Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-23
SUBJECT:
tsITT YOUR LIGHT SHINE"

Text. ssvet your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works
ana elorify your Father which is in
heaven" Matthew. Vi. 1e.
erhev viii gIorify God because Of what
they see In your lives. They will glorlfy
Hin because Of the power they see in
vou. Living so as to glorify God was
the irst thing Jesus taught His dis
cipies, and It is the first thing He enjoins
upon us.
"Reiieion is the most important matter
in life, and It should be our first business.
The text means that you shouldn't shine
on Sunday and be like Pittsburgh foe
for the remainder Of the week Your
light should shine every day and all the
time.
III Is not what you say that counts,
nor IL Il so much how great the thing
is what YOU do. A man can serve God
while driving hogs as well as while
nreaching the Gospel man can be one
Of the worst sinners as he sits in the
pew OF sings hymns, and he can be the
best kind OF saint while he is thawing
water pipe The important thing is,
that YOU live for the Lord wherever you
are and whatever 1t is your business to do.
''Ths idea that nothing is religious un-
less YOU are down on your knees is all
poppycock. That is the trouble, religion
has been relegated to a theory.
Let your light so shine before men
that they may see your good works and
plorify your Father which is in heaven
This means that God expects all to shine
We can't all be great preachers-and we,
ought to be thankful for that; we can't
all be great singers-and Its good thing
that we can't; but every man can stand
for Christ and let the world know wnere
where he stands We can let the world
the fiesn and the devil know on which
side we stand I'll bet the brewers
don't smile much when they see your
white ribbons. He knows where you are
I'll bet there are a lot of church mem
bers in town who show so poor ltght
that YOU can't tell whether they are for
these meetings or against them. That's
fne reason the devil Is having such
good time and that's why he wasn't put
in the hospital long ago.
.,A mana church member-was going
ND to lumber camp in the north and
friend said to him: If those lumber
lacks find out you're a Christian they'll
make sport of you He went UP there
and when he same back mis- friend said
Well, how did you get along with the
Iumber1acks7' The man answered: All
right Tffey didn't find 1t out That's
the way with so many people who pro-
fess TO be Christians. That's why it's so
hard to hold revival, the church is full
of that bunch. They're church MEM
bers but stranger would have mighty
hard time finding 1t out. II you are
Mason. everybody knows 1t. You want
'enn to, II you're an Odd Fellow, you wear
the pin with the three links, and every
body knows you are. If you are Demo-
crat. and any one who doesn't know II
makes an attack on the Democratic party
I.afl Hfndf nIlt
quick.
'.The first thing a man does when he
foins a lodge is to get Il pin, and IL any
body says anything about the lodge ne
will stand up and fight for 1t; but there
are a lot of CHURCH members who Will
see the church and Jesus Christ insulted
and never open their mouths. II they
were real men they would do what
man does when he sees his wife or sister
insulted He'd fight If there was drop
of red blood in his veins.
God and every community have ABOUT
all they want of that kind of religion.
WON'T FIGHT FOR GOD.
sarhere are too many who won't take
time to fight for God. They won't take
time for family prayer, or for personal
work, or for Bible reading. or for prayer
meeting. or work in the Sunday school
You eatg Yes. You wash yourself? Yes
You comb your hair? Yes. But you
haven't any time for God.
God expects us to illuminate this world
but instead OF doing it by our works
too many of us sit around and sing: Oh
Think of the Home over There when
we ought to be out breaking clods or
killing gophers or skinning skunks and
snakes. Let your light shine. Virtue is
light: vice is darkness. The light of
Christianity will dispel the forces of dark
ness and brighten up this old world. A
Christian light will shine anywhere.
The light over my head shines just as
brightly here as it does in any other
place It is an effect, and 1t comes from
q cause. There Is a dynamo out there
somewhere, and 1t is making the light
shine The power of God is the dynamo
that enables US to shine This light up
here doesn't say oh. could shine so
brightly IL only were in a magnificent
church with stained glass windows and
carved pews and a big organ backed up
In the corner No! 1t will shine any
where it is put SO long as the power
Is there. You can shine anywhere II you
are right with God-it doesn't make any
difference where you are, whether you
are in a beautiful church or out in some
dark alley pillowing on your breast the
head of some girl who has fallen. Chris
uans viii shine anywhere. Mere church
members won't.
Jesus says: sYe are the salt of the
earth Light is for illumination, salt is
for preservation. Salt is a preservative.
Where you put salt 1t kills the bacteria
that cause decay. 1t man were to take
piece of meat and smell It and look dis
gustsd. and II his little boy were to ask
what was the matter with 1t he would
say. It's rotten But If you would put
salt on Il you would kill those germs.
When Jesus said; 'Ye are the salt OF the
earth he meant that He intended us to
preserve 1t from rottenness.
.'Sin is germ that will rot You, your
good name. your boy. your girl Chris
tlanity viii kill that germ. So If you
aneer At religion you are a fool.
"Jesus tells us. too, that We are z