The Washington herald., 1908-05-24
A SUNDAY TALK.

And Jesus said unto him. No man, having put his
hand 70 the plow aud locking back, Is NJ for the
kingdom Of God.-St Lake. tx g.
To those who have not arrived at that
state of grace which makes all sacrifice
done in the name OF the religion of Jesus
Christ beautiful and desirable, that pas
sage in st. Luke which describes how
man came 20 the Master at Bethesda and
offered to follow Him, seems difficult.
But first he must go TO bury his father.
And
Jesus said unto him. Let the dead bury their dead
but so thou and preach the hugdom Of God.
This may seem like hard saying. and
1t requires a full comprehension Of the
duties as well as the privileges Of the
religious life before one can come 10 zee
that, in very truth. nothing else mHt-
ters through all eternity but the love OF
God, to be deserved by whole-hearted and
faithful and undivided service. Well, in
deed, was it spoken that mo man can
serve two masters" II is through the
effort TO do this very thing that so many
Of Us make so lamentable a failure OF
life; not only failing Of material success,
but falling short of material happiness
and winning uncertain hope of the por-
ton we have deserved in the world 10
come.
You shall find that in what records we
have Of the life of Jesus Christ that
everywhere He dignihed and glorihed
labor, and that he pointed out that the
highest labor and the most beautiful was
that performed in His cause. and this
implied self-denial and suffering and the
need Of sublime faith as TO the reward.
IF any man." He said. will come after
me. let him deny himself. and take up
his cross daily, and follow me-"
That cannot be too largely emphasized,
that the cross has TO be taken up daily.
1t is not by any supreme effort OF sacri-
nee that we can win 20 God and surety.
bat by a daily and constant living ip
His way. with our eyes fixed steadily on
the Ideals He set. Dean Farrar wrote
once
There has always been in the unenliehtened mind
a love Of idleness: a tendency TO regard it as a
stamp Of aristocracy desire 10 delegate labor 70
/ the lower and weaker and % brand IL with the
/ STIGMA Of inferiority and contempt. But our Lord
wished 10 show that labor is a pure and noble
thing; Il is the salt Of ife it Is the grde Of man
Illness; II saves the body from efeminate languor.
and the soul from pOlluting thoughts And there
/ forc Christ laborcd. working with his hands and
fashioned ploWs and yokes for those who needed
/ them.
! And what He meant. doubtless, In the
verse which is quoted at the head OF
| this, Is that labor is mans portion here
on earth. and that II is only by good
work, we'll striven with, bravely accom-
plshed. or attempted with all our hearts.
that we may hope TO reach His side. II
is powerful call. not only 70 earnest
ness OF purpose, but 10 concentration OF
effort and persistence 70 the end He
meant that a man must choose his way.
and. having chosen. must march on sturd-
/ ily 10 the end, neither turning aside nor
halting for any purpose. What God de-
mands Is not part Of our powers, but all
| Of them: not half our hearts. but the
whole; not excuses but performance: not
liberation, but love; not mere hope. but
absolute faith.
/ Himself He summed up all that lie
would teach: Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy strength. and
with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as
/ thyself." This contains il all No look
ing backward With regret over the flesh
/ pots Of Egypt. bat a bright and radiant
looking fOrwarc 20 the climax Of our
destiny-ultlmate fitness for the king
dom OF God -