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in receipt of evidences of the bodily
harm which results from the use of
this foul stuff. A correspondent
writes: “ The native Canadians are
not a handsome race, and the traces
of Indian blood are often discover-
• «d in their physiognomy. But the
thy con^tet use,
of tobacco Tor many generations,
early and late, is clearly to be seen.
No excessively smoking and drink-
• ing race can get or keep ascen-
<lancy.”
It matters not so. much what
public sentiment may be, for that
is sometimes wrong; but that the
prevalent and indiscriminate use of
tobacco is an evil to be regretted,
.there can be- no doubt. Then let
us get rid of it as fast as possible,
T he S trength of C hristian
C haracter .—How often Christian
men and women deplore the weak­
ness of their character! This, in
many cases, does not arise from
any real weakness in the believer,
but from failure to impart the
strength, knowledge, sympathy, and
love which he possesses. The
possession either of -strength, love,
or knowledge, is best ascertained
by willing and ready diffusion.
Faith in and loyalty to Christ are
not ascertained by introspection,
but by a ready and joyful obedi­
ence. The grace of the Holy
Spirit increases in proportion to
our impartation and use of that
which we already possess. That
faith may grow exceedingly, there
is nothing more important than its
exercise. Watering and blessing
others,-we ourselves also are water­
ed and blessed.— Ex.
“ Is N ot P uffed U p .”—But this
is charity, you see, my brother, not
those who often get the best seats
in the synagogue. The world
counts these well-dressed individu­
als tolerably good Christians, at
any rate eminently respectable
ones, and although they are some­
what proud and covet high places
one cannot help admiring people
who have a bit of spirit in them.
And then they give good dinners
and never bore their guests with
religious talk.
Altogether, con-
tinues Mr. Worldlf, there’s no great
fault to be found with them.—
Christian Commonwealth.
,-------------- -• -* * *---------------------------
If you make it the rule of your
life to escape from what is disagreea­
ble, calamity may pome just the
aame, and it would be calamity fail­
ing on a base mind, which is the
one form of sorrow that has no balm
in it.-— Geo rye Eliot.
For My Sake.
BY THEODOBE L. CUYLF.B, D.D.
“ For my sake.” These three
little words are the touchstone of
love.
The application of this
touchstone begins with infancy anti
ends only with'the end • of life. If
that baby in the mother’s arms
could speak intelligibly it would
say: “ I t is for my sake that a
mother’s eye watches unsleeping
through the midnight hours, and
ker -arms -boM—me wuUUriie-v are
ready to drop off for weariness.”
“ For my sake ” many a successful
man acknowledges gratefully that
his parents toiled and economized
in oixler to buy hooks and~payeol-
lege bills. “ For my sake ” pro­
vides the sheltering roof and the
arm-chair for dear old grandma at
the fireside. Take these three
words out of our language and you
would rob home of its sweetness
andTliiimari 1 ife oT “'some of~“its
noblestfinspirations.
Our Divine Master made these
most impressive injunctions. “Who­
soever shall lose his life for my
sake, the same shall save it.” To
newly converted Saul of Tarsus the
first message is: “I will show him
how great tilings he must suffer for
my name’s sake.” Again and again
the early disciples were exhorted to
bear crosses bravely for Jesus’s
sake Christ came into this world
to save us from our sins; and
chiefly to save us from the abomin­
able and damning sin of selfishness.
The one motive that has the power
to lift us out of self and to exalt
life to its highest and holiest phase
is heart-love for a crucified Savior.
“ Love me more than houses or
lands, or wife or children,” is the
first condition of discipleship. No
soul is truly converted until it cuts
loose from self-righteousness and
accepts Jesus Christ as the only
ground of salvation. Conversion
signifies that self has grounded its
arms in its very citadel, and has
surrendered the keys of the heart
to the conquering Savior. Henee-
forth it inscribes “ for Christ’s
sake ” on its banner. The shortest
and most comprehensive confession
of faith that any Christian can
phrase is about in these words:
“It is Christ’s business to save me;
it is my business to serve Christ.”
to be a mere emotion, however
fervid; It was a practical test.
