The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-10-29
THE HIGHER LIFE
Selected Gems Of Thought from Pres and Pulpit
Of All Secs.
The Life Impaired To Us.

THE life that Jesus gives Is
reconstructive force. The highest
virtues, the purest morals and thu
noblest personalities are the result
OF the working of His life in the
| human soul. There Is something
real, something tangible in the life
Jesus imparts. His life may be EN-
bodied in thought and feeling, in
action and conduct By the recep-
| ton of the life He gives each man
may become the utmost that God in
tended him to be-
The Source Of Hope.
The retina Of the eye predicateB
light, the auditory canal of the ear.
sound. So my desire after God pre-
dicates al object of worship and OF
love. The primary witness of God
is in myself, my sense of personality,
my free Will, my conviction Of the
sacredness OF right and duty, the
yearning after holiness, the thrill
of sacred emotion which is stirred
within my soul by a voice stronger
than nature. Yes this, this is God.
Rev. F. Willis, Reformed
In Harmony With God.
Can you reconcile your business
with God? Was yesterdays deal"
| In harmony with His mind? VIII
| your books stand a heavenly audit?
| In your office dare you pat up the
| prayer-that is to say, should you
dare If you had any realizing belief
in the efficacy of prayer abide
| with me; come not to sojourn but
abide with me-" VIII you reconcile
your business methods with God? A
| ministry which does not force these
| questions home is sawdust and chaff.
Rev. Chas. Aked, Baptist.
Passive Faith.
Then there is great deal Of faith
out in the world that never gets into
| the churches even for once or twice
a year. 1t is q negative, passive
faith. 1t mas nothing against Christ,
but it leads to nothing for Him.
There are lots Of people who will
| tell you, If you asked them, that
they believe IN Christ, anr yet they
are doing nothing for His cause or
| kingdom. They never have confess
| ed Him publicly. They never have
enlisted in His service.-Rev. II. p.
! Dew,y, Presbyterian
| In One Brotherhood.
One with Him, we are one with all
of God there is above US, and one
with all men here below. And 1t ls
because / believe that the arms once
outstretched on Calvary's Cross or
| pain and shame are now flung wide
to embrace in one brotherhood men
of every race and name and color,
| that | shall preach Christ to you;
| Christ crucifed, Christ risen, Christ
| glorified, living, loving. reigning. ana
in the pursuit of a Ministry of Rec
onctliation, as though God We're en-
treating by US, shall beseech you. on
behalf of Christ. be ye reconciled
with God.-Rev. Chas. Aked, Baptist.
| Significance of This Life.
The trouble with US is that we
give an exaggerated value to these
earthly years. But think of all the
| eternity that is past, and all the
eternity that is to come; does 1t not
seem small matter whether ones
stay here is few years more or a
few years less? From the eternal
point of view the longest earthly life
Ia but as a moment. The day of our
birth was natures gift to US; 1t was
also Gods. The day of or death
will be at natures signal too, but II
will be at Gods as well.
Our circumstances also are OF God.
for he has a life plan for every one
of us.-Rev. d. Burreu. Reformed.
Guarding the Way Of Life.
Beside that way of life. guarded
by the hedge of law, Christ planta
the tree Of life, for food and shelter;
then digs springs of water for the
| travellers thirsty lips, and makes the
way Of obedience to be the way OF
good fortune. But youth and folly
look longingly over the hedge. they
strain their eyes toward the abyss,
they rebel against the guards and the
laws that make for safety. Strange
that the traveller turns away from
the cool fountain and the highway OF
hapDiness to break through the
hedge and plunge into the slough, to
drink tho poisoned waters, stencil
full and holding seeds of DEATH
Rev. Wallace Smith, Episcopal.
Christ's Love of Man.
The position Of Jesus was sucf
as would surely bring upon Hin
the Indignation of the world. Ht
could not alter His message, and Hf
could not escape. His doom; so tc
that doom He went In a beating
storm of calumny and dishonorablt
imputation. of reckless scandal ant
unheard of treachery and falsehood
Rather than give the Heavenly Fatn
er any credit for the good Christ did
scoffers blasphemed and escriee
His words of blessing to th'
devil. The implacable enemies
who gethered behind Him or
Pilates pavement and clamored %
His blood, had no shadow of a dream
that His blood would cleanse the
guilty world They slew him fol
the truths sake, and the Son of Coo
reached His CONSCIENTIOUS height al
the prophet Of all men, when, know
ing that one single act of recreanc!
would have poisoned the savin,
e, l.