New Britain herald., 1927-02-14

l the spoken word. It shows itself 1T the frivolous and cynical irreverence i that scoffs at the Bible and at tn, servants of God. It shows itself in 5 pretense of professing to bear His name while in practice one is real ly an enemy of the good. It shows itself by uniting with the church and covenanting with the Triune God, yet ignoring all the obligations which that covenant involved. It shows it. self in worship when thoughts are wandering and prayers are listless; when worship is scarcely more than more or less pleasant pastime of entertainment the name of God Is irreverently taken in vain.
 "The songs we sing. the word that we speak and hear, the prayer that We utter. all are intended to lift us up into the presence of the Infinite to the intent that we may go back to the world incarnating in our lives all that we have spoken and all that has been spoken 10 us, and as living epistles" radiating an atmosphere ol godliness that shall cause men to take knowledge of us that we have been to church. Truly, but infinitely more that we have been with Jesus.' Thus shall the world be won to our Christ. and thus also shall we be saved from the penalty of talk ing the name of God in vain by a life that does not agree with it's pro- fession.
 Pastor Volkening Of Jellenbeck had a drastic way of putting things, but his meaning will apply to all groups of Christians with varying degree of fitness. He had given out keymann's beautiful hymn, My Dear Jesus I'll Not Leave" and when the congregation had finished singing, the pastor began his sermon with the words: You liars of Jellen- beck. You sing, My Dear Jesus I'LL not leave! You ought to sing, My Dear Cursing I'll not leave. My Dear Swearing I'll not Leave, etc.
 "The sin of profane swearing is not simply a vulgar vice. or an un- gentlemanly insult to Almighty God. It is an atrocious transgression of all that is holy and carries it's own con- demnation. To the usual Thou shalt not" in these commandments God has placed an additional en- phasis here in the words: T will not hold him guiltless." He will not. He cannot. There are laws against blasphemy but they are seldom en- forced Niolators have little fear of punishment from men and so esteem the law lightly.
 "T.aurentius Pascha. Doctor of Divinity and preacher at kiritz is a notable example. When he was de- posed from office. he went to Mag deburg to the dome at the new market and laid himself down on the ground with outstretched arms, md with all his learning and talents quilted Gods service, saying: Get Thee another servant and l will get me another master That is, he WOULD llO loIStl StlNt Nou "itii preaching, but would serve the Devil with shining. He went about with green attire, joined himself to thieves, and apprenticed his son to a robber. Soon after he as caught, inn prisoned in Giebichenstein and there he in despair committed suicide. He that biasphemes God moves a tower which in it's fall shatters him.
 'Despte tho laxity of men, the Lord will not fail. Will not hold him guiltless,' is the statement of an eternal fact. Whatever the conse- quences they cannot be evaded nor the penalty escaped. Let the inflexi- biity of the commandment with it's stern implications bring us back to soberness of thought