Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-02-14

who have learned that, I'M addition To-
education and culture. both horydllN
and environment are potent forces in
character building, and that prenatal
Influences are largely to be reckuncd
with in making a man ft to achieve
what is best and nohlcst I'm Me- the
torN Of samuel has am added interest.
'onsocratcd 10 God from before his
oncepton born into an atmosphere
II fidelity to truth and right ana
cared under the tutolage of plous
erNaut Of God, AN conditions tended
TO produce a romarka ule characters
and, above ALL "thc Lord was with
him This affords striking example
of uniform ana consistent develop
ment I'm the line Of Righteousness from
childhood TO manhood with no sud
den conversion, no paroNysmH of griOf
or JOY but jlHi growing mp naturally
as a child of God, unconscious that he
had ever been anything else 70 the
student of history ho is an example of
the training necessary TO prepare
leader who should carry his people
through a great crisis I'm their history.
the transition from "a confederation Of
tribes TO a nation with % strong and
permanent central government. To the
politician and educator he Is interest
ing as the founder Of system of
Schools that proved a more vital and
dominating force than kings Jud
priests, and taught the people cult
that has done so much to prcsJ ~ the
truth ana 10 develop the best ciyili2a-
uon we have been able to attain. But
the secret was not alone in herodity, in
environment, In training, or in natura
talent, but--"thC Lord WAS with him.
The coed in ScCtS.
We also learn from Samucls CN
periencc that there is no hard and fast
rule for the method 10y which a soul
is rCtonciled to God, ana a life conse-
Grated to his service Different men
are Cf different natures, and there
fore there are different scots through
which the gospel appeals to him in
various points of view. He may bt
partial to untoward and visible con-
formity to laws and forms, and there
fore becomes a Catholic or an Egisco-
palian; he may be Of a mysti.a ,uTn
of mind and inclined TO Spiritual sm
he may he most interested in rCveia-
uon and prophecy, and drift 10 tine
AdVentistS, he may be emotional ana
Jealous for systematic religion, and be
come a Methodist; he may be over
come with alteration of ommpotent
Jehovah, and find a home with the
Prosbyterians; he may think most OF
love and grateful obedience and toiu
the Baptists; or ne may be most inn
pressed with the idea of abolishinp
sCcts and cast his lot with the Dis
ciplcs. All Of these branches, as far as
we know, grow out from the parent
stem Of the church Of God, and are
rooted in the soil of divine grace ana
protection. At least We do know
that all Of them offer phases of the |
truth that attract some souls to tho /
mercy seat better than others could |
do. Some souls must have an awful /
struggle with sin before they Weld TO |
the Holy Ghost, must cry aloud III
sorrow or shout for JOY; but others |
like Samuel grow up into righteous /
ness without any distinct line of CON /
version or any consciousness of ever
being torn by conflicting emotions |
One mans salvation is no less assured
than another because his experience
has been different There are the
three essentials to boone recOncled
with God-repent, believe, obey-all |
other things are but as different !
chords played upon the same strings /
Goodness Not BcqurathCd.
We are also impressed with the con- I
Viction that a mans lineage, be It ever
so influential on his character, cannot /
by itself make a good or noble man .
Of him, much less assure him entrance ,
into the kingdom Of God You cannot '
get to heaven on the strength Of be- /
ing reared in the admonition Of the .
Lord, or because your parents and I
grandparents were good and pious !
people. You cannot fall heir to
clean heart or a utle clear to mansions
not made with hands. Your father .
and your mother had to settle th'
question individually with God fol
themselves, and you will have to dc
the same, and your children after
you. Salvation does not come by in
heritance from your parents nor de-
sCend from you to your children, for
each soul must answer for itself to the
Great Judte Eli was a pious and
godly man, yet his sons were guilty |
Of persistent practices that we would 4
hesitate to mention in public. Samuel \
was "a good man and an able man, and /
we have no doubt raised up his family I
with an eye-single to their fidelity to /
the God Of Abraham; yet his sons I
were so corrupt and dishonest that the A
nation repudiated them as public Off Il
cials and crowned Saul king. while the II
aged Samuel was still living.
While a godly parentage counts for
much 1t does not insure a godly pos
terity. Frequently the childrCn OF our II
lhOSl COlSNltnllOuS people are lnt II
most reckless and outbreaking in their n
violent rebound from the training they II
have received. Yet the boy or girl Il
who is brought up in the nurture OF II
with the earnest teach
Ing and consistent example of good Il
parents, has "a great advantage in fac 4
Ing the temptations Of life. He knows 1
what is right, his unconscious ten
1ency is toward the right. yet he must
work out his own destiny; and If he 1
chooses the ways Of evil the greater Is
his condemnation. There were many i
men i'm Israel as grasping and licen-
.ious as the sons Of Eli. and many as
1nprinciplcd as the sons of Samuel.
vet these were singled out for special
for they had sinned
against light and desregarded ad-
'antages that others did not have. We
admire the son Of ignorant or obscure
parents who makes his mark In life
because be rose In spite of disadvant-
ages. We deplore the son who gives
The lie 10 his good bringing up" be-
cause he has thrown away his super
or advantages. And there was good
I'D Eli; too easy-going to put stop
% the mcanness Of his boys-too much +,
ike the present-day parent who is too
busy or finds 1t too much trouble to
insist on righteousness i'm his family.
md In the Cld has 20 suffer heart
break and disgrace because ne let the