The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-09-19
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Especially Prepared For Readers Of
The Republican.


The Republican.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd.
Fruits of the Christian Life. Matt.
25:14:3O; SLIP; Gal. 5,23. %.
All things are yours; and We are
Christ's, and Christ is Gods. l
Cor. 3:2l, %.
U. S. WRIGHT.
THE HEIGHTS.
1--WE do not count mans years un-
til he has nothing else to count" wrote
the Sage of Concord. What are the
things that count most in life? 81
don't want to pick job that won't lead
somewhere, was the word of young
fellow talking over the work that he ex-
pected to do and voicing the conviction
of many m ore that some things are
much more worth while than others.
There are heights and higher heights in
life and one does not care ito stand
at the end of the endeavor upon
a.crag cut off from the rest. gaze long
inglv at the mountain reaches beyond
and count nothing but the years of eff
fort that have brought him hither. We
have reached the end of our road in
studying the Christian life, do we look
out upon higher hills? Did another
road lead to loftier summit? You're
preiudiced" cried a man. "Who
wouldn't be prejudiced," answered
Hugh Price Hughes, latter he had
known Jesus Christ and what He does
for a man." The man who has amass-
ed wealth. or fame, or position, or In
fuence may be the one charging US but
no matter who it be we can see no high
er heights than His reckoning life and
hear no higher word than, I'VE shall be
like Him.. Power, knowledge, service
reach far aboue the levels OF the ordi-
nary but they are not so high as this.
The story pictures the end of the life's
day and the coming to a place of &C
counting. There must be answers for
the questions of the meeting of the re-
sponsibilities of the way. What have
we done with our powers? Have we
brought profit of Gods investment in
US? Are we bigger than we were made?
Three men appear. One is where the
Master left him. all that he has receiv-
ed in his hands but no new skill, no de-
veloped faculty. no skyline; only the
bitterness of one who rails at circum-
stances explaining what he is The
others differ but rejoices alike. There
is no equality in mans dover of genius.
But they have striYen equally and have
developed and the Master considers the
growth as the mark of which measure
should be made. Thou gavest me
this, [ return it increased" is the call
for the commentator. And even tho
their ventures had been lost at sea
themselves would still have lowered in
to worthy praise for life does not fail
along with its ventures Lee has
captured the plaudits of our land as
fully in his defeat as Grant in his sue
cess.
THE CLIMATE.
No one has heart failure on these
hills. The tonic atmosphere of happi-
ness soon cures all such ills. For here
one comes into the JOY of his Lord
Here dwell the blessed ones of the
beatitudes. Happiness is the envelop-
ing cloak for each life. One may be
poor in spirit, mourning over sin, meek
as Moses, filled with a sense of desire
for a righteousness not possessed,
tortured by the sight of need, conscious
of God s presence in His world, living
in the presence of strife that one at
tempts toappease, be persistently perse-
cuted and yet be happy. Certainly
Jesus possessed all these things which
He enumerates and was speaking out of
His own knowledge when making the
promise to those who wished to share
His joy. This is something entirely in
dependent of the circumstances of life
but is an inward possession. For one
to enter into another's joy is to share
his life. Any other sharing is one of
things and one can only receive that
reward because he has reached
similarity of character that brings the
reactions to impulses into harmony. A
devotional prayer meeting brings Joy
to one; the pursuit of passion to an
other; cruelty to the defenseless weak
to third; no one of the three can share
the others JOY until life. likeness is
reached The presence of holiness
would be hell for the unholy. If the
JOY of Jesus come to be ones possess
sion it is not a conferment but an evil
dence. 1t is something that results
from the goodness and faithfulness
within.
THE HOPE.
What chance have we of reaching
such goal? 1t comes from our endow-
ment. Each of these men received tai
ents from one to five. The rich God
does not build penny men. There is
sonnet hing improbable in each one. A
talent was a large capital with which to