The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-28
THE TRUE LEE.
tsclected for The Times-pispat,

THE TRUE LIFE.
(Selected for The Times Dispatch
at is your life.''-Deuteronom
Nxxii. Al.
To many life means nothing more
than hard work day after day with an
effort made to earn enough TIC. buy
food. drink and clothing to others it
means nothing but gloom, discomfort
and fnultiinding. and againto some 1t
means only craving for pleasure and
excitement. with no thought for the
morrow None of these exislences
really deserve the name of true life
There is as much difference between
such and a true life as there is he
tween beautiful, healthy. strong body
and poor. diseased. unhealthy one.
The one Is beautiful and useful. while
the other is ioathsomc and a monaco.
Such is the contrast between the life
OF the true man or woman ana that
Of the slave of sin
What. then is true life? When
Moses in his last chargc before his
death spoke to the children Of Israel
he did not tell them their lire depended
upon their physical strength. or their
skin with weapons, or upon their
docks and herds; he told them what
God would have them do; he repeated
The Commandments. Gods blessings on
the right, and His curses against evil.
and then he said: This Is not vain
thing for you. because 1, Is your life"
From this we learn that true life
means TO know. and love. and obey
God through Jesus Christ A truly re-
ligious life is the only life worth liv-
Ing. Some people use religion as a
luxury, others as a medicine. Only In
times OF stress or pain do these turn
TO prayer or Gods book. When they
fear they are in danger of death they
hasten to ask for the services OF a
priest but In times of health and pros
perity they never seek Gods house
or follow Ills services. To all such the
word religion" is associated with
sickness and death. and these two
enemies are feared and summed In
reality religion has, or should have,
much more to do with life than With
death. Religion should he our life; not
something taken up occasionally, but
our whole existence, the very food of
our mind. To love God and keep His
Commandments Is life-not only life
here, but eternal life. Many people
have the feeling that they will be
wholly changed when they die and go
TO live with God. but death cannot
alter our characters. and whether we
are TO live with God hereafter or not
depends entirely whether or not we
have lived near to God here. So If we
hope to live near to God in heaven we
must begin by living near TO Him each
day on earth. Our whole life must be
a preparation, not for death, but for
entering the life eternal. Heaven means
being close to God. and doing the Will
Of God in all things; 1t means perfect
purity and truth. So how can we pic
ture It as an abiding place for those
fish lnclinations and lived far from
Gods way in deceit. dealing themselves
with sins OF uncleanness7
When we want to find soldier to
send for active service we would not
choose one who could not bear fatigue
or hardships and knew nothing Of mill
tary discipline. and SO will God choose
for heavens inmates those who have
been trained for His service here on
earth by having lived the lives OF
Christians. We must make the service
of God our life. and this life must be
lived through the power OF Jesus
Christ and following His example
''IIe that hath the Son hath life. and
he that hath not the son of God hath
not life" Let us try to say with
Saint Paul, The life that I live now In
the flesh live by the faith of the son
Of God"
1t was TO enable us to lead this life
that Jesus Christ came into this world
and took our flesh and died for our
sins. and rose again for our justin
cation,
reHsious man nus reiiS toii - "a
the body as well as Of the soul. He
respects his body as being the temple
of the Holy Ghost, and does not sin
against Il by excess in designations OF
any kind. a truly religious life Is also
a happy life; It is not religion thai
makes people gloomy, It Is the llaf'cck
| OF II, Whom n Christian has sorrow. or
| reverses Of any sort he seeA Code hand