The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-08-05
9aturday Digit
ToJkc By Rev. r. E. DAWSON
/uINS Rutland, VI
THE KING REJECTING MEN.
international Bible Lesson for Aug.
7, '1o--(Matt. 1872; 1926.
o-Eo+o4O+o+o+o+o+o +o+ol

CFeOenJlals pTeSuppOSe performance
1t is no test of a perfect machine to
keep the belt on the loose pulley. A
horse that can trot in 2.10 Is out of
his class in a 2.40 race. When a
steamer is guaranteed 20 knots an
hour, the government will not accept
1t II on a trial trip it can only make
Is. Tall men can reach higher than
short men, and should be expected to
do so. It is preposterous to apply the
same rule to a footer as to a man
only 5 feet four. Men do not look
for philosophers among the illiterate.
The Strait Gate.
A conspicuous example of this law
is to be seen in this lesson. Ordinary
reformers heartily welcome to their
cause men of education, money, influ-
ence. and commanding positions. Not
so, Jesus Christ. He was so cauti-
GUS and exacting as to seem almost
oppressive. He made the gate strait
and the way narrow. A very right
eous" young man came to him with
an eager inquiry, and He proposed a
test TO him which sent him away
sorrowful, because he could not full
FL it. Why did He do that? Simply
because of what the young man claim
ed If he had really done what he
claimed, the test was nothing remark
able in its scope. Other people, since
then have done it, and have not made
1.-THE of his pretensions.
A Living Decaloque.
This young fellow claimed to be
the living embodiment of the Deca-
logue. He had absorbed the teaching
of Sinai into his life and had kept
the Ten Commandments from his
youth up, to let him tell It The law
was written on tables OF stone, but
here was a table of flesh. How could
Christ resist man who could say
that he had perfectly kept the Ten
Commandments! According to his
claims Christ and he were the only
two persons since the world was Gre
ated who had ever done so. AS a
matter of fact the Lord was more ex-
acting with this young man-required
more OF him than he did of the Publ
can, the adulteress and the thief. Any
thing wrong about that? Why
shouldn't he? According to his claim
he was next TO Christ Himself, let
him do one thing more that Christ
had done, and he would be His equal.
Other people brought nothing with
them but sin, he brought the Ten
Commandments without a wrinkle or
otntn nd nf xuhnr fncfod
single point, his pocketbook, he col
lapsed. He wanted eternal life much,
but he wanted bis money more. His
bank account was real, heaven was
visionary. A wealthy disciple would
have been to his taste, but poor dis.
cipIe had no attraction for him. After
all self was the stronghold of the
young mans life and when it came to
a show down as to which had the
greater hold on him, the command
ments or the money, the money had
It. Only He who reads all hearts
would have been able to see what the
fatal lack was, but Christ put His
finger on the sore at the first dag
The Price OF Success.
! No matter what the object of your
ambition you must pay the price or
miss the goal. 1t is true of every
Kingdom that is worth having that
the way into it is strait and narrow
It Is true of the kingdom of art
How many there are who would like
10 become great painters. How few
realize their ambition Artists are
not born, they are made by struggle
and quenchless zeal. The desire is
born, but he who wins the prize does
50 through self-dental, through awk
ward attempts, through tears of NOR
tiflcation, through jeers perhaps anC
senseless moekery, through absolute
refusal 10 yield TO disappointment
through pressing on while hundred:
give up IN despair and fail to enter IN
The masterpieces of art are tht
transfigured souls of the artists.
That is the way 1t is with the king
dom of music. Who are the men anC
women who sit on the thrones of voca
and instrumental music to-day? Ar
they the dreamers who fondly imag
tne they have musical talent? The.
are the people who from childhoo'
have paid the price. They have civ
en- up all for It They have not dat
bled in this and that they hav
known but one thing, and by day an,
night, year in and year out, they hav
beaten, beaten, beaten against tn
door OF music, until those portal
have swung open to their persisten
appeal. Ten thousand approach tn
gate and are not willing TO pay tn
price
That which costs you nothing usl
ally is worth nothing, You valu
more highly that which costs yo
most Credentials do not count fc
much these days; ability 20 do is tn
main thing You may be boosted int
position by admiring friends, but 20
VIII be misfit and win not be abl
long TO hold IT, unless you are con
petent. Not what YOU claim to b.
but what you are is the test 7
profess ability is one thing: TO d
13.,ax tho e,o-da is som atimaS ntlita al