The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-12

a right to subpoena your time and your sacrifice, just as Caesars courier had a right to compel the Hebrew to protect him when he was carrying the royal message over the Judaean hills. This au- thority is the church. 1t has a right to come to you in the home in the store anywhere you may be-and say: "God wants your money. God wants your time. God wants your personal sacrifices. Come with me for at least one mile. Now Christ says: "In the name of the church you should not only be willing to go one mile for Gods church. you should be willing to go the twain mile. Yet now few people are willing to give up their money and time and personal sacrifices for the church of God as they ought!
 You seem to nave time for almost every other line of work on earth put that of the church. l go to you today and say: Mrs So-and-so, 1 do wish you would come and work in our Sunday school. l have one of the finest classes of girls you ever saw There are almost twenty girls in it. They are just at the critical age of life If we can only hold them for five or six years longer they will make grand workers for God. But they must have the right kind of a teacher Will YOU come?" And inevitably l hear an an- swer something like this: "Oh I can't come That means I will have to get up early Sunday morning and always be there You had better ask some one else who can be more faithful and better fitted for that work than l." And so l am put off from getting the right kind of teacher for my Sunday school, just as nearly all pastors and Sunday school superintend- ents are put off. The average church members are willing to go the first mile for God in the church. They are ready to attend Sunday morning service-that
 t.. Iat md atl " soon as the benedlction Is pronounced but they are not willing to go the twain mile. They are not willing to give whole hearted service, consecrated service, en- tire service to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ Now, my brother, what au- thority should have prior claim upon your services to the authority of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ?
 The chief purpose for which the church was started was the saving of souls Could any work be more important? Some years ago I saw an officer of the law pursuing a thief A carriage drove by without one moments hesitation the officer com manded the driver to halt. He leaped into the carriage, took the reins and hit the horse with the whip. He made that horse run at full speed after the fleeing thief. You say at once: That is right. The officer had perfect right to do that" Well, my friends, then I would ask you this question If that officer had a right to take a man and his carriage and pursue a IIeeing thief. has not my Lord and my God a right to summon you to come and work in his church. where Christian people are working and pray ing in order to develop boys and girls and men and women so that they will not become thieves and social outcasts? Is the fireman's work, who rushes to burn ing building, any more important than that of Sir Humphry Davy, who man ufactures the little mining lamp, that there may not be fatal explosion in the mine?
 The Country's Gall.
 But I cannot close without speaking one or two words with direct reference to Caesars couriers. Christ is here enun- ciating the doctrine he preached to the Pharisees when he said. Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars as well as to God the things which are Gods" Shall<we not in the best and in the truest sense. be sublimely submissive to our city and state and national gov ernment? And yet. when our country is calling us and needs our aid, how many of US turn deaf ears to those calls! For the peace and happiness of our dear na-