The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1922-10-13
IN THE CHURCHES
PRESBYTERIAN SERMON

Anc Importance OF Llttle fmngS
was the subject of the sermon preach
ed az the Presbyterian church last
Sunday morning by the pastor, Rev.
Charles A.. Hawley. The discourse
was based on the texts, Abstain from
every appearance of evil" and, "Let
hin. that thinketh he Stan latn take
heed lest he fall" An earnest Plea
was made for careful consideration of
the seemingly Insignificant Things of
life. Mr.. iiawley said in part:
The Apostle, an old man rich in ex-
perience of his own and having OBJ
served much during his life time, re-
minds US in these two passages that
our greatest danger is not always in
the big wrongs and big sins but in the
little things as well. Indeed he seems
to intimate that the greatest dangers
OF life are in the small things that
seem hardly worth our notice. It is not
the hideous, glazing sins of the time
that we need to fear. No boy is going
to pattern his life after the drunkard
Neither do boys desire to become
gamblers, highwaymen or criminals of
any sort. The habitual liar started.
perhaps, by telling his mother story
to get himself out of a corner, and
having made it work to his advantage
once he tries it again and again until
1T becomes habit and the name is
changed from stories to lies.
The shoplifter started by taking a
trifle when no one was looking. So no
one becomes extremely bad or wicked
all at once but grows to be such little
by little.
A few years ago a great British
steamer was wrecked in southern seas
and it was found that a coral reef be-
fore unknown had pushed is way up
ward until it was near enough to the
surface for the great ship to strike.
Now coral reef is not great solid
rock but just an accumulation of
small things, the deposit of a very
small sea animal. | do not trip over
a dry-goods box on the street corner
but over small projection in the side
walk. Neither do boys stumble over
a beer barrel but are often started
on the road to ruin by a social glass
of wine in the home parlor.
Stanley lost few men by the tigers
and beasts of the jungles of Africa
DuI iost many ny tEe JlSSeIS,
very small insect, and the dwarf
blacks with poisoned arrows. SO if we
observe closely we will discover that
constant care and watchfulness is
necessary that we may not be taker
unawares by some of the little things
And just as the little things are the
dangerous ones so the little things
of the right sort are the ones that
are helpful. Christian character, like
the great coral reef, IS just an accum.
ulation of small things. So in the
formation of character we are warned
not only to avoid those things which
are plainly wrong and harmful but
the things which are questionable as
well. If in our life habit or practice
is at all doubtful we arc to give our,
selves the advantage of the doubt ano
abstain from every appearance Of
evil.
1t requires a great deal of patience
to live the right sort of lives and ever
folks well established in their way!
need to exercise the same watchful
ness, for the warning is "Let hin
that standeth take heed lest he fall.
In familiar poem we read:
Heaven is not reached at a single
bound,
But we build the ladder by which
we rise
From the lowly earth to the vaultec
skies,
And mount to the summit round by
round