The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-11


sonal initiative. Jesus was not con-
trolled by fate He was not doing
things that had teen arranged be
forehand. He did not go to Jerusa-
lem in spite of himself. That ''de-
CEASE was freely chosen. He had
entered upon a work that must be
rounded out and completed. In Jeru-
salem. the center of all the world s
heaven revealing forces, there he must
finish his task-not because he was
driven to it; but because his soul was
straitened for love $ sake.
I like the thought of the voluntari-
ness of Jesus sacrifice. 1 like to wit
ness the choice of the higher way,
when self-interest would lead into
some other, and less severe way. There
are sacrifices and duties in this world
| that are thrust upon us. We have no
| choice but to bear the burden. There
are many people whose Christian lives
are after this order. They never pass
into seIf-denial, only SO far as they
Life has no voluntariness about it. On
the other hand we know of those who
| freely choose the hard way, because
they see it to be the higher way. This
is the true liberty. Sd,ne people have
a strange idea that liberty is freedom
to choose the good. It is the liberty
of which the New Testament speaks.
We should be perfectly willing to have
taken from as the liberty to choose
the evil. Would you not rather be
bound against the evil, and free to
choose the good, than bound against
the good, and free to choose the evil?
Man can have full liberty only on one
side of his nature, that which looks to-
ward heaven, or that which looks to-
ward hell. According to the teachings
of evolution we are growing out of the
evil unto the good. There is before
each one of US something to be ac-
comp1ished, that is the perfecting of
our nature through voluntary obedi-
ence to the injunctions of the higher
duty.
The second suggestion of the text is
that Of the voice of Peter: Lord, let
us build here three tabernacles." II is
the old, old instinct of the human
heart, the desire to make religion an
end in itself. Let us build tabernacles.
Let US institutionalize this splendid vi
sion. 1T is good,'' said Peter, 'for us
to be here" and surely Peter was
right. But because a thing is good. it
does not follow that we are justified
in choosing it. Life choices for the
most part are not between the bad
and the good, so much as between the
good and the best. It was good to
build tabernacles, but it was better
to go down from the mountain into
the valley, and heal the sick boy. Life |
must be put above all the agencies of
religion. The only justification of
building tabernacles, is to build them
where the people congregate, and |
where the great need of the world is |
most intensely felt. To build a taber- |
nacle on a mountain, or to build it |
or to do anything in fact, |
that does not reach a vital and human |
need is to outrage every principle Of |
The glory of spiritual |
ecstasy is much to be desired, but it |
can be purchased at too high a cost
Jesus would have US use our expert |
ences, make them practical by relating
them to the worlds need Neither
Moses nor Elias needed a tabernacle;
certainly one was not needed by the
Son of Man. And as for Peter and
James and John, the place for strong
men is not on some mountain top of
vision, where the hours pass in dream
ing dreams-their place is in the valley,
among the moving throng, graphing
hand to hand with the actual prob
ems of life.
And now, the third voice which II
am to consider, seems to come as a re-
sponse to the foolish question of Pc
ter. This is my beloved Son, hear We
aim 1t is the voice of God--so reads
The story-and the emphasis is to be
placed on the last words: hear We
aim" Too long the church has been
over this first part of the
Word of the Lord-t'This is my below
I'd Son." we need now to dwell upon
he other part-"hear We him. To be
able to rightly define Christs nature
would doubtless be of great value to
my one of us, from an intellectual
standpoint. But to listen to his COM
and obey his word, will
urely be more to our spiritual profit.
every man needs guidance in this life
f he studies some science, he must put
himself under the instruction of GER
ain masters; if he would perfect him
CAA |
anne method. And how can a man .
lope to successfully live, unless he lis
ems to those who have made the most
'ut of life. And where shall We find
uch another master OF human life as
Jesus of Nazareth? 1t is fine thing,
We may think, to be independent, to
mark out our own way in life. But
he laws of God are to be reckoned
With, and the laws Of nature, and the
avs of the human soul. Only when
rou are sure that you have divinea
Ill the laws of this universe, and read
nut the riddle of life, only then can
-ou afford to ship your own course,
Without recourse to the masters.
Suppose the captain of a ship deter
mined that he would sail without
feeding the charts and directions of
'ther men wiser than himself Sup
lose he should say: 1.-The ocean is
rec, no man is my master I may
all where I will, I will be independ-
mt" high and mighty speech, and
ne, doubtless, that marks him