“ If ye love me, keep my command­
ments." Write these decisive words
upon the walls of every prayer­
room, to rebuke the rant and the
rhapsodies in which too many pro-
lessorsTmTulge, while their honest
debts remain unpaid and their own
children sneer at the pious sham.
little fellow looked at the stranger
a few moments, and then piped
out: “Ah, I see! Jesus could not
come to night and so he sent this
poor young man in his place. Is
that the way, teacher ?” “ Yes, my
boy; that is just it. Every cup of
water or bit of bread we gi ve to the
poor and hungry for Jesus’ sake,
we give to him. Inasmuch as we
make, but Jiow many command­
ments we obey ; itjs not how many
tea-rx we shed, but bow many sins
we renounce; it is not how many
sacraments we observe, but how
many deeds we do for the Master’s
sake that decides the genuineness
of ou r Cfi ristlanitv.
Evermore is
* •/
the eye of our loving Savior upon
us, and evermore is that voice say­
ing unto us : “ Live for Me. Take
up this cross for my sake.” When
we are sore tempted to an act of
retaliation, or to some sharp scheme
that~seTfishness has varnished over
with falsehood, that rebuking voice
accosts jis : “ Wound me not in the
we do it unto our Savior.”
There.are a thousand applications
JV
a suffering servant of Jesus comes
to us for-a proof of sympathy that
costs ‘more than smooth words.
Selfishness begins to mutter about
“ impostors ” and “ no end to these
calls of charity.” But he who died
for both of us whispers gently •
“Do it unto me. He is one of my
ffuffering children. Help him for
my sake.” There is not a Negro
freedman who solicits aid for his
struggling church, or a hungry
stranger who knocks at our door
for bread; there is not a poor
widow that asks for a dollar to pay
her rent, or a neglected child run­
ning in rags and recklessness to
ruin for want of a friend, but ever
the same voice is saying to us:
“ Give to them for My sake. Inas­
much as ye do it unto one of the
least of these, ye do it unto Me.”
One of the little orphan boys in
John Falk’s German Charity-
School repeated at the supper table
their usual grace: “Come, Lord
Jesus, be our guest and bless the
food thou hast provided. A lad
looked up and said: " Tell us,
teacher, why the Lord Jesus never
comes ” “ Dear child, only believe,
and you may be sure that he will
come to us some of these times;
for he always hears us.” “ Then,”
replied the bright lad, " I’ll set a
“ Savior teach me day by chy
chair for him and he put one by
Love’s sweet lesson to obey ;
the table. By and by a knock was
tweeter lesson cannot be.
Loving Linj who first loved me.”
heard at the door. A poor travel­
The Master never allowed the ing apprentice was admitted, and
supreme test of loyalty to himself asked for food arid lodging. The
4
Christ’s sake. Grand old Paul had
it in his mind when he wrote : “ It
is good neither to eat flesh, nor to
J
drink wine or anything whereby
thybrother stumblelh, or ismade
weak.” - It is not easy for a trtte
Christian to keep this text in his
Bible and to keep a bottle on his
table. They do not harmonize.
The bottle means temptation. The
*
text means that things which are
not always sinful, per s*," should be
cheerfully given up for the sake of
others ; and the legal liberty of the
mefft or woman whose heart is in------ |
the right place will never be exer­
cised when a moral evil may flow
from such exercise. We have no
right to put a stumbling-block in
the path of others. As a Christian
I am bound to surrender every self-
indulgence which works directly
against the best interests of my
fellow men, especially if it en­
dangers precious souls for whom
Jesus died. This principle gives to
the doctrine of total abstinence
£rom intoxicants a broad Bible basis
as solid as the Hudson “ Palisades ”
on which I am now writing.
The two unanswerable arguments
against the drinking usages are
these: An alcoholic .beverage en­
dangers me if I tamper <Vith it; it
endangers my fellow man if I offer
it to him. My Bible teaches me
to let it alone for the sake of the
“ weak ” and those who stumble.
Ah, those stumbiers ! How many
wrecks it opens, whose charitable
turf hides out of sight what sur­
viving kindred would love to hide
from memory! For Jesus' sake,
and for the sake of the easily
tempted, who will hide behind our
example, let us who call ourselves
Christians put away this bottled
devil, which conceals damnation
under its ruby glow. This subject
of self surrender for Jesus’ sake is
as wide as the domain of Christian
duty. To live for Christ is the
*•
sweetest and holiest life we can
live; to live for self is the most
wretched. Every cross is turned