Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-08-06

you teaching! What mission work are
you doing for Christi" Some there will
be who. in order To pay their way
through college are performing some
duties by which they earn little mon
ey. But the others in nine cases out of
ten. will answer: "Oh. | am not attend
ing any particular church here. l am
not teaching in any Sunday school.
am now studying To he Il minister, and
therefore each sunday | 20 To hear n
different minister in the town. The
result il that nine-tenths of our young
theological students. and l think l am
not ovcrrating the proportion. do prac-
tically nothing for Christ while they
are living within seminary walls un-
What is the result? With critical.
censorious spirit they 20 from church
to church. They pick flaws i'm this
minister, they find fault with that min
lister. and all the time they belong
TO the great army of religious tramps,
whom | call the "go-rounders." Dur
ing these years of study their own
life is ebbing away. by the time the
young man who pursues this course
graduates from a theological seminary
he Is on the verge of spiritual bank
ruptcy. Why: Mainly because i'm the
three long years of mental preparation
for the ministry he has neglected to
DO personal work for Jesus Christ.
1t is common subject for regret
that the religious life in our colleges
and universities is mt Il low ebb. The
spiritual energy of the students is de-
and growth in grace among them than
I'm young men outside. The reason for
this deplorablc condition believe to be
that sO many of them are devoting
themselves To study or To athletics and
doing no personal service for the Mas
ter. They are making the same eX-
cuse for themselves that the young
disciple OF my text made to Christ
when he said. Lord. suffer me first to
go and bury my father" That young
man who is now the leader of his class
I'm the law school WAS once the Sunday
lage church where his father and
mother now live. The school occu-
pied the first place in his thoughts.
and he would take any trouble to give
pleasure To the children and attach
them To the cause of Christ. Now he
never enters Sunday school. He is
preparing In he II lawyer. After he
once gets his diploma he intends to go
back To church work. but now he says,
Lord. suffer me first To get an educa-
ton and then will follow thee"
That young girl living in Chicago.
away from home. is now studying in
n famous musical college to cultivate
her voice. She was once the leader of
her fathers choir Her father is minis
ter and is spending the savings Of a life
time i'm giving his daughter Il musical
education that she may he the better
able to serve Christ. But though there
are hundreds of struggling little
churches within short distance of
where she lives which would be bless
ell by her singing. she now never en-
tiers ii prayer meeting. She rarely en-
tiers II church. She says. Wait. Lord,
until l have acquired proficiency in
the art. and then will sing for thee"
Mental Versus Spiritual Development
But these words of my text not only
apply To the young people who are
sidctracking their gospel duties To make
way for their preparations for Il pro-
fessiOn. They also apply To the busy
men and women who. i'm the prime
OF physical strength and mental power.
are like tired peasants staggering along
the highways under greater burdens
than II seems possible for them to bear
When | speak thus l mean that this
text is applicable TO nearly all men and
women in midlifc. Why! Because
believe that most people are overwork-
ed. They are physically tired. They
are tired in the same way that my
grandmother was tired, who. as a
farmers wife. had To rear thirteen
children. My father used TO say: Il
never remember my mother except
with a tired look upon her face. AS n
little boy | remember her coming TO
the table and after all the children had
been served. turning To father and say
ing David. | am too tired TO eat I"
How many other women have said the
same thing. Most people are over
worked in the struggle of life. Yet
this text, o man. o woman. in the
prime of your physical and mental
strength. applies to you. No right have
you TO sidctrack your duties TO God
No right have you TO say to Christ.
Lord. suffer me To do this or that.
AMI then l will follow thee" Christ
should be first. not last. Christ's COM
mand no matter how or when il comes,
should be needed or obcyed: then all
other duties will fall into line in their
right places.
Christ's command. Follow me-"
comes To the tired merchant. the worn
out merchant. 1t comes to you even in
the whirl and the hustle of business
life. "Oh. no." you say. Il have no
time for Christ. My business absorbs
every atom of my energy. am so
tired from my week day tasks that
am too weary to 20 to church on sun
day. Why. when l 20. ! fall asleep