Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-06
Christian Endeavor Hour
Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz.
For Sunday October Z 1906

Lett us; Our ODeQ1ence.' (COnSecrat1On Meet
ing) John xv lit.
From the Twentieth Century New Testament.
II am the True Vine. and my Father is
branches that do not bear fruit, and cleans
every branch that does, that 1t may bear
still more. You are already clean because
Of the teaching that have given you. Re-
main united to me and will remain united
to you. AS a branch cannot bear fruit Of
itself, unless 1t remain united to the vine,
no more can you, unless you remain united
to me. am the Vine, you are the branches.
Those that remain united to me while I re-
main united to them are those who bear
fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing
apart from me. Any one who does not re-
main united to me is thrown away as
branch would be, and withers up. Such
branches collected and thrown into the
fire, and are burnt. II you remain united
to me, and my teaching remains in your
hearts, ask whatever you wish, and you
| shall have it. 1t is by your bearing fruit
plentifully, and SO showing yourselves my
disciples, that my Father is honored. AS
the Father has loved me- SO have / loved
you; keep in my love always. If you lay
my commands to heart, you will keep in my
love; Just as have laid the Fathers COM
mands to heart and always keep in His love.
have told you all this so that my own hap
piness may be yours, and that your happi-
ness may be complete. This is the COM
mand l give you-Love one another, as I
have loved you. No one can give greater
proof Of love than by laying down his life
for his friends. And you are my friends, If
you do what command you. no longer
call you servants, because servant does
not know what his master is doing; but I
have given you the name Of friends be-
cause I made known to you everything that
I learnt from my Father. 1t was not you
| ,l0 1,,% xyIa0o ho T
sent you to go and bear fruit-fruit that
should be lasting, SO that the Father might
grant you whatever you ask as my fol-
lowers. 1 am giving you these commands
SO that you may love one another"
The Lesson.
These closing, lingering, loving words
of Jesus to His disciples are every one SO
precious to US all, because it seems to us
we can understand their vague fears and
heartsickness for Him. We have longed for
Him, too in that visible way that they had
Him, and were about to lose Him. So now,
as He goes down the stairs from the sup
per room, and passes the vine clambering
up the wall in the moonlight, perhaps. He
| touches a leaf. and likens himself to the
vine and us to the branches Could more
| tender, intimate relation be? The branch
| in the vine, dependent upon it for susie
nance, and the vine loving the branches
and giving its very life for them to sus-
! tain them! But II Is ODNlOuS tudG lne
branches must obey the vine, and must
| keep the connection close between them
selves and the vine. They must follow the
| laws laid down by the vine. A branch may
| and grow nearer the top. where 1 can see
over, 1 will not be lower branch" 1t
may only grow upward by staying in its
place and following. the command laid down
by the vine.
| There Is a popular fancy abroad today
| in opposition to teaching children obedi-
ence These new faddists say that every
| human being is free agent, and, there
| fore has u right to regulate his own ac-
| lions, and they believe in reasoning with
children and then leaving them to follow
their own devices If this law were car
ried out by the vine with regard to the
branches some branches might wish to be
| all flowers and no leaves, and the broad
| expanse of foliage which is necessary to
| the good of the whole vine and to the
Lnourishment of the blossoms and fruit
I would ba wanting and the whole vine
might pine away and die. 1t Is absolutely
| necessary in every action to have plan
and head, and obedience to that plan
| and that head If man desired to build
| a house and secured architect and q
lot of carpenters, and then each one Set
| to work to follow his own plan instead of
using that Of the architects there would
be a queer. unlivable house when it was
| completed-if it ever were.
| Jesus is that Head, and We If we will
submit ourselves to His commands. may
| pc a part OF The pSTlSCI WHOlS. Let ne
does not ask us to be blind workmen. do
| ing a days work in a spot and not know
| ing the outcome. He has promised if we
will abide in Him and become part of
himself to let US into His secret plans
and call us friends" not any more ser
wants." or Slaves" as a better transla-
| ton has it. That is the beautiful reward
ing result Of obedience.
| Neither are we lowering ourselves in
| thus submitting to obey, for Jesus, our
| own Head humbled himself and became
| obedient tc His Father
| Now there is perhaps not any other
| command which Jesus could have laid
upon US which would have been at the
| same time more comprehensive and more
| difficult than to Hove one another" It is
| so impossible for us to conceive of loving
| some fellow mortals. For instance the
condescending rich man. not ito the man.
ner born" who offers to pay us for "a
trifling kindness we have done out Of
| mere good will. It is hard to put away
the feeling of insult and love him as we
| think jesus would do. and yet this same
loving is the condition Jesus has made of
| our being His friends.
| Marcus Dods says:
'It is when we disregarded our Lords one
] commandment and try some other kind