The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-06
SHOULD STRIVE ID BE CALLED GOOD MAN Dr. Preston Blake Discusses
 Life of BarnabaS BE GREAT IF YOU CAN But Mans Ideal Should be Christian Goodness-Life is Failure if He
 Falls to Lead Chris
 tan Life.

pr Preston Blake preached at tbs : Southside Baptist church Yesterday morn Ing on the subject, "The Good Man, Ills text, which was taken from the eleventh chapter of Acts. the twentv- fourth verse; had especial reference ,o the character of Barnabas. In part pr. Blake said:
 lou VIII always notice that no charac- tefs In the New Testament are paintad as heroes. These men are pictured J,st as they are. This fact reminds ma n, . story told of Oliver Cromwell. the gre.t hneiish soldier. It is said of him that at one tune he went to prominent por- 'iaie painter and had a picture made of iiiiiisei. NOW Cromwell had a large "art upon his nose and the painter, wish Ing as he thought to please him. left thiz orr In the picture. When Cromwell mo- tlced this he said, Paint me inst as I am.'
 NOW, at the time Luke wrote of him In our text for the morning. Rarnaa.s hdo Just been sent by the Lord to Jer,, salem to investigate the state of affairs Ill that place in regard to the work os tbs olseipies. Barnabas was a very nron,,
 
 heht man In those days and he bad ,af. the glowing future that spread ont befora hlm as a rabbi to take up the wor,, os Christ and to follow Him. Luke said =, nm, He was good man.. Now. breth- ron, by this term it was not meant that ne was good in the way we use if whan we say man Is good fellow. We mean by that he is eongenal, treats his irlends well and one whom all may like The biblical meaning contains an element or Christianity and without that element no man could be said to be good.
 Let me tell you, brethren, this Chris tan goodness should be made the i6eaI or every mans life. Make name for soursef 1T you can, make money hon. estiy II you can and If possible be great. put aoove all live such a life that a person speaking of you may say. He ,s a good man.
 One of the clements that n,,st ho ,.. good man is charity. The Lord said that this was the greatest of the three cardinal virtues. Barnabas possessed tbis. characteristic for we find that he so,d all or his lands, which were in them selves valuable enough to keep him liv- ing In luxury all of his life. and instead of keeping it himself he gave all of tho money to the people of Jerusalem. who were poor and starving. With them be placed his own life and lived among them for a long time.
 Nor was this goodness confined only to the biblical characters Let us take Tor example Florence Nightingale. She ieft her home and went into the Crimea , Where she worked in the hospitals with the wounded soldiers, tending them with such motherly care that at her approach they were heard to whisper. Here oomes an angel She and many other noble and heroic men and women followed the life of Christian goodness What we need today is more of these people who are good and charitable.
 After the trip of Barnabas to Jeru- salem he and Paul wished to go to an other land and preach the gospel. Bar nahas wished to take Mark with them. but Paul would not hear to it. for he and Mark had gone out together once before, and the younger man left him when they were in hardships. Barnabas then left Paul and went away with Mark while Paul went toward Antioch This is the last we hear of Barnabas for at the time of separation he faded away into ob livion, but nevertheless I firmly believe that he and Paul met again in after days and met as friends. On the other hand Paul went to Antioch. and there with his great sermons helped to safely launch the great ship of Christianity and watched its sails fill before the breeze and gradually sail away, spreading the gospel wherever 1t went
 Tn closing, brethren, let me repeat what I said before about goodness. Blessed is that man who has led a Chris tian life and who has always been good in the Christian sense. He may not have made much money, and he may not have made much of a name for himself in this great world but when loving hands have 5 lowered him to his last resting place and when the last tears have been shed. if someone says. He was a good man. his reward has been given him, and in the years that pass he will be sadly missed . from the home and from the world. for when a good man has been called to his home his place is vacant and cannot be filed" After Dr. Blake's sermon, Dr. Crumptou made a short talk on the missionary work and on the convention that is to be held in Alabama the last of this month