The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-06-04
9bort 9ermons
For a
SUNDAY Dalf=Dnur
Theme:
POWER AND
RESPONSIBILITY
+ + L.
l. j. 4
BY Rev. Kaufman Kohler

!. i. i.
Text: "They helped every one his
neighbor; and every ono said to his
brother, Be of good ourage."-lsaiah,
xiii, 6.
1, + !.
The favorite word of our age is
power. We no longer dread the forces
of nature; we have learned to subju-
gate the fiery steeds and hitch them
to our chariot, to carry us triumph
antly with lightning speed across
earth and sea and do our bidding; we
have turned the rays of the sun and
all the things hidden in the soil into
sources of human power, and we rate
men and nations, the trades and the
sciences, even knowledge and char
acter, by the power they yield.
But there is something crude and
selfish in that universal strife nd
struggle for power. For where tore
is victory on one side there is defeat
on the other. Every success here i'm
plies failure there. Power can be 10
end to itself; it may be used we'll or
misused; it may become the means OF
uplifting or of crushing others. Pow.
err Is trust. 1t emanates from
higher Power, which is benign and
just. 1t is given to Gods children for
help, not for harm. 1t must in order
to be gift of heaven prove source
of strength for the feeble. 1t must
not overawe and overwhelm, but pro.
tect and shield the powerless.
The greatness of our age con~ists
not in the powerful machiner. q
have invented, in the mighty st M
and electric forces which proclaim
mans dominion over nature, nor in
the great organizations of labor and
capital that make the achievements
Of marvellous enterprises possible,
nor even in those intellectual forces,
such as science. literature and press.
which interlink the lands and the ma
tions and unity the world. The deep
spiritual current underlying and over
ruling all movements and aims of our
century. "the still, small voice" heard
in the recesses of all hearts to-day, is
the word responsibility" Every hui
man woe that comes to our notice,
every condition of wretchedness that
we encounter, the fierce social strug-
giles and the exasperating labor
strikes which we watch with abated
breath hold before our minds with
every greater ilApressiveness the les
son of responsibility.
True, in our everyday experience
we are inclined to regard power as
the means of controlling life for self
ish purposes and each privilege as the
opportunity OF personal enjoyment
and ease. The man who stands at the
top Of the social ladder is, as rule,
regarded by those beneath him as one
who has great resources of pleasure
and mighty advantages for personal
ACKNOWLEDGMENT open to him, and
| therefore made an object of envy and
| jealousy, if not OF malice and hatred.
Nor can it be denied that the great
majority of men are SO prompted by
selfish aims and motives as to be ever
eager to abuse power and privilege by
| indulgence in passion and green. On
the other hand, the less fortunate, no
less guided by narrow, selfish feelings,
behold in this anequality of life the
favoritism of Providence and rebel
against this cruelty of fate. This is
all altogether erroneous view. There
are no favors in Gods world but in
volve also greater obligations. Each
power we obtain imposes upon us
some new responsibility. There is no
such a thing as equality in life. Ma
ture did not fashion all flowers and
trees alike. It's beauty consists in its
variety of form and color, in it's con,
trasts of high and low, of strong and
feeble. Neither are all men moulded
alike, physically or intellectually.
There is only one way of counten'
ancing the contrasts of life. Let not
the wise glory in his wisdom, neither
let the mighty glory in his might, non
let the rich glory in his riches; but
let him that glories glory in this, that
he understandeth and knoweth me
that l am the Lord VINO exercise low
ing kindness, judgment, and righte
BUSINESS in the earth: for In these
things delight, saith the Lord" Ger.
ix., rs, 24). Every distinction in rank
and power must mean higher tasks
greater responsibilities; every privi
lege granted must rouse a keenel
sense of duty and assert a greater
claim of helpful love and protection
for the less privueged. Mutually is
the magic spell of happiness; it is the
watchword, the message of the age
Life is assuming new meaning fol
us. The upper classes dare no Longer
idle away their time in mere pleas
ure seeking, shutting their eyes to the
misery and woe Of those huddled to
gether in filthy quarters, and saying
with Cain, Am the keeper of my
brother?" They are learning the les
son of responsibility. They can nj
longer in false conceit hold aloof from
the child of the gutter, whose ignor
ance and shame are sure to becom,
source of peril to them.
Responsibility has become the raj
lying cry of the better classe
throughout our land, throughout th
world. The wide gulf yawning be
tween the enlightened and the ignor
g.