The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-04-02

~ 4 MAN man foroidding
him. Now prison
walls coniine him and prison chains
restrain him
There no sits In his narrow cell.
chained 10 Roman guard. writing n
letter 10 Timothy: BE not ashamed,
he writes. "of the testimony OF our
Lord. nor OF me his prisoner" Yea.
Timothy. all that will live godly In
ChriIt Jesus shall suffer persecution"
And. as the dampness OF the cell
causes him 10 shiver: When thou
comest bring tho cloak ! left at
Troas." and the words OF our text.
"Demas hath forsaken"
The significance OF this statement
IA realized, when seen In the light OF
the circumstances which called II
forth. Demas. n Christian. friend
OF Paul, with him during his first
Imprisonment nj Rome. has abandoned
the apostle. lie stood by him when
everything was favorable. but when
imminent peril threatened Paul be-
cause OF his loyalty TO Christ. the con-
temptible coward fed for his life. He
could not stand the test. and In this.
was the forerunner OF many Demases
OF today who profess 10 be loyal TO
Christ. receiving all the good things
that come from him. and who shout
aloud their hallelujahs and amens. but
when the testing time comes lack the
grit and grace 20 endure hardness as
good soldiers OF Jesus Christ" II IN
one thing 90 shout at Fourth OF July
celebration; II is another thing to
shoulder gun and march 10 the
front.
II is cnsy 90 shout ''hnllelujah"
when ovoryono's saying Amen"
It's another thing 90 stand by him
when they curse him again and again.
You may have wondered why many
who profess loyalty 90 Christ sadly
fail him when the testing time comes.
Paul acquaints Timothy with the rea-
son; "Demas hath forsaken ne, hav.
ing loved this present world" That
is IL; the ,oye OF the world causes dis.
loyalty TO Christ. Jesus taught this
when he said, mo man can serve two
masters. for either he will hato the
one. and love the other, or else he
will hold TO one and despise tie 9th.
or. Ye cannot serve Go" and Nam.
non," Matt. 6:2D. Does this mean.
II we are % be loyal 20 Christ we must
give up everything I'm the world? That
depends upon what IS meant by every.
thing. Surely, anything that comes
I'm between Christ and us must be
given up And N we are loyal 90 him
we will surrender all, that he may In
turn give us richly all things TO On.
Joy" As those who love him end are
wise. we will weigh the things OF time
I'm the balance OF eternity, just as tho
gold hunter In the river bottom
washes the dirt that he may find the
pure metal. 80 we should carefully
sift the things Of tho world that wo
may find the good and. true. The
builder OF the world that we may find
the good and true. The builder who
rears tho skyscraper tests every bit OF
material that goes into the structure:
how much more important II Is for US
not TO permit anything TO enter our
life that will weaken any part and
cause US. when the stress and strain
come. 20 be disloyal 20 Christ.
John Conlon. walking on the rail.
way. caught his foot In n frog
where two tracks crossed. He laughed
az lrst but when he tried 10 extricate
his foot, he found himself held fast
He heard a locomotive coming around
the curve and redoubed his efforts
but without avail, and the merciless
monster crushed him 20 death One
thing. only one. held John Conlon. but
II held him az securely as n he were
bound 20 the track by legion OF sol
diers II may be Just one thing, only
one. that holds us from being loyaI
TO Christ. and this one thing. as IN
the case OF John Conlon. may prove
fatal
How shall We give up. the things OF
the world which are SO alluring?
is not by giving up but by getting
that a wrong love IN displaced ~ the
love OF Christ is permitted 70 flow into
our hearts in all its fullness. II WIZ
dlsplace the love of the world III
any man love the world. the love OF
the father IL not In him" This IL
evident. for two opposite loves can
not occupy the heart at the same time.
The love given the right Of way VIII
crowd the other love out.
lie, Christ in and the love OF the
world will be displaced.