The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-06
"L1GHT AND DuTY.v
tselected for The Times-Dispatch.)

LIGHT AND DUTY"
(Selected for The Tines-Dispatci.)
''They say unto Him. Lord, that our
eyes may be opened."-A1att. xx. 80.
In every land, clad in all sorts OF
raiment. with mean or noble faces,
how great is the needy multitude. sit
ting by the thoroughfares. where the
Lord of all humanity must walk! To
all these pitiful suppliants comes the
golden opportunity to make their re-
quest. Shall 1t be the selfish prayer
which merely seeks some adornment
or passing luxury, or that larger
prayer which asks for the elevation
OF life itself? :. Lord. that our eyes
may be opened" Lord, that we may
receive our sight
Our sight" How deep and full OF
meaning are these words. Our sight
"a sight which, though we never
used. is really and truly ours; the
sight with which we were made to
see. These men knew that vision
power was part Of their humanity,
and when joined to this was the testi-
mony OF others who really could and
did see 1t made them all the more
eager and ready for the gift OF Christ.
The world Is full of men whom
Christ has saved, and So we know that
We. too, may feel the power Of His
hn1 ~ nh nj n q ba1p 10 arL
with and finally conquer sin, This is
the hope which every man cherishes,
and none can appeal to Christ in vain!
Men may be cold. feeble in faith.
or even leading a prayerless life. and
yet at any moment the greater prayer.
the prayer for life, for God-may
burst from the wondering lips. "Lord.
make mo a new man! Lord, give me
Thy full life! Lord. that my eyes may
be opened to see Thy will and to do
It,"
And not once in all the gospels is
1t written that such prayer was re-
fused by Christ. He never turned
away from such cry, and He never
will. Jesus had compassion on them,
and touched their eyes, and immedi-
ately their eyes received sight, and
they followed Him."
These men could see; their blind
ness had departed. How dazed they
must have been! How strange and
new it all was! All their inert past
was gone; their seeing, active life lay
before them. with work to be done and
a-plenty OF it. No more sitting in the
soft sunshine. waiting for others; no
more saying to themselves, There is no
work Tor mo to do, for am blinu."
Strange and soberlng must have been
the joyof this new vision; for with 1t
must have come the knowledge that
Christ had given them. not only light,
put all the work Of seeing men, the toll
OF selt-support, the meeting OF respon-
stbllities. with llfe's duties, must now
belong to them. There was courage
IN that. 1T was good for them In the
Hood Of the new light bestowed by
gChrists love to see also how much
there was Tor them to do and what
a life for them to live.
From their long darkness looking
up they saw Jesus In all the 4revela-
ton OF His power and tenderness.
From henccforth they were to be
Jesus to the world around them, glv-
ing heip and sympathy to all whom
they could reach.
You have prayed the great prayer,
and 1t has been answered.. The doors
Of the new life. wonderful and pre-
cious' have been opened to you. and
you are now ready to follow Jesus.
How How good it is for you to know ana
leel tl'at on tho very threshold or that
life and to its romotest end it is nil
t .l11's with work ana duty.
you can be a Christ to tho world If
you want to be! Follow I'm In every
oe.all o. your daily life. How long
VIZ you be content with n twilight
tlsalth' which YOU do not enjoy, ana
Wt'cn convert no one? TO SEQ Jesus
ana 70 be Jesus to tile world is the
'fue vocation to which every ono Of
US was born.
- you sometimes feel discour-
: seu ana almost wish that the great
prayer mad not been made? "oh, for
s,s sunny roadside. the8pennys drop-
! ~ mo my open hand and tho calm
M"eh no one asked Of me any
49, pa.s' ana asked mono OF myself"
80 = 'hese two blind mon had any