Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-06-25

C06O0 w " RSA60 9EHNA4E I
ever hinders service must be re-
nounced, il men would follow. NO. Is
this a harsh demand. 1t does not re-
quire that we be unnatural. II does
not ask the man to be less a man, OF
b woman to be less a oman
BUT, on the other hand, no eartniv
duty or relationship can be paWned
as an excuse for neglect OF duty 70
God. righteousness and the OF
humanity. Forgetful that excuse
should have no place in Christian Nv
ing. many a one to-day who mas
heard the call of the Master. FOLLOW
Me-" like the young man OF old. a
bribed the conscience with
Many of the current xcuses are Tar
less plausible than those OF tse mel
who would first say goodDy TO n
friends and bury the father. BACK OF
every life to-day that is not Cnrlsllan'
that is not living for righteousness
there is a reason. perhaps an
certainly that stands in the way OF
following Jesus. which nina
ton would reveal. It may be lndlt-
| ference. Indifference to the moral
| and spiritual claims of Jesus Chrlss
unon the life is not commendable. 1t
NAV be some pet sin hidden away
from the knowledge of the world
within the secret places Of a ana
life. To offer the love OF a pet sin
as the. reason for not following the
Master is q. sad confession OF weak
ness. We recall the words. 1T tiny
right hand offend thee cut it of and
cast it from thee"
The excuse may be that men think
themselves not good enough. But the
purpose of Christianity is to make
men good: not to take them after
they are good. 1t may be cowardly
fear of criticism stands in the a
But the true man does not fear critl-
cism when doing the right.
$50 thou and publish abroad the
Kingdom of God" was the message to
the young nan who excused himself.
It tells the nature of the service.
That service is essentially n pri-
marily personal. The first require
ment is. Follow Me-" That means
to believe in Jesus as a personal Saw
Jour from sin. 1t means to live the
principles of the Christ life in our
daily life.
Whatever hinders the tangible ex-
preston of that Gospel we profess
must be cast out. Is there a secret
sin? 1t must go. Is there a trick in
business that does not square with
honesty? It must go. Is there a pet
jealousy or envy that does not weigh
we'll in the scales of love? 1t must
go. Is there even a desire in the
IA. heart that is not pure and true? 1t
must 90. The outward appearance
Judges not the man, but the motives
and desires of the heart, they are the
Judge. Time was when a man was
deemed good If he committed no
I overt act of wrong. 1t mattered little
what he thought. or what h lusts OF
t the heart might be, so long as he did
l TO wrong. But the searching truth OF
: Jesus reversed these values. Not ar
, eye for an eye, and a tooth for 4
tooth, but render thou good for evil
| IF thy right eve Offend thee, pluck il
out and cast it from thee; for it ::
1 profitable for thee that one of thJ
, members should perish. and not tina,
: thy whole body should be cast into
hell" Nor is this strenuous idea
e enough. 1t is not sufficient that thu
? actions Of the life conform to the law
OF morality and righteousness. Lister
t to the words OF Jesus in which HI
e states the great ideal: I'VE hav,
f heard how It was said by them of old
thou shalt not kill; but I say unit,
, sOu CAoC - oA6y VAL Ia
a brother without a cause shall be i,
o danger of the Judgment. Ye hav,
heard that it was said by them of old
S thou shalt not commit adultery. Blu
S I say that whatsoever desireth thus t.
v sin hath already done the sin in hi
heart" It is the noblest ideal tina
o has ever been given to man. It de
g mands the publication of the motive
and desires of the heart as we'll as tn
h actions of the life; for from the hear
e proceedeth all sin. 1t strikes at tn
very centre of wrongdoing. Thus j
y service to Christ made first of all
matter to the heart. The heart mus
l. be right. Then, it becomes a matte
of the life. The life will be righteou
if the heart is right. Follow Me, sal
l. Jesus. Get the heart and life in hal
mony with noble ideals. Then, &c
g thou and preach the Kingdom q
G Cod"
y" Thus Jesus transfers the nature c
service from the narrow limits of tn
% personal into the great world-wid
le field of the social. The ultimate or
g ject becomes not ones own individus
is salvation, but the Kingdom of Coz
ct which is also the brotherhood of mar
u Jesus did not say to the young maj
Let the dead bury their dead, but g
S. thou and save thine own soul. BIZ
n He did say, Go thou inc save other
m into life, publish the message Of low,
In that work for others in the nan
We of God, he would save himself. Thel
is no other way. He who seeketh I
Re save his life shall lose it; but he WI
al sacrifices his life for My sake, tt
IN same shall save it. The which is
1a say a man cannot save his own so,
er without seeking to save the life OF
brother at the same time; a man ca
u not be a Christian and care nothin
for the redemption of the world I'M
tn the Christ-1ike life of lignt and love
at
Just Said About the Bible.
a. The first book that was given n
;c was, a Bible, and in those far of gyps