St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-04-30
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III lASSS ~OiuS jesus All0S Ldult
with fault finding. criticises the censo-
rious critic, judges the self-compla-
cent Judge, satirizes the blind oculist.
In the sermon on the mount he re-
serves his rebuke of consciousness
to the last. He has condemned anger,
lust. perjury, violence, hypocrisy, GOV.
etousness and worry; but his final
censure is spoken against "the crime
of the tongue" probably because it is
the most prevalent and poisonous OF
all sins.
Fault finding is as common as the
imperfections of human nature But
We must discriminate. There is cen
serious fault finding and there is a
Christian fault finding. Censorious
fault finding is vice; Christian fault
finding is virtue. Censorious fault
finding grows out of desire to de-
out of desire to save. Censorious
fault finding is illustrated in the Phar-
isees slandering Jesus; Christian
fault finding is seen in Jesus point
ing out the sins of the Pharisees.
censorious Fault Finding Wrong.
Censorious fault finding has certain
features by which it may be easily
recognized. Jesus says it has beam
in its own eye while it is trying to
cast the mote out Of the other mans
eye. A man with a mote in his eye
| hut viii I,
beam in his eye is marked. No
pious goggles can hide his glazing ex
crescence.
The familiar figure of Uncle Sam,
as drawn by the cartoonists, cannot
be mistaken. Neither can this man
as cartooned by the Master. The
beam is always there. It is the beam
of self-complacent pride, pious ego
tism, harsh criticism, malicious SIAN
der. The censorious critic denounces
drunkenness while he himself Is in.
toxicated with pride, condemns lar.
ceny while he himself steals and de
stroys good regulations, reprimands
lying while he himself Is walking
lie. Faul finding is no accident with
him; it is his business, and if he can
not find faults he will create them
and peddle them like smugglers who
deal in contraband goods.
The field of fault finding is a large
one. Things and opinions and per
sons offer a wide opportunity. If
man belongs to this class of critics
there is hardly thing in heaven or
earth that he will not criticise
1t Is something like this that Jesus
means when he says, with what
judgment We Judge, We shall be
judged; and with what measure We
mete it shall be measured to you
again." When Shakespeare said:
VINO steals my purse steals trash
But he that filches from me my good
name,
Takes that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed
he uttered great truth, but there Is
an additional truth not expressed by
Shakespeare, viz, that the inevitable
result of fault finding fmpoverishes
and embitters the man who finds
fault. 1t is, therefore, the most inex
cusable folly.
The bitter judgment has an echo
the cruel criticism has shadow, the
slanderous word is boomerang
"Whatsoever man soweth that shall
he also reap" Sow crop of preju.
dices and you will surely reap them,
measure out libel and it will not fail
to be measured back to you, invest
in falsehood and it will be paid back
to YOU with interest compounded.
Christian Fault Finding Helpful.
Christian fault finding is character.
lied by three qualities, viz: 1t begins
at home, it is tempered with mercy,
it aims to save. The only man who
is qualified to judge others Is the
man who has first rightly judged him.
self. Self-judgment which is just and
thorough is the most difficult kind OF
judgment. 1t is hard to get an indict,
ment against ourselves and harder to
get conviction.
But in the case of the other man
the fault is the only thing else we
see. There is profound philosophy
back of this self-judgment.
He sees his own unhappy plight,
Corrects his own defective sight,
Then tries to set his brother right
In tender mood.
No posing attitude he takes
While pointing out friends mistakes, |
The evil news he gently breaks,
And seeks the good.
If spot upon the sun appears,
If discord in the song he hears,
If calm is killed by ugly fears,
Or rumors wild.
He sees the light, the shadows fly,
He hears the music. discords die,
aith brings the heavenly Father nigh
To guard his child.
And so he grows from day to day,
Not blind to errors devious way,
Nor lost in some ethereal ray
To sins deep pain.
He finds the flaw, describes the cure,
Reveals the faults to make them fewer,
He seeks with goodness to allure,
And cleanse the stain.
This is versified description of the
only man who is qualified to find fault
What beautiful world this would be
If this spirit could be substituted for
the evil genius of censorious fault
finding. When Jesus found fault with
the Pharisees there were tears in his
eyes. Judgment is Gods strange
work. Let it be ours and if we must
point out the faults let it be done
without bitterness and with a deter.
mination to save.
Love is a guardianship, no less
than a passion. There is nothing in