-POWER Of RELIGION"
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev.
Henry Knott.
teoarkibly Slrooi Deliverance oa Ibe Sub
Jecl el tbe Moral and Intellectual
Force ot Christianity.
Paws. KY.Tho Hov. Henry Knott,
rector of St. Peter's 1'. K. Church in this
city, preached n strong sermon on "The
Jloral and Intellectual Power of Keligion."
The text i chosen from Matt'aew v: 4S:
"lie ye therefore perfect even as your
Father, which U in lieuven is perfect."
Mr. Knntt said:
The Sermon nn the Mount contains the
mm and substance of Christianity. In
other words, we find it to he the very
heart of the (lospcl; it divine precept
transcending in moral grandeur the loftiest
conception ever thought or spoken by
mortal man. Great souls ollnme with the
sacred fire of inspiration have hut mir
rored the shadow of the tremendous real
ities of the future, and the mind of genius
searching for truth apart from revelation
has failed to discover the meaning and the
end of life. Here we have a command ut
tered hy One who gnve to httmunitv the
icy to perfection. The Christ has drawn
the veil aside and disclosed the way, th.i
truth, the life. Hy revealing the character
of God a holiness radiant with love we
sre brought face to face with the possibil
ity of attainment through the law and the
criirit hid in Calvary's cross. Hy imitating
the example of holy self-sacrifice we shall
enw into that glorious perfection of the
Vnther manifested in His only begotten
Son.
I do not wish yon to misunderstand the
inference Just quoted, -Man snail never at
tain the absolute perfection of God. for
there is n impassable gulf between the
Creator and the created. In being, for
man's immortality had a starting point
while God has even been in un eternity of
time. In space, man subject to localiza
tion, here or there the infinite Father om
nipresent, everywhere. In power man a
creature of environment circumscribed by
laws whether natural or spiritual, free, vet
not free, a mvsterious paradox, his soul the
battle ground 'twixt wills l.uman and di
vine: while God is the source of creation,
the Alpha and Omega of all things'in heav
en and earth, even holding in His almighty
hand the first link of Unit wondrous chain
of causation.
God is perfection: All His love and
mighty attributes blended to7ether in one
harmonious whole, unchmgeab'e in wis
dom, justice and truth. Man. fallen, per
verted, possessing no natural worth, bear
ing always the curse of sin, a subtle tend
ency to thwart right, that supreme law ot
spiritual life. l!y nature prone to evil, cor
rupted, helpless, his only virtue that which
is derived through grace. Xo, he can never
be perfect as (Jod is perfect, but through
the intellectual and moral power of relig
ion and obedience to its comn-ads he can
relatively climb undreamed hi'.!h's of spir
itual manhood, and bv the evolution of his
immortal soul in Christ win that tilorttvrs
crown of destiny which the heavenly Fath
er has willed all born of woman should
through obedience ncouire perfection. Thus
we derive the full meaning of the tevf.
wonderful in its implication, givin" us the
assurmre of success; divie in its com
mand, disclosing the tio$ili'ities of our
nature that we as Christians have a divin
ity stirring within us the source of a glor
ious power to "press toward the fnk for
the nrize;" a life complete in its fn'hllment
of that end which God intended it to at
tain, to be perfect in obedience to the su
preme law of its existence, even as itf
Creator is perfect.
Without religion a man can never veal
ire the possibilities of his spiritual nature.
With a natural tendency toward the pass
ing, the finite and the changeable, he needs
an influence to call him to a sense of the
internal and infinite. Many neople take a
superficial view of Christianity and nevet
really nnderstand what blessings it con
fers. Man was not created to be the play
thing of the Almighty, but for a purpose
to be a son, worthy to stand before his
Father's face and to live with Him in lov
ing communion.
You arc all familiar with the story o'
Adam's dreadful fall into disobedience ,md
sin. Through the marvelous faculties ol
the soul many Christian men have, at one
time or another, exnerienced a monientii'v
consciousness of what then was lost. To
enable ns to regain much of that oris'.ine
state Christ came into the wnr'd. lived,
suffered, died and made it possible for us.
by making known its glories in His own
perfect life, to once more become the sons
and daughters of (Jod. ltelieion leads us
back from worldlires to self-recoMe'-tiou
and gives to souls fevered with sordid de
sires a Quickening nrineinle of a higher and
nobler life; inspiring intellect with truth,
and the heart with a pure and exalted
love. It animates conscience with r. su
preme sense of dnt'- and nl-e thoiuM in
juxtaposition with the wHl of Gnt. c!oh'ng
every asniration with a "urifving virtue,
thus' leading nil the faculties of o-r being
upward and onward toward perfection.
The immortal loggings of the so-d es-i
only be satisfied by God. Every faeultv
I we possess leads us to His feet. There i
no real happiness apart from tl'at which
comprehends His love and finds its su
preme good by a steadfast 'Wote.-lness to
the precepts of His law. I'nfo-fnate'.v,
thre are men and women who look upon
religion as a means to eonciliete the divine
power, which through sin they have of
fended. They imaeine it p'aces there in n
conciliatory attitude with TVitv, and that
bv ita medium they will obtain in the fu
ture some indefinable reward, forgetting
that religion is a li'e. stf te. which cal's
into operation all the spiritual potentiali
ties of their glorious nature and th'ough
temptation, sorrow and sufTerio? crowns
. them-at. last with victory over the world
and self.
Thus we perceive that Christ cam -4Poq
the earth to save sipners. giving th"i a
power of endlcs life. Itevealip tr? "liar
acter of God, He made it possib'e foe men
to conform to that perfect original. In
His Gospel He lavs down a code of mora',
so sublime, tnat rf we would absorb then,
into thoueht and actio we should fuHll
while here our destiny. Religion's blessing
is the supreme good for everf aw to at
tain. It is not an emotion, or mere'v be
lief, it is a vitalizing energy m th dent 'is
of the human soul, subduing to God a'l the
powers of being, incarnating in the heart
. a consciousness 01 a mBpiufcni iu"'rr(
nuickening the intellect, conscience, affec
tions and will into 1 enrolls and ho'v ac
tion, inspiring the mind with a nrofo-nd
love of truth sad flooding the soul with a
peace which tne crash of worlds could not
disturb. Religion, then, is a necessity of
life. Without it existence is a delusion, a
shadow, lacking substance and meaning.
