The Penn's Grove record., 1910-10-28
Make Use of
Your Gifts
By REV. ABNER H. LUCAS, D. D.


Text.-And he said, leave us not, / pray
thee, for as much as thou knowest how
are to encaInp in the wilderness, ana
thou mayest be with us instead of eyes.
Mum. 1921.
What more glorious use can be
made of knowledge, influence, and per-
sonal strength than to turn them to
the help of the needy? If your vision
Is penetrating and clear, what nobler
service can you render then to "be
eyes" for those who may not see
afar? If your hand has strength and
cunning, to what better use may it
be turned than Hitting the burdens
Of the weak and teaching the unskill-
ed how best to accomplish their task?
If you have wealth you have pos
session of a power for good which is
nearly omnipotent, If rightly applied.
What more worthy aim can lead men
and women Of wealth than that
through their help the poor may catch
visions of the highest and hottest life?
If we have the gift Of prophecy, we
must use 1t for the instruction Of the
ignorant, If we retain it. To hesitate
is ingloriously to fail; selfishly to
keep for ourselves what God has In
tended shall serve his children, is to
lose life with all its opportunities OF
good. Hobab's knowledge and infu-
enc never were more precious to him
than when, having refused the appeal
to enrich himself, he accepted the OPP
portun1ty to assist others. AS the new
dangers arose, and he helped Moses
meet them and conquer them, his W
mind and soul grew imperial. By the
number, magnitude, and stress of the
responsibilities Of others, he was de-
yeloped into his own worthiest life.
When a great Italian commander was
defeated he issued his immortal ap-
peal: Soldiers, I am without money
and without reward. 1 have nothing
to offer you but cold and hunger, and
rags and hardship. Let him who
loves his country follow me-" But
with that summons to self-denial and
patriotism he gathered to his side
Lt1O CIfOtCSSL 6Ou1b VI III 6CASA dSAOA'
The men who followed in response to
that appeal became courageous
heroes themselves. When our Lord
turned and said to the multitude,
THE Son of man hath not to where
to lay his head" and invited them to
follow him, he was calling 10
men and women who had counted the
cost, and were ready to surrender
themselves to the cause Of purity,
truth, and human helpfulness. The
way of life is narrow; the gate to 1t
is narrow; but the narrowness of the
way and the gate are its glory. Mar
rowness Of the way demands energy,
high purpose and noble perseverance.
There is no other way. To invite a
great soul to a broad path is to invite
him to smallness, to the cessation OF
growth and impotence. The cry has
been heard in every age, Would God
it were easier to be good!" And
would God 1t were easier to redeem
the earth!" But that is a mistaken
cry. When the ten spies returned
from Canaan murmuring because of
the obstacles to their conquest, their
murmuring was an evidence of weak
ness of character; but the cry of Ca
leb and Joshua was, up, let us con-
quer these giants, and take their
walled cities" That was the token of
the greatness of the two.
Jesus Christ did not come primarily
to change the circumstances that
should make life easy, but to give a
new incentive and lofty inspiration
that would enable men to meet life's
circumstances as they are. He never
promised his friends that the path OF
duty should be free from danger. In
the spirit of the Spartan mother who
charged her soldier son, Come home
with your shield or on it." Christ says
to his disciples, Take the field and
save humanity, cost what it may" It
is always true that the choice of the
broad path of personal cage end COM
fort. instead If The narrow pain y
duty leads 70 the loss Of se!sTespset
the worlds esteem, and rue success
Sir Henry stanley dea2ri0es BRAVERY
a. q requisite s.l tAoee no push into
the African forest, n sayE: THE
bigger the work the greater toe toy Of
doing It. Tie w~hols-neartsG sh wing
and wrestling with di6icnlty r. lag
hold with g firm grip ana level head,
and the caIm resolution d the C1ol-
ster, ard tugglng ana toiliug and
ua.t.3ra a. II today tomorrow. auC
the next. until 1t L. aOG2-is lne s0i
dler's creed of forward, ever forward;
Il Is p mans faith that tG this task
ne was born When Mckay wrot5
from Uganda IA Africa 10 The hone
church. he said, For our work at
this station we want the rest mel
in England; not q nan who CAB bs
easily spared, but the man wAQ c@n-
not be spared" Christianity from
the beginning has grown upon tasks
hat we're so gres$ as to rs1u.Ee the
c-oreecration II I'll its power o
pray n0r for easy lives. prsy e re
stronger men, 90 not pray for power
equal to yoUy tasks then re doing
Of your work shall be l'iraei5, eus
you shall De = miracle every day
you saall wonder al Yourself. at the
richness OF the life which has come
10 you b. the grace Of God
Aiono tho Wsy Of light,
God delivers US cut OF evils by tuln
lug them into greater good aa chas'
4E ..c-ta ~AS4 vrr --ou MAJ