idoata shape their characters vivid way of saying that
determine their actions, For} are but the pictures of the Have we not had a striking illustration of this fact in the hap-ponings of the last few weeks in China, St. Paul was keen observer of aint Si ce cient human nature and he i convinced of the universal scope of this law. slitterent forms and. connexions repeats it again and. again. We: have marked the vivid sequence, "Who mind earthly things, whose id is destruction." Again he says, carnally: minded,"—Wwe all Jmow what that means, the mind filled with selfish worldly' desires and ambitions—"is death, But the upward look is followed cly the upward life, of this he is equally convinced. Tt is only so long. {AS we enn look no way but down-eds, and cannot seo. the waiting angel and the proffered crown that we can be satisfied with the straws and sticks and dust of the floor. But if our eyes be lifted up all things would change for us. "To be spit tually minded" he says, "is life and peace." And again "We all, behold ing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, ave transformed into the same image from glory to glory."
This is the same great law in operation, the life follows the look, Beholding we are transformed, Those things which we keep before our eyes, whether the outward of physical vision or our inmost thoughts, the pictures of the mind with irresistible power are compelling us, with invisible fingers day by day ate shaping and moulding: and fashioning our lives, All this is too obvious to diriand detailed proof. We can all multiply examples from our own experience. Wo all know the shaping power of environment, We sit know. how sadly true it is that lowered ideals Jead to careless living. We all know the uplift and inspiration of some noble deed of sacrifice or serv "The life follows the look". This fs the law. Now what shall be our. attitude toward it? St, Paul gives the practical application in the verses which follow our text from Philippians. Sct your mind on the! things. that are above, not_on_ the things that are on the earth." That Here is a first step that may be [should be ever before our eyes, and taken by everyone, again we find it in the Epistle to' the Philippians, here in conclusion Paul' says, Whatsocver things are trie...-". honourable just..." pure vs. lovely of goo report if there be any virtue any praise, think jon these things.
Whatsoever in art or literature is uve and lovely. ALF that will refine man's taste or sweeten his atmiosphere. All that will push back his horizon and lift him though it be ever s0 little, The voice of the sea, a glimpse of purple heather, great masters of music or poetry. No man can be & lover of these things, can reek to make them his without being the better for it. Religion is kin with all that is pure and lovely and lof good report. Everything that! sways a man's nature may be a door to Tend him to God.
But that is only the first step. There are higher things and a more excellent way. Let us xet full value out of the contemplation of alt that We can of those things that axe fair] and lovely in the work of God or of rman, But greater than any of these are the fair and lovely things in the moral and spiritual realm, Kind hearts are more than coronets.
And. noble faith than Norman Deeds of unselfishness, acts of kindness, beauty of character, and devation to duty are higher things, We are uplifted by great musie or the story of sunset, poetry] moves us greatly. But who would dare to compare these glories of] the literary and artistic, or of nature, to the glories of the moral jand spiritual?
Jesus set the greatness of goodness far above everything else. Ife] taught that what a man is really matters, not what he has or can Tt is so easy to forget this, Tomorrow you vill be back at your desk or in your factory, try always! to remember through the hurry and rush of the everyday, week-day life, that always, always' it is better] to be pure and holy and—good, better far than to be rich or clever or famous. Set your mind on the pursuit of these things, the life follows the look.
Both these steps we can take and shall travel a long way. But we will still fall short of complete attainment, there is a still better
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.