The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-24
The WArCHMAN AND soUTHRoN, JANUARY "a, 1900

tooh lo iolioW his steps SO closely.
have called myself Christian for many
years. For the past ten years l have
enjoyed life that has had compara-
lively little suffering in it. am-hon-
estly / say it-living at a long distance
from municipal problems and the life
OF the poor. the degraded and the aban-
doned. What would the obedience to
this pledge demand Of me? hesitate to
answer. My church is wealthy, full of
we'll to do satisfied people The stand
ard OF their discipleship is am aware,
not OF nature to respond to the call
to suffering or personal loss. l say, 4
am aware. l may be mistaken. l may
have erred in not stirring their deeper
life. Caxton, my friend, 1 have spoken
my inmost thought to you Shall 20
back to my people next Sunday and
stand up before them in my large city
church and say, Let us follow Jesus
closer; let us walk in his steps, where
1T will cost us something more than it
is costing us now let us pledge not to
do anything without first asking
What would Jesus dor If should 70
before them with that message, it would
be a strange and startling one to them.
But why? Are we not really to follow
him all the way? What is it to be a
follower Of Jesus9 What does it mean
to initiate him? What does it mean to
walk in his steps?''
The Rev. Calvin Bruce, D. D., of the
Nazareth Avenue church, Chicago, let
his pen fall on the paper. He had come
to the parting of the ways, and his
question. he felt sure was the question
of many and many a man in the min
istry and in the church. He went to his
window and opened it. He was op-
pressed with the weight of his convic-
tions, and he felt almost suffocated with
the air Of the room. He wanted to see
the stars and feel the breath of the
world
The night was very still! The clock
in the First church was striking mid
night. AS it finished a clear, strong
voice down in the direction Of the Rec
tangle came floating up to him as if
borne on radiant pinions:
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No! There's cross for every one
And there's cross for me-"
1t was the voice of one of Gray's old
converts, a night watchman at tho
packing houses, who sometimes solaced
his lonesome hours by verse or two
from some familiar hymn.
Tho Rov Colx,i,, p,,,oo
from the window. and after a little
hesitation he kneeled down. "What
would Jesus do? What would Jesus
dor Never had he yielded himself so
completely to the Spirits searching re-
vealing Of Jesus He was on his knees a
long time. He retired and slept fitfully,
with many awakenings. He rose before
1t was clear dawn and threw open his
window again. AS the light in the east
grew stronger he repeated to himself:
"What would Jesus do9 What would
he dog Shall follow his steps?''
The sun rose and flooded the city
with its power. When shall the dawn
Of a new discipleship usher in the con-
quering triumph Of closer walk with
Jesus? When shall Christendom tread
more closely the path he made?
1t is the way the Master trod
Shall not the servant tread it still9
With this question throbbing through
his whole being the Rev. Calvin Bruce
went back to Chicago, and the great
crisis of his Christian life in the min
istry suddenly broke irresistibly upon
him.