To grow into the stature and fulnss of
t-lirist. in other worcs. to liecome a i.nrist
man. is the desien for which we are en
dowed with certain faculties. Man is pre-
eminently mors I being. This is his nature
and the path of hia life winds toward the
perfection of loose nualities which consti
tute the essence of his spiritual lite. His
true happiness consists in bringing himself
into relation, into union with God. God
is holy, the source of all perfection. In
the heart of man He has placed a deep and
abidin consciousness of riffht and wrong
At every turn duty confronts him: on one
side lies goodness, on the other evil, with
an inward voice ever commanding with di
vine authority to discriminate between
them, urging the choice of that which is
nwim ana protesting; against sin, vwr
thouirht and aetinti tutine. annroved or "On-
demned by this inward monitor. There is
not a man or woman living who does not
eel that conforming to the will of God is
the toaramnunt duty of life. Tha aoul il
the great battleground where the material
add corruptible strive in ceaseless warfare
against the spiritual and eternal. By sub
mitting to the lower instincts our na-
sure we are aeairoyina mst wjwn is uigu
eat snrl l.at and wilfully striving (uncon
sc-ioualy, it may be) to thwart the great
fld which the heavenly Father's marvel
ous hive would have us attain.
HraitiNn v..u mi iiAaaeaa untold wealth
fortune may load you with her favors, the
World may fawn at your feet, but I declare
there is no happiness to be toand in these:
either does religion confer any outward
benefit that shall appeal as pleasures of
a-aas. but its blessedness, the highest, pur
est, nohlaat rift in heaven or earth is char
acter character which Buds its likeness in
toe Christ, conferring a joy which the an
els wonder at, and fencing tbe aoul with
""pregnable battlements of Godlike moral
rectitude, from whau the concentrated fu
lls! end powers of hall are hurled back in
confusion ns tne 0"ean's waves . m tne
mighty walls of a rock-bound shore. Thus
true uappiness comes from lining, not by
having; from the life within, not intiuence
without.
Kvery man possesses a conscience, and
vou will hear manv declare that tiiey can
be just as good, quite as moral as a Chris
tian through the power of that conscience.
Hut what is conscience apart from religion?
In many cases it is a slave in-tead of a
master. The power of passion drowns its
voice and weakens it by every deliberate
sin. A man believing in the existence of
no liigher authority will drift upon the
current of bis animal nature, for those ten
dencies which are strongest will eventually
enslave him. No, without a living faith in
God or a personal union with Him the con
acience loses its newer to govern and guide,
but relhjion clothes it witn exceeriintt
strength by revealing to man the source of
those magnificent moral attributes with
which he is endowed, thus giving to that
"still small voice" within the soul an infi
nite worth.
There is not a heart out has some c.in
ccption of a higher lite than it now feels.
Kvery young man and woman at the gate
way of responsihilit" is fired with enthusi
asm nnd ambitious with a great purpose
which they long to accomplish; going out
into the world they have to stem mighty
currents, within and without, the tenden
cies of their lower nature anil temptations
to sin clothed with beguiling finely, ( rises
will arrive when the future will b" deter
mined. Moments of dire peril Irauglit
with tremendous responsibility. Thcv will
then feel the need of a higher power, a
greater strength than their own to thwart
the enemy of rectitude. The ideal of pure
manhood and womanhood shining hetoro
them will appear unattaiuahly beyond
their reach, lost forever. How. then, can
they safeguard against this dread exper
ience which has blighted many promising
V oung lives, a-int-li, unnb.e to stand against
the waves of adversity have sunk helpless
and despairing? I answer, By beitjg relig
ious. Keiiginn alone can give them that
victory which crowns a life complete in
Christ. It p'aces them into tlireet commu
nication with God, whose delight is that
they should become worthy to share His
glory. Temptations will sural y conic, hut
religion gives them a new meaning; they
are but reminders of the existence of a
Fa'her who ever waits to aid and sustain,
and. as blessings in disguise they carry
messages of an infinite love for every indi
vidual soul, proclaiming that virtue is the
beginning antl the end of holiness, the nar
row rond to perfection.
Another .wonderful revelation of leligion
asserts that vou and I sprang from the
bosom of tlio eternal father. That as He
is eternal we too shall live through endless
7es. created in His iniase. sustained bv
His spirit, our life shall gather unto itself
maiiiiiiccnt growth. Keligion sets before
us a destir.y whose divine splendor startles
anil overpowers our weak con'-eption of its
g.orv. I he Word of tio.t ea..s into tictn
ati itmazing sense of power. To think, my
I power,
that thn
1 -rother and sister,
ovi'ti aeons
of
time wc shall be adding purity to puruy,
love to love, knowledge to knowledge.
g.ory to giory. living forever in the pres
ence of the immortal and infinite God. ris
ing to spiritual planes of inconceivable
grandeur and beauty, scaling heights of
happiness beyond the dream of angel. The
incoitiprehersibie tlestinv ot a living sou!
oval to doit unit duty brings our laces to
he dust when we consider that this is our
heritage: vou and I. with nil our weakness.
conquering death and the power of moral
evil.
In the midst of the trifling fol les of the
world, the conceit of fashion, the decrees
of a thoughtless society, nnd the whirl of
vapid pleasures, let us keep this thought
like a burning fire within the brain the
thought of God. holiness and heaven.
