Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-03-22
Parable of the Chariot

Z-z---- ~
Parable of the Chariot
Now it was We Sabbath Day, and
| had Preached once, and taught a
Bible class, and attended a Commit
tee Meeting, and done Divers Deeds
besides, and / had yet to Preach
again, and to perform Sundry Other
Duties, and there came to me Call
from the Hospital, saying Come
Hithef, and see Man who is sick,
and who Inquireth for thee.
And the Street which runneth
Hard by my Church is Broad High
way, in the middle of which run Two
Iron Tracks, and on the Tracks run
swift Chariots, whereon any man
may ride who hath the price. And
the Chariots run nigh unto the Hos
pital. So ! walked into the Street
where another Street Crosseth it,
and Ihailed Chariot as it approach
ed, and the driver of the Chariot
made the Chariot to stand still, and l
climbed upon the Rear Platform,
where stood the Master of the Char
lot. And he wore Blue Clothes with
Brass Buttons. And above his head
was Sign which saith in the Lam
guage of Chicago.
Pay as you enter
but which in the speech of them that
dwell in Boston saith,
Prepayment Car
So | searched in my Bag, and found
Five Cents, and i gave them unto the
Master of the Chariot, and he rang
One Bell once, and another Bell rang
he twice. And the meaning Of the
ringing Of the two bells was this,
that the bell which he Rang Twice
signified unto the driver of the Char
lot, who stood on the Front end of
the same, that the Passenger was on
Board, and the Chariot might pro-
coed; and the Bell that he rang once
signified that the Passenger had
Separated himself from his Fare,
and that the Fare was in Possession
of the Master of the Chariot, who
must later Account for the same to
his Masters. For though he be Mas
ter of the Chariot, yet are there 9TH
er Masters greater than he who Boss
him, and the city.
Now | had ridden from time to
time on this same Chariot, so that
the Master thereof and | knew each
others faces. And as | was paying
my Fare, / thought to speak to him
Pleasantly, and thus l said,
You and l have to work on Sunday.
Now the Master of the Chariot
heard what | said, and he smiled at
me as one who smileth Pleasantly
and Indulgently at an Innocent De-
fusion, and he answered in the
Speech of the Emerald Isle.
Yiss, Av We Loike to call il Wur-
rrk that we do.
And he continued to smile as /
passed on, and / entered into the
Chariot and took my seat.
And his smile was not the smile
of one that mocketh, neither Of him
that hateth, but of him that knoweth
and discerneth in his own mind what
is wurrrk and what seemeth to the
man who toileth to be wurrrk but is
not. For | think he liketh me, and
he hath often showed the same when
| have ridden with him. Only he
thought me mistaken when ] spoke
of my Job as Work.
And / said to myself, Lo, why
should this wild lrishman sit in judg-
ment on my toll, and esteem it as
though l labored not at all? Five
years ago he came to this land and
had no money, and Carried the Hod,
yea, and perhaps wrote back to Ire
land, saying,
Pat, Come on Over. This is Fine
Country with Good Wages, and no
work.. / toll not, but only carry a
Hold of Brick up a Long Ladder, and
the man at the top doeth all the
Work.
Yet now he rideth all day in his
Chariot, and hath nothing to do save
to ring his two Bells and Pay over
his money at night.
And l thought within myself, How
little he knoweth of the Burdens !
carry, or the hours | toll, so that |
esteem his task Light compared with
mine own, and could say to him,
Yes, if you like to call it work that
you do.
Then / remembered that he, per-
haps, had other burdens than l could
see. And / wondered if he Sent
Money home to an Old Mother in
Ireland, or if he had a Sick Child, or
If he struggled against some inward
sorrow that made his toll heavy. And
thought of the labors and travails
of all my Fellow Men, and / said
in my heart that would judge none
Of them with respect to the Work he
did or the Burden he carried, for God
hath appointed to every man his
labor. And | purposed in my heart
that, though my own Work were
hard, yet would l seek to bear the
burdens Of others, and so fulfill the
Law Of Christ.
Yet now and then, when my toll
is heavy, and / labor long into the
Night, | smile within myself, and
say to myself in the speech of Ire
land,
Yiss, av we loike to call it wurrrk
that we do.
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