River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-11

drive a closer bargain with them than
you would think just for them to make
with you? Or. on the other hand, do
you ask of them higher prices for the
services or the materials you furnish
them than you would consider just and
right if you were the purchaser and
they he vendors?
Do you watch your chickens that they
do not commit depredations upon your
neighbours garden. even as you would
wish your neighbor to watch his chick
ems as respects your garden. If you had
one? Are you as prompt i'll paying your
bills as you wish your neigbbors TO be
in paying you: Are you as careful
about wiping your feet. when entering
his horne. rs you would Ike him to be
wE>n entering your house: Do you
treat all men. women. children ana
animals az kindly, as gently. as prop
erly, as you think would be just ana
right if YOU were in their place ana
they in yours? Do you speak as KIND
~ OF YOUR neigh5ors as you would
nave them speak OF you? Or Go you
hold up their inperfectiOns to ridlcue,
as you would rot like to have them
hold up yours! Do you SO guard your
tongue that you speak only things
that you would think proper for your
neighbor to speak respecting you. II
you changed places?
Simple Justice-Nothing More.
Do you not begin to see, dear
friends, that what God requires OF us
il, much beyond what the majority
have been rendering? Do you stand
appalled,. and tell me that it would be
impossible to live fully up to that
standard? agree with you. st. Paul
also agrees. saying. I'VE cannot do the
things which we would" The Scrip
lures again agree and declare, There
is none righteous, no. not one. All
have sinned and come short Of the
glory of God."-Romans 1923.
What shall we do? Shall we say
that because we are unable to live up
to our own standards of justice we
will abandon those standards? God
forbid. We are weak enough and i'm
perfect enough as it is. To ignore our
best ideals of justice would be to per-
NIT the downward tendencies of our
depraved natures to go rapidly from
bad to Worse-tO carry us further and
further from God and the standards OF
character which He approves. We
can surely be content to do nothing
less than our very best to live up to
our own ideals and to raise those
ideals as nearly as possible to the Dl-
vine standard.
Suppose we do our very best daily
to measure up to our highest concep-
lions of our God-given ideals and
standards, would God accept of this
and count us worthy of His favor and
of eternal life? Surely not! The Law
of the Lord is perfect. Justice is jus,
tice. Not the hearing Of law. not the
wel-wishing. receives the reward. but
the dOer, the Obedient.
Here. then. we find ourselves in diff
Guilty. With our hearts. our minds, we
approve Gods Law and desire to be
obedient to Him; but we find. as st.
Paul says, that many things we wish
to do we fail to accomplish, and many
of the things we do not wish to do we
cannot avoid. We approve the excel
lent demands of Gods Law. We dis
approve the imperfectiOns of our own
flesh. Like ST. Paul we cry out, 20
wretched man that | am! Who shall
deliver me from this dead bOdy?'-thls
body that is imperfect through inherit
ed sin and weakness. With our minds
we serve Gods Law and approve It;
but with our bodies we come short.
We cannot hope for change in the
Divine Law Are we then hopeless
as respects Divine approval and eter-
nal life? We answer, No.
Eternal Life the Gift Of God.
In our moment of perplexity we hear
Gods Message speaking peace
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Inc
Message of Peace is that what we
could not do for ourselves God mas
provided shall be done for us through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Our failure to
keep the Law marks us as unworthy
of eternal life, and worthy OF the
wages of sin--not eternal torment. but
death. God in mercy concluded to Of
fer US eternal life as a gift; for we do
not actually merit it under His legal
requirements. Thus we read, 1.-The
wages of sin is death: but the gift OF
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord" Romans 6:23D What we
could not obtain legally under the Dl-
vine requirements God proffers us as
Gift. But the gift is conditional. as eX-
pressed in the words. through Jesus
orr T ord