Bret hren. al.ow the character of vour
heavenly Father as revealed bv .lesus
Christ to stand before you as the goal of
all uttainnient. l;e.igion gives us an ideal
and un incentive to reach it. Ev contem
plating and really loving this excellence is
to be inspired by it. The Christian man is
a. wavs conscious of a divine presence. In
every phase of his life he marks the guid'
anee ot t.od. lie lieno ds Wis handiwork
n every flower of the field. Ihe hosts of
liming stars as tnev whirl through space
declare Mis maiestv. and in the phenomena
of nature he discerns a living expression of
Ilis glory. Thus by contempating and
adoring His handiwork in the natural
wori'l without and the spiritual world
within, a Christian is given grace to subdue
ill things unto the one great end of moral
growth, lrne religion is not behet in
let of dogmas, or the recitation of a creed.
or a profession of faith: these are but the
accessories of a particular attitude toward
truth, but it is tnhnite.y more than this
t is the life giving breath of the spirit of
oo;i wnuii rules, not certain relations, out
a.l correspondence ot -the heart, soul antl
body with the Creator and with fellow
men
1 here is no limitation to the exercsse of
the intellect, vet without a moral principle
to g'lide and en izhten its research, there
can be no advance in the path ot truth
Jlinv ot the greatest thinkers have died
atheists. Keligion gives to intellect an
added power ot analysis and discrunina
tion. a medium whereby we discern trutn
It places the mentality ot man in commu
nion with infinite knowledge. "Gifted
vsith the eve of the suirit." tlie glorv of
i.oj streams upon the page ot history, and
every department or scientific research tes
tifies to His perfection and wondrous love.
The mind of the most brilliant scholar will
ou.v see in phenomena natural results
ttcM?ion alone lias power to permeato Ins
work with magnificent meaning. There is
a hidden wisdom only revealed to the child
of a "new birth" who lias had 'a special
ind individual revelation of the rather.
Religion crowns intellect with a deen in
sillit into tbe mysteries of life. The earth,
sea and sky. tne comp ex organism ol so
ciety, the depths of human nsture. the
history of nations, ail these things shine
with a new luster, and Hood the mind with
profound meaning. A blade of grss be
comes worthy of study, for the .Supremo
Intellect has imprinted on its fragile stem
divine thought and- action. In everything
we see iron, i naer ill nenencent innu
ence of His Spirit our faculty of compre
hension is robed with sncredness and gran
deur, for He calls it forth to a glorious
communion and expansion, notil one day
it snail tu.ly understand he iove whicu
no-v pisscin Knowledge.
True religion above all things forms an
anright mind; it elevates the judgment
aDove prejudice, and creates a untile pur
pose to receive knowledge through all le
gitimate channels. It endows n man with
sincerity and a duality of fair dealing
which no university can teach. It breaks
down the barriers of set opinions and de
stroys the bitterness between sects and
parties. It opens the heart to conviction
and a ready t-andor to confess error. Tbe
Intel ect was never intended to be hounii
to set rule or encompassed with man-made
rcgu ations. Its destiny is an upward, on
ward marcn toward truth, and truo relig
ion fashions all our innuiries and mittziv-
ings with reverence and ever leads in to
the feet of Him. "with whom there la no
vanab.cnes nor shadow of turning.
Fame is only lasting after a rtan is deal.
Tha Wrong Dead Man.
Tbe Rev. Joseph Twltchell. Mart
Twain'n friend, - was called upon a'
short notice to officiate at tbe funera'
services of a man who lived In Olas
tonbury, a suburb of liartford. Barelj
reaching the church In time for ta
service, he could only learn that the
name of the deceased was the sam
aa that of a person wltb whom be bat!
been acquainted some years ago. , In
bis eulogy be told a surprised congre
gatlon of the virtues, the fatherly ten
dernesa and the felicities of the mar
rled life of bta lamented friend.
After tbe service was ovor, Mr
Twltchell met tbe aexton and asked:
"Well, Join, bow did you like mj
sulogyT"
"Fine air. In Ha place.'
"What do you mean, John, by 'In Itf
DlaceT'
"Why, Dr. Twltchell, this man wa
bachelor.
Visible Proof.
fllmklns "It U reported that D
Blank la leading a double life.'
Tlmkina "The report la correct I
waa one of the witnesses to his mar
rlage.'
THE SUINDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR SEPTEMBER 6.
8utJectt Death of Anul nnd Jonathan, I
Hnm. xxxl., 1-13 llolilcn Text, Prov.
XI v., 11 Mriimrr Verses, 6, 7 Com.
in en to ry on tlie stay's Lesson.
I. "Men of Israel Fled." It is supposed
that the battle was being fought in the
p. cm of Ksdraelon and that the Israelites
tied before their enemies to the slopes of
Mount iGlboa, whither he Philistines fol
lowed. "Fell down slain." It was impos
sible for them to rally. Saul and his sons
tought like heroes and no doubt tnrew
themselves into the forefront of the battle,
but all in vain; God was against them.
J. "Followed hard." The onset of the
Philistines was directed mainly against that
quarter where Saul and lus sons were fight
ing. Mew . . , .-am sons. Jona
than falls with the rest. 1. God would
hereby complete the judgmept that was to
be executed upon Saul s house. 2. He
would make David's way to the crown
clear and open. :). God would also show
us that the difference between good and
had is to be made in the other world, not
i:i this. Whatever may have been th
character of the others who fell, Jona
than s fate was not the result ot his per
sonal transgression but of his father's tin,
a-id says to us in plain language that no
siner hn.-ms only himself, and that the
good often in t'.iis world suffer be
cause of the bad. All relationships of lifs
have some influence upon our earthly des
tiny, but no other is so potent for good ot
ill as that which a parent holds to his
child. Hut if Jonathan is a sad illustration
oi this truth, he is also a cheering prool
that if a son must suffer for his father's
chnraotcr he need not walk in that father's
footsteps.
II. The death of Saul fvs. 361. 3.
"The archers." The men who shot arrows
with the bow. "Hit overworked. Alter
the death of Saul's sons the archers singled
Saul out and pursued him. Their missiles
were aimed at him and some of them
may hive hit him. "Sore wounded great
ly distressed." The Revised Version gives
the correct meaning. The word now-liere
means to be wonnded as our version has it
here. Ha saw that he was the mark of
the Philistine sharpshooters, and he there
fore writhed and nuaked with terror at
the thought of failing by such hands.
