Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11
Gle appeal Of Wi8oom.

DID,, pastor of the First Congregational church,
man spirit and life are made for the moral
1t and find their true worth in harmony
with it. No person can afford to be untrue
to this everlasting moral order. Thus it
comes to be true that the language OF per-
sonified wisdom Is the voice Of God. The
sum and substance of the heavenly Fathers
life are in this language. 1t is the appeal
of the father of the prodigal son. Every
person is a child Of the father, whether the
relationship be acknowledged by the child
or not The horror of sin is in the fact that
children disown a father and fight against
the order of the universe. which was estab-
lished in wisdom. The term of address
found in the text, my son." covers all this
condition 1t has within itself a picture Of
all things, because all things are estab-
lished in wisdom
The term heart" in this expression has
also a peculiarly comprehensive application.
we OIten say Oh a man tHat ne Is d Iudu
of heart" meaning that he has full and
tender sympathy. But the word heart in
the text. and for the most part throughout
the wisdom literature, means all the CEN
1t includes purpose as we'll as love, and am
bition as well as intelligence. The conduct
of a man flows from all that he Is at heart.
In the heart all hypocrisies cease to exist
for there the human spirit stands at the
altar of reality. The inspirations of the
heart are the source of all accomplishment,
for life cannot do more. even by single
grain, than 1t has the power to do at heart
When Wisdom, speaking to men, Its chill
dren, in behalf of God, asks for the heart
the request is the only reasonable one. Life
can do nothing without heart, and cannot
fulfill It's true work unless there be sim
plicity or Wilderness of conservation. Bush
ness. art and literature reveal this truth.
We constantly give ourselves. our time,
strength, resources to subordinate things.
Wisdom asks, and justly, for the supreme
gift. The life should be given to God,
righteousness, duty, humanity. How fool
ish some lives feel after having given them
selves without stint to all manner Of world
ly things. The spirit Of man knows its own
high origin 1t knows that 1t is child and
needs the father. When it steps aside from
the rush of worldly self-seeking into the
quiet of some thoughtful hour it knows that
self-seeking and Indulgence are absolute
folly. There can be no satisfaction from
such life save temporary and deceitful
ones. The ones which will not turn to
ashes are found alone on the perfect sur
render of the heart and life to the life Of
God in the progress of his life through the
universe.
The wisdom literature gives a clear con-
ception of the fact that this supreme gift is
necessary for the right undertaking of the
smallest effort and for the management and
control Of the smallest factors In life. Only
confusion and failure can result from leav-
Ing out the gift of the heart to God The
plain dictate OF Reason when she surveys
all things is that one should seek life with
singieness of purpose which nothing can in
terrupt. Most lives call themselves COM
mon. But every life is linked with all things
high and low. far and near, material and
spiritual. Hence absolutely nothing can
take place in life. which is common and
worthy spirit. The most obscure life is en-
nobled in the common duties Of every day
by the high motive. The glory Of life is not
in its publicity, in Office or fame or power,
but in spirit and motive.
1t is perfectly evident. therefore. where
the conservation of life must begin. We
must not be deceived In this respect Moth
ing of success In reaching the goal Of life
can be found by ignoring the plain appeal
Of wisdom as it has rung out through all
ages for the ears of the weak and tempted,
the hayward and the sinful. The culmina-
ton of the appeal is found on the lips of
Christ when He speaks of the wise virgins
who took oil in their lamps and the foolish
virgins who took no oil in their lamps. His
whole life was an entreaty to be wise and
revelation Of the secret of wisdom. He
showed by His touch on life at all points
that sin was folly and that the sinful need
ed to be saved to wisdom in order to be
saved from sin. He came to do Just that
thing. He has done 1t In thousands Of cases
and is doing 1t today. The tenderness and
saving power of the Masters life. then, are
of the Hebrews, MY son. give me thine
haa ri