The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-02-18
A PATTERN SAINT.
Feb. 21, 'oo-tActs, chaps. CD.

aensed into two or three chapters,
and as we read 1t we are impressed
with the fact first. that he had
good name in the community. AS
the Scriptures put It, he was man
of honest report Many mans re-
ligious profession Is discounted be-
cause he does not bear a good name
in the community. His life speaks
louder than his words. Those who
have had dealings with him pro-
nounce him crooked" People have
no confidence in his piety. He is
believed to be two-faced. He is re-
garded generally as serving God for
what there is In II. His loudest and
longest prayers have the braZen
clangor of brass, they make about
The same impression as tinkling Gym
balls. no depth, no body to them. 1t
Is worth everything to professor of
religion, to have good name In the
community Men can overlook de-
fects of grammar but they abominate
defects OF character. They may be
vile themselves, but they know vir-
tue when they see 1t. And the world
demands that those who claim to be
New Testament Christians shall at
least have the respect and confidence
of those who know them best. They
must have good name, either pre-
served in rectitude of life, or won
by straightforward upright-behav-
Cor after life of wickedness. There
hot al t.,
way of ore who is honestly striving
TO win a good name, but 1t is bound
to be won If he is aiming for It.
Must Have Level Head.
1t is said of Stephen that he was
full of wisdom. That uoes not mean
that he knew everything or that he
always did the right thing, but it
does mean that he was level head
ed. Some men who are otherwise
good men meet with good deal OF
trouble because they are invariably
putting their foot in it," They slop
over, they can always be depended
upon to do the wrong thing. Their
hearts are in the right place, out their
heads are erratic, and since they
go at everything head first they are
too often like bull in china shop
They Intend to do right, but their
fingers are all thumbs, they have no
tact, no fine sense of judgment, no
discrimination. Such men ought to
pray that God would make their
heads as soft as their hearts, that
He would give them sanctihed COM
mon sense, that the helmet of saliva
ton might never have its visor lifted
as was that of Goliath, when David
found the only vulnerable spot on
that Hittite unprotected 1t IS q
good thing to have brains, but it is
better to have less brains and more
common sense than to have great
brains, Real saints have level heads.
Must BE Man OF Faith.
1t is also said of Stephen that he
was full of faith The men who
have done the most for this world
have been men of faith. Not neces-
sarily evangelical faith, but men
who were great believers. Some
men show more faith in their disbe-
AASh OthOlo w III liC citl II dl
yerities. No man would lift finger
10 pry into mysteries, to solve prob
lens, to perform prodigies, to influ-
ence the ages If he was not moved
by mighty faith. Stephen was a
great believer He believed that
Jesus Christ was what he claimed
TO be, that the church was what its
fnr do. al . 10, ~
eiples of religion were as axioma-
III as geometry, and acted accord
tngly. And no man will ever amount
to anything as a disciple of the
Nazarene, who does not have that
bedrock of implicit faith planted in
his soul. Character can not be built
On bank of fog; you cannot grow
an oak tree in flower pot.
Must BE Bible Student.
Stephen was full of the Scriptures.
One Of the best sermons in the Bible
was preached by him. 1t Is second
only to the Sermon on the Mount.
They put him on trial, but they
never would have done 1t If they had
anticipated such an outcome. When
asked TO plead guilty or not guilty,
instead of making a personal appeal
the prisoner opened his mouth and
poured out such an evangelical gos-
pei sermon as had not been heard
IN Jerusalem since the Day of Pen
tecost. 1t swept everything before
It like tidal wave. Such men as
that are rare. Multitudes of Chris
tians know more about politics than
they do about Palestine, know more
about the stock market than they do
about salvation, know more about
the newspaper than they do about
the Bible. Hence, any little by A
infidel can tangle them all up In five
minutes.
Now to be saint 1t does not fol-
low that everybody will love you.
They did not love Stephen; they
stoned him to death as a hereto. 1t
Is no particular credit to a man to