The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-19

| proved to be-pOrtentOuS, for a call
to the Christian manhood of the coun-
try was in contemplation. The six
men all expressed themselves as in
explicit and complete agreement.
| When it came to signing the docu-
ment that had Leen agreed upon, one
man, eminent ecclesiastic, said he
would like one night more for con-
sideration. The next morning he sent
word that he would not sign He was
afraid to stand up and be counted.
His vigorously expressed convictions of
the day before could not weigh
against expediency. All his life he had
sought to be on the side of the ma
jority vote. Therefore, in one of the
great testing times, he could not for
sake all and follow his CLEAN. Then.
to crown all, the tragedy was turned
| into a comedy by the later develop
! ments. for the ecclesiastical politician
had guessed wrong, and the big crowd
proved to be on the side of the
statement he had been afraid to sign.
Incidents of this sort are enacted
every day and every hour Myriads
are constantly in the alley of deci-
sion.
"Once to every man and nation comes the
| moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for
| the good evil side;
Some great cause, Gods new Messiah offer
ing each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that
darkness and that light
Daring to Decide.
In matters moral and spiritual,
there can be no neutralS. Once a great
question of right and duty is. faced it
must be answered. Any attempt to
evade it is in itself an answer Never
was the world so full of challenges to
decision as now. Opportunity, this
Sunday School Lesson upon decision
comes to fortify the souls of youth;
for it is youth that has thc courage
, to make great decisions, and to leave
!, all and follow Il new allegiance. The
radiance of the courage and loyalty
and self-abnegatio of the millions of
soldiers in Europe. who have dared
to make all sacrifices for what they
believe to be loyalty, may not be over
looked contemplate the darker
side of war.
In the case of the half dozen young
men whose life choices we glimpse
; in the present lesson, Jesus of Naza-
reth represented to them the call to
the best possible expression of them
selves. Two of them, at least, for
, sock the second-best for the best.
Three of them brought dear ones into
the same discipleship of the new Mas
ter. In SO doing, they all found a new
ness and greatness of life that passed
| their ina gination.
/ | Ii
What His guerdon here?
Many sorrow, many labor,
Many tear.
If / still hold closely to Him.
What hath lie at last:
Sorrow vanquished, labor ended,
Jordan passed.
Finding, following, keeping, struggling
Is He sure to bless?
: Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs.
} Answer, Yes
The Man Who Abdicated.
= Possibly the man who can best UNI
= derstand the sublimity of the great
, remuneration of John the Baptist, in
surrendering his leadership and his
, disciples to Jesus, is the pastor who,
upon the advent of an evangelist in
his community. suspends his own SER
vices, gives up his own plans and be-
, comes a mere assistant to the tenn
+ porary preacher, probably being de-
. nounced by the latter after ALL All
the while he knows that the evan
: gelist could not hold a pastorate OIL
= succeed in the exacting and continuing
work of the man whom he has for the
moment displaced and obscured
John the Baptist was thoroly
: first-class that he was able to take g
I second place. He was great enough
: to know a greater. Therefore, with fine
{ magnanimity, he made way for Jesus
{ All the prestige he had won, all the
> popularity he had built up, all the fol-
lowing he had gained, he laid down as
a cloak on the highway of the One
whose messenger he had been. Let us
tarry to thank God for this John the
: Baptist spirit which has never beer
absent from the church. The rich
ness of the Christian fellowship is il
:. these superior saints who take a sec
II | ondary place. Their faith is that THE
= | Father which seeth in secret he shall
l reward you openly Whittier's fam
= iIiar lines might have been written Of
:, the Baptist and all who follow in hi:
= | train:
4 What matter. [ or they,
!, Mine or another's day,
= So the right word be said,
And life the sweeter made.
o Ring bells. in far off steeples
n The joy of unborn peoples;
Sound, trumpets far-off blown,
! Your triumph is my own
:. The Meeting That Is Destiny.
Frequently, l hear men exulting il
- their wives: only yesterday noble
!. leader in religious affairs was telling
:, me what wonder his wife is, ant
what she has meant to him in the in
| fluencing of his life and work. TIL.
second highest hour in every man.
. life is when he meets the woman tina
is to become his wife: the first il
Z when he comes face to face with Je
1 sus Christ. We are all shaped by ou
. friends: and they who have the great
I est friends win to the greatest life
S Wonderful issues were determined TO
= all concerned, that day by the Jordan
n when John the Baptist introduced tive
men to Jesus. The Scripture story it
S self tells the incident best:
e Again on the morrow John wa
n standing, and two of his disciples; an,
he looked upon Jesus as he walked
n and saith, Behold. the Lamb of God
And the two disciples heard hin
s speak. and they followed Jesus. Ant
Jesus turned. and beheld them follow
e ing, and saith unto them, What seel
u We? And they said unto him, Rabb
It (Which is to say being inter