The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-08


pious prDtestations that he WAS Esau. |
the father demanded tangible proof. |
Not only did he insist upon touch
ing Jacob but he also asked about
the suspicious promptness with which
the bogus venison was occurred. |
Shamelessly, Jacob. the blasphemous
hypoeffte, gave as reason. Becausel
Jehovah thy God sent me good speed"
This supplanter belonged to the class
of crooks who cloak the devils deeds
in garments of righteousness; the sort
whom Jesus later excoriated with the
lashing of his tongue of wrath. the
man who "borrows the livery of Heav-
en- in which to serve the devil" is the
most odious of all offenders against
God and man.
The trick worked, Isaac was COM
pletely fooled. Four of his senses had
been captured by Jacob. and the otner
sight, was lacking, SO in full ofieh@al
form he gave the irrevocable paternai
blessing, Of the first-born to the un-
deserving Jacob.
~And God give thee of the dew Of Heaven
And of the fatness of the earth,
Aud plenty of grain and new wine:
Let neoples serve thee,
And nations bow down to thee:
Re lord over thy brethren,
And let thy mothers sons bow down to
Cursed be every one that cureth thee. =
And blessed be every zone that blesseth
: thee"
Scarcely had the two arch-pfotters
time to congratulate themselves upon
the success Of theo conspiracy, Wnen
Esau, the rightful claimant, appeared
with his venison. The scene that fol-
lowed, indeed the entire story, was as
dramatic as anything the motion pic
lures ever protrayed. Isaac trembfed,
Esau ragged, and Jacobs eounselled by
his mother. fed. OF that. more, in
| later lesson.
"Orthodoxy'' and Honesty.
A startling surprise awaits the per-
SON who studies this story in the COM
mentaries 1t is that many learned
divines have tried to defend and ex-
cob and Rebekah. They talk about
other times and codes, and the even
tual good to the patriarchial success
sions, and SO on ad nauseam. one
looks for the straight-fung condemna-
ton that Jesus was accustomed to visit
upon dishonesty and hypocrisy. Right
here opens up the most pertinent mes
sage of the old story. Neither religion
nor statecraft have any right to lie or
| cheat There is no divine right" for
kings or for church folk. Evil on the
part of the pious is double evil.
| ing recently, 1.-TWO things concern me
| in the present religious situation or
| America. One is the tendency OF or
thodoxs Christians to- draw into ex-
| elusive and censorious groups, judging
all the world in chaos only by their
own rather intolerant standards of
orthodoxy The tfuth wins nothing
by that sort of conduct; truth must be
proclaimed, in love and in ever out
reaching activity. A persons ortho-
! doxy is to be determined nat by the
1 crowd or organization to which he be-
longs, but by his devotion and Christ
likeness in bearing the message of
truth to the unreached or uncon-
vinced.s -.
I'm the second place" continued
| this observing layman, I am fairly
appalled, at the indifference of some
professional proponents of orthodoxy
to the standards OF common honesty.
Here, for instance, and it is only an
4 In stance, is a scurrilous little sheet OF
a church weekly largely devoted to
defaming all whose orthodoxy it
chooses to question? and 1t has long
told, by the family Of Americas most
infamous degenerate and murderer.
Naturally. lit has no word of condem-
I nation for him, nor any suggestion
that his name should be eliminated
from the church roll, where I am told
it still remains. In his continual con-
troversies, its editor unblushingly lies
and misrepresents. often obviously SO;
yet his orthodoxy Is not thereby i'm
4 paired"
Those are scathing words. The man
who spoke them is himself an active
Christian worker, of the conservative
\ type of thinking; who adheres to the
Bible and to the historic teaching OF
the church concerning our Lord. He
has placed his finger upon a sensi.
tive spot. The test of the righteous il
Righteousness, and not credal state
kI4 80 T.
sus for that. When wrong is done by
Isaac or Jacob or Rebekah it is not
to be CLOSED over or palliated or ex.
cused. Religious thinking must b.
honest Thinking. We are upon sorry
times when the kaiser could cloak hi.
monstrous conduct by appeals to the
Deity. In our days OF shifting empha
sis, every one who accepts the Bible
as his law must stress first and con.
tinually, plain, everyday, man-with.
man Righteousness. Anything less thar
loyalty to Gods own standards OF con.
duct is heterdoxy OF the worst sort
The church must be ever aflame will
passion for holiness. 80
When Parents Play Rayorite. y
4 We like the pictures Of old Isaac
commuhing with God in the cool o,
the evening; but we are disappointed
in the way his religion worked out IL
his own family. Home is the frs
HELD Tor Christian service. The Chris
tianity that does not function there II
not likely to amount to much any
where else. Isaac's chief business II
life, and it is the chief business o.
. every normal man, was to rear fam
lily successfully. He especially was ex.
pected to hand on the torch of life
) shining a little more clearly thar
when he received it. We would rather
read of his holding family worship
with his self-willed wife and his twt
! difficult boys, than of his communins
} with God alone under the trees. ,r
Father Isaac was, not the head O.
his own house. His wife and his son,
all treated him dishonorably. 1t wa.
not united family Each parent hat
favorite son, which is ruinous to dis
cfpline.. Neither-was a success in rear
ing children. And that Is the highes
achievement possible to q man or
woman. Helen Fairchild Morley wrot,
/. in Golfers little poem that espresso.
great truth.
Let others write their poetry
And paint their pictures, too:
| Let others create music 7rs
! have You, Va