Propriety of Deportment
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kind, and courteous to all. They must stand aloof from everything that
savors of commonness and familiarity. This is forbidden ground, upon
which it is unsafe to set the feet. Every word, every act, should tend
to elevate, to refine, to ennoble. There is sin in thoughtlessness about
such matters.
Paul urged Timothy to meditate upon those things that are pure and
excellent, that his profiting might appear unto all. The same counsel is
greatly needed by men of the present age. I urge upon our workers the
necessity of purity in every thought, every act. We have an individual
accountability to God, an individual work which no one else can do for
us. It is to strive to make the world better. While we should cultivate
sociability, let it not be merely for amusement, but for a higher purpose.
Is there not enough taking place around us to show the need for
this caution? Everywhere are seen wrecks of humanity, broken-down
family altars, ruined homes. There is a strange abandonment of princi-
ple, the standard of morality is lowered, and the earth is fast becoming
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a Sodom. The practices which brought the judgment of God upon the
antediluvian world, and which caused Sodom to be destroyed by fire,
are fast increasing. We are nearing the end, when the earth is to be
purified by fire.
Let those in whose hands God has placed the light of truth, depart
from all iniquity. Let them walk in the paths of rectitude, mastering
every passion and habit that would in any way mar the work of God, or
leave a spot upon its sacredness. It is the work of the minister to resist
the temptations that lie in his pathway, to rise above those debasements
that drag the mind down to a low level. By watchfulness and prayer,
he may so guard his weakest points that they will become his strongest
points. Through the grace of Christ, men may acquire moral stamina,
strength of will, and stability of purpose. There is power in this grace
to enable them to rise above the alluring, infatuating temptations of
Satan, and to become loyal, devoted Christians.
Ministers to Set a Worthy Example
Ministers should set the youth a worthy example, one correspond-
ing to their holy calling. They should help the young to be frank, yet
modest and dignified in all their associations. Day by day they are
sowing seed that will spring up and bear fruit. They are to put away