The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-05-22

Many first shall be last and the last
first.--Matt., xix, 80.
A very rich young man, touched
with desire to do good, with a mo-
mentary enthusiasm for a higher and
better life, came to Jesus and said to
Him: Good Master, what good thing
shall | do that l may have eternal
life?" Our Lord put him to the test
instantly:
If thou would be perfect 60 sell
that thou hast and give to the poor
and come follow me-"
What Jesus meant is clear. OBJ
servance of the negations Of the old
commandments--th "Thou shalt
nots"--is not enough. A man must,
in very truth, love those about him if
he would enter the kingdom of heav-
en-. That kingdom is composed of men
and women like ourselves, OF those
with whom we come in contact daily,
but bound together by the bond of
love and service.
When Peter heard his comrades
murmuring in dismay, "Then who can
be saved?" he came to the front. as
he was so often wont to do, to put
the matter right and retrieve the stu
alton. I'VE have forsaken ALL" he
said, 'and followed Thee What shall
we have, therefore?" Jesus answers
Peter in such way as to reprove his
heart, warns him not to misunder-
stand His meaning and adds the
prover5, MANY first shall be last and
the last first" and then expounds the
proverb by the story of the household
er who hired men to work in his Vine
yard.
Peter held the common Jewish no
ton that the kingdom of God was for
Israelites only. Israel was Gods
chosen people. He had called them
into His vineyard and made coven-
ant with them to labor there, and if
they labored there, if they kept His
laws, their wages should be glorious
kingdom They had been called at
the outset and had borne the burden
and heat of the day. To admit at the
last hour Gentiles also to an equal
share of the wages for which they
had labored would be an injustice to
them.
What is true of the nations is true
of individuals. God judges not alto
gether as man judges. He does not
say to man: do just so and so and
| will give you such and such wages
God asks after many things of which
men cannot judge-the circumstances
of a mans life, the temptations of his
nature, the thoughts of his heart. And
the world is full enough, God wot, of
those who have not the tenth nor the
hundredth part of our blessings, men
and women born and bred in crime
and shame, infected with disease,
cursed with ignorance, blasted by the
inheritance from evil parents of doubly
fierce passions of wickedness, CON
taminated from infancy by corrupt and
foul associations.
Our faith, our knowledge, our com
forts, our health, our strength. our
wealth, our elevating and enlarging
environments are trust which God
has given us that we may care for
those that are without them. Even as
Christ forgot Himself for our sakes, so
He commands us to forget ourselves
.or their sakes. All that we have
came from God, all that we are He
has given us, and as He has given us
many blessings so He will ask, of us
much labor Of love- Let us not think
that at the last great day we may
plead that our lives have been better
than those Of these poor creatures.
born in sin and misery, and that hence
our lot hereafter should be better
than theirs.
Rather God will say Il gave thee
all these good things, therefore thou
eanst not plead them as thy merits.
What has thou done for these, my ig-
norant, suffering children whom in
trusted to thy care ?''-John p. Peters.