Arizona republican., 1909-02-15
TRUE CHARACTERISTICS
 OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
The Subject of the Address of Rev. MT Campbell Yesterday.

may approve things that are excellent;
 that ye may be sincere, and without
 offense til the day of Jesus Christ
 Phil 1:10, taking as his theme, '"The
 True Characteristics of the Christian
 Life" The following is an abstract
 from the discourse:
 These sound like the words of Paul
 and they are the words of Paul. He
 wrote them when he was a prisoner
 at Rome, not knowing whether he was
 to lose his life or to be set at liberty,
 and yet, as we often note in his writ
 ings, he seems to be much concerned
 about those to whom he is writing
 and concerned very little about his
 condition and prosecutions.
 Let us glance, first of all, at the
 meaning of two or three words in our
 text Approve means that after we
 have proved the thing then we are to
 approve it in the sense of giving it our
 sanction. As the oriental merchant
 used to try the fabrics he was put-
 chasing by practical test, so Paul
 suggests that we are to prove the
 thing that we are considering, to see
 whether or not it will stand the test.
 What does sincere mean? The word
 meant first simply without wax and
 was applied to honey. It means pure,
 unadulterated. It means the thing
 that is honest. true, genuine. With out offense simply means that we shall
 not stumble ourselves nor shall we
 make others to stumble by the char
 acter of the life that we live.
 &l.s NI,s
 celleDt Having tested the things that are excellent and having discovered what is best and highest, let us set that as our standard and endeavor to follow along that particular line. Some one has said that we naturally are dissatisfied with the good in the presence of the best. That is certain ly true with reference to the material things of life. Men discard good and useful machinery for better. The phy- sician wants the best instruments, the musician want the best music, the farmer wants the best kind of seed; we can see the desire for the best When we turn the thought and con- slider the things that are spiritual, we are compelled to feel that men are sat isfied with their spiritual and moral natures when they are living merely an indifferent sort of life. The good is too often the enemy of the best. Sometimes things that seem to a man to be good come into his life and crowd out the best. That was the trouble with the rich young ruler who came to Jesus to ask what he should do to inherit eternal life. Go. sell that thou hast, said the Master to him. His wealth was the enemy of his own highest good. The things that are best in the spiritual life are the things that reach 6ut to help others and up to hold to God. They are the things that we. having proved, are to ap prove. as the apostle here tells us.
 Be sincere. l believe that means that we. knowing our own hearts, realize that we are true in the sight of God. The sincere man is trust worthy. To keep your word is one of the characteristics of sincerity. The sincere man is one who never GOV CTS up anything for the sake of policy. The man who is sincere is the man who is true always to the right. never deceives. never covers up the thing that is right and true, but is bold enough to stand the test.
 Remember that being sincere does not necessarily make a good man. You have heard men and women say that it does not make much difference what we believe if we do what we think is right. Nonsense, nonsense. There was time when they burned witches in New England. They were sincere. no doubt, but their sincerity did not make 1t right. Do not say that 1t makes no difference what we believe as long as we are sincera We are doing the right because we believe that God made us, that He keeps us. that He gave His Son to redeem us, and that some day we are to be with Him. Your belief regulates your conduct. Paul believed he was doing Gods will when he per secuted the Christians; 1t did not make his action right. The pilot steers for what he believes is the lighthouse. but 1t is not and he runs the. ship on the shoal and all are lost. Tho en- gineer believes that the drawbridge is in, but it is not and the train with it's load of human beings goes through and lives are snuffed out. The father in the night fires at a person whom he believes to be a burglar; it is his own son, and the precious life is gone. Sincerity along false lines will never do. Sincerity will never cover up our responsibility for being ignorant when Gods Book is before us to guide us in the way of everlasting life, never for a single moment Let us not for get the importance of sincerity. We cannot deceive God. He knows what our fellowmen do not know: He sees what our friends do not see; He looks into the corners of our hearts; we cannot get away from Him.
 Be sincere in order that you may help men. It is only the man who is and sincere that can help men. Savanarola could hold the peo- pie of Florence in spite of his lack of skill in speaking, and he did it by the sincere purpose and fire that burned within him.
 Without offense. That means. dear friends, do not stumble over things that are wrong and do not cause oth- CTS to stumble over you. Do not meas ure the Church of Jesus Christ by what you see of the character of the people in it. The Bank of England has lost in commercials and forgeries over four hundred millions of dollars. That would not make you hesitate to take the paDer of the Rank of England.