The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-07-07
Special Contributors.
THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF WORK
BY REV. WM. TUCKER, d. d.
Mount Gilead, o.

The great purpose of human life is
not enjoyment, but usefulness. We
were not created alone for happiness,
but also for work. This is the teaching
Of nature and revelation. Christ and his
APOSTLES gave great prominence to work
as Christian duty and as a means OF
salvation. Christ says: "Not every
one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord'
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven,
Int he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven This a divine
recognition of labor as essential to
Christian life and character.
We are also taught by Christ to "work
while it is day, for the night cometh
when no man can work" This is COM
mand to work while we have oppor-
tuuitv-to improve all our time in do
ing good. The apostle Paul lnstructs
us 60 To work out our salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God that
worketh in us to will and to do OF his
own good pleasure" We should work
because God works in us, when he WORKS
in us, and in harmony with him, as ne
works in US, giving us the power to
will and to do, the power Of spiritual
yolition and action. Moral and spirit
ual activity is necessary to salvation. In
the salvation of man there are two
factors. God and man uniting in pro-
ducing the result.
St. James, in his epistle, informs US;
aaC faitn without works is dead, be-
ing alone" Man is justified by faith,
but works are necessary to keep or con-
tinue him in a justified state or condl-
ton. Faith works by love, and purities
the heart. All living principles in Gods
universe are active. A living faith is
a working force i'll the individual and
in society. Wherever it exists it reveals
it's presence and power by works of JUS
tice, benevolence and devotion. We
are told THAT whose looketh into
the perfect law of liberty, he being not
a forgetful hearer, but doer of the
words. shall be blessed in his deed" "
The Gospel is law that demands and
rewards the work of obedience.
Man has been organized for work.
His whole physical, intellectual, social
moral and religious nature is active.
He is all the time operated on by mo-
tives that prompt him to action. His
place in nature, and his home in the
family and society make work neces-
sary. Without work he could not live,
grow or be happy; there would be no
use for his powers, and no play for his
faculties. 1t is in work of beneyolence
and humanity that his love, sympathy,
pity and compassion find exercise and
qualification.
1t is only by work that he can pre-
serve his faculties in healthy condi-
tion. Without exercise they would be-
come enfeebled and die.
If not used, mans body, mind and
spirit would perish. The nerves would
become paralyzed, the muscles would be-
come shriveled, the eye blind, the ear
deaf, the tongue dumb, the brain diseas-
ed. the mind insane, the heart hard and
the conscience dead. There would be
neither animal, intellectual, moral, So
cial or religious life possible in would
of total inaction. Continued idleness is
death not only to the lower, but the high
er nature of man as well. We find the
life and health of our whole being IN
work. The whole nature of man was
constructed for labor. Work is the
law of the universe as we'll as the law of
Christ. The duty is revealed in the Cos
pei of nature, as well as in the Gospel
of grace. Work is necessary to develop
and perfect our natures. The faculties
grow strong by exercise. Uss is the
condition of perfection, and labor is
necessary to growth. 1t is the active
body and mind that are healthy and
strong; our powers grow only as they
are used. The development of mans
moral and religious nature demands
active work on all the lines Of duty and
usefulness. The growth of moral char
acter is the result of moral effort in re-
sisting temptation, overcoming evil,
discharging duty, and meeting Obliga-
tion. BY good works alone can we
build up a strong, pure and beautiful
Christian manhood and wOnanhOod.
Work is necessary to mans happi-
ness. Enjoyment does not lie alone in
the possession of faculties, but in their