The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-10-20
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
, THE VALUE OF OBEDIENCE"

Preached by the Rev. Joseph Dunn Bur-
reli, OF Brooklyn, n. Y.-The Way to
Power Shown by Convincing Arsu-
1nents-Christ Our Great Pattern.
BROOKLYN, n. YIN the Ciasson Ave
Rev. Joseph Dunn Burrell, preached Sun
day morning on THE Value of Obedience"
The text was from Philippians, lis, g.:
'He humbled Himself and became obe-
dent unto death, even the death of the
cross Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted Him and given Him name which
is above every name" Mr.. Burrell said:
From this passage we learn that, through
obedience, our Lord Jesus Christ attained
His surprising glory. He won His eSalta-
ton not by exploiting His own will, but by
submitting to the win Of God. =,
On this point He IS representative OF hu-
manity. For all men everywhere to obey
is the way to rule. ''Whosoever will he
chief among you, let him be your servant:
Obedience thus becomes moss essential
part of education, whether in the home o.
the school. There is something dlsreputa-
be about the household where the children
do not mind. or the lecture hall, where the
instructor has no control. 1t is healthy
discipline for US to have to submit our Will
to another's. Such is the Biblical concep-
ton of home training. Such was the
method of Christ's bringing up.
upon current ideas of education and, per-
haps, the most eloquent words he ever
wrote were those in which ne 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
80 trained in youth that his body is the
ready servant of his will, and does with
ease and pleasure all the work that. as
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 a steam engine,
to be turned to any kind of work, and spin
the gossamers, as we'll 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 op-
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 vi.eness, and
to respect others as himself. Such an one
and no other, conceive, has had liberal
education, for he is, as completely as
HAL Cdu Ill "2lh ~NS
will make the best of her, and she Of him.
They will get On together rarely; she as
his ever-benefcent mother; he as her
uaouthpiece, her conscious self, her minis
ter and interpreter.
But it is not enough to learn obedience
theoretically in ono period of education;
we must perpetuate it as habit all through
eur 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. q.
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 empioye of the New
York street car system; he is now Its head:
There was once private solder who had
to submit to all the narrow restrictions OF
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 o. them. They
are made to take care of their bodies that
they may keep the laws of health when
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
Spencer, 'tshould be to produce a. seli-gc
erning being; not to produce being to be
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 1
have home of my own yo,. will see how
thinks, Gust wait until + am twenty-one
and I 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 SO by friend. Instead of purchas-
ing necessities with this providential pres
ent she used it in having the photographs
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 worthiiy
is to obey the great principles OF duty. She
merely followed her whims.
heard this summer of young man VINO
a year ago was flying around Long Island
in his automobile, dazzling the natives with
his reckless expenditure OF "a newly ac-
CURED fortune To-day he is said to be
e.erking in store. He did not know how
to be rich: he had not learned self-control.
Quite rightly he has been set back again in
his proper place.
Oscar Wilde was a young scholar Of ex-
traordinary briliance. 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
swn will and seeking pleasure without re,