The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-27
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
THE PATH OF SUCCESS, THE SELFISH
WAY AND THE WAY OF FAITH.
BY the Rev. ChnvIes Elliott st. John,
Minister of the First Unitarian
Church, Pittsburg, Pa.


picking world. What faith is in all think
ing. that duty is in all action. Duty is a
far-reaching law, truly more like a path
than like a sudden demand upon one. 1t is
a great thing to be always ready for any
sudden calls of unforeseen obligation, but a
greater to walk day after day, year after
year. in the amending path of simple duty.
Dogged, plodding faithfulness is the main
stay OF the world.
You will see that 1 think of obedience to
duty as a part of the strength of life-not
as a kind of slavery. Were one simply
bound by the force of public opinion, or
thrust onward by inherited tendencies of
race or family, or controlled by hard con-
ditions Of earning a living, he might hate
all that and commiserate himself as a slave
but the man of faith is governed by a law
which he neither hates nor shuns. And
while the Going Of ones full duty is an
almost impossible task. yet the persistent
attempt to fulfill it is most satisfying as
We'll as Strengthening. 1t is thus that we
go from strength to strength
We are aiming at achievements, but the
path Of duty is long and slow series of
petty preparations We long to wear the
crown of victory. but life keeps us still at
the struggle against defeat. We yearn for
a rest and a play lime, but the burden of
our cares and hopes and interests is not for
q moment taken away. Any step onward,
be IL timed or heroic, falls into this unavoid-
able path of duty
Does it seem hard that life is one long
period of preparation for you hardly know
what vague ends? A great musician holds
hundreds of listeners spellbound by the
magic of his art. He moves them to exalted
iancles TO reverence, to passion, to tears.
for an hour he Is the master of their emo
lions ana 10 a thoughtless observer this
may seem to be the only true life This
Is what L want the unframed boy will say,
TO be a master over human spirits and to
be II now But the long years of diigent
training through which the master singer
or player Went-Were they not life? Stand
Ing, violin in hand, ready to make it eX-
press his deepest feelings, the musician is
not more loyal to duty than he was all
through the slowly moving period of his
education. He could not now meet the con-
spcuous duty if he had not pressed on
long IN tdlthfulnesS to the tedious duties
OF preparation. No good book or influential
editorial, or useful sermon comes at hap
hazard from the idle pen No stately build
ing rises by gueSsWOrk. No merchant holds
zone IN the world save as the elimination
of long discipline, and If any one thinks
that this is cruel he has not yet rightly esti-
mated life or penetrated its design.
THE MAIN THING IN z.IFE.
For, in truth, life is all preparation and
course does not reach a climax Even the
moments of dazzling success are but the
getting ready for still more exalted deeds
If this is true, then the degree of our loyal
~ to duty, our trust in Cod and our re-
sutant happiness, is revealed in our cour-
age all through our years of patient toll,
even more than in our energy at special
moments of brilliant opportunity 1t is sad
10 see how many persons there are who
make mistake here, / constantly meet
young men and women whose main object
n life appears to be to shirk all this hard
training which will make them ready to
MI a mans or womans place in the world.
Ihey arc ever looking for easy places for
getting mat strong souls are not produced
by easy places. They are so eager that ev-
cry day should give immediate pleasure that
they grow selfish and needless of the vast
Ing hours. They are not willing to endure
hardness as good soldiers.
Now. it is a most desirable thing to have
a bright and happy youth but a very ig,
noble thing to become mere pleasure
lover. The trouble with such young per-
where the real glory of life lies They are
watching for conspicuous things. immediate
end startling successes, forgetting that a
deeper merit lies with the steady life OF
quiet doing of duty, which alone upholds
more snowy deeds.
There are just enough exceptions to this
slOwmoving law of duty TO upset the heed
less young minds of whom ! am speaking
Every now and then some man whose life
steps forth as under a divine inspiration and
does some heroic deed. With no apparent
training the rascal or the fool becomes a
patriot. freely sacrificing himself for his
country. or the giddy woman takes up I'M
Eeltshly some burden of living in hardship
Human life is noble at heart and these I'M
foreseen outbursts Of glorious power in the
lives Of ordinary men show US what unsus-
pected depths of heaven are in our very
midst. These bright exceptions to the
steady law of life are the romance of life.
end romance will not harm any one who
remembers that 1t is not the whole of life,
not the real path Of life and duty. EXceD-
tiOnal times do not come to the ms jority of
mankind. They who dream of adventures
seldom encounter any. So that, notwith-
standing the rOmances we see or imagine,
the plain path of humble duty remains our
greatest opportunity. Therefore let no
youth make the serious mistake of waiting
Tor easy victories and exceptional oppOr-
tunities and SO miss the path of duty and
success altogether.
The simple tasks of the day we live in
are the latest and highest call it is possible
for us TO hear as yet. and faithfuness in
these provides perfect joy and a further
progress The worth of life is to be meas
ured. not by the magnitude of its enter
prises. but by the nobility of its motives.
u you have perfect trust in God and
clear conscience your modest path of duty
Is equal in worth to the broadcast highway
Of conspicuous fame.
TWO WAYS.
There are two ways of entering into sue
cess, and they give very different kinds of
success. The one is the selfish way. ChooS-
ing this. one sets before himself a certain
standard of prosperity and says: 81 shall
be happy when ] have attained that de-
gree of wealth. influence, knowledge skill,
or fulfilled ambition" And the other is
the noble way of faith and faithfulness.
Relying upon the wise goodness of God, one
sets before himself the present state of his
affairs and of the world and says: by
the grace OF God ] will meet these duties
truly: / will bear these burdens menfully;
VIII live this day as If ii We're the whole OF
! Wrest out of this narrow day by a faith
1ui obedience to the highest that I know"
Which OF these two aims involves the finer
sort Of success? BY your answer to that
question men know your present worth as
man.
To him who lives and works with full
trust in God life is not narrow and hostile.
livery moment of every day stands before
him Ike an open door. II has a chance for
him to go on about some duty which God
has given. It is true that some unfortunate
souls are heavily handicapped from birth.
They inherit weak wills. gross appetites and
inefficient bodeS-an- the finest heroism in
the world is that displayed when such per-
sons conquer their weaknesses, and live
nObly by their trust in God. Now the
souls that had so much against them by
Inheritance have been able TO tread the
path of duty, surely every other person can
do the same.
All the wrecked lives you have known
have failed because they were not true TO