The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-12
4 !" Follow, Me-


Viii Selected for The Times Dispat cl,.) 35
SgS8""And He saith unto them, Follow Me !.
and they stra igh tway4 left their nets mid
followed Ban.'"'-St. Matt. ~: 1920. N
1t Is morning upon the shining Lake OF
Gennesaret. he hills are bright around
the lake, the fleecy clouds drift in tho
sapphire sky and the lake itself all ll',!-
pies, was dancing in the sunshine. Every
thing was full of life and hope and youth
And i Jesus, walking by tho Sea Of
Galiee; saw two brethren, Simon. called.
Peter. and Andrew, his brother, casting q
net into the sea for they were fishers.
And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and
i I will make YOU fishers Of men,. And
they straightway left their nets and fol-
lowed Him. III n vi. i
They went out Of the old life into the
new: went. to a. friendshp and. q .sDyori,
which were to fill their days with de-
light and inspiration. They went to now:
thoughts, neW hopes, new duties. S33e5j3
~ But6dldI they get, nothing else? Are
they not iburneded with dangers they did dc
theyfnot burdened with dangers 7 hoy q did
loyal to this new Master involved 4 the
chance to be also dlsloyal to Him. q
privilcge OF faithfulness carries with titt
the peril OF unfaithfulness.
And SO 1t is with every call W TIL every!
privilege. 10 the rich man there re-
turn health. AS he leaps from his bed
and goes back into outdoor life, does
there not come a power Of actlva>,w
edness as well as active goodness?
III no the poor man wealth is given. Ni,.y
he not develop nleanness as we'll MS
charity? TO the childless God gives Sany
heir. All the sins OF fatherhood as VOL
as its noble virtues become possible whom
he first takes that child into his arms
No wonder that to any serious MAJ,
privilege becomes a solemn thing. There
| is where sin is born there is the first
opening Of the chance of sin. No worde.
that tho answer to a call from Coils
spoken with lips that tremble with fear,
while they burn with love. No Wondar
that a man sits In his enriched life
hardly knowing whether he I IS glad or
sorry awcd or oppressed by tho blessings
bestowed in answer to his prayer.
Will you, therefore, reject the prlvi-.
lcges which bring such dangers With
thcm? There are two kinds Of fear one
mean and paralyzing, tho other roble
and stimulating. There may be danger,
but to tho manly sort there. comes a
softncss which Is breezy and not despair.
1t IS life itself which is the dangerous
privilege. The chance to sin lies wrap
ped UP In the very fact that We arc men,
Tic could not have lofty hopes ofsheavcll
without having also the haunting fearto
hell. There Is the only real light we get
on tho problem OF evil. It is unthlnkable
that IL man should have tho chance OF
being good without the other chance Of
being bad, Norman can escape that issue
till he escapes life Itself En-
You may disown this or that spsclnl
call which comes to You, and osscem to
have escaped the danger OF those special
sins which were awaiting You down those
paths, but still your human life remains.
sull While YOU live youi,must be .,ood
or bad 53 N III &, II 6
How wonderful Is this human nature,
which. in q word, ia filled with this
truth; still with moral. blloyancy ia kes iup
Its privileges with undyng hope!
Wonderful Is that ineradicabe heroisn,
OF humanity, which makes danger q necr
essary element of Joy. The wsest men
go out with life. not with depression, but
with serious joy, bearing within than
their consciousness OF privilege. nads
critical, made pathetic, made even glopl-
ps by their possibility of wickedness "a
There is a tu.ni in every life when the
Christ calls. Have you heard your cal?
You do not deny the call hut how TO
carry IT out? YOU have nothing to do
| with that. Il. AZ s5j ri Ss3S
Follow INT is loving, but It's inl-
| perative us well, You may say. llay
mean q great tax upon my strength, II
may mean rash adventure, may
4 not be equal to the OCCASION"
4 The call does not end With "Fo|oW
Me- He who spoke these words added
others, which still every inisglyng Of he
modest heart. Those others are u Az
Y make YOU He who gives the call gives