p. 549 | Meaningless Words

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 9, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 35.

Meaningless Words.

IN a recent letter to the Sunday School Times, one correspondent speaking of what another had written says:—

“A writer in the Sunday School Times, referring to the common habit of using words of which we do not realize the meaning, has said, that to many in all our congregations, the words of the hymns which we sing are the words of an unknown speech,—known, indeed, in outward form, but unknown in life and spirit. The truth of these words I have often been reminded of, especially at our communion services, when it is the custom in our church, after the sacrament, to sing a verse or two of that beautiful hymn, ‘Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow thee.’ Now it sounds comical to hear an ordinary congregation of well-dressed, comfortable-looking people singing these words. Think of a woman with a silk gown on, and a stuffed bird in her hat, standing up and singing, ‘Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shalt be.’ And then for many of us to sing, ‘Perish earthly fame and treasure,’ is about as bad, for how much fame and treasure have we got to lose! We read of one who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure of Egypt; but we don’t hear him reminding the Lord of it every little while. Indeed, he seems to have forgotten all about the pleasures of Egypt after he had his mind fixed on the promised land.

“Most men’s vocabulary for religion and sentiment is rich and lofty beyond their needs; the terms which are applicable to the great crises of the soul, are applied indiscriminately to every passing emotion. Only the other day, in speaking of the words ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness,’ I heard some one say that everybody hungered and thirsted after righteousness—more or less. This kind of talk is quite common in these days. Some people seem to want to bring everything down to their own level; they don’t want to think of anything higher that what they find in themselves, or any one nobler or more heroic than themselves.”