The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-08-21

are lost IN misery; for wc make 20 many
mistakes and we leave 30 much undOue and
we absolutely fail 20 many times timt we
get but little satisfaction out of the work
itself. II we really look upon God n a
taslmaster we must honestly confess that
We can never please Him With our limit.
ed insight anu cur laundering faculties We
are lost 90 the happiness OF successful SER
vice., The more we strive the more we
blundcr, and the more we blunder the more
lost wc joel. As evening comes on and
the hour draws near when we shall face
the taskmnstcr. we look back upon an the
pltifui failures Of the dag ard cry out in
woe. But, looking upon God as a father,
see how quickly and surely al this IL
changed The father is not a tnskmaster,
but a father. He takes the will for the
deed, He looks upon all our doings az the
expression of a hlial spirit and Il satisfied
But II the work be done slayishly we have
no joy IN service and are a dead loss 70
God; for. looked upon merely as servants,
after we have done all we are Improbable
True, we look upon some things we have
accomplished and we pronounce them
great. We talk about our bringing in the
material kingdom of God-about our in.
ventions-steam, the telegraph, the mighty
railroads and the steel monsters that
trample down the waves of the sea- III
these are done as works of sons; IL they
show the wish Of the sons 10 struggle 10 to
the immensely Of the Fathers thought, God
must take supreme delight in them. They
are creations Of His children; they take
value from the fact that the ehildren's fin
gers have toiled lovingly upon them God
values our doings because we are His chill
dren, II we come, however, claiming to be
servants and pointing to the great things
4 , q -
that we are improbable servants.
The stay-at-hcme was lost so long as he
looked upon himself as a servant. The first
step towards recovery was for him to take
himself as a son. The first step out Of the
lostness Of the servant life Is to take soE-
ship for granted and to act upon the as
sumption.
Again, the lostness Of the stay-at.home
appears from his thought of service. And
l never transgressed a commandant of
thine" These words NV no more accidental
than the others. The Master is cutting
close to the essential weaknesses in the
creed and practice of Pharisaism. The two
weak words here are never" and com
mandment." The elders sons thought "
service was partly negative, and for ~
rest consisted in keeping commandments,
The Pharisee habitually thanked God that
he ''was not as other men, eXtortioners,
unjust aduterers, or even as the publican,
but tasted twice IN the week and gave
tithes Of all that he possessed"
First, the negative aspect OF the Phari-
sale creed. According to Pharisaism re-
liglon consists largely in not doing.
Never" is the blessed word. Adherence
to the never" creed causes the inert and
passionless worshiper to mistake the list-
lesspess of death for the peace that passeth
understanding. Negative piety is often
sheer lfelessness; there Is not vitality
enough to break forth IN sin; there Is not
strength or spirit enough to make temp
tation possible. How eXasperating it Is to
hear a dry withered soul declaim on the
follies of youth, or a mind sluggish with
stupidity boast its freedom from doubt!
There is a long-lvcd heresy to the effect
that the heart of religion Is repression.
No longer do this, or that, or the Other
Drive out the devils, sweep the house, set
the furniture in order, board up the win.
dows, lock up the doors and hide the
keys! This, as of old. overloolls some.
thing--the skill of devils as key-fnders.
Back they come with others worse than
themselves; or, If they do not come back.
the house stands empty, which is about
as bad. Redemption really means abun.
dant life. The lifeless and inert seriously
make more mistaI5esin the first six months
Of activity than n all un6 previous years
of listiessness, but they are better never
theless. One of the most disagreeable
features of this elder brother is limited at
in this word never" 1t suggests a staid,
lifeless,. ploddingness beside which the roll
licking prodigalty of the younger brother
seems almost relief. 1t is almost re-
lief, too, to find that the elder brother
becomes angry, for anger is, sometimes
a sign of awakening life.
The more of the merely NEVER there
IS in a mans religion, the more completely
lost the man is.
And then the other part of the creed
the word commandment" What the
Master had in mind was the Pharisee's
living by rule. He is exposing the wood.
enness and mechanicalness Of Pharisaic
plety; He Is showing us the lostness oi
living by rule With the Eharisee life
had become round of ceremonial obser
vances and Pharisaism was lost in the
abundance Of its rules. Any man is lost
who tries to be good merely by rule OF
course, many of the greaS principles Of
the Christian religion can be brought
| down to the compendious statement Of
rules, but in these the principle is kept
IN mind. | am speaking of Pharisaisn
as the system which slavishly learns the
rules and follows them. Such a COURSE
| leads inevitably to, the wilderness. If we
lose sight of the spirit and priilciple, W,
must have rule for everything. This
! Pharisaism strove for and was lost in it
own cumbersomeness. If the system i
not complete, if there are spheres of con
duct for which the Pharisee has no rule
then In those spheres he is apt to fee
free to do, his worst.
Living the good life is the finest of tn
fine arts Fine art is not mechanical oh
! servanCe Of rules-it is am absorption 0
filed with the spirit; and he who has. no
bhe spirit Of life is lost.
The lostness of the stay-at-home still
further appears from his unnatural heart
lessuess. ''Thy scn!" These words ar
! doubiy heartless, they reDudiate brother
hood with the returninc prodigal and the