BAD PROMISES.


PERSONS should have great regard for the sacredness of their word; but yet, it is truly said that "a bad promise is better broken than kept."

Gossner tersely says, "God would rather have us break our word than his word." 

Herod made a rash and therefore sinful promise to the daughter of Herodias. He was sorry when he knew what it would require to keep it, yet from a certain false regard for the honor of his word, he chose to commit murder rather than not keep his wicked oath. 

A teacher of long and successful experience in Hartford, Conn., properly counts this point of such importance as to suggest that teachers be requested strongly to enforce upon scholars the sin of keeping any wrong promise. Boys are often led into the sin of keeping a wrong promise, because they think it will be telling a lie not to do so; and older ones are often strengthened in the same way of evil doing, by the fact that they have made a promise. This is one of the methods Satan takes to blur their moral sight, and keep them out of the right way. They should be led to see clearly that to make a wrong promise is one sin; to keep it is a second sin; the only way is to repent of and confess the first sin at once, stoutly refusing to add another by keeping a wicked promise. Those who, like Herod, take any other course, have a slavish and cringing fear of man, but no true fear of God before their eyes. 




Select




THE warm sunshine and the gentle zephyrs may melt the glacier, which has bidden defiance to the howling tempest; so the voice of kindness will touch the heart which no severity could subdue.