THE DECEPTION OF FEELING AND APPEARANCE.
By David Paulson, M.D.
THE righteous man is content to live by principle, and know by faith that the results will be good, whatever the appearances. The sinner lives by feeling, and is moved by impulse, and accepts nothing only as he is justified by the immediate sight. Socially, he is often entertained when he is amused; whatever intoxicates his mind for the moment satisfies him mentally. Morally, he judges his own goodness by the state of his feelings. To him the value of the religious service depends entirely upon the amount of enthusiasm that is present. Physically, he is willing to spend his money for that which is not bread, providing it will give him an immediate feeling of strength. Therefore any agent by which he can secure the heaviest mortgage upon his future nervous energy is by him considered to be the greatest remedy. The Christian is willing to water with his own tears the seed which he sows in faith, and in due time he reaps a harvest which causes him unmeasured rejoicing. The sinner looks upon his body simply as a harp the strings of which are to be played for his own selfish pleasure. He thus sows in joy, but, contrary to the Christian, he reaps in bitter tears. And, even while thus reaping, he is still so wedded to appearances and feelings that he is actually contemplating some means whereby he can extract a little more temporary pleasure out of his wrecked and nervous system, thus striving, if possible, to disguise the bitterness of the harvest which he is reaping as a result of his previous sowing.