SUNDAY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 94, 20 April 1912, Page 8

SUNDAY COLUMN.

- a A MAN’S BREAKING STRAIN. Sermon by Rev. J. B. Murphy, “'lire young man saith unto Him, all these things have I kept from my youth up, what lack I yet?”— Matt. 19:29. 111-natured people sometimes say that “every man has his price”—an uncomfortable doctrine and one which wo should be sorry to believe. But, however that may be, it is certain that every man has his place of breaking. “There is a degree of temptation,” says one, “in the case of every one, which, if it were brought to bear upon him, he could not withstand. Take a pine log, a thousand pound; will not break it, but two thousand will. You can put weight enough o; any Jog to break it. One man can not be tempted by pride, but he can be by avarice. Another man cannot Ik tempted by avarice, but he can hi through his affections. On one side o. another every man can he overcome b\ temptation. There is no man win can stand up under all circumstance! without the grace of God.” The young man in the Gospel win came to our Lord with the all-import ant question on his lips, “What gooc thing shall I do that 1 may have etcr nal life?” is an example of a stront man who has nevertheless his breaking strain.

For blamelessness of life there wen perhaps few of his own age in Jeru salem who would compare with tlii: rich young ruler. He was a man o high principle and undeniable in teg rity i a good son, an honest straight forward man in Pis dealings with oto ers. There wore many points in whici such a man might be assailed by tin Tempter and assailed in vain. Fnexample, temptations to unfilial con duct, to the nursing of malice in hi; Jierat, to trickery in budness, to debauchery, and sensuality, would hard ly bo any temptations to him : -bis von nature would have been proof against them. Y T et he had Ids breaking strain There was a weak point in his char actor. The moment pressure wa; put upon that point he broke dov.n utterly.

Is it not curious how little people sometimes know of themselves? Hen was a man who imagined that he and been diligently keeping all God’s commands and walking before Hi a: with,a perfect heart, when as a matte; of fact ho had not learned the meaning of the very first commandment; “Thou shalt have none other gods but me.” Why, lie had set up an : other god in his heart, and that, his idol, had the first place in his thought' and affections! For when Jesus had; him for the love of God go and'sell all ho had and give to the poor, assuring him of a rich reward in Heaven “ho went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Ycu sec tlie strength of a chain i; after all only the strength of its weakest link, and no more. A man's character is strong only in proportion to the weakest point in his chcaracter no stronger. How often we 'hear something like this: “What a splendid character so-and-so would be if it Avere not for just that one failing, that one most unfortunate weakness.’ Quito so-—if it were not for that. But unfortunately the weakness is there, and this makes all the difference. And it is with this you must reckon if you want to emjiloy him or trust him. “If it were not for that!” Well may rye say so; seeing that it if just “that” which is keeping him down and making him despised. Now this is the point 1 wish to press. There is a place in every man’s character where he is weak. Are we conscious of such a weak place in ourselves and are we watching, earnestly and with prayers, this one point above ail others, praying that God’s strength will be made perfect in our weakness; or have we put our hand over that point and said, “’ibis one thing I must keep hack, this one indulgence I must have; at this one point I must go on breaking down and to this temptation I must go on yielding.” There is a test point about you somewhere. Perhaps it is pride: you cannot bear an affront, you will not confess a fault. Perhaps it is personal vanity: ready to sacrifice everything to display. Perhaps it is a sharp tongue. Perhaps if, is some sensual appetite bent on its unclean gratification. Then you gather up all your moral forces just there, for till that darling sin is brought under the practical law of Ghnst you are shut out of His Kingdom. The power of Christianity over the character is proved by the thoroughness of its action rather than by the extent of surface ovy;r which its action spreads. It displays its heavenly energy in dislodging the one cherished sin, in breaking down the one entrenched fortress that disputes its sway.

At the battle of Borodino, Napoleon saw that there was no such thing as victory till he had carried the great central redoubt of the Russian line. Two hundred guns and the choicest of Ids battalions were poured against that single point, and when the plumes of his veterans gleamed through the smoke, he know the field was won. It matters very little that we do a great many things morally irreproachable, so long as there is one ugly disposition that hangs hack obstinately. One bad thread may spoil a whole piece of admirable work. How is it with ns? Arc \v( conscious of some one bad thread which is running through, our own lift's’ work, and are we imping that, in spite of this all will he right in the end? Then Clod have mercy on ns in the day when each man's work will be put to the great final test. TABLOIDS; Watch— The lips—that they speak tlie truth. The heart—lest it harbour sinful anger.

The hands—that they touch no unclean thing. ' The thoughts—that they keep pure and clean. The life—that it he absolutely sincere. Florence Nightingale said: “H ! could give you information ol my life, it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done in her. And if 1 could tell you all, you would see how God has done all and I nothing. I have worked hard, that is all, and I have never refused God anything.” God never gives visions unto cowards.—Emerson.