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LIGHT MY CANDLE 
 
 A BOOK OF REFLECTIONS 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 “Light My enue 
 
 A BOOK OF REFLECTIONS 
 
 
 
 “The Spirit of Manis the Candle of the Lord’ 
 —Proverbs 20:27 
 
 BY 
 HENRY VAN DYKE 
 
 43 aa AN DYKE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 New YorK CHICAGO 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 LonpDOoN AND EDINBURGH 
 
 
 
Copyright, 1926 by 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 
 Copyright, 1924, 1925, 1926, by The Republic Syndicate 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
 London: 21 Paternoster Square 
 
 Edinburgh: 99 George Street 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Tus book is a harvest of youth and age,—the work 
 of a son and his father. 
 
 Our way of working together was singular. We were 
 not living in the same house, nor even in the same town. 
 We were not consulting each other daily about the book, 
 nor collaborating on the separate chapters. Each of us 
 was busy with his own regular job. But when we met 
 we talked over things in general, and from time to time 
 each would write down, briefly and carefully, the re- 
 flections which came to him about life, and the faith 
 which animates life, and the hope which gives it the 
 promise of immortality, and the love human and Divine 
 which makes it worth living. 
 
 These reflections, gathered in this volume, are not 
 meant to be taken as definitions of doctrine or hard and 
 fast rules of conduct. ‘They are simply rays from the 
 lanterns of two travelers through the woods seeking 
 the same goal. One has just passed the half-way house; 
 the other must be pretty near the end of the road. 
 
 But the curious thing about these notes of spiritual 
 travel is that there is no outstanding difference between 
 those which come from youth and those which come 
 from age. ‘The reader will find it difficult to tell when 
 the son is speaking and when the father. ‘The writers 
 themselves have sometimes found the same difficulty. In 
 assembling the paragraphs for the book we have asked 
 each other, “ Did you write that, or did I?” 
 
 _ Now the reason for this strange unity of purpose and 
 spirit seems to us clear and worth noting here at the 
 
 5 
 
outset. It is not the effect of a deliberate conformity, as 
 if one of us were the teacher and the other the pupil, 
 one the leader and the other the follower. It is rather 
 the result,—unconscious in its operation,—of a convic- 
 tion which we share. Our religion is a heritage. It is 
 not our own discovery or invention. It comes to us, in 
 its vital essence, from those who have gone before us on 
 the path of faith and hope and love. Above all it comes 
 to us from Jesus of Nazareth, the Divine Saviour who 
 became the son of man to give us power to become the 
 sons of God. 
 
 Thus we dare to speak of our religion even as we 
 speak of our country, not because it belongs to us, but 
 because we belong to it. It is given to us to have, but 
 not to hold. Say rather to share, to spread, to develop 
 in new uses, to apply to new problems, to cast a ray into 
 dark places, to pass on to others if they will accept it. 
 
 If the Lord lights our candle, shall we not hold out 
 our little candlestick to other guests in the Great House 
 before we all go up to bed? 
 
 HENRY VAN DYKE. 
 
A NEW HEART FOR THE NEW YEAR 
 
 There is no new thing under the sun.—Ecclesiastes 1: 9. 
 He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold I make all 
 things new.—Revelation 21: 5. 
 
 From the point of view of material circumstances 
 there is nothing new under the sun. ‘There is not even 
 a New Year; there is only another year. 
 
 Our forefathers traveled by coach, or on horseback, 
 on foot and by sailing ship. We by express trains, float- 
 ing palaces, automobiles and flying-machines. But these 
 are only new methods of doing the same old thing. 
 Progress in material efficiency, increase of speed, implies 
 nothing new in the elemental circumstances of life. 
 
 Yet John, standing on rocky Patmos, with the eternal 
 heavens above him and the ancient ocean around him, 
 heard Him that sitteth on the throne saying, Behold I 
 make all things new. 
 
 How is this? Surely the meaning is plain: Christ 
 makes all things new because He produces a change in 
 us and in our relations to all things. 
 
 The only way to find a new heaven and a new earth 
 is to obtain a new heart. When we become new crea- 
 tures in Christ Jesus the old things are passed away, 
 behold they are become new! 
 
 It is the folly of earthly wisdom that men limit the 
 idea of newness to that which is novel,—experienced for 
 the first time. In truth the familiar is also “new” if 
 we approach it with a fresh heart. 
 
 The man who is renewed in Christ is like one return- 
 ing to life from a desperate illness. “To him the familiar 
 trees and grass and sky are new—not because they are 
 different from what they always were, but because he 
 himself is made new by an inward transformation. 
 
A COMPETENCE 
 Give me neither poverty nor riches.—Proverbs 30: 8. 
 
 All level-headed people agree that enough is as good 
 as a feast,—probably even better, when digestion is con- 
 sidered. But the point where opinions begin to differ is 
 the definition of ‘‘ enough.” 
 
 One person feels poor with an income which other 
 persons would regard as rich. One man is happy in a 
 home which other men would despise as a hovel. 
 
 ““’To retire on a competence ” used to be the ambition 
 of worthy men of business. But what is a competence? 
 And why should an able-minded man retire, when work 
 is the best thing for him? 
 
 Evidently there are practical questions here which can 
 not be settled by bromidic platitudes. A man must work 
 them out for himself, with certain general principles to 
 guide him. 
 
 1. Remember the word of Christ: What shall it profit 
 a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? 
 
 2. Take counsel from St. Paul: Having food and rai- 
 ment, let us therewith be content. 
 
 3. Listen to the doctors: Plain food is better than 
 rich food, and simple pleasures are more healthful than 
 luxuries. 
 
 4. Earn as much as you can honestly, making the aim 
 of your labour not wealth but usefulness. 
 
 5. When you come to the end of your working power, 
 rest and be thankful, and help others who have been 
 less fortunate. 
 
SILENCED FAITH 
 
 The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart: 
 that is the word of faith—Romans 10: 8. 
 
 Nothing is easier than to show, to the serious and 
 capable thinker, that faith is the basis on which alone all 
 thought and activity are possible. The difficulties arise 
 chiefly with the half-baked thinker, the wilfully preju- 
 diced (for reasons of personal profit), and the abysmally 
 ignorant. Most men who lead a normal human life 
 come sooner or later to the reverent recognition of faith. 
 The contest which the religious teacher or preacher must 
 enter is not with human nature as at heart unbelieving, 
 but with the things which make men unwilling or unable 
 to confess their faith. Much has been written about the 
 pain of an unspoken confession of guilt. Not enough 
 about the anguish of a silenced faith. 
 
 Perhaps the work of religion would be greatly for- 
 warded in the world if we all recognized that faith is 
 native to the soul and then set to work to liberate, each 
 in the other, the expression of that faith. 
 
 For any one who looks with understanding upon men 
 must appreciate the unspeakable torment of unbelief. 
 Only that man whose whole life bears witness to a faith 
 greater than himself can obtain happiness in this world. 
 
 Is there not in that a real lesson both for believers and 
 for those who are temporarily unbelievers? 
 
DISSOLVING HABITATIONS 
 
 For we know that if the earthly house of our taber- 
 nacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house 
 not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.—I1 Co- 
 rinthians 5: I. 
 
 
 
 To one who has lived long in New York, or any other 
 of our big cities, nothing is more remarkable than the 
 melting away of great houses, once the landmarks. of 
 their time. In my own brief day I have seen princely 
 habitations built of costly materials, illumined with regal 
 gayety, and now crumbled into rubbish, to make room 
 for the new abodes of commerce and democratic wealth. 
 
 When will vain man learn that he is but a pilgrim 
 and a stranger, and that his most splendid mansions are 
 only tents and tabernacles? 
 
 This is the figure of speech that St. Paul uses to illus- 
 trate the frailty and transience of the bodies in which we 
 men and women live on earth. 
 
 Disease weakens them, accidents threaten them, old 
 age pulls them down. Shall we then be naked, shelter- 
 - less, homeless? 
 
 No, says Paul, for God is building a house for us 
 which is eternal,—the spiritual body. 
 
 What is it like? Ah, that we cannot yet understand. 
 But we know that it is built of faith, and hope, and love, 
 the three things which abide forever. 
 
 Io 
 
HISTORY AND LIFE 
 
 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider 
 the things of old.—lIsaiah 43: 18. 
 Remember the former things of old.—lIsaiah 46: 9. 
 
 All truth contains an element of paradox. ‘The 
 answer to most questions is yes and no. ‘This means 
 simply that we can never escape the responsibility for 
 using our own judgment. ‘The element of common sense 
 is a part of religion as of everything else worth while. 
 
 As a chain about the neck, or a dead hand laid upon 
 life, the past must be denied and repudiated. 
 
 As a source of experience wider than our own personal 
 experience, and as a well of wisdom it deserves careful 
 consideration. 
 
 The future is never totally determined by the past: 
 otherwise there could be no such thing as history. 
 
 But we must see to it that we do not become the 
 prisoners of history. Rather must we be trained by a 
 just contemplation of the past to deal with the issues of 
 our own day. 
 
 The influence of the past is neither good nor bad in 
 itself, except as we make it bad through our failure 
 rightly to appraise its lessons. 
 
 No one but an ignoramus would boneder himself 
 capable of living a just life without regard to the past. 
 No one but a fool would try to live worthily today with 
 his eyes turned always backward. 
 
 If 
 
PROFITEERS 
 I pray you, let us leave off this usury —Nehemiah 5: 10. 
 
 In every time of war, or of national peril and distress, 
 there are people who make great gain out of the misfor- 
 tune of others. ‘These are called “‘ profiteers.” They 
 are sometimes worshipped for their wealth. But they 
 should be despised for their greed, and damned for their 
 inhumanity. 
 
 Nehemiah had people like this around him. ‘They 
 held mortgages on their less fortunate neighbours which 
 threw them into starvation or slavery. It was on behalf 
 of these unfortunates that he made his beautiful and 
 strong appeal. 
 
 Sentiment, of course! But it was also good business 
 sense. For unless these debtors could be restored, their 
 creditors could not hope for safety and prosperity. 
 
 Certainly this has a bearing upon the money debts of 
 the Allied Nations to the United States. But I am not 
 writing about international politics——only about per- 
 sonal religion. 
 
 Therefore I ask you to read again from the gospel of 
 Matthew 18: 21-35. The law of supply and demand 
 is cogent, But the Gospel of Christ is more important. 
 
 12 
 
INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD 
 
 If ye call on him as Father, who without respect of 
 persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the 
 time of your sojourning in fear: knowing that ye were 
 redeemed, not with corruptible things... but with 
 . . . the blood of Christ—I Peter 1: 17-19. 
 
 There are many people today whose conception of God 
 is failing them because it is a cheap and superficial thing, 
 lacking in depth and quality. “They have been going 
 along in the easy attitude of the careless young man who 
 says to himself: “ O well, if I get into trouble the old 
 man will pull me out.” 
 
 When trouble comes the prayer of such people to 
 escape the consequences of their careless and sometimes 
 evil conduct does not at all match with the purpose of 
 God. ‘Then they are surprised, even aggrieved and re- 
 bellious, and declare their unbelief. 
 
 And all the time the difficulty is that they have cher- 
 ished an inadequate and petty conception of God. 
 
 I am not interested to try to apportion the blame for 
 this tragic situation in which many find themselves. Un- 
 doubtedly the preachers are too much engaged with 
 *“‘ popular topics.” And equally truly are many Church 
 members avoiding serious consideration of the nature of 
 God and the consequent duties of man. 
 
 It is well that we should realize Jesus’ emphasis on the 
 name of Father as revealing the nature of God. But it 
 is assuredly not well that we should abuse that name by 
 reducing it to its shoddy popular proportions. 
 
 We must turn from our stupid and unreal theories of 
 an easy-going, good-natured God to the Living God in 
 nature, in history and in the heart of man. 
 
 13 
 
PROFESSIONAL JEALOUSY 
 
 There ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, 
 Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And 
 Joshua... said, My lord Moses, forbid them.—Num- 
 bers 11: 27-28. 
 
 There you have an illustration of one of the meanest 
 things in human nature—professional jealousy. It was 
 not said that Eldad and Medad were prophesying 
 falsely. No accusation was made against them except 
 that they were prophesying in the camp without having 
 been present at the door of the tabernacle with the others 
 when they experienced the presence of the Spirit. Joshua 
 considered this an irregularity and asked Moses to forbid 
 their activity. 
 
 But the rugged and honest Moses declined to take 
 such a petty action and expressed the pious hope: 
 “Would that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, that 
 Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them! ” 
 
 It is a well-merited rebuke to a jealous proposal, and 
 a noble utterance of faith in God’s use of men. 
 
 Would it not be a salutary lesson for us all if we laid 
 to heart the truth that the right to speak on God’s behalf 
 is a gift bestowed not by men but by God Himself? 
 
 There may be standardized ways of discovering the 
 qualifications of men for the performance of any particu- 
 lar function. But these standardized ways ought not to 
 blind us to the fact that God is not limited to the ways 
 that commend themselves to us. 
 
 14 
 
PARTIAL KNOWLEDGE ENOUGH FOR 
 THE PRESENT 
 
 Now I know in part; but then shall I know fully.— 
 I Corinthians 13: 12. 
 
 Long ago I heard President James McCosh preach 
 from this text in the Princeton Chapel. 
 
 * Religion is full of questions that we cannot answer,” 
 said he, “‘ because we only know in part,’’—a long pause, 
 then with thrilling emphasis,—‘‘ but we know!” 
 
 There are things of which we may be positively cer- 
 tain though we cannot comprehend all their connections 
 and relations. We know that our souls exist as truly as 
 our bodies. We know that there is a God, who is not 
 blind force, but a spirit who answers the souls who seek 
 Him in spirit and in truth. We know that good brings 
 peace and joy, evil brings discord and death to the soul. 
 We know that Jesus Christ is absolutely good, the per- 
 fect union of the Divine and the Human spirits. We 
 know through Him that love is the source of power, and 
 that life continues after death. 
 
 Beyond our ken lie the mysteries unexplored. But we 
 have light enough to steer by, if we will. We know as 
 much as we need. If we live by it we shall know more, 
 some day. 
 
 15 
 
THE REDISCOVERY OF THE INDIVIDUAL 
 
 “ Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not 
 one of them is forgotten in the sight of God ... ye are 
 of more value than many sparrows.—Luke 12: 6-7. 
 
 Every significant moment in human history is marked 
 by a fresh discovery of the worth of the individual. ‘To- 
 day there are many signs pointing in that direction. 
 ‘Thoughtful men are turning in disgust from the palpable 
 failure of endeavours to deal with men as indifferent and 
 indistinguishable units of a human mass. Mechanistic 
 theories of human life are being rejected, not so much 
 because they are argued down in university class-rooms, 
 but because they are found to be totally inadequate as 
 explanations of human activity throughout the world. 
 
 Many public institutions for the care of dependents 
 and incompetents are trying to deal with people as indi- 
 viduals rather than as cases. Homes (with a capital H) 
 for orphans are being transformed as rapidly as possible 
 from barracks with uniform regulations, and wherever 
 opportunity affords children are being sent to a home 
 (with a small h) and the things that go with it. 
 
 Everything from hospital to prison is affected by the 
 rediscovery of the individual. 
 
 Ought we not to rejoice in this sign of our times? 
 For it means a new realization of the eternal truth that 
 Jesus taught: The absolute worth of the individual soul 
 before God in this world as well as in the life beyond. 
 
 16 
 
CONFERENCES OR WORK 
 
 I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come. 
 down.—Nehemiah 6: 3. 
 
 Sanballat was a crafty foe. Four times he sent mes- 
 sengers to Nehemiah begging him to come down for a 
 conference in the plain of Ono. But each time the an- 
 swer of Nehemiah, building the wall, was the same: 
 *‘ Busy, sorry, can’t come.” 
 
 I think Nehemiah was right. ‘The work committed 
 to the hand of each man is for him the most important 
 thing,—the will of God, concrete. 
 
 No doubt, conferences have done great good in the 
 world. ‘They have made strangers acquainted. ‘They 
 have promoted friendships. 
 
 But it seems to me, just now, that we have too many 
 of them. Philanthropic joy-rides, paid. for by the 
 Church or the Government, cost more than they come 
 to. ‘Too many conferences! 
 
 I think the best thing that Christians can do just now 
 is to stick to the job that lies nearest to them. Maybe 
 the teaching of a class in Sunday-school, maybe the 
 Christianizing of a church, maybe the humanizing of an 
 industry. Maybe the making of a true home. 
 
 Great work! Greater than a conference. Work on 
 
 the walls! 
 
 17 
 
THE CULT OF IGNORANCE 
 
 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowl- 
 edge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dream- 
 ing, lying down, loving to slumber.—Isaiah 56: 10. 
 
 It is a curious but none the less evident sign of our 
 times that many people cultivate ignorance. Despite the 
 crowds of youth storming the doors of our schools and 
 colleges, yes, sometimes even within the Halls of Learn- 
 ing, there is a considerable number of people who despise 
 knowledge. It is fashionable nowadays to have a college 
 degree, but a thoroughly trained mind is far from being 
 the uniform purpose in winning that degree. 
 
 Some one has said: “‘ A crank is an expert on a subject 
 in which you are not interested,”’—and to this may be 
 added the popular conclusion: Of course, nobody wants 
 to be a crank! 
 
 At bottom this attitude is a justification for idle 
 dreaming. We need to remember the profound wisdom 
 of the old dominie’s advice to Ramsay MacDonald: 
 “You master: that is education. When you have mas- 
 tered one thing you are well on your way to mastering 
 all things.” 
 
 The ideal of a “ well-rounded man” may have its 
 good points. But let it not become the degenerate ideal 
 that a smattering of information on many subjects con- 
 stitutes an educated man. ‘To qualify as a man of the 
 world will never satisfy the soul. Somewhere the soul 
 must come to grips with reality in its naked strength. 
 Any education which does not lead to that is only the 
 cult of ignorance. 
 
 18 
 
PERILOUS EASE 
 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion—Amos 6: I. 
 
 All of us realize the peril of luxury and ease in the 
 abstract. But most of us think that the particular lux- 
 uries which are within our reach are harmless—at least 
 for ourselves. 
 
 Life is crowded with examples of brilliant careers 
 wrecked by the degenerations of ease, great opportunities 
 ungrasped because of a grip softened by luxury, and gen- 
 eral social deterioration arising out of sybaritic manners 
 and customs. 
 
 And yet a very considerable number of people are 
 quite unable to act otherwise than as if comfort were 
 the first objective of their lives, 
 
 Disastrous as this attitude is in the general terms of 
 human life, it is far worse because more far-reaching in 
 the particular realm of the spirit. 
 
 What could be more perilous than a soporific religion ? 
 What more corrupting than a “ religious” attitude that 
 induces self-complacency? 
 
 To be at ease in Zion is truly the most perfect of 
 paradoxes. It is the divorce of religion and morals and 
 the herald of the death of the soul. 
 
 Peace and Assurance,—yes, these are religious words. 
 But Ease is paganism unashamed even when it seeks the 
 odour of sanctity in Zion. 
 
 Did not Jesus invite us: ‘‘ Come unto me all ye that 
 labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. 
 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me... and ye 
 shall find rest unto your souls’? 
 
 That yoke is easy; but not on the necks of those who 
 are at ease in Zion. 
 
 19 
 
IDLERS AND LOAFERS 
 
 Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest 
 
 a while—Mark 6: 31. 
 
 We feel instinctively that there is an essential differ- 
 ence between the word “ idler” and the word “‘ loafer.” 
 The first describes one who for the moment is not en- 
 gaged in work. ‘The second describes one who makes it 
 a point never to do any work if he can possibly get out 
 of it. 
 
 ‘To be idle sometimes is the part of wisdom. It is the 
 needful rest and relaxation which Christ invited His dis- 
 ciples to share with Him when they were overstrained 
 and worn out with labour. The best way to enjoy it is 
 to get away from the crowd into some quiet place where 
 the heart can be still with God in the open air. It is 
 most sweet when it is shared by true friends. 
 
 Such idleness may be very fruitful. It reaps 
 
 “The harvest of a quiet eye 
 ‘That broods and sleeps on His own heart.” 
 
 But the Joafer is a person unprofitable to himself as 
 well as to others. He is a parasite, a thief of time, a 
 cumberer of the ground. If he will not work, neither 
 let him eat. Then he will soon pass away,—unless he 
 happens to inherit a fortune. 
 
 20 
 
THE CONTROL OF IDEAS 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven— 
 Matthew 13: 33. 
 
 Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saddu- 
 cees—Matthew 16:6. 
 
 There is no more powerful thing in the world than 
 an idea. It never rests. Once planted in a mind it 
 reaches out continually trying to pervade all minds one 
 after the other. Like leaven in dough, it is in a constant 
 state of fermentation. 
 
 And this is true not only of good ideas but of bad 
 ones. For human nature is not naturally discriminating. 
 Most men treat their minds as small children do their 
 mouths—as a receptacle for anything that comes along. 
 
 And yet the only assurance that men will be nourished 
 on spiritual ideas lies in their ability to discriminate be- 
 tween the good and bad leaven and to choose accordingly. 
 No law can be made to require the choice of the good 
 leaven. No one can legislate against the fact that the 
 same natural law of progression applies to good and 
 evil ideas. 
 
 No. evil idea has ever been legislated out of existence. 
 Evil ideas have died of starvation and neglect, but never 
 from being labelled illegal. 
 
 Each person must be taught how to discriminate be- 
 tween good and evil ideas, and how to present to one an 
 open welcome and to the other a locked and sealed door. 
 
 For the only governance to which ideas are subject is 
 the control of individual persons. 
 
 21 
 
SCIENCE AND RELIGION 
 
 Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways: 
 And how small a whisper do we hear of him. 
 
 —Job 26: 14. 
 
 ‘There is no antagonism between science and religion. 
 They are only two different ways of studying God. Re- 
 ligion proceeds within the spiritual experience of man, 
 science within the ascertained facts of nature. Both are 
 indispensable. 
 
 But frankly I must confess that the methods of the 
 servants of science, at present, are superior to the 
 methods of the servants of religion. 
 
 Here are half-a-dozen religious conferences, assem- 
 blies, conventions, and so on. ‘They content themselves 
 with passing vague, arrogant resolutions about the out- 
 lawry of war, prohibition, censorship of books and plays, 
 without a single definite and practical suggestion. 
 
 Here is a conference of doctors and surgeons who are 
 seeking to exterminate cancer. “They look for the germ 
 of the disease. “They seek patiently and eagerly for an 
 antidote. “They are hopeful but not arrogant. 
 
 Would to God that His servants in religion could be 
 as wise, practical, and humble as His servants in science! 
 
 When we seek to know His ways in creation and 
 providence, is not every natural fact a sacred thing, a 
 word from Him? 
 
 When we try to do His will, shall we not listen and 
 wait patiently for every whisper and hint that may help 
 us to serve Him more efficiently ? | 
 
 Vague Omniscience does not become churchmen. 
 Humility and Courage are better. 
 
 22 
 
LEGISLATION IN THE HEART 
 
 I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their 
 heart will I write it.—Jeremiah 31: 33. 
 
 It is commonly (and it seems to me justifiably) said 
 of Americans today that they think they can legislate the 
 coming of the millennium. Certainly one of the first 
 remarks you hear when men discuss any particular evil 
 is: There ought to be a law about that. 
 
 But what good is a law written on the books until it 
 becomes also written in the people’s hearts? Law as an 
 external force may be serviceable to reduce a recalcitrant 
 minority to conformity. But nothing is surer than the 
 futility of legislation contrary to the public conscience. 
 Witness the fugitive slave law in Civil War days. 
 
 Precisely so is it in ecclesiastical affairs. ‘To endeavor 
 to lead men by means of an external law which cannot 
 be transcribed on the heart is utter folly. To attempt 
 to enforce conformity in ritual or theology apart from 
 the heart’s response is intolerable tyranny. 
 
 Despite the furious activity of ecclesiastical politicians 
 in the Church and would-be dominant groups in the 
 republic, the honest man in Church and State will always 
 be more interested in unity than in conformity, and will 
 recognize that the foundation stone of legislation is 
 education. 
 
 Neither in family, church nor state can you legislate 
 the millennium. ‘That is why religion will always be 
 the most important thing in the world. It writes its 
 laws in the heart. 
 
 23 
 
IMPATIENT IDEALISTS 
 There shall be the seed of peace.-—Zechariah 8: 12. 
 
 Some people have no patience to consider ways and 
 means. “They want what they call “ results,” and they 
 want them immediately. ‘They call themselves idealists 
 largely because they will have nothing to do with any- 
 thing except perfection. 
 
 We find them railing at the Church because the 
 Church is still a faulty and inadequate institution. We 
 find them denouncing the government because that, too, 
 has its weaknesses. We find them criticizing the frailties 
 of human nature with bitter language. 
 
