Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-23

WV Dhi 'Niib WILL eSpuh S'O' UNIV WIN
about. A poor laborer with a large
family broke his leg. Then the good
mans friends decided to hold a prayer
meeting TO ask God to care for his help
less servant. The meeting was con-
Quoted by n Deacon Brown. Hardly
had the meeting got under way when
there was q knocking at the sick
mans door. "Is Deacon Brown inf"
asked n husky, growing youth. well,
father wanted me to tell him he did
not have time to attend the meeting
today. He had to work. But he has
sent his prayers and they are out in the
cart" The prayers that were sent were
piled in an old farm wagon. These
prayers consisted of big bags of pota-
toes and beef and -four. So when st.
John prayed he prayed with his hands
and feet as well ms with his lips. lie
did not worship God as did the devo-
tees In the temple of Ino, who always
worshiped their deity by going to sleep;
but he was ready to toll and labor for
his daily bread. as every other man
ought TO be.
st. John Was Practical.
"Well," you ask, chow do you make
st. John out to be such n practical
man? How do you know he was care
full about his money matters and care
full TO provide clothing and a home?
Does the Bible teach us thati I never
heard of st. John being a capitalist or
careful about his money matters"
Yes. my friends, | think the Bible tells
us that st. John was very prudent and
careful about the practicalities of life.
Here is the picture: Christ Is dying;
the great drops of agony are wrung
from his brow; grOan after groan es-
capes his lips, he has only Il few hours
more Of life. To whom Is he going to
intrust the care Of his mother? All the
poets n the painters and the theo-
lOgians love 10 describe the helpless
ness Of Mary the Virgin when Jesus
was about to be born. Tell me-, was
she as helpless then, with the big.
brawny Joseph by her side, as she was
or the day of the cru~cifxion. when, as
a broken down, helpless widow, she
knelt at the foo of the cross to see
her divine Son diei Tell me, where
al you find in all history a picture so
pathetic as that crucifxion scene of
Mary in her desolation and helpless
ness? All, yes; the most pathetic scene
in all the Bible to me is hat broken
hearted widow watching the dying
agony Of her divine Son. Agony of
Christ finds its echo In agony Of ma
ternal heart; dying gasp OF Jesus is
answered by the moaning cry Of this
mother, who swoons away. Now,
Christ was God, but Christ was also
man, and Christ did for his mother
just what you and l would do for ours
if we had been in his place. He want
ed to put her in the care of n who
would never neglect her and never let
her want. He did not give her to
Peter; lie was not sure of Peter; Peter
was not steady enough. But he gave
her to the faithful John. He practical
ly said: John, I know you will never
neglect her; l know you will clothe
her and feed her and give her a home
to shelter her weary head. Look after
her for my sake"
Let us learn to be like the practical
John. A man cannot be n true Chris.
tian and be simply n theoretical Chris.
tian: he must be a practical Christian
He must know that it is his duty &c
work for his daily bread. He must
make an honest struggle to pay his
butcher, his grocer and his %clothier's
bill and to care for those Of his own
household, or else he Is no Christian al
all. What does James write? He says
your faith must go hand in hand with
your works. Your faith can no more
live without works han your hand car
liye after it has been amputated from
the arteries Of the arm. Faith, if il
hath not works, is dead" st. John
was a practical worker as well as q
Patmos seer.
But there are still two more thoughts
to which l would call your attention
The first is. John was ready to give VI
all for Christ; for Christ's sake he was
ready to break the home ties and &C
into a foreign land as a missionary
and even to yield up his life. Are yor
and l willing to do SO much fol
Christ? Perhaps we are too old tC
become foreign missionaries or minis
ters Of the gospel; then the next bes'
plea that l make is this: Are you will
ing to give your children up for the
service of the Master. as John went t
minister to the seven churches o.
Asia?
In the Masters Service.
"Oh," says some one. Il have nothing
to do in reference to my children en-
tering the missionary or the ministerial
fields. That call must come from God
l do not believe in parent made minis
tiers or in parent made missionaries.
The parents have more to do with tn,
children's conservation of themselve:
than o think. The reason we have
not our theological seminaries crowd
ed with students today is because thu
parents are not sending their children
there. How are the parents to scnC
them there? BY consecrating thei,
children's lives to the Masters servic,
at their very birth and by keeping OF
consecrating their children to God
service every day Of their school years
Then these children cannot help enter
ing the Masters service any more thar
the brothers and the sisters Of Henri.
Ward Beechcr could help entering tina
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