The Christian's Earnest Life.
By L. E. Dibble
Do the majority of us who are young, realize how earnest that life must be, to secure us an entrance into God's holy city? It is not sufficient to make a high profession of Christianity and self-denial, but we must be living embodiments of that profession. We must preach a sermon by our consistent course every day of our lives, to unbelievers around us, such a sermon as shall condemn their ways, and exalt the name of Jesus. Neither can we join with worldlings in their seeming innocent recreations. God has "chosen us out of the world" and these things are only a trick of Satan to lead us blindfolded into his snare, almost beyond reclaim. This dallying with forbidden pleasure, is dangerous, if not fatal folly, as many a ship-wrecked soul could testify. If we have taken up the cross of Jesus, let us bear it bravely and cheerfully to the end. The Master of the great vineyard will permit no shirks among his laborers. Oh! the great reward is far more than we can merit, work we ever so faithfully in his cause! It will seem a terrible thing to us if among the lost, to come up to the Judgment, and then look back and see for what foolish, unsatisfying trifles we gave up our crown and harp. Why can we not let go these earthly allurements and put all on board the good ship Zion? Too many of us have made some reserve, retaining some idol that we hope to smuggle into the kingdom with us; but "Be not deceived God is not mocked," and though we may deceive those around us and cause them to believe us far more holy than we are, yet God's all-seeing eye searches our hearts, and one day the secrets of each will be made known, and how we shall long to turn our guilty eyes away from the record, if our thoughts and motives have not been pure. Let us be wise in time and meditate much more upon our sins, and how to remedy them, than be studying upon just how few good deeds will serve for a passport into the gates of Heaven; that we may be among those who at the coming of the Saviour can say, "Father the pearly gates unfold,
The sapphire walls, the streets of gold,
Are bursting on my sight.
The angel bands come singing down,
And one has got my starry crown,
And one my robe of white."