The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-10-19
THE VALUE OF OBEDIENCE
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev.
Joseph Dunn Burrell.
The Way to Power Shown BY Convincing
Arsument ents--Christ Our Great Pattern.


day morning on THE Value Of Obedience"
The text was from Philippians, lis, O:
"He humbled Himself and became obe-
dent unto death, even the death Of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
heSe s% and sysn Mm Bars .'d %h'h
From this passage we learn that, through
obedience, our Lord Jesus Christ attained
His surprising glory. He won His exalta.
tion not by exploiting His own will, but by
submitting to the will of God.
On this point He is representative OF hui
manity. For all men everywhere to obey
is the way to rule. "Whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your servant"
Obedience thus becomes most essential
part of education, whether in the home or
the school. There is something disreputa-
BILE about the household where the children
instructor has no control. 1t is a healthy
discipline for us to have to submit our will
to anothers. Such is the Biblical concep-
tion of home training. Such was the
method of Christ's bringing up.
Professor Huxley had great influence
upon current ideas Of education and. per-
haps the most eloquent words he ever
wrote were those in which he set forth
this idea, that the gist of education is to
learn how to obey. THAT man." he says,
"has had liberal education, who has been
so trained in youth that his body is the
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ease and pleasure all the work that, as a
mechanism, it is capable of, whose intellect
is clear, cold, logic engine, with all its
parts of equal strength, and in smooth
working order; ready, like steam engine,
to be turned to any kind of work, and spin
the gossamers. as well as forge the anchors
of the mind; whose mind is stored with
knowledge of the great and fundamental
truths of nature and of the laws of her on.
erations; one who, no stunted ascetic, is
full of life and fire, but whose passions are
trained to come to heel by vigorous will
the servant of a tender conscience; who
has learned to love all beauty, whether of
nature or of art, to hate all vileness, and
to respect others as himself. Such an one
and no other, l conceive, has had a liberal
education, for he is, as completely as
man can be, in harmony with nature. He
will make the best of her, and she of him.
They will get on together rarely; she as
his ever-bene6cent mother; he as her
mouthpiece, her conscious self, her minis
ter and interpreter"
But it is not enough to learn obedience
theoretically in one period of education;
we must perpetuate it as habit all through
our years, for it is the only way to success
in life. Obedience is not for its own sake,
but in order that through it we may come
to be our best selves. We accept law as
the predetermined condition of life, sur
render ourselves to it, and by yielding win
true liberty.
Agesilaus of Sparta knew how to govern
because he had first learned how to obey,
according to the old saying. The present
Emperor of Germany and King Of Italy,
brilliant examples of successful monarchs,
were trained with severity that some of
our boys would think cruel. There was
once hard worked employe of the New
York street car system; he is now its head.
There was once a private soldier who had
IN thy,ntt 10 &C
the most subordinate rank in the army; he
Is now our commander in the Philippines.
We take away harmful things from our
children that later on they may know
enough to deprive themselves Of them. They
are made to take care of their bodies that
they need it for life's work. They are
given good books to read that they may
prefer such when they are free to read
what they will. They are shielded from
bad associations and thrown into the com
pany of clean, true, honorable boys and
girls SO that when they are out in the
world fighting their own battles they may
choose. the friendship of the good and shun
that Of the base.
Some parents are afraid to have their
children arrive at the age of self control.
Yet what is the good of education. "The
aim of your discipline" said Herbert
Spencer, Should be to produce a self-gov-
governed by others" 1t is a joy to have
obedient children, but it ought to be a
greater JOY when they are become true
hearted men and women. and are out in
the world carrying on the business of life.
Then the object of education is secured
and the condition of success is satisfied.
On the other hand, moral failure is due
to not having learned how to obey, and SO
not knowing how to rule.
When a girl says to herself "When
have home OF my own yon will see how
differently l shall do things" When boy
thinks, "Just wait until Il am twenty -one
and l will see life for myself" you may
know that the seed of the Dead Sea fruit
is already sown.
A woman whose family were in want was
given $25 by friend. Instead of purchas-
ing necessities with this providential pres
of the entire household taken. There was
an example of one who did not deserve to
be grown up. She did not know how to
control her own life. She had never
learned that the only way to live worthily
is to obey the great principles of duty. She
merely followed her whims.
heard this summer of young man who
a year ago was flying around Long Island
in his automobile, dazzling the natives with
his reckless expenditure OF a newly ac-
quired fortune. To-day he is said to be
clerking in a store. He did not know how
to be rich; he had not learned self-control.
Quite rightly he hos been set back again in
his proper place.
Oscar Wilde was young scholar of ex-
traordinary brilhance. His essay on "The
Decay of Lying" for example, was marvel
lously suggestive. But he never learned
to obey. to, control himself, to love the
right; on the contrary, by following his
own will and seeking pleasure without re.
gard to duty he made of himself social
outcast and died beggar's death in Paris.
1t makes no difference what ability, posi-
tion or opportunity one has, If he does not
know how to obey he is on the road to ruin.
Moreover, this condition OF obedience is
the permanent law of life. Neither in this
nor any other world is it abolished. The
mother warns her baby not to touch the
stove. The little one disobeys and is
burned. He grows to be a man. He
emerges from his mothers control. No
one advises him now to keep away from
the stove. He can put his finger on it il he
will. But il he does he will be burned
again.
So it is in the moral life. As children
we were restricted by others from wrong.
doing, and II we persisted in seeking to &C.
complish it we suffered. Now we are grown
and no one hinders US. We can sin il we
choose. But il we do we shall have to bear
the consequences now as then.
The choice given us is not whether we
ehall be under Gods law or not, but only
whether we shall obey them or. not, in
either case receiving the results Of our de-
cision. For "whatsoever a man soweth.
that shall he also reap"
The man who abandons himself to the in.
dulgence of appetite, violating the laws of
nature shortena his life His ind,,Ioenca