SERIOUS THOUGHTS.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 281, 30 April 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

SERIOUS THOUGHTS.

HOLINESS. Holiness is a condition t>f the soul; nit a kind of o-ctior. er method of life. A man might spend his life in doing what may be called worthy deeds, and yet, if beneath all, theie were self-seeking, pride, and conceit, cveiy such tlced would be hollow, rotten and unholy. " Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of Heaven " said Jestn Christ. For the righteousne s of the Scribes and Pharisees consisted in external (not necessarily bypociitical) deeds and observances, while the heart was the nursery of every unhallowed passion and the throne of most hateful conceit and pride ; und therefore, all their outward virtues and pompous goodness went for nothing and worse than nothing ; and that, not" because these external acts of theirs were pretences, but just because they were mere'y outward. We may cover a barren tree with fiuest apples, carefully tied on to the branches and skilfully arranged to deceive the keenest eye, but the poor tiee would remain just as it was. So with the life of man—no number of good deeds tied- on to a life can mike it holy. The holy deeds will grow out of holiness, though holiness has nothing to do with outward scemiuge. It will readily be seen theu, that a holy life is not a life filled with a certain kind of conduct, but a life that is the outgrowth of a certain condition of the soul. Hence the truth, that tvery action—the most trivial and commonplace, may be holy, because springing from lightness of heart. Thus common work may b« made fairest devotion ; and every stroke upon the anvil, and every chip of the chise', may be as truly religious as the singiug of a psilm. Did not the ancient prophet think of this when he spake of the latter-day glory, and said that " on the bells of the horses" should be written " Holiness unto the Lord ?" For even the very horses bells may be made holy by true holy use. Fatal and miserable is the mistake men make when ever they suppose that certain kinds of action are holy in themselves, to the exclusion of others. Many and many a poor heart that knows little enough of doctrines and preachers and the Ten Commandments ; and many and many a simple soul that never knew u, rule of life, nor learnt the art of goodness, have yet lived holy lives, that God has looked upon and loved. How can we help remembering here the words of Jesus " Blessed are the pure in heart P"—not pure in conduct, or pure in speech : it all goes deeper than that—deeper than that which the >vorld sees—deeper than profession and conduct and oufcwerd show—Blessed are the pure iu heart-" Just as though-He had said-" Get the heart right, that is your great coucern, that is the only thin? really worth striving for. Forget for a while the outward, and think of the inward. Cease to ask—' What will the world say' and ask—'What will God say ' " Blessed are the truly holy " the pure in heart for they shall see God " not cnly hereafter in Heaven but in this life also—not only on Sundays and in religious observances but in the common, everyday duties of life shall they have the single eye of faith to discern Our Father's purpose and His love. -John P. Hopps (F) Teach me, my God and King Iu all things Thee to see, And what I tlo in anything, To do it as to Thee! All may of Thee partake, Nothing can be so mean, Which with this tincture (for Thy sake) Will not grow bright aud clean. A servant with this clause Makes drudgery divine! Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws Makes that and th' action fine. —Herbert (F) THE EECOGNITION OF JEWS. We must never forget that Jesus is the only medium through whom the truth concerning tho Father is made known unto us, through whom our secret motives are made pure, through whom tho true ideal of life is retained in our thoughts and is made possible, and through whom God's providences are rightly interpreted by us. What is this recognition of Jesus? It implies a conscious and full surrender of the soul to bim for service, not in words only, but in the deepe-t recesses of our affections. It is that inward preparation of tho heart by Him for life, whether it be patient waiting or of earnest activity. Such a recognition of Jesus comes only to those who choose the path of obedience. The path may be full of thorns ; it may lead into thickest darkness, where suffering is our lot. But if the heart be right with Him, His companionship along the way will bo fully assured to us, His love will be constantly renewed in our hearts, and we shall be united to Him even as the branch is joined to tho living vine, and there will be an uninterrupted transmission of His spirit withiu us.—Christian Age. Russia is said to own 3,000,000 horses —nearly one-half of the whole number in existence. A single p-ncil company in America manufactures 1200 different patterns and styles in pencils. A pen carrying a small electric lamp to prevent shadows when writing has been patented in Germany. If you are suffering from boils, pimples, blotche«, eczema, rheumatism, dyspepsia and other complaints arising from impurities of the blood, take Harrison's Blood Purifier —a certain cure, Price, 2s 61 and 43 Gd per bottle. Sole agent for the Waikato, A. E. Manning, Hamilton and Cambridge.