meeting to &C
TO the dance hall and to the card ia
BILE. I must be more regular at the
PRAYER meetings, for surely If such
condition exists in this church Goo
knows the church needs my prayers
Will he say that, or will. he say, I'll
the social leaders Of the church cal
mt the card table above the prayer
meeting. surely | may do the same {!
What would Paul do if you asked hin
TO 90 to a progressive euchre party o.
TO a dance hall? l know. You know
He would answer, "If meat make m!
brother TO offend, l will eat no flesh a
long as the world standeth." May GO
teach US in our amusements not |
throw spiritual stumbling blocks IN I'd
. / way Of our fellow men.
Reason For Sacrifice.
t But there Is still another reason Wn
} 7 think Paul refused to eat that mea
| When these narrow Christians came
J him in protest, 1 think I can hear Pa'
: say: "Well, who would have imagine
r q lot Of men and women could ev'
: take such a narrow, blgoted view
, so trivial an act? Well, the old pro
?. erb is surely right which says. 1t tax
o all kinds of people to make up
s. world But i.:u~t not be too aDru
n srd severe with thc@e critics. Perhal
d IN Just as queer in my ways as th'
II are in theirs. Now, II l give up
E. them IN a nones seat,al. perhaps by q