Catoctin clarion., 1905-12-14

Given a son, ana what follows?
What must be the true sons concern!
Surely It is the same as the fathers.
The father no more than the son, the
son no less than the father, exists for
hat home. 1t is this mutual instinct
If being supported and supporting
which makes US sing, There Is no
place like homer"
So here, again, the AXIOM. of the
earthly relationship we call nome Is
rue for. the celestial relationship we
,all religion. This is the extension OF
he old Fifth Commandment in re-
igion-"Love your enemies and pray
.or them that persecute you; that ye
nav be sons of your Father who is In
hea ven; for He maketh His sun to rise
IN the evil and the good, and sendeth
ain .on the lust and the unjust"
Like God the Father, the Son must
laye a love that is bOundless. ungrudg-
ng and gratutous The family, not
,ne fayorte here and another there,
out oil the members must receive with
,ut bias be blessed without prejudice,
be cared for without favoritlsm. The
son must live so that no man can be
DOorer,- no woman sadder, no chlio
more wretched for aught he has done
,r left undone. He must live 80 that
through his words and deeds men may
lee truth, reverence, purity, and pos
less the means of happiness, and he
must 50 live not for profit, prudence or
popularity; he must so live, though 1t
| means O curse, crown or thOrnS anu
| | cross.
And il we seek to know what that
means. what sonship involves, we go
Father" His life is just spent in 60
ng about doing good; He does SO much
| 'or the imperfect. the defective, the
| iegenefate, that He gets the nickname
| If friend of publicans and sinners
| lie never bears a grudge, He never
remembers an insult, He never seems
% see anything in the men about Him
but their need Of the good things He
las to give away. And He gives, gives
! until when He comes to die He has
uothing worth gambling for but His
| ,loak-the one that was pure White,
woven without seam. That day, the
| Law He died, the men He had lived
for led Him away like lamb to the
slaughter. And while they We're max
ing the wounds for Him to hang by He
prayed, "Father, forgive them, they
know not what they do"
In the last place, it is serious thing
| TO believe in the Fatherhood OF God,
because it means that Gods perfect.
ness consists in His impartial love, and
love Is the most awful thing In the
| world. 1t has been said, ''Be afraid OF
| the love that loves you; 1t is either
| your heaven or your hell. The lives OF
men are never. the same after they
have let themselves be loved; II they
are not better they are worse. For this
| Is the mystery of love, It's paradox
| while it IS the greatest thing in the
| world it is the most helpless For the
| love of her child. without thought OF
the cost, mother would give her
| own life in exchange; and yet she must
stand at its death bed with helpless
hands when the heart spring unwinds
| and the little life runs down. A father
would give his fortune, his blood to
| keen his sons heart clean and white,
but all his paternal passion cannot
check that sons mad pace, If the boy
lust take the bit between his teeth
and drag him along the edge of the
moral precipce. A son may leave
home: a dpspot might compel his sub
| ject TO come back. n father can only
wait, and watch and keep open the
| door.
We shrink to apply all we know OF
| he weakness of human love to the
| iivine. Yet.it was through a man the
| ;c nloi Hp
,ame, the Christ. to His own and they
'eceived Him no. He loved His own,
owed them to the end, ana yet at the
md they deserted Him, betrayed HIM,
lunS Him Oh cross.
You remember the Tuesday before
he Friday when they nailed Him be-
:ween two thieves. He was standing
II the temple at Jerusalem. Did lie
ove that fair. rebellious city: You
nay never know how great was that
owe. Could He save that imperllPd
,ity? Jerusalem had bound loves
hands with Indifference so that He
could not reach out to rescue her; she
lad tethered His feet with hate so that
lie could only stand still and watch her
sinking into the gulf that Titus was to
| 1ig. Stand close to the Christ rs lie
speaks-you see He is draining love
bitterest cup; He is realizing loves
helplessness, lit is the wall of heart
wounded because It's love has been
lespised" and it cannot avert the doom
which impends over those it loves.
oh. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. how olten
would have gathered thy children
as hen gathered her chickens, ana
sc would not. Behold. your house is
left unto you desolate."
To sum up, it is n serious thing 10
believe in the FatherhOod of God, be.
cause this belief involves sonship, and
sonship involves brotherhood. and
motherhood involves living for the
pirit behind things. for the higher
ife, the eternal kind, on which death
ays no hand, on which the grave has
40 claim.
For this higher life, in the Fathers
lame claim you. You have perfect
oattern of it in Jesus; YOU have per.
feet helper in Gods Spirit. which is
yours for the asking. You begin TO
live the life by doing something for the
man next you just because God is MS