4. Would not. I he armorbearer. who.
according to .Jewish writers was Does,
wou.ti nor. yieiu ro caw n enircaiy. n
itu his duty to protect the King, and he
was responsible for Saul's life. He dared
not stretch forth his hard arainst the
Lord's anointed; the very thought of such
nn act filled him with fear. "Fell upon it."
thrust it through himse;i by ta.ling ovet
upon it. It u neueved by many, from th
construction of thu original, that Saul
ended his Hie with the sword of the ar
morbearer. It this he true, then Saul nnd
Doeg both fell by that weapon with which
thcv had before massacred the priests ol
Go ! (1 Sam. 22:131. This account of Saul's
death is e-rry way consistent with itself
and with Saul's character, end is to be
regarded ns the true and authentic record
of the sacred historian himself. The story
of the Arialckitc, who stole the king'i
crown and bracelet and brought them to
JJav.d II bMn. 1:4-10). is to be treated as
a fabrication.
5. o. Saw ttiat S,-iul. etc. Hp nrobap.v
drew the sword from the king's body and
did what he could to vo him, but it was
too late. "He fell," Reing answerable for
tne kings life he feared punishment: or
from a nobler motive of true fidelity, re
fused to survive his n'aster. "So Saul died."
The real ground of Saul's last dark net ol
self-destruction v-as not the extremity of
the moment for fear of insult from the
enemy, but the decay of his :nner life and
the complete severance of his heart from
God. He who would not leave the ordering
ma life to God would neither bermit
Him to order the manner of his death,
Suicide 13 a great sin. 1. Note the causes:
II) Xot merely accumulated misfortunes,
but. long-continued wrong-doing. (2) Cow
ardly fear of suffering. (3) Caring more
tor disgrace than tor sin. (41 Abandon
ment of trust in God. as to this life and
the future life. 2. Note the effects: (1)
Others led by the example into the same
sin. (2) Personal rtihonor not prevented.
(3) A crowning ami lasting reproach to the
man s memory. (4) lhc eternal loss of the
soul. "All his men. Compare 1 Chron.
10:18. Some think this refers to his body
guards and means that they were all slain;
otners tninlt the relerenc is to all his
household who went with him to the war
and on whom lus hopes lor the future
III. The-PM n fines vietoiona In. 7-1IH.
7. "Other side of the valley." The inhab
itants on the opposite aide of the great
valley of Jezreel. The district to the north
is meant, in which the tribes pt Issachar,
Zebuiun and Nanhtali flwelt. ("Other side
Jordan." The panie spread even to the
eastern aide oi the Jordan. But possibly
tne nnrsse nero means on tno side ol the
Jordan, that .. in the district between
the battlefield and the river. "Fled. It
was very natural for the people in the
towns and villages there to take fright and
flee, for had they awaited the arrival of
the victors, tliev must, aecording to the
war usages of the time, have been deprived
either of their lirs?rrv or their lives.
810. "The Ph listines . . . found"
On discovering the bodies of the king and
nis sorst on roe paii'eneia, mey reserved
them for special indignities. "Cut off."
The anointed of Jehovah fares no better
than tho iincircumcised Goliath, now that
God has forsaken him. "To punish it."
"That the daughters of the heathen might
rejoice and triumph" (3 Sim. 1:30), Saul's
head and armor were the signs of victory.
"Of their idols." Their idols were re
garded as the givers of the victory. The
Philistines divided the honors among their
deities. "Ashtaroth" A heathen goddeae
whose rites wero rTlthy and abominable.
The temple referred to here was ejoubt'srsa
the famous temole of Venus in Asketon
mentioned hy Herodotus as the most an
cient of all her temples. "Beth-shan."
The modern Cesian, between the moun
tains ot ttiiboa find the Kiver Jordan.
IV. The burial ot Raul and h's sons fvs.
1M3). 'iU-1.1. Inhabitants of." Mindful
of the dent of gratitude they owed to Ssul
for rescuing them from Nahash (chap. 11),
"Went all night." They made a journey
of atfout twelve miles, secured the bodies,
and returned to their own aide of tbe
Jordan in a single night. This exploit was.
l. A nrave deed. js ntriotie deed. 3.
A grateful deed. But the bravery, patriot
ism and gratitude had been better shown
before Saul's death by helping him. Hon
ors after death make poor amends for
neglect and unfaithfulness during life.
"Burnt them." This wss not a Hebrew
custom, nnd waa either resorted to prevent
any further insult from the Philistines, or,
moro likely, seejng that only the flesh waa
burned, because of the mangled condition
of the bodies. "I'asted. luia waa a sign
of general mourning.
Meaning of Flowora.
Wistaria Regret.
Sweetbrlar Simplicity.
Shamrock Joy In sorrow.
Virginia creeper Sweet ceslect
Narcissus Egotism.
Harebell Grief.
Bluebell Cocstancy.
Rhododendron Danger.
Purple lilac First emotlona of love
Maidenhair fern Secrecy,
First rose of summer Majesty.
Lily of the valloy Return of happi
ness.
Dally rose Welcome me.
Bridal rose Happy love.
White rosebud A heart Ignorant of
love. '
China rose Grace.
Mosa rosebud Superior morlt.
Japan rose Compassion.
Red rosebud You are youtg and
beautiful.
Yellow rose Departure of lore,
White lily rurlty. '
Mignonette Excellence.
Verbena Enchantment.
Red double pink Ardent love.
Magnolia Love of nature.
Larkspur Brightness.
Wblte pink You ere fair and faa-
i clnatlng. ,
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR TOPICS.
SEPTEMBER SIXTH.
'The Allied Forces of Righteousness."
John 17:20-23; 1 Cor. 1:10-13.
Scripture Verses John 10:11-16: I.
Cor. 10:18, 17; 12:1-6; Gal. 8:26-29;
Eph. 4:1-6; Ps. 133:1-3; I. Cor. 12:
12-27.
Lesson Thoughts,
When the denominations work to
gether aa effectively as the members
In the body, they will reach th Chris
tian Ideal and the Christian power, and
not till then.
