The Washington herald., 1907-12-08
A SUNDAY TALK.

And the vessel hat he made of clay hlarred IN
the hand Of the potter. that he made il again
make IL.
Then the word Of the Lord came to me saying:
o house OF Israel. cannot / do with you this
potter saith the Lcrd. Behold as the clay is in
the potters hand. 50 are SO in mine hand. house
Of Israa-Jeremiah xviii 56.7.
One Of the very Oldest figures OF speech
in all literature is that which, seeking TO
compare the divine origin OF man with
some material thing. goes 10 the work
shop Of the potter for IT'S illustration.
Many times throughout the Holy Scrip
lures you shall find the simile used but
perhaps nowhere more directly than In
the verses quoted above. left TO US by the
prophet jeremiah.
To those who read the Bible carelessly.
regard Il indifferently. or seek TO use
isolated passages from the Scriptures to
square their own peculiar beliefs or some
course of action that needs justification
to their own consciences, such passages
as this from jeremiah have often proved
stumbling block.
The comparison Of the Creator 10 a
potter. and we as individuals to the pots
u
the philosophers of an older day. and
has always been used as a sort OF argu-
ment In favor of the material. Old Omar
carried the argument To its extreme, TAX
ing his theory from those who had gone
before him and "as phophets burned. 4"
The philosophical view OF the matter has
tended always 10 relieve the minds OF
those who held It OF responsibility for in
divldual action. This was old Omar's
conclusion. You remember his quatraln-
Why. cried another. some there he who tell
OF one Who threatens be viii toss 70 he'll
The iucklcss Pots he marred IN making;
Pishi He's good fellow. and twill all Be well
To find any comfort In such doctrine
argues an utter disregard Of the teach
ings of history and a disbelief IN the
Word of God. 1t is not true: It never has
been true. in spite Of all the learned
dis, uis!tiOns OF scientists, that He, the
Creator Of all good-if for the sake OF
making His work comprehensive TO our
finite minds He be prehgured of a potter
could have maTred in the making any
OF Us To hold contrary belief is 10
blame God for the evil that IS In the
world and which is distinctly anc solely
I
Always it must be understood that our
salvation lies not in the hands OF the
potter. but in our own We are not here
for ornament or 10 be used by others
We are not mere insenSate clay nodded
TO rigid form and bound down by i'm
mutable laws 10 merely one use In His
own image he made us ard endowed US
with qualities SO nearly divine that by
their proper use We may hope some day
"a become worthy 10 take place by His
sioe. The divine gift OF life. with which
no potter can endow his pots, is ours.
/ The power TO use il Is ours, with the
I privilege Of abusing il. Il we choose to
pay the price.
Instead. then. OF regarding life as sim
I ply TO be lived from day 10 day. we
should all have mind as TO the direction
I In which il tends AS the Latins had IL.
"Qualis rex. tails grex''-as life is so Is
I its end. And that thought il behooves
as 20 have with Us during every waking
! hour. 50 that our Efforts may be directed
not simply in selfiShness toward our own
/ immediate happiness but 90 those higher
things which shall III us when the end
comes, Tor the new life which lies bevond
Let rs trust rather 90 the Scriptures
I than 20 philosophy as our guide In life.
and believe. with Tennyson. that we are
Not only GINNING casts 81 elay,
Let sclClcU move We arr and ttsu
What matters science unto men,
AZ least 20 me. J would n0t s.ay.
Let Him. The yvisr man who s5eings
Hereafter. up tsUn childhood shape
Ills action Ike the grafer ape
Bnt was born 10 other thilgs