The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-07
cop,s Esr1MArp OF A MAS.

re JuuBeu tho cause OF the poor and
needy. Was not this to know
Me? saith tho Lord.'-Jer. xxi. 16.
This Is one Of the finest and most
Persons are often exercised as to what
inscription they should put on the
tomb of one who lived out his life and
yet did not accept our full creed. For
such man there can be no grander
epitaph than this: "He Judged the cause
of tho poor and needy. Was
not this to know Me?" The beauty OF
such an epitaph is that 1t is Gods cpl
taph. 1t is the divine finger that has
has comprehended the true and inner
character OF the man.
The prophet has In his mind some
thing like this: man has died in Judea
whose orthodoxy has long been doubt
ed. He has not been q regular attend
| ant on the temple service. His memory
is greeted with general obloquy. His
funeral is sparsely attended. No Jew
ish rites of mourning are performed
Tor him. He is spoken of as ono who
knew not tho Lord.
But on the morning after the funeral
some of his friends and acQuaintances
visit the grave and are startled. There
on tho stone which had been left with
out ore human note or comment. is in
scribed in letters Of flaming gold, "IIe
jagged the cause Of the poor and needy.
Was not this to know Me?"
1t was as if the door of heaven was
q
him as he really was in Gods sight
with not only n reversal of our opin-
ion. but with the seal of Gods approval
We. with bated breath. often speak
OF the departed as If his fate were a
subject not to be dwelt upon. And at
that very moment perhaps, the arches
of heaven may be ringing with hallelu-
j. hs and Gods own lips may be saying
Good and faithful servant. we'll done"
The men of our world sign their con-
fessions OF faith by their words. But
'he men whom God commends sign
their confessions of faith by their deeds
Often do we think Of that company
at His right hand, who received the
mandate. Enter ye into the JOY of your
Lord" How surprised must they have
been who heard it. Doubtless they had
been counted among the goats. Many
a righteous one. on earth, would have
excluded them from heaven. They had
not ''prophesied in Thy name; perhaps
they had refused to take any religious
training. They never knew that theirs
was service to Thee. They would
have called their work secular: When
saw we Thee hungry and gave Thee
meat. We only gave IT to the poor hui
man beings in the gutter"
But the last judgment has reversed
the first sentence, for Thou hast said:
'Inasmuch as ye did it unto the least
Of these. We have done IT unto Me-"
Many sheep Thou hast o Christ.
which are not of our fold yea. which
arc not OF any fold. The cup OF cold
water" may be given in disciples
name and not in Thine; yet Thou re-
ceivest it as Thy communion cup.
Thou abidest with many at eventide.
when the day Is far spent; when faith
is dim and hope is low. and there is
nothing bright but love. Thou abldest
with love. when love alone is left.
When I cannot praise and am power
less to pray, I can still break bread to
the hungry, and l am known to Thee
ty the breaking Of that bread. Thou
canst and viii see and know and own
he act Of service.
In the dearth Of prayer; In the pa
ralysis of praise; In the dcfles of doubt;
IN the valley OF dependency. there can
light Of love TO man. II l keep that
radiance undimned perhaps Thou wilt
then write upon my grave the imper-
ishable epitaph, He helped the poor
and needy; was this not TO know Me?"
o Thou who knowest our hearts and
readest our lives like an open book,
may this be our inscription, and writ
ten by Thee!