Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-06-05
In the Masters Service.

In the Masters Service.
That We may abound in every good work
III. Cor, tx, 8.
Faith, to begin with, and, after that,
good works. The faith must come first,
and the good works will follow las the
night the day." or as effect follows
cause. The man without faith may do
good on principle.
Faith in what and in whom? Well,
faith that God is your Father in very
liberal and comprehensive sense. not
by way of dreamy fantasy, bnt by way
of glorious fact; faith that you are in
this world for definite and easily I'M
derstood, purpose and that every one
else is here for the same purpose; faith
that since a great many folk have for
some reason-partly from environment.
partly from inherited weakness, partly
from lack of moral energy-gone
wrong, and are now in sad tangle,
God has commissioned you to do what
lies in your power to set things right;
faith that no honest word of encourage
ment is ever uttered in vain, and that
no kindly deed of charity will fail to
bear fruit at some time and in some
way.
You may not be able to work miracles,
but that is no reason for not doing what
you can. The millennium is still a great
distance off, and you will probably be
in heaven long before it's shining gar
ments rustic on the eastern hilltops,
but that is not matter about which
YOU need be concerned. The boy who
died in the first battle of Bull Run did
as much for his country as the boy who
saw Lee offer his sword to Grant. Lee
never offered his sword to Grant, and
Grant never asked for it'd Spec.
We should not be discouraged because
there is so much to be done and we can
do so little; but. on the contrary, salts
fed to furnish our atom for the general
mosaic, assured that the Great Artist
who will complete the picture by and
by has use for even the bit of stone
which we contribute.
We are often deferred from doing a
charity by the ingratitude which has
marked our past experience. Without
doubt our kindnesses have been repaid
by Indifference in many instances, and
the natural effect is to harden oul
hearts. A natural effect, but certainly
not the effect which ought to be pro
duced, or which would be produced il
we looked at the subject largely. The
gratitude or ingratitude of the recipi
ent has nothing to do with either the
motives or the beauty of the giver.
You are Gods steward, are you not
And you have something, money or a
helping hand, which a man or woman
in desperate straits stands in need of
have you not? 1t would certainly bt
agreeable if that poor creature whom
you lift out of the mire should express
warm appreciation of your act but,
because he does not, will you pass cold
ly by all others who are in the mire an(
refuse assistance Do you suppose thai
God is Indifferent because the receiver
of your good gift is? Did you do the
good deed with the expectation of re-
ceiving your pay in gratitude? Their
it was merely matter of Spectator OF
your part, sort of spiritual venture
with the Lord left out of it, and instead
of winning you have lost. Your mo
tive was by no means the highest O.
which you are capable, nor was it quite
worthy of the faith you profess.
On the other land, if you distribute
your beneficence because you are Gods
child, and because God wishes you tt
Go what you can for His other children
their Indifference is as nothing CON.
pared with His approval. You are
working for Him, and the work you do
irrespective of gratitude or ingratitude
makes you more of man and gives you
an quality of character which is obtain
able in no other way. Doing good is
the only thing worth doing, and the
attitude of the person to whom you dc
it is matter of small consequence, while
the attitude of God, who babe you dc
it, is matter of supreme Importance.
1t is no excuse for neglecting your
duty that it hasn't thus far turned out
Just as you expected it to. In a word
you have no right to indulge in any ex
pectatlons whatever, your only bust
ness being to give your time and your
energy for the assistance of the climb
ers who have lost their footing and
are in a sad plight, leaving the whole
affair to Him who gave you superior
strength and then asked you to lend a
little of it to those who cannot climb
as we'll as you can.
AS to the opportunities to do this
kind of good, the world is full of them
Why SO many are in pitiful condition
from no fault of their own no one will
be able to tell until he gets on the 9th
er side and looks back. 1t is the sad
dest and most intricate problem of the
universe. But the fact remains that
you have a kindly word to utter every
day, and every day kindly deed to do
The command does not originate in
your own generous impulses, but in the
will of the Almighty.
To be of service to your neighbor is
within the reach of every one of us
Doing good is the highest kind of relig-
ion, for it is the religion which is uni
versally applicable. We may differ
with, each other on fine questions Of
theology. but we waste our time in dis
cussing them while a single starving
body or entangled soul is in sight
When the world has been redeemed
mentally, physically and morally, then
and then only, shall we have leisure tc
debate the metaphysics of God. Until
that consummation, so devoutly to bt
wished, has been reached, we should
lay the musty questions of theology on
the shelf, roll up our sleeves for yeo
mans work, and earn the benedietior
OF Heaven by giving our benediction to
the ninety and nine who have gone
astray.-N. Y. Herald.
&c, 30