The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-02-23
BISHOP BECKW|TH
CONFIRMS CLASSES
Three official VisitationS in This
City Yesterday
LARGE C ON GRE CATION
Sermon on Duty and the Parable of
the Talents-Bishop to Visit
Bessemer Today and Ems
ley Tomorrow.
LARGE CON GRE CATION

| blnCldI N1SlldllOH Ill birmingham az AiS
Church of the Advent yesterday morning
! at II o'clock In the afternoon he visited
St Marks church (colored). and at night
| he made a visitation to St Mary SON.
| the-Highlands. Large congregations at
| tended all of these churches and at each
one the bishop delivered a sermon and
confirmed a class.
The candidates for confirmation num-
bered in all forty-one, distributed as fol-
lows Twenty at the Advent, nine at st.
Marys and five at St. Marks.
Bishop Beckwith is a gentleman of
singularly pleasing address, and he en-
joys the reputation of being at once
earnest and practical in his church work.
At the Church of the Advent the
bishops theme was duty
| The text of the sermon, found in Mat
thew 25-21 reads, Ills Lord said unto
him. well done thou good and faithful
servant; thou hast been faithful over
few things, l will make thee ruler over
many things; enter thou into the joy of
thy Lord
The Sermon.
Bishop Beckwith began his discourse
DN SdSlDb that an accurate IOHItpNiOi u
duty and knowledge of obligations are
necessary when a man undertakes a task
of any kind.
physician with an indefinite knowl-
edge of medicine, or who does not know
the details of surgery and endeavors to
perform delicate operations. cannot ju-
dcously be of service. Medicine and ante
!
random. 1t takes study to meet the OBJ
legations and proper discharge of their
duties and courses of action under what
ever circumstances may present them
selves
A knowledge of law and an accurate
The student of the law who sits in his
library and amuses himself by looking at
the golden sunbeams is not apt to be
successful lawyer. 1t is the man who UNI
derstands the obligations and how to meet
them with accuracy who defines the re-
quisties for a practitioner and UNDER
stands the necessary course of action
who is needed
The painter must understand the mix
ing of colors, the proper preparation of
his canvas. The architect must under
stand angles and the law of forces. Be
hind every undertaking there must be
brains, an understanding OF the obiga-
! ton.
Life entails obligations, and to properly
discharge the duties imposed study and
an intelligent plan of action is absolutely
required in their fulfllment.
If a man desires to be a physician the
wish will not make him doctor; If he
desires to be a lawyer the wish will not
make him a lawyer at the bar-the wish
is prerequisite, but it is not enough pa
tient, earnest study and laborlous work
are essential
What is here true OF the natural life
applies with equal truthfulness to that
of the spiritual life. The claims of Chris
tianity do not rest on any given class
of men. No man can say he is free
from any obligation because l.. has never
taken the vows of baptism. "Woe unto
that man who shrinks responsibility and
turns deaf ear to the invitation to be-
come Christian, and woe unto MIN
who refuses to be saved"
The Call of Duty.
The Bishop then referred to the call of
duty, saying:
THE call of duty is external to our
selves. We did not sound it, and therefore
cannot hush 1t. If a man Is weak in pro-
portion to the task set before him ii is
all the more reason for him to bend his
whole energies and powers to accomplish
it, My brother, did you agree before you
entered the world to obey all of the
physical laws? Did you even know what
these laws were?
Let us suppose the obligations are ac-
knowledged. What will follow when the
Christian asks, What are my duties?
What demands are made of me? How
am to know l will have strength and
fa1th to perform them? These are live
questions Let us seek to answer them.
THE Saviour declared He would come
to establish kingdom the kingdom of
heaven and He was the King. He likened
this unto the man who gave out the tai
ents, and after He had journeyed into
far country returned and asked what
those to whom He had given them had
accomplished. The parable is a custom
very common in the far east. Every dav
men place themselves in the emplov Of
other men as stewards, and this entails
obligations. Now what are the duties re-
quired? Let us make II plain [ am in tho
employ of another man; / have received
his goods at his hands; the goods arc
his, not mine. What are the obligations?
First honest Intentions and purposes.
honesty to meet the demands of the no.
sition and to advance the interests of
the owner of the goods. I must then ask
If | am to have any discretionary author
ity. If so | must remember my EMPLOYER
above all others and use discretion, when
occasion arises, and as myself, would he
have me do this or that, for | am serving
him, not myself. 1t makes little differ
ence what are the duties or the business.
The thing is to recognize that the prop
erty belongs to someone else, to be honest
and acquaint myself with the purposes
and directions. Suppose / stop My en-