The New York herald., 1920-01-11
THE INVITATION TO SERVICE.
"A certain man made great supper, and bae

mdny.'-St. Luke, GiU, 10.
That supper was the judgment Nobody sus-
pected it. for dopmsday was the end OF the world.
But by taking an incident almost at random, from
the life of every day and showing men what was
going to become Of them ultimately in what they
were making of themselves daily Jesus gave them
to see that every day is judgment day. No throne
is set. no judge appears, no books are opened but
the eternal assize is on, and in the thought, the
word the deed of this moment we are on trial
before God for verdict that shall stand forever.
Had the men of the parable been reminded of
this what defences they could have made! They
had accepted invitation and then declined to go.
But why? Because of more important matters
81 have bought piece of ground" the keen busi-
ness man; II have bought five yoke of oxen,' the
hborer on the job; 81 have married wife," the
model husband. And yet they are held up, not as
examples but as warnings. They had to look after
their property their work their families but moth
ing compelled them to attend this supper Now,
It is much if we can say that we have done our
duty.
But to Jesus this was nothing for glorifcation.
ssWhen We have done all those things which, are
commanded you say, We Improbable SER
wants: we have done that which was duty
TO do"
Judged by this standard. how do we measure
up? AS citizens are we content with doing merely
the things we are obliged to do-pay our taxes,
keep the Iaws-and letting It go at that? The
peril Of the American community is the honest,
Iaw-abiding citizen who fails to recognize that the
public welfare demands more. This is how it hap
pens that politics controls the city. incompetence
administers public finance and graft makes petty
office a temptation II have bought piece of
ground 81 have bought yoke Of oxen," II have
married a wifer' And the wife is no different.
The women have the card party, the shopping trip,
the dressmaker their husbands, their guests their
children and therefore they cannot come Even
the children are not free. What they hare to do
Is an easy excuse, with their own dissemination
and the Indulgence OF their parents, for exemption
from the little they might render
Well, they have their way, and then what?
They pay "Go into the streets and lanes. the
highways and hedges, and bring in hithcr the poor
and the MANNED and the halt and the blind :
For none Of these men which were hidden
shall taste OF my supper" What inspired the
parable was Jesus success in getting men TO help
Him with His work of service. That success was
nil He couldn't get men, not the men who should
have helped Hm-the scribes and Pharsees the
priests and Levtes, the rich and powerful Ac-
cordingly He filled His heavens kingdom OF SER
vice with the lowly the poor, the outcast. These
had for their work what nobody else would do.
and for their joy that which nobody else could
taste
There never was more selfsacrificing company
OF men than the disciples, and there never was
happier company The way the Master put it is
The only way TO put 1.-THE invitation to think Of
others TO Inconvenience ones self for ones neigh
Dor, to go beyond what is nominated in the bond,