Evening journal., 1911-02-10
EPwORTH LEAGUE DEVOTIONAL
MEETING.
"The Obligations OF Neighborliness,
or The Parable Of Applied Love-"
Gal. S;14: Luke 10: 20. 37.


who is my neighbour The ques-
ton which the lawyer asked the Mas
ter is one each OF us has to settle, and
Just as truly as the LAWYER was trying
to shirk responsibility, so are we
aware of the cases that call for our
sympathy aud help. The lawyer did
not want TO recognize his duty to-
ward the class beneath him socially.
Christ knew this; he read human ma
ture keenly, How easy Il Is to stretch
our elastic conscience by a plea Of
lack Of time or ignorance of the situ-
alton when We do not care 70 give the
help we can SO readily render! Aud
the world at large knows the falseness
of our excuses and values our word
accordingly. II the lawyer had been
honest. he would have said, Lord,
have been trained 70 keep the ten
commandments and | have done so
the must have been a particularly
high type OF lawyer (0), but I can
not love my neighbor" when It comes
to inconveniencing myself" II costs
to be a Christian; il costs 70 be a
friendl "To love is 10 be o oandi-
date to sorrew,'
Sorrow and pain are repellant to
the normally healthy person. How
often we hear persons who apparently
sail on fair seas right along say, Il
can't bear 10 witness suffering; I
shudder at the thought Of attending
funerali" But let bodily afiiiction
come 70 these persons, let the Death
Angel rob them Of some loved one
and witness the transformation They
feel the cruel fellowship of sorrow
and no more do they shrink from
others who share that company; they
| feel anothers woe" and extend 20
others the mercy they are seeking
from God. Never until the iron OF
afiiiction enters your heart can you
truly sympathize with the distressed.
II takes a Paul 10 inspire us 20 "en-
dure hardness as good soldiers;" Il
takes a Livingstone 10 give others true
missionary zeal; It takes a Lincoln
10 show us how 10 love humanity IN
deeds not In words; It takes a Robert
Louis Stevenson 10 teach us how a
brave spirit IN a frail body can suffer
and be strongl"
The man who fell among robbers
was stripped and beaten needed q
friendl How his heart must have
throbhed with anticipation as he saw
FIRST the priest, then the Levite com
ing down the street, Help was a
handl The Jews we're always a loya
people--no Scottish clan exceeds thei
loyalty to one anotherl Here cam
the representatives OF his church ant
nation and Il was natural that th
.tt ~ a. ef oh AL 4
stayed the intense pain, but what
The priest Is in a hurry; he has busl
Z ness on the other side Of the stree
just then and the Levite was ais
, near-sighted and crossed the stree
i leaving the wounded man TO struggl
! with a new prohlem-"mans inhy
4 manity TO mani" And the Chrstles
Z Christians went along their wa
: contentedlyl They needed visio
s like the Monk OF whom Longfello
tells us, He was kneeling in his Gel
praying "for greater self-denial,
Il temptation and in trial" when su
" denly, a light filled the cell and
y vision Of Christ appeared Not 4
II Christ who hung on Calvary, but
e. Christ who went about feeding I
ie poor. healing the sick, administer
y 10 the wants OF all who needed HI
" The Monk bowed his head, and 'Lol
y he thought, in heaven that reignes
y who am 7 that Thou deignest
-" reveal Thyself 20 me?"
i Just then the convent bell rang
y the noon hour, when It was customa
- for this particular Monk TO dispen
II bread to the poor who gathered at d
"a convent gate. There was sha
conflict going on in the Monks soul
= should he go. or should he stay?
IF leave the cell might cost him the 10
d OF the vision. yet the habit Of du
+ was strong and he had Just pray
IS "for greater self-denial' so