Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-04-17
KEEPING LOVE ALIVE.
Parable of the "Withered Hand
Has a Clear Meaning for All
Thinking Christians.

All miracles Of our Lord are pur-
posed to be analogous works which
can be wrought In the soul. But
that ye may know that the Son of Man
hath power" to heal and emancipate
the spirit he restored a paralyzed boy
to freedom. He drove the palsy out
strength and buoyancy and agility to
the one as he had given to the other.
And so 1t is with all the miracles of
our Lord; they are types of the
greater things than these" which he
can work among the secret needs OF
the spirit. There was man with the
withered hand A legend comes along
the centuries that he was bricklayer,
an ordinary workingman who had
been reduced to impotency by the loss
of the member he needed most But
his calamity had not embittered him
or made him spiritually insensitive.
He was found in the synagogue seek
ing communion with God. And there
the Master met him and restored to
life his withered limb, and he was
whole again.
Now there are withered faculties of
the soul. There are spiritual mem
bers that can become dry and impo-
tent. There are mysterious hands
which can lose their grip and even
their power to apprehend the heights.
And diseased faculty can impair the
strength of the entire life. 1t can
check our spiritual progress. and i'm
pair the vigor of moral aspiration and
service.
The faculty of love can be with
cred hand. It can shrivel away until
it has no strength, no reach, no hold.
1t is sometimes said that money can
unlock any door, The statement is
the merest nonsense. There are treas
ure houses, the most real and the
best, that money can never touch.
Love is the great open sesame" A
man with fine love burns his way
like fervent iron through Ice. He
pierces through every difficulty, and
nothing is allowed to obstruct his way.
Love never faileth." But when the
love itself begins to wither, like a
limb that shrivels through lack of vi
tality, life Is comparatively impotent.
And how frequently we see this spir-
itual tragedy! 81 have something
against thee, thou hast lost thy first
love" 1t is the disease of the with
cred hand. Something has happened
at the very fountain of vitality, and
love sickens and dies.
Live" or dead" Conscience
The conscience can be a withered
hand. A live conscience gives man
fine, nervous, sensitive, feeling"
touch Of the mind of God. 1t gives a
man discerning apprehension of
right and wrong When the feeling is
really sensitive, what confidence 1t
imparts to life's movements, what
firmness, what motion, what decision!
But the conscience can be benumbed.
1t can become as anresponsive as a
paralyzed hand. Common experience
affords abundant illustration. There
are many people who we're once en-
dowed with a scrupulous moral sense,
and in some way or other it has lost
Its exquisiteness, and they no longer
Gnely realize the will of God. The
whitening is made manifest in APP
varently small disloyalties. We do
not sustain the sense of honor in the
full round of common life. I have
known people deface other peoples
property by writing scriptural texts
upon it! They have sensitive desire
to serve the Lord, but their honor Is
not keen enough to make them respect
the common rights of their fellows
The will may be like a withered
hand What strong, pushful, re-
sourceful hand 1t is when it is en-
dowed with healthy vitality! But when
it withers everything is touched with
irresolution and hesitancy Nothing
is initiated with power. Nothing is
addressed with persistence. Nothing
is accomplished with decision. A
feeble will makes all life's doings ane-
mic Everything is languid, from the
sickly promise to the imperfect
achievement.
Bring All to God.
What can we do with all or any of
these faculties of the soul? We have
only one resource. We can bring
them to him who made them, and who
can remake them by the power of his
grace. But we must bring them DELHI
erately, naming the withered member
in the presence of our Lord. We must
bring them submissively, laying aside
all presumption and pride. We must
bring them obediently, ready and will
ling to carry out the Kings DEGREES
If he orders us to attempt the impos-
sible we must attempt it. Stretch
forth thy hand.' The man might have
replied, Master, that is just what /
cannot dol" Stretch forth thy hand
and the attempt being made the need
full power was found, and the man was
made whole. So must ] bring my
Tithered love to him, and If need be
| must stretch 1t forth in effort and