The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-12-14

Surely 1t Is the same rs the fathers.
The father no more than the son, tne
son no less than the father, exists for
that home. 1t Is this mutual instinct
OF being supported and supporting
which makes us sing, There is no
place like home:'
So here. again the axiom Of the
earthly relationship we call home is
true for the celestial relationship we
call religion This is the extension OF
the old Fifth Commandment in re-
ligion-"Love your enemies and pray
for them that persccute you: that We
may be SONS of your Father who is In
heaven: for He makcth His sun to rise
on the evil and the good, and Sendeth
raip on the just and the unjust"
Like God the Father, the Son must
have a love that is boundleSs ungrudg-
ing and gratuitous. The family. not
one favorlte here and another there.
but all the members must receive with
out bias. be blessed without prejudice,
be cared for without favoritism. The
son must live SO that 10 man can be
poorer, no woman sadder. no child
more wretched for aught he has done
or left undone. He must live so that
through his words and deeds men may
see truth. reverence. purity. and pos
sess the means Of happiness, and he
must so live not for profit, prudence or
popularity; he must so live, though It
means 4 curse, crown OF thornS ana
cross.
And if we seek to know what that
means. what sOnShip involves. we 90
to Him who taught us TO say Our
Father" His life is just spent in 60
ing about doing good: He does sodnuch
for the imperfect. the defectiv the
degenerate that He gets the nici Ime
Of friend Of publicans and SimrrS.
He never bears grudge, He never
remembers an insult. He never seems
to see anything in the men about Him
but their need of the good things He
has to give away. And He gives. gives
until when He comes to die He has
nothing worth gambling for but His
c!oak-the enc that was pure white,
woven without seam. That day. th|
day He died. the men He had lived
for led Him away like 4 lamb to tie
slaughter. And while they were 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 tlnng in the
world. 1t has been said. BE afraid or
the love that loves you; it is either
YOUR heaven or your hell. The lives Of
men are never the same after they
( have let themselves be loved; II the!
are not better they are worse. For TINS
is the mystery Of love. its paradox
while it is the greatest thing in the
world it Is the most help!ess% Fd 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
keep his sons heart clean and white.
but all his paternal passion cannoA
check that sons mad pace. II the boy b
lust take the bit between his teeM
| and drag him along rhe edge Of the
home: a despot might compel his sub
ject to come back, q father can only
wait, and watch and keep open the
door.
We shrink to apply all we know OF
the weakness Of human love to the
divine. Yet it.was through man the
Father made His love plain to us. tSe
came. the Christ. to His own and they
| received Him not. He loved His own,
loved them to the end, and yet at the
end they deserted Him, betrayed Him,
hung Him on a cross.
You remember the Tuesday before
the Friday when they nailed Him be-
| tween two thieves. He was standing
in the temple at Jerusalem. Did He
love that fair, rebellious city? You
may never know how great was that
love, Could He save that imperllied
city? Jerusalem had bound loves
hands with indifference 50 that He
could not reach out to rescue her; she
| had fethered His feet with hate so that
He could only stand still and watch her
sinking into the gulf that Titus was to
| die. Stand close to the Christ rs He
speaks-you see He is draining love
bitterest cup: He is realizing loves
heiplesSneSS. "itsis the wall OF 4 heart
wounded because its love has been
despised" and it cannot avert the doom
which impends over those it loves.
"Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. how often
would I have gathered thy children
as q hen gathered her chickens. and
We would not Behold, your house is
leSt unto you desolate.'
70 sum up. it is serious thing to
believe in the Fatherhood of God, be-
cause this belief involves sonship, and
sonship involves brotherhood. and
brotherhood involves living for the
spirit behind things. for the higher
life. the eternal kind. on which death
lays 10 hand, on which the grave has
no claim.
For this higher life, in the Fathers
name l claim you. You have perfect
pattern of it in Jesus; you have per-
feet helper in Gods Spirit, which is
yours for the asking. You b2Sln 10
live the life by doing something for me
man next you just because God IS his
Father and yours.