The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-09


Christ indicated when he had the rich
Young ruler OF the east to surrender his
possessions. Christ practically said to
this would-be disciple. Young man, I'M
loose your gold ana silver, your farms and
plantations and your herds from off your
back. Go and sell all that thou hast and
give to the poor. Then down on your
knees at the mercy seat, as an unioaded
camel crawls through the needles eye,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven
and come and follow me-" o man, today
are you ready to lay your open pocket
book at the Masters feet as we'll as your
prayers?
The Needles Eye.
Personally | do not see how any one
can make any other Interpretation out
of this text Some commentators declare
that this passage of Scripture means,
IF any man trust in riches it is as IL
possible Cor him to enter the kingdom of
God as for a great, big, huge, long neclxed,
thick Tipped, hUmpbacked crooked limbed
camel to go through the eye of a sewing
girls needle" Others assert that the
Greek word for camel translated in
broad sense means ''csble rope" even as
the three English letters low on the one
hand might mean a row of cabbage heads
in a vegetable garden and, on the other
hand a barroom fight. These latter two
substantives are spelt in the same way
as the Greek word for camel which some
times signifies a Gamble rope" But l
take the third Interpretation of the COM
mentators. | take the third because to
my mind as a traveller in the east | think
the door or needles eye cut into one of
the great. gates of Jerusalem and into the
great gates of other eastern cities is the
only rational smile. With my own eyes
l have seen the needles eye, that very
door about which Mark says Christ spoke
And in Imagination 7 saw a great grunt-
ing groaning camel being pulled through
on. his beaded knees All see him tug at
the rope ana jerk back his head. See him
fight and bite See in that symbol of the
camel the rich man struggling to hold on
to and to grip his gold, refusing to bend
the knee to Christ.
Merchant is it not harder for you to
feel your dependence upon God now since
you have made financial success in life
than when you were financially poor?
When as a poor farmers boy you start
ed for the great city to make a living you
then felt your dependence upon God.
There was no doubt about it. You prayed
hard the night before you left home that
God would care for you. In the railroad
train just before entering the depot you
put your head upon your hand in the car
seat and said: Lord, lead me. l am alb
solutely weak and helpless. Lead me-.
Do you make that prayer now? With a
big bank account and a home upon a fine
boulevard and multitudes of friends, do
you get down on your knees every day,
like a camel going through the eye of
the needle, and say: Lord, thou who
dost feed the birds of the air and elothe
the lilies of the filed, clothe and feed me,
guide me, protect me. l am helpless
without thee?" Do you make that prayer
daily? Oh rich man. rich in money, but
poor in grace, down on your knees. Down
on your knees in supplication. Lift high
er today the throne of God by bending
low over the lowest throne step. Down,
rich mani In the name of Jesus. DOWN.
How to Get Through.
The needles eye of the Jerusalem gate
is very low. I also find that it is very
narrow Not only does the camel have
to bend his knee to get through it, but
he also has to have his packs taken off
his back. If this is not done the camel.
with its distending loads hanging upon
its sides like our grandfather's saddle
bags on horse, could not get through
the narrow door. The rich man cannot
get through the needles eye of the king
dom of God unless he stops carrying
around with him his great packs of mea-
nesses and contemptibilities and selfish
actions, with which often he is accus-
toned to deal with his fellow men. And
yet how hard 1t must be for rich man
to be absolutely just and kind and truth
full and forgiving to those whom he meets
in the ordinary walks of life. Indeed, the
more / see Of rich men the more | feel
that, as far as their dispositions are con-
cerned, they are in the unenviable posi-
ton of those who were brought up as an
only child in a family and have every
temptation under the sun to make them
spoiled children and spoiled men,
There was not very much chance of you
and your brothers and sisters becoming
mean and selfish when you were young
You were only one of nine children. Your
father was a farmer. All the boys and
all the girls had to do their full share
of work. You not only had to divide the
home labors, but you also had to share
your toys and your pleasures with each
other. If a box Of candy came into the
house you were not allowed to grab
handful If there were three crullers
upon the table and six children you did
not have three or two or even one. You
only had a half. Each child had as much
as you had, and you had as much as the
rest; no more, no less When you went
off to the city school you took turns and
went off In patches. You did not all go
together You waited your turn and
helped each other to an education You
shared each others bed You halyed
each others sorrows. You doubled each
others Joys. Oh. 1 feel sorry for the
man or the woman who did not have the
blessed training of growing up amid
big family Of brothers and sisters!
First '0es of SeIfishness.
Selfshness? In those days you did not
know what sefshness was. You did not
have wife to wait on you, as some of
us have now. And you, grown woman
you remember the first time you awoke
to what a truly selfish life meant. A lit
tie cousin visited your fathers home
She was an only child. Instead of letting
you play with her doll she kept 1t all to
herself When she had a box of candy
she would eat a piece and then put the
rest away In her bureau drawer If she
went for carriage ride she always want
ed TO drive or else she would cry If there
was game she always wanted to be
the leader or else she would not play.
She was selfish; she was just mean and
contemptibly selfish. You could not UNI
derstand her actions until your molner
took you In side room and said: May
| am sorry that you and Helen cannot
play happily together But you must be
very patient with your cousin. Remem-
ber' she is an only child. Remember, at
nome everything she wants is given to
her, and no one ever crosses her. You
must be patient with her. my daughter.
She has been spoiled, and she Is not alone
to be blamed for it,"
The rich man may not ,e all to blame
for being selfish. AS the eastern camel
goes swinging along with his head high
up and cares not what little child he
may Kick in the street. so the rich man