As all the various velna'and arteries
of the circulatory aystem centre in
the heart and depend upon It for
strength to carry nourishment, each
in Us own separate course, so all the
forces' of righteousness must unite
In Christ, the centre and aource of all
their Btrengftt.
Selections.
A mass of quicksilver, dropped on
the floor, will split in many globules;
but gather them up and they will coal
esc as before. God's elect below
are found divided into many denomina
tions, but when gathered together in
heaven they will unite as one undi
vided church. Vaughan.
No distance breaks the tteB of blood;
Brothers are brothers evermore;
Nor wrong, nor wrath of deadliest
mood
That magic may o'erpower,
e e e
O might we all our llneagre prove,
Give and forgive, do good and love.
By soft endearments In kind strife
Lightening the load of dally life!
Bishop Hurst suggests that there
can be true union only as each part
that enters Into the union Is at Its
best. The anchor Is not held by the
chain, but by each link ot the chain,
and the anchor falls If a single link
la imperfect.
The union of Christians to Christ
their common head, and, by means of
the Influence which they derive from
him. one to another, may be Illustrated
by the loadstone: It not only attracts
the particles of Iron to Itself by the
magnetic virtue, but by tho virtue, It
united them one among another.
Cecil.
Suggested Hymns,
f love thy kingdom. Lord.
Press on, press on. O pilgrim.
Blest be the tie that blads.
Onward, Christian soldiers.
Rejoice! ye saints, again rejoice!
The Lord keep watch between us.
SEPTEMBER SIXTH.
The Call of Moses (Exod. 3. 1-12.)
God Is not "shut up to one method
of revealing himself to men. His mes
sages are not more varied than the
methods by which they come. One man
getj his revelation amid the glories ol
the temple: another In the visions ot
a dream. Moses Is In the desert, and
flnJa a "common bush aflame with
God." Who does not see that In God's
purpose the call to a great service goes
far back of the shepherd days of
Moses? It is difficult to find a date
when the life of Mosea began to be
a preparation for his special task. He
waa always ready for bis lifework.
The great thing about the call of
Moses Is that he recognized It aa be
yond question a call from God.
Before God gave Moses hia task he
made himself known. "I am the God
of thy father." It was a pledge of
faithfulness. For God had made hia
covenant with the fathers. He had
given great promises to them.
The flrBt element in any call of God
Is a call to reverence. Whatever sign
of humility corresponds In us to Moses'
standing with unshod feet before the
bush must mark our coming Into God's
presence. We need to know and ap
ply that truth daily. For there la the
flaming bush to be seen wherever we
go God's presence goes with us. The
world which we count common is glo
rious with God, if we could but see.
And God reveals himself to the one
who will a(ep aside from the humdrum
things that occupy bis mind, to see
the Indications of the divine presence.
We do not need arguments on the be
ing of Ooxl bo much as we need eyes
to Bee his nearness to our lives.
When God calls a man to service the
(sail grows out of bla love and pity.
There would be no neod to call Mosea
If God were not sorry for the tolling,
overdriven Hebrews.
Your call Is not for your Bake. Are
you called to the ministry, the law,
the deaconess work, the mission field,
medicine, or what not? Then be sure
that It Is for the sake of others. God
is not Interested, first of all. In any
one's prominence. He U Interested in
his people, the children of tbe king
dom. He offers you the privilege of
co-operation. He will let you Join
bands with him.
No call of God ever lacked the prom
ise of help. Run down tbe list of
Scripture calls Abraham, Moses. Josh
ua, Gideon, Samuel, Nehemlah, Isalali,
Jeremiah, Erekiel, yes. all the proph
ets. It la ever the tame story. "Cer
tainly I will be with thee." Whoever
Is called to God's work may be sure of
God's help. That is the reason no one
need hesitate on account ot weakness.
Tbe Inspiration of God's assistance Is
enough for the weakest. God empow
ers them and they go.
Natural Science.
Put some perfectly clear lime watei
Into a tumbler, and, through a glass
tube, breathe Into It. The water will
become as white aa milk. After It
has remained undisturbed for a while
a deposit ot white powder will be
found at the bottom of the glass.
Seak a pleec of thread In a solution
ot alum. Attach ft to a light ring
from the finger of someone present;
set Are to the thread and burn It to
n ash, and yet It will continue to, bold
the ring if It Is not jarred.
Take a small bottle with the neck
not more than one-sixteenth of an lack
across. Fill It with rod wtce and place
It in glass vessel two Inches blghei
than the bottle and fill the vessel wlU
water. Tbe wine will rise from the
bcttom and pas through the water It
a small column to the surface, while
the water will flow Into tbe bottle Id
place of the wine. This happens be
cause the water Is specifically heavier
than the wlne-
THE RELIGIOUS LIFE
READING FOR THE QUIET HOUP
'WHEN THE SOUL INVITES ITSELF.
Poemi A Prayer, by Frank Beard The
Man Who Loves Got! Will Keep tne
flalibnth Holy, lleranse It Is God's Flas
For His Children's Growth.
I know that I am blind;
My wand'ring steps oft ro astray,
As helplessly I seek the way -
Of truth, nnd hope to find.
I know that I am lame:
Ko prone to stumble as I go. ,
With many falls and progress ilow
1 seek Thy grace to claim.
Dull are my ears to hour
The warning of the still small voice,
That pleads of me a better choice,
Than things I now hold dear.
Helpless I call on Thee
Open my ears, O Lord, to hear,
Mrennthen my feet, my footsteps cheer
And make my blind eyes see.
ii
The Sacred HHbbath.
P.ack of all right laws there is a prin
ciple. The law of the iSahbath so strictly
antl so minutely laid down from Mount
Sinai was not made for that time merely,
although ic was necessary at that time
to have it clearly set forth and framed in
"Thou-fdialt-nots for the sake of an er
ring and ignorant people. It was after
all but the bringing to their knowledge
n law of Mod's universe which must have
been as old as creation itself.
We talk much of the new dispensation
in these days, and there is much said
about this law of the Sabbath not being
binding upon us because we are undei
grace now and not under the law. Hut
the law of tbe Sabbath was the statement
of a principle, and had behind it a reason.
