The Portland daily press., 1897-04-23


should realize that the highest needs OF
his nature require that ne zoo small
work
Thus work, truly considered, springs
| from spiritual necessity. IL IS tne
God intended opportunity OF love anu
/ thought to come forth and DO soneenins.
Unless they do come forth, they wilmer
and perish, and the man deRenerates
Every human being who has an OPP
portunity for work,-of engaging IN ser
vice of some kind and performing uses
| -be they manual, intellectual. Social,
political, or religious, should colnt suoh
an opportunity as enc of the chler pless-
| ings of his life. The work may be poorly
paid, it may not bring, fame, IL my
often be wearis0me, and apparently lor
| the sole benefit OF others, and tnose
others ungrateful and unthankful. neV-
ertheIess it is one Of our chief blessings;
blessing to our spiritual life by means
| of which one can come Into the love OF
the Lord, and OF his neighbor; and De a
man.
Every man. since he is spiritual
| being, and since use is the divinely
| appointed means for the development OF
his spiritual life, has a right to labor
And when there is willingness, effort,
and ability, and no opportunity appears
the Law of Use is impeded and antagon-
ICED and the states of society and govern
ment SnOulu De set right.
livery man who employs labor, to how
| ever limited an extent, assumes q grave
| responsibility. 1t were serious enough If
man had only to do with life in this
| world; but as work is essential to the
development of mans spiritual nature
| which is going to live forever, what shall
we say OF it then? 1t is bad enough
when grasping employer cuts down his
employees wages so low as to reduce
IN, mi .sa11v ,foxf nf ;,
but what shall We say when we know
that the mans occu pation Is, by the
very constitution Of his being, as created
by the Lord, basis for his spiritual
lifep Think of the underpaid men, and
the still more underpaid women and
children; of the overworked men and
the overworked women and children,
whose need has given the hard advant-
age which greater wealth was mean
enough to take for the sake of a little
gaini If am informed correctly, such
instances are to be found in this city.
But they are immortal beings, poor,
incompetent perhaps, but equally with
all others the children OF God. Their
work is their opportunity as men and
women for the DEVELOPMENT of their life;
and God will not hold them guiltless
who take it from them.
! wish it were possible to bring to the
conscience of every man who employs
another, this truth, that mans work
la connected with his life; that wrong
done to that ia one of the wiokedest
deeds that can be committed, and that
there is nothing which should receive
such consideration and justice In every
form. 10
Perhaps some one may say, "This does
not help me one particle; what you say
as to the spiritual uses of labor may be
true. hut to those of us who cannot rise
to that plane, who cannot keep these
things in mind, what can you offer to
| usf'
And just here comes in reply one
thought, what is it that makes SO much
of our labor hard and jrskumeS SO much
of 3 STRUGGLED Is it not the evil in US;
the constant striving after that to which
we are not entitled; the keeping up of
appearances, that detestable sham of
seeming to be something different than
we really are; our desire to make the
world think we'll of us for what it thinks
we are. rather than for what we really
are; our reaching out and desire for
| things that in our present condition are
really harmful. If all this were swept
inside, and each one was content to live
honestly within his means as the Lord
has given them; willing to adapt himself
| to his true condition from day to day,
being useful, and waiting for the Lord
to point out the next step, much of this
unnecessary 6work and wearisomeness
would disappear, and with it Jealousy,
envy, extravaganza, frivolity, and their
attendant evils. The Lord says In
Isaiah, Wherefore do ye spend money
for that which is not bread. and your
labor for that which satisfeth not.
Hearken diligently unto me, and eat
ye that which is good, and let your soul
| delight itself in fairness. - $40 this and
your soul shall live. Do this and the
burdens of life will disappear Do this
and let your heart be filed with the JOY
of being useful to Others. Love your work
and the end you have in view, and all
wearisomensss and encouragement will
disappear; and your tongue shall sing
| with gladness. and your eye sparkle with
the light of heaven.
| No matter how many the systems de-
vised for the improvement of society,
superior to them all and written by the
divine finger is this law of use. Human
systems come and go, but this law of use
remains. God as love wrote it In the be-
ginning. He wrote it on every pnrt of
the universe, which came forth obedient
to that law. He has written it ON every
part of mans nature. spiritual and ply
steal. When the world takes this truth
into it's mind, and when the mind sends
it as a heavenly messenger to the heart.
and brings it the conviction that servics
and labor are divine in their origin and
spiritual in their ends, then may we
hope to see the spirit of competition
whiuh is death, give way to the ruggle
for the life of Others, which Is Ctrist's
law of service, and leads to eternal life
At the close of the sermon Rev. DR..
Jenkins of State Street church offered
prayer, there was singing by the choir,
and the benediotion was pronounced by
Rev. Mr.. Rogers of Pine Street.
SERVICES AT ST. LAWRENCE ST.
The spirit of Fast Day was truly OBJ
served at st. Lawrence st. church where
services were held in the morning at II
o'clock. A fair sized congregation was
in attendance to join with the pastor.
Rev. Mr.. Wright, in commemorating the
day set aside for prayer and fasting.
The services were opened with prayer
by Mr.. Wright who afterwards delivered
an interesting sermon on the import