The record-union., 1899-04-03

blighting curse of sin and elevate them
to the glory of regenerated spiritual
manhood. The greatness of Jesus is the
greatness of service His name is above
every name, because He went down
| lower than any other in order to re-
form deformed humanity Jesus did
not come into, the world to save a
church. or an institution, or an ordi-
nance, or creed, or a ceremony. He
came to save men. 1t was men He
was after. The one thing, and the only
thing. under the blue vault of heaven
sacred to Him was the human soul, no
matter how battered and bruised, how
maltreated and mutilated that soul
might be- Jesus did not want to live
in lonely supremacy above His fellows.
He longed to bring the whole human
race I'D to the nights He Himself had
attained.
With the teaching and example OF
Jesus before us, it does not become us
to hold ourselves aloof from humanity
on the ground that they are below as
4 in culture, wealth or social standing.
There i. a feeling abroad that people
yulearize themselves by mixing too
familiarly with common folks AS peo-
|
disposed to separate themselves from
| those less fortunate. That is, as they
grow better they grow worse-they be-
come less democratic and more aristo-
cratic. Their culture makes them cold.
Their refinement makes them exclusive.
1t is true they practice a sort of profess
sionaa philanthropy They give am an
nual contribution to some benevolent
institution. But they never take per-
sonal interest in individuals or families.
They never come into close fraternai
| contact with the victims of poverty
and crime. They could not by any
stretch of the imagination be called the
friends of publicans and sinners. They
never take the outcast by the hand and
show him friendship and interest.
Bring the poor that are cast out TO
thine house" is command they never
undertake to obey: When thou max
est a feast call the poor, the manned,
the lame, the blind" is net included in
their rules of hospitality and etiquette.
| What l am contending for is that we
show personal sympathy with and take
a personal interest in men and
women in need. This is what Jesus
did. Again and again, in reading His
| life. you notice that He took this one
and that one by the. hand. He took the
blind man by the hand and led him out
| of the city. He reached out His hand
and touched the leper. He took the
devil-possessed boy by the hand and
lifted him up. Jesus took all kinds OF
folks by the hand. He touched the eyes
of the blind. His touch meant personal
interest, personal sympathy, personal
help This is what helpless humanity
needs to-day They need food and
clothing for the body, but above this
they need human sympathy and human
love- It's the heart that ''outstretches
its eager palms. for food. 1t is pow
erty of soul more than poverty of body
that ais humanity. AS THE Vision of
Sir Launfal" teaches, it is
| Not what we give but what we share
| For the gift without the giver is bare;
| Who gives himself with his aims feeds
| three,
Himself, his hungering neighbor and me.
1t is not the gift, it is the giver; it is
you that they want. They want your
| soul to touch their soul, your heart to
touch their heart They need your per-
sonal interest and personal sympathy.
1t is right to make a contribution, but
|
| hearts.
With handsful of coal and rice,
Or by dealing out flannel and sheetlng
| At little below cost price.
! If you want to follow Jesus, do this:
| Single out some one family, one indi-
vidual, one outcast, and by personal
sympathy and service care for and save
that one Quit talking about saw
| ing the masses, and focus your energies
and interest on some one needy soul.
Go after the one lost sheep. Seek dill
gently for the one lost coin Welcome
home the one lost prodigal. Take some
blind man by the hand and guide him.
Take some weak sister by the hand
and strengthen her. There are any
number of societies to-day. 1 think
there is need of just one more, namely,
a Personal Interest Society. If this
world is ever to be redeemed from ig
norance to intelligence. from vice to
virtue, from sin to holiness, it must be
done in the way Jesus began The high
must minister to the low; the strong
must carry the weak. There must be
personal interest, personal sympathy,
personal service. When a woman asked
| Carlyle how she might serve humanity,
|
up some lonely, neglected Scotch lassie
| and be kind to her
To be Christian as Jesus taught it
means that those who are high shall
| minister to those who are low. The
lower man is and the greater his need
| the greater is his claim. His need is
| his claim.
In proportion as God has blessed you
| with wealth or culture or strength to
that degree he requires you to serve
your fellow men. Those who have most
are to serve most. Ability determines
responsibility. Rank imposes obliga-
ton. The higher you rise in wealth
| and wisdom, the greater is your obliga-
| ton to serve those below you. Chris
tianity is not separation. 1t is imparta-
| ton Mans rank in the kingdom OF
God is his power to benefit and uplift
| humanity. The genius that distributes
wealth is higher and diviner than the
genius that accumulates it. The prayer
Lord, use me- ought to be on our lips
oftener than any other. I like the
prayer of that hereto, Theodore Par
ker:
Give me the power to labor for mankind
Make me the mouth of such as cannot
| speak.
/ Eyes let me be to grouping men and blind
| A conscience to the base and to the
| weak
| Let me be hands and feet. and to the
| foolish, mind.
| If the life of Jesus means anything to
us, it means that we are not our own
It means that every power we possess
is the moral property of humanity. AS
| Jec11S gave His life TO he broad for tbf