The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-10-13
ON Being GOOD
AND DOING GOOD
Rev. |. X. Long Delivers Sermon
on Genuine Religion"

sunday evening at the Calumet
CONGREGATIONAL church the pastor, Rev.
Luther X. Long took for his text
James 1:27-"Pure religion and unde-
filed before our God and Father, Is
this, to visit the fatherless and widows
in their afflietion. and To keep our
self unspotted from the world" He
said in part:
James younger brother of our
LORD, came slowly by his faith In the
Mcssiahship of Jesus. This disposition
of his partly accounts for his advo-
eating "a very practical conception of
religion. He found that In his time
there were those inclined TO be hearers
of the word and not doors, thus de-
luding themselves with an impractical
profession of religion. He also found
some who thought themselves to be re-
liglous while failing to bride the
tongue. and said of such this mans
religion is vain He then defines gem
uine, or practical, religion as consist
ing Of two things: Benevolence, as
shown by visiting the widow and
fatherless in their affection; and pur-
ity as is manifest in keeping ourself
uuspotted from the world.
"Benevolence is large word of wide
significance. In general IL means the
disposition to seek the well-being Of
cur fellow men. The fatherless and
Widows are mentioned By James be-
cause they are I'm many cases specially
helpless and needy. His purpose.
however. is to include all cases. The
benevolent person deals justly with all
his fellow men. lie wants everyone
TO have fair chance. He aids i'm such
organizing and administering of the
social and industrial enterprises as
will give a square deal to all sorts
and conditions of men. He wants edu-
cationdl and moral and religious privi-
leges to he within the reach of all. for
he knows that the needs of the higher
hature of men are real and should lie
met, and he is DESTROYS of aiding In
ininistering to these higher needs And
'hlNAi q iliiA 10 NOiNlliH 1T lillS Will al
serious purpose he finds that only as
he himself is blessed Of God can he be
IN any large measure a blessing TO
those whom he would aid.
That one should keep himself un-
spotted from the world would seem
10 DO an impossibility, situated as we
are. There are so many defiled and
d"hling things about us. that one can
scarcely move without touching. or
hearing or seeing something that would
degrade. The waterillies teach us a
lesson. The long stem grows out of
III" deep black mire of the pond. But
the heart of the flower is open to the
glory Of the sun. and reflects that
glory i'm the sweet fragrance which II
gives out and i'm the purity which is
bui another name for the lilly. one OF
The most encouraging things we
see is thc manifest purity and strength
of people who have had to live in very
unfavOrable conditions. They have
learned the method of which Paul
speaks when he says, But we all. with
unveiled face beholding as i'm n mirror
the glory of the Lord are transformed
INTO the same image from glory to
glory
The ermine teaches us lesson Of
ialthfulness to purity. It's precious fur
Us white except the tip of its tail which
Is black. The hunter finds 1t runway
ana scatter filth over it, knowing that
lb" animal will submit to being killed
rather than defile it's fur by crossing
tho Nth.
There is as much need today as in
me times of James for u genuine re-
hSion that manifests itself i'm being
Eood aud doing good. and there is the |
same divine aid for men and women
who would be Christians of that sort" |