The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-08-07

not TO put II aside with frivolous OK
cuses Is the theme OF the preacher to-
day. The text Is Matthew viii %
LET the dead bury the dead
Never make the mistake OF treating
half truths as II they We're whole
truths, Half legs are not whole legs.
but only parts OF legs. The microscope
clarifies the vision OF the bacterioogist.
From the structural makeup Of one Mt
tie bone the biologist. in his minds
eye, iAay see whole skeleton perfect
in formation. Bat. after all, truth III
part is never equal to truth IN whole
unless 1t Is flanked by truths and has
truths In its rear Ms reserve corps
and truths ahea. OF 1t to guard the
picket lines.
What is trne In laboratory inyestlga
tions Is also true In reference to Bible
study We must not study the words
of my text with a microscope. We
must not isolate this sentence from all
its connections. We must compare this
passage with other passages this chap
ter with other chapters, this book with
other books. Il cannot understand why
Christ should have trampled upon the
filial affections of his disciple who
wanted to 20 back and bury his dead
father" said n gentleman to me some
years ago This young man evidently
intended to be a devolit disciple or
Jesus. But surely he had Il duty to
his home AS well as directly to Jesus
M "a. Ia. "A hon. f.aaI Inv
corpse of his earthly parent 1t was
natural for dutiful son TO want 10
be present at the funeral. Yet when
the young man said Let me- | pray
thee. first 70 and bury my father and
| will follow thee Christ showed no
sympathy with his natural feeling, but
practically said: Let the neighbors and
the strangers come M and close the
eyelids and wash the cold flesh Let
the neighbors sing the death chant and
dig the grave. Let strange hands wrap
the motionless corpse In it's white
shroud and carry il to its last resting
place. You must come with rae ut once.
Shut your eyes to the past Let the
dead bury the dead
Christ's Love For His Mother.
That way OF regarding the incideIH
utterly misrepresents it, Never sup
pose for moment that Christ demands
that any man should show his rever-
ellse for him by sighting or neglecting
or deserving an earthly parent. Why
the last human being for whom Christ
l,l no, xtraS diving fhn
cross was his mother. he turned and
looked toward the gentle John, the be
loved disciple, sobbing nj his feet, ana
said to him: ''John, look after my old
mother. Now that she Is frlendless
and alone she will need your love ana
sustenance.' Then he looked at the
agonized face Of his mether as he said.
"Mother, let John take my place and
be loving son to YOU These are
Christs exact words: woman, behold
thy son. "Son. behold thy MOTHER
Those were not the words or one VINO
disregartled filial duty. His body was
raciNd at that moment by excruciat-
ing agony, yet his thoughts were not
of himself, but of her who, by his
death, would be left dependent 1t was
she for whom he was concerned even
in the hour of his dissoMion. His
own conduct In that crisis proves that
when he spoke TO the young volunteer
In the words of my text he was not In
sensible to the claims OF natural ar
lection.
In the words of Henry Ward Beech
er. Christ was enunciating the great
truth that the primal duties OF life
should not be sidetracked or pushed to
the rear on account of the secondary
or the more unimportant duties. 1T Is
not that you desire TO avoid right
things. bat you say, Suffer me first to
do the inferior. then ! shall be ready
for the superior. Suffer nae frst TO
take care OF myself Suffer me first to
take care OF M household. Suffer me
first TO look after this enterprise, ana
then No. This constant habit or
hulnbling the higher and making II
subordinate TO the lower, this constant
preference of the inferior to the SUI
perior. works Generalization. A man
does not need to throw away his Bible
nor defy his God nor sell his soul vol
UNFAIRLY. He only needs TO say, Suffer
me first 10 do the lesser thing The
moment that is done there will be an.
other suffer me first In its place. And
80 we shall put the inferior duties ~
the place of the higher duties and go
through life and fail at last" This
comprehensive view of my text Is
am convinced. its true Interpretation.
These words OF Christ need TO he re-
Inembered in ether situations than be
side the bier Of dead parent They
have warning lesson for any man
who is pOstponing bis duties TO his
Lord until he has fulfilled his obliga-
tions TO the world or to society-io any
one who fails in his higher duties
through seliShness or sloth.
Neglected obligations.
Sidetraeked obligations TO God! We
see them everywhere. We see them
first In the excuses which the yodng
man makes when he is fitting himself
by education to enter the battle OF life.
enter the theological seminary. where
thirty or forty Young men are gathered