Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-08-28
BLANK PAGES IN LIES BOOK.
By Rev. Ernest A. Tappert'

By Rev. Ernest A. Tappert.
Therefore TO him that knoweth TO
do good, and doeth it not, TO him II
is sin.-James iv. II.
st. James speaks of the blank pages
in the book of our lives. They teach a
lesson which is often overlooked.
Whenever We go over our book OF lie
we are mostly attracted by the pages
written in gold that tell of our good
works. But of these pages there are
but few, and in most cases the gold
is only brass. Most Of the pages are
full of spots and stains, and written
Oh them are the works Of darkness.
There is scarce day on which new
pages Of this kind are not added.
But In between there are pages with
nothing written on them and most PEG
pie look at them without any disturb
ance Of conscience. They even regard
these with a certain quietude OF mlnd,
saving: '"Thank God, there is a day
Oh which | have done no evil - Is
that true? St James in our text says
no. And then lie opens our eyes to the
meaning Of the blank pages in the book
of our lives. saying: Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good, and doeth
it not. to him 1t is sin"
Here we must look back and note the
many shortcomings and neglects Of our
lives The Roman emperor, Titus used
. to regard day as lost on which he
had not accomplished something good,
and oh. how many lost days and hours
must we confess to our God when we
look back Oh idle hours and wasted
days spent in the pursuit Of foolish
ness and not of godliness. Here we
think of neglected work as responsible
for many Il blank page. Life Is but
short, and even If our years be three
score and ten, yet 1t is true what we
sing in that beautiful hymn: Swift to
It's close ebbS out life's little day,
earth's joys grow dim, it's glories pass
away" We have certainly no time to
lose in order to fulfill the Scriptures
command: let him labor, working
with his hands the thing which is good
A Christian should never be guilty Of
that grave sin of killing time'-that
precious time which God has given him
and which is his time of grace.
Many regard themselves as highly re-
spectacle as long us they have not
come into collision with the law. But
that is very little. The priest and the
Leyite did no harm to the victim of
thieves but they did him no good.
That was their sin: so it was with
Dives: he had not driven poor Lazarus
away from his door. but he had an OPP
portunity TO do good and did not do
it. And if we look back into our own
book Of life we can find many pages
that have remained blank for our neg
lect Of love.
However. it is appointed unto men
once to die, and after this the judg
ment. Then God viii judge us firstly
according to our works; secondly &C
cording to our words. when We must
give account of every idle word; last
~ He will look at all the blank pages
in the book of our lives and say why
are they blank? Didst thou not have
all occasion to fill them? Why hast
thou not done it? For | was hungered
and We gave me no meat: was thirsted
and We gave me no drink; l was Il
stranger and We took me not in mas
much as We did it not to one Of the
least Of them. We did it not to me-"
This is what the apostle wants us to
remember IN regard to the blank pages
In the book Of life when he says:
Therefore to him that knoweth to do
good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin"