The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-21
Sunday School
Lesson
By WILLIAM E. GILROY, D. D

BY WILLIAM f.. GILROY, d. d.
"Objectives'' is a big word,
"Plans" or "goals" might be
better. But the real theme is,
how can one get the most out
of life?
It is the question that has agi-
tated the minds of those who
have had minds to be agitated
as far back as man became a
thinking being. Some haven't
given much thought to it; they
have drifted into life, and they
have drifted through it, without
much thought about plans or
goals. Others. alas! and many
millions of them, have had to
take very much what life hand
ed to them, without much
chance to determine even their
daily life or their. destiny. They
have been among the mass of
mankind, dominated and ex-
plotted, if not actually enslaved.
But among those who have
given some thought to it, and
to whom some choice has been
possible in determining what
sort of lives they would live,
or how they would get the most
out of life, there have been
varying choices and goals. To
many the chief aim has been
to get as much pleasure and
personal happiness cut of life
as possible. One philosophy (ot
|Hedonism) claims that this is
the motivation f everyone
even of the self-sacrificing and
martyr-like person, who would
not act as he, or she, does il
that were not the most person.
ally satisfying thing to do. That,
to say the least, seems to be
lstraining a point; and if, it were
true, it might still be remarked
that the pleasure Of some toe
often means unhappiness for
others.
Other goals OF life have beer
tie acquiring of wealth and pos
sessions, often without much re
gard for their essential value
and use; the acquisition of pow
er with the mastery and sway
lover great empires, with ruth
less tyranny, o with the petty
Tyranny of their feebler imita'
tors, equally ruthless in their
small spheres. Center souls
have made contemplation thei1
chief quest, retiring into some
form of clustered living; anc
some have made knowledge
their deepest satisfaction, otter
without much wisdom concern
ling its essential value and use
The H b-ew prophets anc
poets had much to say concern
ling these various quests, anc
the greatest value in life. If the
writer of the Book of Ecclesi-
astes seems tc be an incllrable
|pessimist, declaring that all is
VANITY, it should be remem.
bered that he is exploring the
futility of what he deems false
and unsatisfying quests, but is
setting over against them what
he states as mans proper and
Highest goal.
His "conclusioa Of the whole
matter" is: "Fear God, and
keep His commandments for
this is the whole duty of man.
What does that mean? God;
to these Hebrews, was the Gre
ator and upholder Of the uni
verse. To His laws governing
the earth and the heavenly
bodies they found a parallel in
the moral law, governing mans
character a d his relationship
to his fellowmen. Hence the con-
ception of righteousness and up
Brightness b e came dominant in
all thought of the highest and
best in life, just as the foun-
dation, the square, and the
plumbline were the symbols and
essentials Of all true building.
To keep the commandments
was, therefore, the means and
goal of the true life In charac-
tiers that need reforming, and
a world that needs rebuilding,
it may we'll be asked, is there
apxr Othnr u1oy2