The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-06-17
religious H a service may appear to

religious tina service may appear to
be.
The lack of flial spirit is manifest
e6 in his boastful utterance. Never
at any time transgressed I thy COM
mand." Is not obedience a Christian
duty? Yes, but only in the spirit of
a son and not as a hireling. Before
performing them the man must have
it plainly stated what he was to do.
There is nothing in the heart to
| prompt him to perform either more
than he was paid for in the way of
service or than he was actually told
to do. Is this not the spirit against
which Jesus spoke when He said,
Except your Righteousness exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and
| Fharisees We shall in no case enter
the kingdom"
Why in the Sermon on the Mount
did He in those wonderful words on
prayer and passion and providence
teach this higher righteousness? Men
had-like this older son-attained
the art of measuring acts and ceremo-
NAL observance with such fault1ess
nicely, while the heart and soul were
left untouched by piety and love. You
can to-day so serve God by letter and
be as far removed from Him in spirit
as the prodigal amid the glare and
glitter of the far country. You can
be so busy with your mere rule and
dogma that you miss the spirit which
| alone can give them worth. 1t is not
the wild and wanton spirit only which
| ~alienates, but the slavish spirit if i'm
pulse and conveDtionalism, and you
must not wonder if your cold, cynical
and m~ercenary spirit keeps you in
the field when you might be living in
the warmth and glow and joy of the
Fathers house.
Thou never gavest me a kid that
I might make merry with my friends,
but as soon as this thy son is come
thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf" my friends" THY son"-not
"my brother" Do you not see how
little sympathy there was between
this son and the Father? There can
be none unless and until the spirit
of bondage has given place to b
spirit of adoption" whereby we cry,
abba, Father!"
II God looks to each of us for a
| service and obedience which alone
can spring from love to Him, so also
He looks to us for gladness and re-
ioicing which only come from synlpa-
thy with Him.
Surely it was for these reasons that
Jesus held up the mirror before the
faces of these men of old-and their
type is by no means extinct to-day.
But, as then, the Father comes and
! pleads with men to come in from h
field where the unilial spirit drives
them.
He takes no notice of the sneering
inuendGes on the slavish sense of duty
or the lack of kindness to u broth
er. But with his wondrous patience
bids us come within the circle of the
home and share with Him His wealth
of grace. He calls each n Of us to q
life whose ears are open through con-
slant sympathy with Him to hear
what God desires and loves, whose
heart has opened to receive Him as
its Master and it's Lord, so that His
will is ours through our admiring
love.
And if you would forsake the fields
into which your seifishness has sent
you, turn to Him who calls, and say
Father, T, too, have sinned, Tor
whilst l held the name of son, l lived
but as a slave. Make me no longer a
mere hireling, but an honored child
and say of me, This My son was lost
but now is found"