The Washington herald., 1907-11-03
A SUNDAY TALK.

And Jacob vowed VOW. saying. II God win be
With me, and vail keep in this way that so,
and VIII give me dread 70 ear, ana rament to
put on.
SO that I come sgain to my fathers house IA
peace: then shall the Lord be my God.-Genesis,
xviii, %. p.
Jacob, the second son OF Isaac was
one man who was always making bar
gains and good ones, for himself. Not
to say It irreverently, he was practically
the first confidence man OF whom we have
any record, and he began early by cheat
ing his brother Esau and his father. The
vow recorded above was made after the
night that Jacob spent at Haran, where.
nightfall having overtaken him in his
Journey toward Padan-aram. he lay
down, and with stones for his pillow,
slept oG the open ground. Then came the
vision 10 him. in which he was told OF
the great future that was before him,
and when he awoke, afraid, he made the
vow. II was the old instinct In him to
make a bargain. this time with the Lord
The lesson that one derives from this
passage in Jacobs life is that this sort
Of bargaining with the Lord has not
ceased to-day II is, indeed, one OF the
most marked tendencies of these times,
when, with the vast growth Of CONNER
cialism so that it invades our art. our
literature, and our religion, the difficulty
OF squaring our practice with our re-
ligious principles becomes, daily, greater
To bargain thus is pre-eminently the
mark Of a weak man: Of a man Of so eau
tious soul that he cares much more for
the present good than for the promise Of
felicity to come. 1t is not so that we
can serve God truly: II is In no such
timorous fashion that we can work out
our own salvation. BE good and you
shall be happy, says the axiom; but like
so many epigrammatic phrases. il is not
always true. In the material world We
may indeed, bargain: it is very necessary
We should. II we are to hold our places
as men in a world Of men," and on our
skin IN bargaining depends our chances
for success.
But in spiritual affairs this is not true
The very essence Of decent upright llv-
ing is that we should throw ourselves
into the thick Of the battle whole-h heart
edly, bravely. and without any looking
TO ultimate prize There Is no such thing
as giving so much service and reaping
so much return: II Is not possible 70 say
that for such and such a good action
thus much reward shall be our portion
Indeed. looking AZ the matter frankly and
with due regard 10 the fact that even
life itself We hold on terms OF the most
precariOus tenure, we should be glad
simply 20 be alive and have the oppor-
tunity hourly Of doing good, not III.
We cannot bargain with our own
hearts. or cOnscienCes. any more than
We can, with God. He does not bargain
with Us. Into this world OF joy and
pain, of suffering and happiness. we come.
and within US He has implanted the
seeds OF eternal goodness. His final com
mandment 10 us IS, TO love one an
other ard II we follow this We shall
find our reward not ultimately. but in
stantly; each act of kindness bringing to
us that rare, clean. joyous happiness Of
soul which 4 The greatest reward that
man may hope 60 be blessed with.
It is not for us TO look forward toward
the ends OF life - if We were mere huck-
sters. Not for us TO say; IF the Lord
does so and so. then viii I accept the
Lord The very essence of right living
is to trust Ia the right 90 believe that
In very truth virtue Is its own reward"
"Oh. Holder Of the balance. Iaughsst Thou?
Nay. Lord be geutler 20 our fo0lishuess,
For His Sakc who assumed our dust and ruTns
On Thee pathetic eyes
stil moistened with ouT tears.
And teach o orr Father while We weep.
To lgok in patience uuon earth and Learn
Waiting IN that meek gesture tin al last