Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-04-26
BY WIN. Z. GILROY, ID. ID.
Editor OF The Congregationalist

~
1t is the characteristic of every
sublime truth and great cause that
IL permits no compromise in the
allegiance to itself. Not to serve ii
whole heartedly IS not TO serv Il
az all.
The soldier who pledges allegi-
ance to his country can know no
other allegiance. The scientist or
philosopher who devotes his life TO
the quest OF truth becomes imme-
diately unworthy Of his quest when
he ceases to recognize the truth
which he discovers. His allegiance
must be complete or the profession
OF II Is worthless.
When Jesus, therefore, set forth
the law OF the Kingdom Of Heaven
as involving whole-hearted service
and complete surrender. he was ex-
pressing in relation TO this King
dom what has been well recognized
IN relation to the kingdoms Of the
earth. Moreover, II such law of al
legiance applies to the kingdoms 81
the earth, should 1t not all the
more strongly and effectually apply
to the highest kingdom Of all?
Uncompromising Demands
This uncompromising nature OF
the demands Of the Kingdom wa:
expressed by Jesus IN various effec-
tive ways. One expression Of Ii was
in the definition OF irreconciliable
ends. "Ye cannot serve God and
Mammon." The exposition OF 1t IN
our lesson IS in the form Of a strik-
ing illustration from life. Here we
have emphasized that most extreme
ASPECT Of the truth that the high
est in religion demands all that we
are and all that we have.
IN the story OF the lesson we have
before US not a sordid and grasping
disciple OF Mammon. overwhelming
with greed and selfish vice. On the
contrary, we have q man whose
interest is in goodness and whose
professed quest is eternal life. Out
wardly his life IS erreproachable. He
has sought TO fulfill the command
ments in relation to God and his
fellownen. and yet with all his OBJ
~servations he is evidently conscious
Of something lacking, and Jesus
confirms this consciousness.
The young man has been born 70
wealth. These great possessions are
tied about his life in such a way
that he cannot separate himself
from them. and they not only retard
his progress but they constitute a
divided allegiance IN his life. SO II
was that Jesus pointed the way Of
release and triumph in forsaking
his riches and in giving his life
wholly TO the quest Of the King
dom as an immediate follower of
Jesus. The young man must have
had profound qualities and char
acter and devotion 10 have received
such an invitation from the Master,
Yet the record is that he turned
away scrroWful. thinking OF these
great possessions.
IL Is a strong and challenging
story. and the comment upon 1t Is
even more challenging SO dratsic
did the demands OF the Kingdom
seem TO be that when Jesus said
1T Is easier for a camel TO &c
through q needles eye than for a
rich man TO enter the Kingdom OF
God" the disciples said, Who then
can be saved?"
The truth Of the lesson ought not
10 be exaggerated d applied be-
yond its intended meaning: but
neither should that meaning be
whitfield down into something that
= mAngm - V--- -
thing that makes no real demands
or surrender upon the soul. That
Jesus recognized the use Of conse-