The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-01-06
Duties and PRIVILEGES.

Duties and Privileges.
Wherein We greatly rejoice, though
now for a season . ye are In
heaviness through manifold temptations
II Pet. l. 6.
1t is a curious fact that in the New
Testament, which is revelation Of
God to man and equally revelation
of man to himself. the word duty"
should appear only twice.
In the popular conception of religion
there is one very grave mistake-a
mistake which has done much to dis
turb our filial relations with the Al
mighty, and to make the religious life
tiresome routine. sort of a hard
days work for the sake Of the wages
to be received at sunset. Nothing
could be farther from the heart Of the
Christ, and nothing could more ef-
fectually check the generous ardor
With which tried and troubled souls
should seek the divine presence for
advice and succor
We are called the children of God"
do not imagine this to be a figure OF
speech, but the statement Of literal
truth. Well, to draw an illustration
from home life, would you say that it
is the duty of son to love his mother,
or of daughter 10 love her father?
Should the boy feel that while he
ought to love his mother, it is very
difficult to do so, because If he fol-
lowed the bent Of his nature he would
be Indifferent to her?
In like manner, 1t is not a mans
duty to love God; it his inalienable
right and his inestimable privilege.
From the moment when he appreciates
Gods love for him his heart goes out
in unrestralned confidence and trust,
and that confidence and trust are the
cornerstones of the temple in which
he worshiDs And when he comes to
see what this life is for. and how the
Almighty has so arranged events that
he can weave them into wedding
garment to wear in heaven, then he
has the religion which Christ preach
ed, and his gratitude, so far from be-
ing an irksome duty, is as irrepress-
ible as the waters that bubble from
the spring on the mountainside.
While in our relations with God
there are no duties, but one privilege.
in our relations with ourselves and
cur fellowmen there are many of
them, and II often requires an effort
to perform them. For example, ii is
0 duty to love our enemies. and that
is hard; it is a duty to bless them
that curse us, and that Is not easy
and it is duty to resist the tempta-
tons which creep into the soul to
corrupt it. 1t is something Of task
to keep ones self unspotted from the
world, for the spirit Of evil knocks at
the door with gay impudence and
makes thousand promises with no
intention of keeping any one of them.
But even these duties would be
transformed into privileges if we
l.ved on higher religious plane.
Christ alone possessed a perfectly
rounded system of religion. He had
the whole, while we enjoy only
small part 1t was not an irksome
task for him to pray, Father forgive
them: for they know not what they
do''-not in any sense a duty. His
nature was such that he could not
have done otherwise. He lived spirit.
rally on the mountain top. while we
are in the valley Our religion, beau
tiful as it is has still an element OF
the barbaric al It. God Is near us.
always near us, but we have not yet
invited him to occupy our house. We
can be grateful when he does what
we think he ought to do. but when he
does what contravenes our wishes.
cur state Of mind is peculiar and for.
Lidding.
The ideal religion. II the first gray
streaks Of dawn are so inspiring.
what will be the perfect day? When
love of God gives rise 10
love OF man, and real re-
ligion first checks, then destroys the
selfishness which is our bane. and
enables us to cling to him with even
flial affection when dear
cnes are being borne to the church
yard or when misfortune robs us OF
The comforts Of life-and that time is
aurely coming-then duties will be
altogether abolished. and we shall do
his will simply and only because 1t is
better than our own will. and do it