The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-08-26

VIII die. IL Is lot US 10 !dDOT. IL
is for God to direct. 1t is for US to
follow. He shall lead. However
insurmountable the obstacle or
time-honored the grievous sin, God
will enable us to overcome through
the might of His power If we will
but serve with steadfastness and
fidelity. But God Himself cannot
bring the victory to an army that
will not follow, or success to a ptous
host that Is afraid Of a long fight
and a hard one. No, my friends.
weakened and weak-heaTted piety
is a more subtle and dangerous foe
to the nation than all the forces OF
wickedness combined.
Another danger is the danger OF
Indifference. Men do not care about
the public good, they are too busy
or too lazy or too self-consumed and
conferred to think about the public
veal. When sin stalks the street
they stay at home with an easy chair
and a cosy nook for comfort, saying
to themselves, II have enough. What
can I do? Let others battle; I am
content" 1t Is as though the hand
said to the foot, as Paul declared,
II have no need of thee" Such
men are enemies, twofold enemies,
to the republic. .
A still more subtle danger Is that
of loose, careless, slovelly, dishon-
est thinking. The glory of u
schools is that they fit men to think.
But how few Of our citizenship take
the time or the trouble to think
deeply, thoroughly, conclusively,
with a real and painstaking effort
not to Justify a theory or a precon-
ception, but to ascertain the facts
and to comprehend the truth. In
the press and in the pulpit, at the
bar and In the business world, dis
honest and lazy intellectual effort Is
as rife as it is appalling. Jesus said
"Ye shall know the truth and the
truth shall make you free" Jesus
never digni1ed thought as a means
to force facts, to justify preconcep-
tons or as a means to stultify the
truth. Jesus was a clear thinker. a
close thinker, an honest thinker. He
wanted the truth. He was not IN
terested in supporting theories. He
gave His life to the revelation and
| the comprehension of the eternal
truth Of God. But to-day how other
wise it Is, even after centuries of ex-
ample of the unwisdom Of dishonest
thought, among even the very fol-
lowers of the Christ who was the en-
bodiment of the truth. The press
twists fact and truth to justify the
lie, too often, for the public good.
The pulpit descants with scant wis
dom, too often, upon the errors and
| inconsistencies of movements and
principles that bid fair to challenge
or to overthrow, not religion, but
the ecclesiastical status quo. The
lawyer defeats justice by the maze
Of unhealthy and obnoxious technt-
| callties and peryersions Of the spirit
| of the law. The business man CLOSES
sin for g. consideration. And so
il goes. Close thinking Is too hard,
clear thinking is uncomfortable. hon.
| est thinking is improbable. There
fore. let lis think loosely; let us
think good is bad-for profit; let
US clothe the ancient lie and call 1t
truth, that the status quo may be
preserved. The danger Is evident.
May the God of truth protect us
from it. -,
Another danger is the prevalent
inclination to forget and to dismiss
| religion. No theory Of government,
no system Of economies, no disclp-
line of philosophy, method of life,
| can endure wholesomely and vigor-
ously except there be foundations
laid in the religious consciousness
of man. Without the saving, con-
serving, transforming and inspiring
presence and power of the spirit OF
the living God as a resident fact and
| force in the individual and national
life we cannot maintain the integ-
| rity of our flag or the health OF the
people. No nation can realize It's
greatness, as can no individual, With
out God. IN Him we live and move
ana have cur being. He is the
source Of all light and progress. Ec-
| clesiasticism may misrepresent Him
as it has aforetime done. But let
Us never forget Him. For He Is
unacceptable. He is greater n
grander and more beautiful than
all our theories about Him. He Is
our shield, our defense, our guide,
! our love and our friend. We can
do nothing without Him. With Him
|! we may do anything. This is ele-
mental, it is simple. 1t is infinite
and everlasting truth. Let us never
confuse disaffections with churches
and ministers and creeds with
atheism. However unsatisfactory
and fa%lteringly Gods children may
reveal Him to their fellows. let us
never forget Him, let US never cease
TO serve Him. The danger IS that
drifting from the church men may
drift from religion. The danger
is that leaving the Christ of the
churches, with rather much less
reason than more, they shall lose
their vision Of. and shall deny the
Christ of God. Nothing could be
more dangerous to America than
that. In the day that America for
gets Jesus let America place her
flag at half mast. For in His truth
lies her greatness and in the appro-
nriation of Him by the nation lies
the hope of the ages that are yet to
come.
How God Assimilatcs Human Souls.
By every holy deed, by every spir-
itual aspiration, by each sacr1t1ce or
inclination to duty, of passion to prln-