Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-08-01
Calnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalTnaee. D. D.

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 If they were whole
truths. Half legs are not whole legs,
but only parts Of legs. The microscope
clarifies the vision Of the bacteriologist.
From the structural makeup of one lit
tie bone the biologist, in his minds
eye, may see q whole skeleton perfect
In formation. But, after all, truth In
part is never equal TO truth IN whole
unless it is fanked by truths and has
truths in its rear as a reserve corps
and truths ahead of ii to guard the
picket lines.
What is true in laboratory investiga-
tons 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
flial affections Of his disciple who
wanted to go back and bury his dead
father" said a gentleman to me some
years ago. This young man evidently
intended to be q devout disciple of
Jesus. But surely he had a duty to
his home as well as directly to Jesus.
: There, in the old homestead, lay the
corpse of his earthly parent. 1t was
natural for a dutiful son to want to
be present at the funeral, Yet when
the young man said, Let me, l pray
thee first go 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 in 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 its white
shroud and carry it to its last resting
place. You must come with me at once.
Shut your eyes to the past Let the
dead bury the dead "'
4 =, Christ's Love For His Mother.
That way of regarding the incident
utterly misrepresents it. Never sup
pose for moment that Christ demands
that any man should show his rever-
ence for him by sighting or neglecting
or deserving an earthly parent. Why,
the last human being for whom Christ
provided when he was dying upon the
cross was his mother. He turned and
looked toward the gentle John, the be-
loved disciple, sobbing at his feet, and
said to him: John, look after my old
mother. Now that she is friendless
and alone she will need your love and
sustenance" Then he looked at the
agonized face of his mother as he said,
Mother, let John take my place and
be a loving son to you" These are
Chrfst's exact words: woman, behold
thy son. "Son, behold thy mother"
Those were not the words of one who
disregarded filial duty. His body was
racked 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 dissolution. His
g.
when he spoke to the young volunteer
in the words of my text he was not in
sensible to the claims of natural af-
lection.
In the words of Henry Ward Beech
er, Christ was enuIciating the great
truth that the primal duties of life
should not be sidetracked or pushed tc
the rear on account of the secondary
or the more unimportant duties. 1T is
not that you desire to avoid right
things, but you say. Suffer me first t
do the inferior; then l shall be ready
for the superior. Suffer me first tC
take care of myself Suffer me first t
take care of my household. Suffer me
first to look after this enterprise, anc
then No. This constant habit OF
humbling the higher and making il
subordinate to the lower, this constant
preference OF the inferior TO the su
perior. works Generalization. A MAI
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 to do the lesser thing The
moment that is done there will be an
other Suffer me first in its place. And
so we shall put the inferior duties in
the place of the higher duties and &c
through life and fail at last" This
comprehensive view of my text is,
am convinced, its true Interpretation
These words of Christ need to be re.
membered in other situations than be
side the bier of dead parent. They
have a warning lesson for any mar
who is postponing his duties TO hii
Lord until he has fulfilled his obliga
tons to the world or to society-to an!
one who fails in his higher duties
through selfshness or sloth.
Neglected Obligations.
Sidetracked obligations TO God. w
see them everywhere. We see then
Rrst in the excuses which the youni
man makes when he is fitting himsel
by education 10 enter the battle of life