The passage from which the above heading is taken, in its entirety reads as follows: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men." St. Paul evidently realized his liability to wrong doing, both toward God and toward men, and that to be, and do right, required constant watching, praying, and working. He believed God's eyes were upon him continually, and that he must give account to him for all he thought, said, and did. On another occasion he said: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." At another time he wrote: "Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

If all the professed followers of Christ exercised themselves as Paul did, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men, how much more happy and useful they would be! Then, if they, like the Apostle, forgot the things which are behind, and reached forth unto the things which are before, and pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, then indeed the ways of religion would be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths would be paths of peace, to them.

How strangely and wickedly some professed Christians act when they must bear a little reproach for Christ's sake! Think of words like these, coming from some of them: "Because of our church trouble I will not do anything in supporting its institutions." They seem to think that trouble in the church is ample apology for them to neglect all their Christian duties, and hence the support of the gospel, at home and abroad, and attending prayer meetings and the public worship of God is omitted by them. Some of them seem to be glad to have such a flimsy excuse for their backslidings. They seem to have forgotten that their personal obligations to God and man require them to love the Lord with all their hearts, and their neighbor as themselves. How inconsistent and foolish and wicked it is for persons to neglect their salvation and peril the eternal interests of their souls simply because others have a controversy, and fail to do as they think they ought!

No one can feel more keenly the great evils and the havoc that have come out of our church trouble than does the writer, yet he has paid as much money for God's cause, and attended meetings as regularly, and put forth as earnest an effort to be a Christian as if it were not. We ought not forget the words of the prophet to Asa and all Judah, when he said to them: "The Lord is with you while you be with him, and if you seek him, he will be found of you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." How blessed it is to have God with us! God with us, not against us, but on our side, quieting, comforting, helping us in every time of need. St. John says: "And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." And the Psalmist says: "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly."