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8 THE PRESBYTERI/
men, and that we should not mind earthly things,"
etc.
Now, if a Christian can attend the pleasures of gambling
institutions, if he can go to the theaters which
are not edifying, if he can drop a coin in a box and
take a chance of getting more than his money's worth,
if he can play cards and dance all night, if he can take
a social drink, if he can spend all he makes on his back
and stomach, if he can employ unclean language whenever
he wishes to make a crowd iaugh, if he can fill
up his mind with the filth of a newspaper, if he can
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he can swindle his neighbor by technicalities in the
law, if he can load himself down with the business of
life to such an extent that religious duties are distasteful
to him, if he can afford to be found in places where
he would be ashamed to die, or where he can not ask
God's blessings, if he can be a miserable miser, if he
can be a spendthrift who thinks of no one but himself,
if he can fill himself with the things of this life and forget
a starving multitude, if he can knowingly put a
stumbling block in the way of a weak brother?if he
can do any one of these things or all of them without
remorse of conscience, all that we have to say is that
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every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall I enter
into the kingdom of God, but he that doeth His will."
Now the very best remedy for worldliness is a good
dose of Calvinism. I believe that this will succeed in
waking up sleeping Christians, and turning sinners to
God better than anything of which we have any
knowledge. We speak from experience and observation.
If this fails, which we doubt, then it is the duty
of each church session to hold court, for we are in very
great danger of bringing reproach upon the name of
Jesus. It is this state of affairs in the church that
makes some papers, socialistic and anarchistic, which
we will not mention lest we advertise them, so very
popular even among some professors of religion.
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oil upon the troubled waters; but it is certain that
there are those who will discuss them freely. No one
familiar with the Bible can fail to observe that God
has given as much promience to the sins of His people
as He has their virtues; that He has not only been
careful to expose, but also invariably to punish or to
chastise the transgressors. It is too often forgotten
that both ministers and elders, at their ordination,
vowed to protect the purity ofjesus' bride. If we are
to be as harmless as doves, we should not forget to be
also as wise as serpents. If we are to seek the peace
of the church, we are enjoined also to protect her
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minded by the worldly man of the parable of the wheat
and tares, and cautioned lest we pull up both; but let
it not be forgotten that there was a striking resemblance
between these which we do not discover among
some professing Christians. It is foreign from our
mind to make the impression that the church is not in
a healthy condition, for one can not be pessimistic and
believe the seventeenth chapter of John; but it is
next to a crime to cry, "peace, peace," when there is
no peace. The men who see no evil in the church are
to be trusted as little as those who do not realize that
IN OF THE SOUTH. December i, 1909.
there is salt in the earth. Brethren, what we need is
the grace of God which expresses itself in the boldness
and moral courage of the apostle Paul; but still better
in the person of Him who said, "Woe unto you,.
Scribes and Pharisees." It is certain that if we would
judge ourselves, and cease to justify ourselves, the
world would soon take knowledge of the fact that we
have been with Jesus. It does seem to the writer
that if a man is determined to live for this world, a
sense of pity and compassion would prompt him to
withdraw from the church and cease bringing reproach
upon the sacred name of Jesus. There may be some,
but very few men there are who do not know whether
or not they are a sheep or a goat. If they do not know
it there are but two ways to ascertain this fact, namely
: the witness of God's spirit and the motives that
prompt them in life?the glory of self or the glory of
God. E. C. B.
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WE THANK THEE.
Whate'er shall be thy will, O, God,
That we must suffer as we plod
Our way through life, 'tis this we know?
Thy love protects us as we go;
For this we thank Thee!
Whate'er mistakes we may have made,
Whate'er the pain we may have laid
Upon the Saviour's heart, if we
Repent, and turn from sin to Thee,
Thou'll stoop and raise us from the dust,?
And so in Thee we trust, we trust,
ror i nou are to us f ather, Friend,
This life for Thee 'tis ours to spend,?
For this we thank Thee!
If we shall hunger for thy Word,
The "bread of life" Thou'lt give, O, Lord;
If parched lips shall thirst, Thou'lt give
The "living water" that we live;
For this we thank Thee!
And O, dear Lord, if as we plod
The hill of life, O, loving God,
The summit seem so far away,
Thou'lt make us stronger day by day;
For this we thank Thee!
Thy Holy Spirit doth attend
The "life for Christ" e'en to the end,
And if our hearts to Thee we give,
Thou'lt guard and keep us while we live;
For this we thank Thee!
And if we let our light to shine
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So much of pain and woe and tears,
Of darkness mmgled deep with fears, *
Thy Holy Spirit will come down,
Give to the voice that touching sound
Of Jesus' words in this world's strife:
"I am the Way, the Truth, the Life"!
For this we thank Thee!
?Evangel Ryerson Harrel.