Science has come of late, and made plain
this reason. There is in man's physical
as well as his spiritual nature a need for
a rest and complete change one day out
of every seven. Investigation has shown
beyond a doubt that not only men and
animals, but even machinery can do better
and longer work if allowed to rest this
seventh day.
But in the day of the Pharisees the prin
ciple was not understood. Men took the
law for a petty rule, the explicit following
of which was to count virtue to them
selves. They failed completely to grasp
the good that waa to come to them
through the bodily refreshment, and the
uplift of the heart toward God, on the
rest day; and in the following of the let
ter of this law they forget the law of lorrng
the neighbor. Poor, quibbling men, oh
iecting that a brother was healed on the
Sabbath, as though there was virtue in
withholding relief to the suffering!
With the Pharisees the law had eclipsed
tbe principle. It was necessary that they
ehould return to first principles and learn
that the Son of Man was Lord of the
Sabbath. He who made the law was
greater than the law.
Now this story has been made to be
come the conscience-case of many a Chris
tian to-day, whose actions do not fit the
good old law of "thou shalt not." Many
and many nn action that can neither be
construed into "plucking wheat" to satisfy
the actual necessities of life, nor the reach
ing out of succor to the helpless and per
ishing, is made to figure as righteous in
the light of this chapter.
And yet Jesus did not no away with the
Sabbath! And He is Lord still of the
Sabhath.
Take, for instance, the man who travels
on the Sunday train or car, compelling
scores of others to work the whole day
through that the system of trains anil
ears may run for his and others' benefit.
He is going, maybe, to town to hear some
great preacher, who will do him much
good, he thinks. But there are preachers
at home. And he even might spend a
profitable Sunday with hia Bible and God
alone if necessity held him where church
privileges were out of reach save through
Sunday travel. It may be, though, he
feels justified because he is going to preach,
and justifies the journey on account of
the message, Does not such a one need
to be very sure that he is tbe only one
who can deliver that message, or that
there is absolutely no other time for mak
ing that journey than God's holy day?
This is only one of the many questions
that arise whenever the Question of Sab
bath observances is brought up. There
are the Sunday visits, tbe Sunday reading,
the Sunday papers, the Sunuay amuse
ments. But back of them all lies the
same principle, 'the breaking of a law of
nature, which was the foundation for the
law of God.
The man who loves God will keep the
Sabbath holy because it is God's plan for
His children's growth; and he will bo
prevented from falling into the Pharisees'
fault because the love he is bound to have
toward his fellow men will teach him tho
true spirit of the Sabbath.
Listen to the prophet's nicture. It is
not the dismal Puritanical Sabbath, neither
ia it in the least our present worldly one:
"If thou turn away tn" foot from the
Sabbath, from doing thv pleasure on My
holy day; and call the Saooath a delight,
the holv of the Lord, honorable, and shalt
honor Him, not doing thine own ways, not
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine own words; then shall thou delight
thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee
to ride upon the high places of the earth,
and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob,
thy father; for the mouth of the Lord
hath snoken it." Grace Livingston IliU,
in the New York Mail and Express.
Courage In Adversity.
This would bo a pretty gray, unhappy
world if neople did not make tlie best of
things. Everybody, even the most appar
ently fortunate, has his sorrows and dis
appointments, which make wealth and suc
cess count as almost nothing in the scale.
Indeed, the very ability to buy almost
anything else that heart may desire only
makes the mockery more apparent. The
onjy way in which to gain even a moderate
share of contentment is to make the best
of things. taking the hard knocks aa one of
the forcunes of the war of life, and trying
earnestly to find the easiest way of fitting
the yoke to the neck. The world does not
slip out of one's grasp because of affliction,
unless be weaklv allows his fingers to re
lax. It is really a great ana beautiful
world, and a sympathetic one, that ad
mires courage in adversity, but each man
must come to the world's standard of what
is worthy of admiration, and a helping
hand by making the best ... what falls to
hashare.
A Spiritual Leber.
' Suffering ia as truly a function of tha
complete human life as joy of lovi is. It is
a sort of spiritual labor. This 'a to say
that it is in the nature of the uni-erse, in
the nature of God. We mav reverently
say that He sutlers in and with His chil
dren, as surely as He loves them. To rec
ognize this fact is to take all the sting and
bitterncsj out of pain. Charles F. Pole.
lie Sowed the Seod.
A missionary in India had been earnestly
preaching in the bazaar or market-place
9f the town where he labored, and waa
going out of the city when a heathen
asked him in mockery: "How many Chris
tians have you made to-day?" 'l'he mis
sionary pointed to a field and said: "What
would happen to-morrow if we were to sow
corn there to-day?" The answer wss:
"Nothing." "What would happen tbe day
after?" "Nothing," was again the reply.
"What would in a few days after that?"
"Little blades would sprout up." "Well,"
said the missionary, "I have sown the
good seed to-day, and taia, too, will come
up after soma time."
How High Bird Fly. '
Those Interested In tbe ways ot
feathered folk are still discussing the
question of bow high bird tf. Again
and again balloons have boos seat out
to ascertain this, and several German
aeronauts have collected valuable in
formation. At present it la believed
that the average belgbt of "bird
tracks" through tbe air is about thir
teen hundred feet above the earth,
though occasionally tbey have been
discovered at aa elevation ot from all
Urousand to seven thousand feet.
THiS HEN REARED KITTENS.
Tfce Latter Ih Tarn Adopted Traits of the
Hen.
Some yenrs ogo my attention vrnn
called to n hen that bnd adopted a litter
uf kittens. Wbeu I first saw them
they lind got their eyes open. Every
tiny I spent nn hour or more watching
the old lien nntl her Ktrange family.
