The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-05
want. Verify. you have your reward.
Does your reward satisfy your"

Does your reward satisfy your"
And not In business alone IL there
danger OF success II comes even in
ject Of his Christianity not to come
near to God. but merely to establish
a certain set OF doctrines, and II in
time he reaches his desire, and stands
with his Greed all compact and formu-
lated, what shall we say OF him but
just what Jesus said verify, he has
his reward? And his cold creed stands
apart from ali the vital problems that
disturb and touch the world Or. sup
pose a man desires fom Christianity
only the salvation of his own soul.
and by salvation means the escape
from the vengeful hands OF an offended
God? Perhaps he may get what he
desires-it may come by prayer. II may
be reached in one moment or emotion
It may be gained by submitting to an
outside sacrament-but the soul that
is convinced that 1t is saved. does II
not run the risk of settling into an
easy happiness? No night with sin. no
dissatisfaction with itself. no impa-
thence after Christ. ever disturb with
a ripple nor darken with cloud the
peacefulness of the soul which, with
its purely mechanical conception of re
ligion. thinks itself safe. and with Its
cushion and it's comfort travels along
10 it's assured and entirely unawful
heaven. forgetting the warning. WOE
unto them that are at ease In Zion
And so we might go on with many
Illustrations. all showing the diner
ence between the real and the counter
felt success The merchant who puts
his own self-interest in place or ser
vice 70 the community: the politician
who mistakes ambition for public
spirit; the minister who prefers popu-
larity TO the saving Of souis-these
are some examples, and everywhere
the shan, besets the reality and tries
to make men accept it in her place
To which class do we belong? As
we look at the life Of Jesus there can
be no doubt about Him. He trod pop
uIaritv under His feet. He let pleas
ures go and lived life OF pain Moth
ing could weigh with Him against the
necessity that He should do Hls
Fathers will And yet He was as SEN
sitiye as the divine heart; He relt
eyerv surrender as we cannot feel IT,
but He turned away to do that whlch
He had come to do. and as He lookeu
back on His brethren seeking their
Measure IL was with keen apprecia-
ton of the lower success which He
had sacrificed that He might reach the |
higher. though without a shade OF re
greet at its loss that He said: hes. /
verify. they had their reward" And /
those who know the heart OF Christ
turn their backs on lower pleasures
with no sense Of loss or bitterness
they do not desire mere bodily com
forts: they do not yearn for eating
and drinking as the sole end OF life,
because they know the reward when .
they have chosen. It will no more
trouble such a man that lower amoi- (
tions find their lower rewards than IL I
seems an injustice to strong man
telling in the delight Of health and
self dependence for his daily preao'
that his little dog frisks by his side
or sleeps in the sunshine and does no
work. 1t is the satisfaction OF the
soul in Christ that makes the injus-
tees Of this world seem all right and
clear, for all things are ours when
once we are wholly Christs.