The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-08-02

hearts. Why Because love took q
step beyond duty.
Jesus put His new standard OF SER
vice In Christian life In the words OF
| which our text Is a part. Jesus
causes the servants who had been
faithful to every detail OF their duty,
10 say: We are Improbable SER
wants, We have done that which was
| our duty TO do" Listen Not profit
able servants because they had done
their whole duty. but Improbable be-
cause they had done only their duty.
What a transformation of values was
that! No one ever heard such teach
ing before. The, wise men OF all ages
and all races never said anything like
that. They all taught that duty was
the supreme thing. Nothing greater.
A man was to be commended when
he did his duty. But Jesus takes the
final step into the realm beyond the
point OF duty. and bids us follow. We
are Improbable servants, for We
have done only our duty. What does
IL mean? IL means that n man is not
man unless he does his duty. It
means that the very least a man can
| do and maintain his respect In the
sight OF God and his own conscience
is to do his duty. That is, the least
person can do according TO the
teaching and life OF Jesus: not the
most, as the worldly pagan philoso-
| piers would have us believe-and
some OF the Christians also. For the
| fulfllment of the obligations o6 home
and OF life. of morality. OF brother
hood. of religion and the church. no
praise is deserved These are duties
We are Improbable servants II we
! have done only what we are COM
PEELED TO do.
Christian duty is not measured by
demand, or opportunity. or even by
ability. This is partially realized in
the world of business. The young
man who does only what is absolute
ly required of him. is not the one
who succeeds and wins the employ
er's commendation. He who does
more than his duty is the one who
forges ahead. He never gets very
far or becomes OF great value to life
who does only what passing oppor-
tunity permits him to do. But he
who hustles to find opportunities,
and II they are not forthcoming
makes them, is the one who gives
worth to life. II is even thus In re-
ligious life and work We are un-
profitable servants in the sight Of
God, If we have done only that which
II was our duty to do, and have never
tasted the depths OF sacrifice. Some-
times we do not realize IL; neverthe-
less 1t Is true that not even ability
limits duty. That seems strange. Is
man ever asked to do more than
apparently he Is able to do? Yes.
Jesus did not limit duty by a poor
mortais ability. The power OF tho
omnipotent God was the limit, and
that power Is illimitable. Does Il
seem impossible to break that habit,
that sin, which has been undermining
your moral constitution and throt-
tling your spiritual life? You say
you are not able to do Il. The obli-
cation to do 1t still exists. Does IL
seem impossible for the Christian
church to conquer the evil I'm the
world and bring the message OF the
Master to all mankind? often we
hear Christians say. 1T cannot be
done" But the obligation Is still
there.
Christian duty Is measured by
human need. Wherever there Is need
Of help; wherever there is need OF
reform; wherever In this harsh world |
there Is need OF sympathy and love;
Wherever strong hands are needed TO |
lift SHINING humanity from the |
depths, and brave hearts TO carry the |
message Of the Cross into darkness. |
There Is the duty OF the Christian |
church-at home or abroad, in pub
lic or in private life. It matters not. |
Fidelity to the Master means the |
taking OF the step one point beyond |
the limit OF the ordinary conception |
or duty-even TO the point OF sacri-
fee. William Carey took that step
when he left his homeland and faced
the terrors OF India into which no
white man had ever penetrated with
the Gospel. According to no stand
ard OF conduct the world then recog-
niZed was 1t his duty thus TO throw
his life into jeopardy. Clara Barton
took II. as she staunched the flowing
blood upon the battle fields. John
Patton took II. when he faced the
cannibals OF the South Sea Islands.
According TO what standard OF con-
duct was IL that heros duty 20 re-
main among that beastly people after
he had seen five OF his fellow mis-
sionaries butchered and eaten: after
he had. with his own hands, close by
the corner OF the house I'm the coral
beds, dug the grave for his dear wife
and little one, victims OF the terrible
fever, according TO what standard OF
conduct was It his duty TO stand
alone among those heather peoples?
None that the world knew. All but
the noble man, so lately gone TO his
reward, was living by the standard OF
that one who bore the worlds sin and
sorrow, and whose loving heart was
broken one gloomy night in Geth-
OF Nazareth, who
gave TO life the new standard OF con-
duct, the new conception OF duty,
rooted In love. Patton tells us I'm his
wonderful autobiography that IL was
Gods strength alone made him suf-
icient for these things. In his own |
words, But for Jesus andsthe fell
Iowship He vouchsafed me there.
must have gone mad and died beside
hat lonely grave"
Christian duty is made potent by
ba will ~ man I.y Tho .,..,o.. |