The herald., 1898-01-03
A New Years Sermon by
Rev. B. w. R. Tayler
PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY
THE GREAT QUEsTIoN-"WHAT
TO DO WITH JESUS"
Duty Of Simpson Church in 1893 Ex-
planned by DR.. Hartley-Ser-
mons From Other Pulpits

Yesterday morning the Rev. B. w. r.
Tayler, rector of St. Johns, spoke on
Opportunities; Sermon for the New
Year." taking for his text Ecclesiastes il
10: whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with thy might" Mr.. Tayler said
in part:
II suppose that practical analysis
of this text reduces it to two considera-
tons: first, what to do; and second, how
to do it.
"Now a grave problem which con-
fronts all Of us is to know just what to
do. We are quite willing and quite pre-
pared to work with our might If we only
had clear indication of what we ought
to do, If we only knew in just what chan
mel we should direct our energies.
'Too many of us throw away a pres
ent opportunity under the impression
that it does not concern our future; yet
the present holds the divine and golden
key by which only the portals of the
future are unlocked. 1t is the present
which is laden with the store of golden
opportunities. We are not to let any op-
portunity, however small, escape US, for
on that one thing may hinge greater op-
portunities which may affect and color
all our future life.
The next thought is, how to do it. DO
1t with thy might AS there are those
who never take hold of opportunities, so
are there those who take hold of them in
such way that they smash them all to
pieces. Many good opportunities are
nipped in the bud or crushed in the
blossom because we think that doing
things with our might means more of
a physical activity than a calm and
careful and God-guided work in which
the mind and the heart and the judg-
ment and the love should take a part,
as well as the muscle and the sinew.
Few men there are who have en-
braced every opportunity for learning
AFFORDED. Think yourselves of the brain
tagged and def1led by the multitude of
trash poured into it; Of the mental dys-
pepsia superinduced by attempting to
assimilate the twaddle of some of our
modern novelists, or to gorge the COL
umns Of the daily papers. Think of the
good books, notably Gods word, left I'M
read and tell me if you have attained
that standard Of mental possibility
which opportunity afforded you
Then again, none of us are physical
ly what we might have been. Think of
man, made in the image of God instead
of attaining with unimpaired vigor his
three score years and ten, he passes
away before he has begun to understand
the real pleasures of life because he has
wasted his opportunities of self devel-
opment, dissipated his vitality and
racked his body upon the torturing
frame of appetite and passion. Think
of the wasted lives of many women, ut
terly ruined, utterly wrecked, utterly
and completely broken down by the in
exorable demands of that modern
moloch-fashionable society! God help
the progeny which springs from such
parentage.
again, we are not what we might be
in the social life-I do not mean mere So
ciety, but as In the social life as II
touches all who come in contact with us
Think Of the possibilities, the opportuni-
ties for saying the kind thing, for doing
the right thing, for suppressing the
wrong thing. Think of the happiness
which we might have caused, and the
which we did cause.
think Of the kindly, brotherly advice
to this one, the sympathetic tear for the
other one, the bright smile for those moi
so blessed as we; the thoughtful regard
for other peoples comfort; the blessed.
ness Of loving personality; all Of
which is perfectly possible in all of us
- ~,
Of us. I say, think Of these things and
answer your questioning conscience In
the sight Of God, as to whether you have
embraced every opportunity afforded
you for increasing the sum total of hap
piness in the world.
''Now let us take this analogy into the
life of the soul in that inner relation to
God which we call religion. Have we
embraced every opportunity of develop
ing within us the religious life? Have
we taken one one-thousandth part of the
opportunities which we have had mer-
cifully provided by God for increasing
the spiritual life?
"Our daily prayer when we are alone
with God-hurriedly garbled over. Our
family prayers-neglected. Our public
evotions-interrupte by vain thoughts.
Our Bible-unread; our aims doled out
in selfish, mercenary spirit; our work
in the service of God-nil. The Holy
Eucharist-irregularl infrequently and
irreverently received. These are spirit
ual opportunities which touch us at ev-
cry point. But we neglect them, and
they slip away from US.
"'Yes! Whatsoever thy hand findeth
to do, do it with thy might AS we kneel
at Gods altar today, let us consecrate
afresh to Him our lives, our wills, our
opportunities. Let US ask Him to hallow
the remaining years of our life and con-
secrate them to His service. Let us bring
every faculty of body, soul and spirit
and lay them at His feet. Let us ask
Him to bless the new year for US and
make us worthy of it's opportunities,
worthy to do with our utmost might
whatever He findeth for our hands to
do"
THE GREAT QUESTION