St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-10-03

to the poor, and will win from the
Lord the commentator: "She hath
wrought good work." There was fell
lowship, or deep sympathetic insight
into Jesus inner and deeper life; there
was spiritual perception, or clear I'M
ders-anding of Jesus mission into the
world and what lay before Him; and
there was grateful love and devotion,
or appreciation of what the sacrifice OF
Jesus was to mean to her needy soul.
It was not a superficial sentiment, a
plying love because of what Jesus was
to suffer, which stirred Mary's heart to
its foundations and prompted her to
give her precious ointment. Every
thing was shut out from Mary's vision
that day save her own needy soul and
the Saviour it had brought to earth
that it might be redeemed. The poor!
Yes, they were in the very community
where Jesus at that moment was din
ing-perhaps there were some of them
hanging on the outer edge Of that
gathering-but the poor were not the
supreme object of Jesus mission. The
ministry to the temporal and physical
needs of the poor was vastly over
Swallowed by the ministry of salvation
the ministry which went deeper than
physical needs, and laid hold upon the
dead soul; and lifted higher than the
mere comfort OF this life, and gave an
eternal possession in Heaven.
IN these days of lavish giving and
i splendid organized charities, the
poor are remembered and provided for
as never before in the worlds history.
Charity's operations are reduced to a
science, but the Lord and His mission
to the poor are forgotten. Temporal
benefits are allowed to obscure the
eternal needs of the soul. The alabas-
ter boxes are sold and the 300 pence
are given to feed and clothe the poor,
and human pride and self-conscious-
ness swell in the heart and exclaim:
See, Lord, how splendidly thy servant
hath wrought" But were the soul SEN
sitive to the voice of the Saviour. they
would hear Him say: Eye have the
poor with you always and when We will
We may do them good Ye have con-
slant opportunities to minister to their
physical needs. but the supreme OFFER
ing Is the alabaster box of fellowship
with Me, of realization of My mission
to earth. of loving gratitude because of
what have wrought for you. It is
not the giving of the 300 pence to re-
lieve temporary need, but the offer
ing Of the best one has to the Lord
that one may go forth equipped to give
the Lords best to the needy souls Of
the poor.
THE Criticism. criticism Is
/ heard that the churches raise and
expend SO much for the evangelization
Of the world and SO little in direct lines
Of charity. The sociologist points with
pride to his neighborhood settlements,
his clubs, his schools for the poor, and
challenges the churches to show like
zeal for the lettering of human condi-
tons 1t is the complaint of the dis
ciDles modernized. The disciples said:
This ointment might have been sold
for more than 800 pence, and have been
given to the poor" The modern critic
says: See the vast amounts the
churches are spending in spreading the
Gospel. This money might better be
devoted to the alienation of the condi-
lion of the poor of our own land" Is
the criticism just? and II not, wherein
does the criticism err? Both questions
may be answered by the same state
ment: Jesus did not come into the
world to better the condition of the
poor. He came that He might through
His sacrifice save the souls OF men. His
mission to the poor is not to give more
'ood, better clothing and shelter, but
@ lift the dead soul to life In Him, and
when this has been done food, cloth
ng and shelter follow. The best the
world can do for its poor does not go
beyond the brink Of the grave, but the
work which Christ does, and which He
has called His disciples to help Him
carry on, brings better conditions in
his life and prepares the soul for
Heaven.
JESUS Rebuke.-And II Jesus were
J here on earth to-day He would an
,wer the modern critics as He did
hose who murmured at Mary: Eye
nave the poor with you always, and
We will ye may do them
good" 1t was not Jesus purpose to
Jet the poor aside and refuse to recog-
lize their claim for help. In fact His
'eply is q positive recognition of the
,oor and their claims upon their fellow
men, and especially the Christian. The
ebuke is not against the desire to aid
he poor, but against the exalting OF
he temporal above the spiritual And
Until the higher claims of the latter
ire recognized, one is not in position
o administer to the temporal needs.
rhe least which one can do for the
,oor is to feed and clothe and shelter.
t the help does not go beyond that
,oint, the unending years OF eternity
will reveal the folly of such ministry.
rhe poor ye have always. and there Is
constant opportunity to help them,
physically, but the supreme mission is
O help them spiritually. To withhold
God and shelter and clothing SO that
he life perish would not be so terrible
s to withhold the ministry which
would bring the soul from death to life.
Death would forever end the physical
uffering, but death would only mark
he beginning of the awful lack which
he soul without Christ must know.