Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-02-01

know there is a difference. Beasts
reason little, but exhibit no sign of
moral nature. They have no con.
science. They know nothing whatever
of right and wrong of the word ought
a word a little child may utter. but
which can shape the universe.
Now with this moral nature. which
brings into kinship with the divine
nature, we have an inspiring reason
for building up right nature in US.
Second. Next, the apostle shows
how we are to proceed in the work.
1. To your faith add virtue.
He starts with faith, the foundation
Of all. He assumes that you believe,
Without believing, you would not be
christian. But you are not to stop
with believing. Ee who stops there
is no christian. He must exercise his
faith. and in the exercise of it virtue
will be furnished. That is the mean.
ing of the passage. "To your faith"
supply virtue. " that is, try to be
good The mother says to the child,
TRY to be good The learned
philosopher, the poet, with his mighty
word power, angels, God Himself,
cannot say anything better than try
to be good. =
2. To virtue supply knowledge.
1t is not enough that you simply
desire to do what is right, you are to
know what is right. You must get
right How often we say. had we
known what we do now, we would
not have done this or that. Even
those who try the hardest to be good
stumble in the darkness. Then there
| are very many who don't more than
| half try. How they do go astray
Very important is it that the apostle
has said, supply knowledge to the
faith. In the whirl of our daily life,
when everything is so confusing, we
need light as we'll as a desire to be
good.
3. To your knowledge supply a
That is the meaning of temperance.
Passion and prejudice blind know
ledge. We must control ourselves, or
the light will be put out Men often
cheat themselves more than they do
others.
You say we are speaking about
simple things as If to children. True,
these things are simple but they are
the very essence of right living. The
greatest things, the things that lie
right near the foundations of life, are
simple. Do some Of you think that to
gain self-control is easy If you think
SO, you have never made a real effort
at it. Do some of you think it hard :?
Remember God works with AMI in
him who tries to be right and to do
right
4. Then, in your exercise of self
control have good supplyof patience.
You have seen how sometimes those
who have succeeded in gaining con-
troll of themselves are impatient with
others who lack in this respect. Per-
sons may obtain this mastery Of them
selves by heroic effort or, it may be,
they lack temptation.
One has no patience with drunk
ard-and it is hard enough to have
patience with such an one. The i'm
patient man is cold and narrow, and
could hardly be drunkard If he tried.
Did you never hear drunkard
ashamed of himself, say WELL" I
amt stingy and mean, as that fel.
low Says the apostle, let your
self control supply patience.
In this mad rushing age of ours
how needful is this Injunction There
are some who think patience to be a
weak thing 1t is no sign of strength
that through lack OF self control we
give vent to temper and passion.
A horse that runs away does not
prove that it is strong, but that the
driver is weak.
5. Then, To patience supply piety.
Piety controls all the other graces.
Then, say be, See that in this piety is
brotherly kindess; and in this brother
ly kindness is charity love. Where
there is so much to bear. SO much
roughness, SO much that is selfish and
hard, that worries and initiates. is in
this world. how essential that the
Christian should have patience and
brotherly kindness and love.
ThiId-Observe some additional
motives to this work.
/. Through these things we will
make progress in the life of Chris
tain. For If these things be in you
and abound, they make you that you
shall neither be barren nor unfruit-
full, )" etc. If you are teaching a
clerk his duties, you tell him to do