The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-02-03
The PULPIT.
an ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON sY
CHAPLAIN CLARK. or The
NAVAL ACADEMY. nE

II. ID, chaplain or the United States
Naval Academy az Annapolis. Ii is,
entitled The Unlooked.For lucre-
ment" and was preached from the
text:
Behold. l have done according 10
Thy words; 10, | have given thee n
wise and understa nding heart. And
have also given thee that which thou
hast not asked Ill Kings. I'll, 1913.
Solomon's request is surprise.
Left 10 the prOmpungs Of ambition il
,s not characteristic Of men 10 ask for
simple gifts or few. The natural re-
quest would have been for the things
the King did not ask-long lie riches,
honor, victory over enemies. Instead
the request was simple and unselhsh.
II was made with a most becoming
humility. IL was for wise and under
standing heart. This would be enough.
Then came the Jehovah's answer: IL
Laye given thee a wise and understand
Ing heart. And l have also given thee
that which thou hast not asked" This
was Increment, increase, that solomon
had not counted on.
How much is involved IN doing the
right thing at the outset. Somehow
first things take hold on last things.
The energy of the first block the child
pushes over IN the row is not expended
I'LL the last block is down. The first
branches YOU bend and tie into shape
make way for ,he beauty and sym
metry of the full grown tree. The
shipbuilder can tell from the keel that
Is laid the sort OF ship that is going 10
be built. From the dimensions OF
growing columns the architect can
quickly estimate the weight OF arches
or dome. So God sees in some simple,
honest prayer We may offer the be-
ginning Of all we may ever achieve of
knowledge. goodness, service: sees in
1t all our life shall ever mean 10 our
selves and other fellow-men. Wonder
ful are the connections be ween 6rst
things and last!
Ii is. too, an immea surable satisfac-
tiOn that when we have done the right
act, said the right word, offered the
right prayer, put ourselves in the right
attitude in anything our responsibility
ceases. Then the way of Divine PrOvi-
dence is opened in our lives. solomon
made just the right prayer; then God
gave him what he had not asked.
How this simplifes life. We have
only TO do the right thing at the right
time; the rest takes care of itself. In
ordinary circumstances we all know
well enough what the right thing is
in the Old Testament well-knOwn
character said Il. being In the way.
the Lord led me-" The secret Of IL
was that ElieZer started on the right
road; then the Lord led him 10 the
well. The happy outcome we all know.
When our prayer is: "Make me true
TO this work, this demand, this occa-
sion, this duty" using the light we get
we need give ourselves no further trOu-
bic. Results are not in our hands.
The disciples all began their careers
by the use OF this method. Without
thought Of what was 10 come, they
simply obeyed the Masters call. His
command was: Follow Mew and
Etraightway Simon and Andrew left
the net they were casting into the
lake. and James and John the net they
were mending in the boat, and followed
Him. So with all the others. They
left what they were doing TO DO what
Christ told them 10 do. They had no
more conception Of what was TO follow
than the child Shakespeare or the child
Milton had of what was TO follow his
learning of the alphabet. In the sim
plest, honestest manner the disciples
put themselves in right relations TO
Christ, and their act changed the
tOurse OF history.
Admiral Farragut touched this truth
Oh another side. In the darkest days
Of the Civil War the President called
him TO Washington for consultation.
The people were finding fault with this
General and that General, with the
President, with pretty much every
thing. one evening in n large com
pany the Admiral sat listening TO the
complaints Of the hearthstone warriors.
At length he said in quiet tones, but
with the strength Of moving fleets in
them: Il have one great advantage
] have only TO 20 where I am sent"
The thing i'm hand occupied him ab-
sorbingly. wholly. What he sought
was the wise and understanding heart !
for the present duty; the rest was in !
the Almighty's hands.
Great men for the most part have !
been as simple-hearted as Solomon in |
his prayer. They placed the emphasis !
not on what they wanted 10 do, but on !
what they wanted 10 be: not on dreams |
of life. but on fitness for life. They |
took the same ship. so 10 say. in the |
beginning from which they dsem- |
barked in the end, though they were as
ignorant Of the voyage before them & |
Solomon was of the coming events OF |
bis reign.
There are many things we desire |
about which we need not much concern /
ourselves If we make use OF this prin.
ciple. Solomon. for example, did not |
ask for long life; yet long life was
Involved in a wise and understanding
heart The man who sets cut 10 do his
duty in all respects should not trouble
himself about the number Of his days.
Let him live the life, and, whether il |
be long or short, IL is n life. But the
chances are that il will be 'ong II has
been noted In armies that the men who
are fussiest about living are frequently
the men who do not pull through.
%enophOn noted this fact more than
200 years ago. In the Anabasis. We
tecOllsA, when Clearchus and other
leading Greek Generals had been slain
In the tent Of Tissaphernes through the
bad faith Of the Persiaus the Greek
army, in the heart of the enemy's
country. was greatly discouraged
Then XenOphOn addressed the army
In words Ike these: II have observed
this. - men. that as many rs desire
10 live by all means i'm military az
fairs. these for the most part die COW.
ardly and disgraced. But as many as
recognize that death is common and
necessary 90 all men. and strive 20 die
nonOrably. see these. by some means
or other, arrive AZ old age. and while
they live live successfully"