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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
2. Wealth is not character. It is often substituted for it and admits men into society where they would not be admitted if character were the test. Mere money-making has the tendency to banish great thoughts and finer feelings. 3. Genius is not character. Were genius character Napoleon would have been a great man, Goodness is great ness, 4. Reputation is not character. Repeatedly newspapers reveal this fact about public men, Charactef is what a man is when nobody is looking. 5. Character is that which engraves itself upon all you do in life. •Character coii- sists o f those abiding results which have been scored into the soul o f man by the experiences'of life. It is the stamp on our souls o f the free choice o f good or evil we have made through life. It is what a man is in the hidden recesses not on the, surface. It is what a man really is, not what others take him to be. There are certain attributes o f character (a) Justice and uprightness. '(b ) Conscientiousness. (c ) Truthfulness. (d ) Modesty and purity. (e) Courage. II. How Character Is Formed. 1. Not without effort and labor—there is no short cut to character. Man is a being who learns. 2. Character is formed by faithfulness in details—small things in life are the material out o f which character is formed. 3. Study the Bible. The purpose o f the Bible is to -develop the highest and noblest character (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16). 4. Have an ideal—the highest ideal. This means, o f course, to have Christ as the ideal Man. Companionship with Christ is neces sary for the development o f the highest character.
I. The need of religious heroism. 1. The political conditions o f Jeremiah’s time called for it. The government was in the hands o f unscrupulous politicians. A weak king was on the throne. 2. The ecclesiastical and religious condi tion- o f the time called for heroism. The consciousness o f God was dulled and the voice o f God in priest and prophet was silenced. 3. The moral condition o f the time called for heroism. Religion is the life o f moral ity. The absence of religion is therefore the absence o f morality. II. The Expression o f it. 1. In the faithful declaration o f the mes sage delivered to the prophet. 2. In the delivery o f an unpleasant mes sage. III. The Cost of Heroism.' 1. Misunderstood. Called traitor, enemy, unpatriotic. ' 2 . Ridicule—Ridicule is one o f the most powerful weapons. Many go down before a laugh. 3. Persecution hnd suffering. Jeremiah was cast into a pit and into prison. IV. The Results of Religious Heroism. 1. Vindication. Jeremiah was finally shown to be a patriot and not a traitor. 2. Deliverance. Jeremiah was ultimately delivered from the dungeon, prison and captivity. These are the words o f Jesus as His face is set towards the experience o f a great sorrow, even the death o f the 1 Cross. I. All must face the Inevitable. 1. No life exempt from it. 2. Every life will have its Calvary. II. The manner in which the Inevitable comes to us. 1. Some great burden fastens itself upon life. 2. Business reverses. 3. Some bodily affliction. 4. Death. , Theme: Facing the Inevitable. T ext : Matthew 20:18. I ntroduction :
Theme: Religious Heroism. T ext : ( Jeremiah 38:1-13. I ntroduction : Jeremiah’s unwelcome message.
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