The hen would let the cat stickle the
kittens, but when they wero through
she would drive the cat nway and
hover over the family. The cat was
a tramp that fed with several others
on swill lirounht from the city for bens
nnd hogs. As far ns I could see, the
cat was willing to let the lien rear
her kittens. The whole affair seemed
natural, nnd was ns Intelligently ar
ranged as If It had happened to human
beings. I carefully noted the notion
of the old lien ami kittens. The kittens
soon learned the calls of the lien, and
the lien certainly understood tho calls
of the kittens. The hen would wntider
Into the litiKlios, Hrratehlng fur Insects,
which she ate without offering them
to her adopted family. When the
kittens wanted rest nnd sleep they
nintlo n thlu cry, and the lien would
Immediately hover them. If they
wanted food their cries sounded to me
like the call to hover, 1nt the hen
understood and she led them to the
milk dish. If the dish was empty, she
led them to the hen yard ami looked
for lilts of meat or bread. If she failed
to Hud food, she went to the house
door and called until some one of the
f.iinlly brought out milk. Before the
cat deserted her family, the lien would
lend tho kittens to a flat ledge, where
the cats sunned themselves. The cat
usually hunted up the he:i In the early
days for ft relief from an overflow of
milk. Several times I saw tbe hen
hunt for the cat when the kittens were
hungry. When the cat weaned tho kit
tens, tho hen seemed to understand
that she must look to the family for
food.
I noticed that the kittens as they be
came older fulled to play like kittens
taught by a mother cat. nnd their
voices remained weak and thin. In
many ways they showed n lack of
cat teaching. On the other hand, they
adopted some of the ways of the hen.
They would scatter like olilckeus, and
would scratch In Imitation of the lieu.
I did not see them eat the Insects
which they found, excepting grass
hoppers. Mr. Parsons was a practical
man and wanted eg.tjs, so he killed the
kittens. If I had known what he Intend
ed to do I should have offered to buy
the lot for further study. I remeinhei
that I sent Forest and Stream an ac
count of this case I think a clipping
from a local paper. The Intelligence
of the cat. hen and kittens, under
strange conditions, was so evident that
a dull observer could not make a mis
take. The cnt reasoned that tho hen
would take good core of her family
nnd she was contented, like some
human mothers that give their babies
nway. The lien understood fully that
the kittens would not eat the Insects
which she found nnd reasoned that she
must look for food In another direction
reasoning. Forest nnd Stream
'Why Mary Did Not rtln-j.
An able, but easily embarrassed and
somewhat absent-minded young teach
er was about to begin n singing lesson
day when a knock nt the schoolroom
door Interrupted proceedings. The
teacher went to tho door and ushered
In a delegation from a prominent local
woman's club. When the Indies wi-re
comfortably seated and each had as
sumed a critical, listening attitude the
teacher resumed the singing lesson. It
was one of her most stringent rules
of action that when company wag
present everything should go on ex
actly as usual.
One of her pupils, Mary Holmes, a
somewhat shy girl, bnd a good alto
voice, and the teacher was anxious
that she should display It to advan
tage. "Now, Mary," -she said encouraging
ly, "when I count four you be sure to
sing. Attention, children!" raising
ber baton. "One, two, three ready
sing"' The children sang lustily, but
Mary's nlto voice was missing.
"I didn't henr your voice that time,
Mary. lie member, when I count four
you are to slug. Next verse, childrvu!
One. two" Mary watched the mo
tron of the teacher's lips anxiously
"three! Heady sing!" The children'
shrill treble rang out unaided by Mnry'a
strong alto.
, "Don't you feel like singing, Mary!
Try this verse, now one, two, three.
Well, what Is Itr
Mary had risen nnd was shyly twist
ing ber lingers. "Please, Miss Hrooks,"
she. said breathlessly, "you told me to
sing when you counted four, and you
only count Just to three every time."'
Youth's Companion.
An Obliging Sheriff.
"I have been spending part of the
summer on tho Island of Nantucket,"
said the summer girl, "and among
other Interesting relics of early New
England life I saw the old massive
wooden Jail, which has so far departed
from the use for which It was built
as to become one of the idghts.
"There are many Interesting stories
connected with the old prison, and the
most modern Is the funniest of all.
It sounds Improbable, but I was- as
sured by several persons who.se word
I could not doubt, that It was quite
true.
"It happened some yenrs ago that
nn Islander was convicted of some
offence, and the Jud?e who came to
the Uland from the mainland for tbe
trial, decided to make nu example of
him, and sentenced blui to Jail for
three months.
"A eouplo of mornings later, when
the Judge was walking to the plei
to tako tho boat to return, accom
panied ly tbe Sheriff, who was a
Nantuckoter, thcv passed a man saw
ing wood by tho roadside, who touched
his hat politely and said, "Good morn
ing. Judge.'
"The Judge stared at him In surprise
and aald to the Sheriff: 'Isn't that the
man I sent to Jail for three months?'
"Well, yes. It Is.' said tbe Sher!.
hesitatingly, 'but, you see f tlil
way, Judg. We dou't happen to have
anybody else In Jull. haven't bnd for
years, and wo thought It would be
sorter expensive to hire a man to keep
Jail for this fellow, so I (are blui the
keyrud told him .If be would sleep
there nights I guessed It would be all
rlgUt." New York Times, .
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.
Poem: The Ttmiprnmrs Triamph. by Ssss
font O. rlumb The Mom la NoJmdw
Mnrmllty, Bat He C Hettict s DrasuBM
ard Animal Trainers Mas Me Urlsk.
(After Tennyson's Bugle Pong.
A far note falls. The trumpet call
To tell a listening world ita story;
The long night breaks and Temperances
wakes
Pad years with trumpet blasts of glory.
Blow, trumpet, blow! List, the echoes)
falling!
Blow, trumpet: answer, echoes, callings
calling, calling.
O hark, O hear! How grand and clear.
And grander, clearer, further going! .
Ah. no uncertain note of fear.
The trumpet blasts of Temperance bJosase
ing!
Blow, with thy tones the foes of God ana
palling; Blow, trumpet; answer, echoes, calling,
calling, calling.
O Ood, they die who question why,
Tbey faint, who hear and heed Tiisse
never;
God's echoes roll from soul to soul,
He-cf ho ever and forever.
Blow, trumpet, blow; retreat or death fare
stalling; And nnswer, echoes, answer,' calling, call
ing, calling.
