The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-07-25
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. G. n. EGGLEsToN
Subject: The Measure of Duty.

she Greenville Reformed Church, Jer-
sey City, on the above theme, the
Rev. G. II. Eggleston, pastor, took
Luke 1910: "We are Improbable
servants, we have done that which It
was our duty to do" as his text. He
said:
In the vocabulary OF Christianity
love Is the supreme word Operating
in life 1t becomes the supreme law.
1t is so because It was supreme in the
life of Jesus. But outside the religion
OF Jesus, duty is perhaps the con-
spicuous word Upon duty the nom
Christian heart lays extreme en-
phasis. Duty. interpretated In terms
of the best each age could produce,
has been the ideal Of life.
To-day the very atmosphere is sur
charged, as ~ an electric current.
with the Importance of faithfulness
to duty That which is in the air of
the age is made tangible continuous
" from pulpit and from press, in
achool and club and home. Ministers
and teachers, leaders in business and
in civic life. are pleading for the en-
thronement of duty in human hearts.
Public sentime ent finding expression
in courts and Investigations and laws,
is being aroused In the interest OF
duty. Traitors to duty are being
branded at their true worth.
We admire the devotion to duty
in that rising nation of the East
which characteristically found ex-
preston in the speech of the captain
of the Japanese battleship Asama,
who said 20 his men as they drank
in turn from a cup of cold water,
bidding each other a last goodbye:
"In sending you on the duty of block
ing the harbor entrance of Port Ar
thur-a duty which affords you only
'ae chance out of a thousand to re-
turn aliye-I feel as If were sending
ny beloved sons. And IL had a hun
Gred sons l would send them all on
such a bold adventure as this; and
had l only one son l should wish to
do the same with him. In perform
Ing your duty, If you happen to lose
your left hand. work with your right;
il YOU lose both hands, work with
both feet: IL you lose both feet, work
with your head, and faithfully carry
out the orders of your commander
What / ask of you all Is to do your
duty regardless of your life. The cup
of water now offer YOU is not meant
to give you courage. u would be
shameful II our men needed courage
to go to the place OF death, 1t is only
to make you representatives OF the
honor OF the Asama. Submit your
life TO the will Of Heaven, and calmly
perform your duty That is the
utterance of the spirit of the age,
crystallized in those nations that
stand in the vanguard of progress.
1t is the emphasis upon duty.
Do we realize what that spirit
would mean IL we had 1t beating in
the life blood of the Christian
church? 1t would mean the purlfica-
ton of our ideals 1t would mean
the strengthening of the Church OF
Jesus in work and worship. 1t would
mean the broadening of our vision
so we could see the brotherl ood OF
man. If that loyalty to the duty Of
patriotism which is characteristic OF
the best citizens could be translated
into terms of the moral and religious
1t would mean that the message OF
the Cross, love, service and sacrifice
would find expression in every life
What a result if Christians and the
Christian church would do its bare
duty! But is 1t being done? Nom
inally this is a Christian country
And yet the deadly child labor In al
its horror exists in this country. II
could not exist IL the united Christian
church should say 1t shall not. Nom
inally a Christian country, and ye'
the sale of the stutf that kills mer
and women physically, mentally ant
morally, that destroys domestic hap
piness and undermines the stabilit.
of our nation, goes on. 1t could no
be so, we're it not sanctioned and pro
tected by the sentiment and power o
Christian people. But why the neet
of citing Illustrations of that whicl
we all know? The conclusion 4
clear. There are those who, though
faithful to duty in home and In pri
yate life, when 1t comes to mora
issues affecting the welfare of hu
manity at large, are afflicted will
myopia or indifference. Can it b.
that the cup of cold water tasted b.
men of a pagan religion contains
greater inspiration to the perform
ance of duty In the face OF danger
than does the sacred brotherhoo
Of the Christian church? They tOuc
their lips to the cold water; the
face duty unfinchingly, though
cost hand, or foot, or life. So tn
true Christian from time to tim
touches his lips to the wine of tn
Communion in pledge OF bis loyalt
to the Master and in memory of tn
love of that Master. So the majorit
gain therein the inspiration that set
their face unfiinchingly toward dut
without thought of what 1t may cos
There are many who finch. Thes
break the solid phalanx of the Chris
tian army and so put off the day {
victory over evil. Many to whom
dollar is Of more worth than mori
principle. Many to whom their ow
personal well-being counts for mol
than a needy brother or sister Mar
TO whom gold is OF greater value tha
the welfare Of their fellowme
In view of the fact that so mar
fall short OF doing their bare dut
dare we state the ideal of the Chri
tian religion, or will 1t be 80 lofty
TO discourage us in our humble e
forts? No! We will set before
the ideal which Jesus gave to lif
and 1t will be the means of inspirlI
us to greater effort. Jesus askC
OF His followers more than me
duty, noble as that is. If there hi
been no Jesus, no Gospel, If Conf
cius and Socrates and Buddha we
the greatest, then duty would ha
been the supreme word. But
cause Jesus Himself In His life to-
that Anal step beyond the point
4. L -. 81.