Putting first things first.

TNCE sin entered the world, man has ever needed instruction as to what constitutes true Christian doctrine and acceptable worship of God. Phi losophy and reason hare proved in sufficient to direct man in reaching truth and in knowing how to worship God acceptably. Greek and Roman culture, art, and literature left the individual in ignorance as to true worship. The people could not find God, nor learn to know Him, with all their philosophy and fine-spun reasoning. Their governments left them helpless and hopeless. They could restrain the criminal, punish crime, and tell how to worship man-made deities; but they could not teach about the invisible God head, nor tell how to worship Him acceptably. Man must have a revelation from God in order to know God. He is a Being of such in finite qualities that man, left to himself, has never known what constitutes acceptable wor ship since the day that Cain brought an un acceptable offering to the Lord, and by so doing brought upon himself and his offspring an addi tional curse. But God has revealed Himself again and again to His people to teach them His law and truth. When Pilate asked Christ, "What is truth?" he asked the very question raised by all in telligent creatures who have not accepted the revelation of God given through the Holy Scriptures. But even with an accredited reve lation of God and His will, the Holy Scriptures, theories have' been built up and the teachings of men have been so injected into the inter pretation of the written Word that to find the truth is often difficult. Christ commanded, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me." Those who seek for truth with humility will find it; and the truth, when found, will make them free. But there have always been those who once professed to know the truth, but later have lost their faith, and become apostates to the teach ings which they once professed to believe. The Standard Dictionary defines an apostate as "one who has forsaken the church, sect, party, pro fession, or opinion to which he before adhered." Using this definition as our meaning of apostate in this discussion, there have been apostates in every religious denomination. It is not strange that there should be such in these days of un rest and unbelief. One characteristic is common to most apos tates, and that is a desire to destroy the faith of those who believe what they themselves once professed. Seldom do apostates launch out into heathen lands to bring people to Christ. They are content to let the heathen perish while they spend all their energy sowing discord and con fusion among their former brethren. Generally it has been the practice of apostates to attack and betray the brotherhood with whom they once fellowshiped and worshiped. The apostle Paul tasted the bitterness of heart that comes to true men of God when one of their number departs from the faith. In prison, and waiting for his death warrant to be executed, in a letter to Timothy he wrote: "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica." "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men for sook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." 2 Tim. 4:10, 14, 15. -