Union SignaL
The I.lon and the Israakastl
An old superstition says that the lioti.
king of beasts, ia instinctively fond ot
ifh moral character, and can tell at sight
the moral nature of a woman. It is allt-gvd
that the lion would under no circumstance
injure one of the vestal virgins, aa be coakl
instantly recognize her superior character
This is, of course, nonsense, even leaving
out of consideration some sad facte isi
regard to certain vestal virgins. The lioa
knows nothing of abstract morality.
But Mr. Itostock, professional trainer
of wild beasts, is perfectly right when hs
says that lions and other savage annual
ran tell when the trainer who controls)
them begins to drink too much.
Mr. llostock tells us that the lion aaj
the tiger, the lion especially, can tell if
man is a drunkard, or if he is addicted iat
other ways to bad habits that ruin health
Mr. Itostock telle us of one trainer, thet
best in America in his day, now retireoT
from business. This trainer began ts
drink, nnd although he was always perfect
ly sober when he entered the cage witat
lions, he saw that they were lusing re
spect for him: he received various warn
ings and decided to give up lion trawi&x
before the lions killed him.
Docs the lion know anything about mar
aiity, chastity, drink, etc.? So.
But the lion docs know a great deal
about firmness of character, force in the
eye, determination in tho voice and move
ment. A good lion tamer ia a man of powerful
magnetic force. He possesses absolute con
trol of himself physically, and this control
of himself gives him control of the lions.
The lion detects the trainer who drinks.
he detects the trainer who lives immor
ally, because drink and immorality destroy
in man the qualities necessary to a goaf
tion tamer.
A great majority of our readers are not
linn tamers; we should not bore them vritta
this dissertation but for the fact that Mr,
llostick'a observations are useful to other
than those who train lions.
The qualities that make a lion tamer
successful are the qualities that make every
other man successful. To do your best
work you need to keep at par. to keep
your vital forces at the highest point.
Whisky and immorality take the edgsj
off of human character, they weaken it im.
every spot from top to bottom.
Firmness and self-control are diminished!
by foolish self-indulgence.
It would he worth the while of paresta.
who take their children to see the liosf
tamers to read them a lecture on thin
subject.
Point, out to the children the man what
stands in the cage of the bona, and lectsr
them aa follows:
You see that man; ace how straight ami
steady he stands; you aee how 6rm hie
eye is and how tbe liona respect him? D
you admire him? Well, children, one bot
tle of whisky, or a half bottle, would take
all of that firmness out of the greatest
lion tamer, and make of bim such a mis
erable spectacle that the liona would bs
almost ashamed to eat him.
If you want to have any of the I mm
tamer's qualities, children, leave whisky
alone and go to bed early. New YoiK
Jivening Journal. ""
A Town of Fledge Signer.
Wessington Springe, 8. D., was founded!
in 1880 with a colony of one hundred fam
ilies, who took the pledge never to aelt or
use intoxicating beverages. The colony
has prospered. It has made this a etrana
prohibition county. The aale of liquor in
unknown there. The county is in the least
in prohibition. Snnday-school and educa
tional work. A strong seminary is locates!
there. Court expenses are almost nothing.
At the last term of court the judge aravedr
at 10 a. m. and adjourned at noon beeauaes
tbere was nothing to do. The ahentt la,
compelled to live in the jail because bin
fees are so small, l'he jail ia used for net
other purpose. The best k-cturera in tha
country go to the place. The people us
intelligent and happy. The tax rate la
low. Kev. A. B. Kmart, of Chicago, tan
founder of the town, is now at work plant
ing a small colony in Oneida County, Win.
defender.
Alcohol and Criminality.
Caesar Lombroso, the well -known Italian,
anthropologist, lately published a near
book, in which he deals at length with that
subject of criminality. He attache apeeiaS
importance to the influence of aleoheluiav
on criminality and the great misery ic
causes, lie goes back some tijnea for ere
cral generationa to find why a man ia a
criminal. He says that of ninety-aevesx
children born by alcoholic only fourteen,
are normal. The abnormality may net al
ways show itself aa criminality, bat when
it does in one generation eome ahnarmaktsr
o-in be shown in every generation.
How Drunkards Are Treated In raraia.
Persian drunkards are blacklisted, aa4
to be blacklisted mean that the persoai
so enrolled cannot visit the bazaars to bur
things except at certain hours and only
then under police supervision. He eannots
visit any place of public amusement, and
even when at prayer in the raoeqoa ha
must hold himself aloof from hia most re
spectable neighbors. If, after beta; bbek
listed, he drinks again and ia found nadrr
the influence, he gets eighty lashes an tasr
so'.es of his feet.
The Crasade la SrlaE.
As a rule, when a beer drinker take
pneumonia he dies.
i tha
A great army of total abstainer is being
formed throughout the country.
The temperance movement, whien began
In Japan in 1K73 with a society of farngm
residents of Yokohama, has groan natil
now there ere forty-aix oi Incsa aacietam
united in a national temperance kagae.
Tho chief curse of the present gran
ermy and naval equipment ol tha world at
not its cut in dollars, though that it a
fearful, but the infinitely rrritrr cat ia.
the habits acquired, the actual debaacheryv!
of sucli immense numbers ol bajm anal
young men.
. J- Whintoa Lego aaeeeeos Father.
A. P. Do Vie aa Secretary of the .National
Catholic Total Abatinenca Union. JJawinff
the .atter s term of tea years the nraaniea-
tion grew
thousand. .
from
fifty-hro to eugaty-avo
The quest en of burring liquor dealera
and aa.oott keeper from memnersnm in
the Catholie Order ot Jorester mill a oust.
eidered at I'm nevt national esimuoe,
Promineut members expect ta aee Ana asr
loo'l keepers excluded.
Dr. W. T. Kidcannr, at TcViVs, eay.3
Ever drinkers are pcenuar Iiaaa to. din
of pneumonia. Their vital ymmt, their
power of nsiatasjee, ia re lonrrad Ihas.
they are liable t drop Jf treat any loran
of acute diMuae, aaak na eaacov rasa,
tnonia, etc.