 But how seldom do we find them labouring to amelior- 
 
 te the conditions they decry. O no, what they want is 
 
 reform by a single sweeping gesture—everything or 
 
 nothing. ‘They are like a man who, finding himself in 
 ‘/. New York and desiring to be in Pittsburgh, refuses to 
 
 take the train because his desire is not to spend time on 
 | the train but to be in Pittsburgh. 
 
 Lots of people show that frame of mind toward world 
 peace. “They have no patience for the slow cultivation 
 of the seed of peace. They want world peace through 
 the waving of a formula like a magic wand. Instead of 
 observing the enormous advance towards peace in the 
 past five years they dejectedly announce that everything 
 has failed because forsooth peace is not yet universally 
 established. 
 
 But peace, like other valuable things, is not obtained 
 all at once. It grows from the seed to the fruit by the 
 process of patient cultivation. Very few things (outside 
 of fables) leap forth full-formed from the beginning. 
 
 What we need from our idealists is less pessimistic 
 denunciation and more patient labour. 
 
 24 
 
THE ABUSE OF IMAGINATION 
 The eye is not satisfied with seeing.—Ecclesiastes 1: 8. 
 
 The power of imagination is a great force in the dis- 
 covery of truth. But, like all qualities of human nature, 
 it must be reasonably employed. Imagination should in- 
 vade the realm of physical facts, but it must not be 
 allowed to set itself up on a parity with established facts. 
 
 Some of the bitterest controversies arise from the fail- 
 ure to observe a simple distinction: We confuse the out- 
 reaching of imagination with plain facts, and quarrel 
 - ferociously where we ought to inquire diligently. 
 
 It is so easy to imagine that we have found what we 
 want or expect to find. 
 
 The man lost in the desert always sees water—just 
 over there. 
 
 You and I are always finding justification for our 
 prejudices—not from the facts in the case, but from 
 imagination. 
 
 Once allow yourself to hate a man and see how speed- 
 ily you can amass evidence to justify your hate. 
 
 As we struggled to the foot of the great wood and 
 iron cross that tops the snowy summit of the Gross 
 Glockner in the Tyrolean Alps I turned to our guide 
 with a question: “Can we see the Adriatic Sea from 
 here? ” 
 
 He smiled as at a familiar question and replied: 
 “Well, many tourists have seen it—but no guides.” 
 
 Indeed the eye is not satisfied with seeing. Often it 
 insists on seeing what is not visible. 
 
 is 
 Lo 
 
 25 
 
LUCK 
 
 Ye that ... prepare a table for Fortune, and that 
 fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; I will destine you to 
 the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter.— 
 Isaiah 65: 11-12. 
 
 Men are much inclined to talk about bad luck as a 
 leading element in accounting for their failures. And in 
 talking about the successes of other men they often have 
 much to say about good luck. For the most part these 
 terms are only subterfuges for maintaining the talkers’ 
 self-respect. And they are just as much illusions as the 
 gambler’s projection of the divinity of Fortune to lend 
 tone to his inordinate greed for excitement and money. 
 
 When all is said and done this is just paganism in 
 civilized garb:—the making of gods by the personifica- 
 tion of human qualities. It is perhaps as good a way as 
 any to justify our weakness and depreciate the strength 
 of other men. But it’s a coward’s game at best, and 
 ought to be left alone by all honest men. 
 
 If a man exercises foresight and develops the strength 
 and courage to include various contingencies in the scope 
 of his plans, he puts luck in its proper place as the minor 
 uncertainty that lends savour to life. Luck is too much 
 dependent on men to be a god. 
 
 Nansen once said of Amundsen’s discovery of the 
 South Pole: “ Let no one come and prate about luck and 
 chance, Amundsen’s luck is that of the strong man who 
 looks ahead.” 
 
 26 
 
PROPHETS VERSUS OFFICIALS 
 
 A prophet is not without honour save in his own 
 country.—Matthew 13:57. 
 
 This is one of the sayings in which the keen irony of 
 Jesus of Nazareth is shown. If He had been a high 
 official, a rabbi, or a ruler, no doubt His fellow- 
 townsmen would have listened to Him respectfully and 
 treasured His words. But because He was only a la- 
 bourer and a prophet, speaking for God with no other 
 authority than the splendid verity of what He said, His 
 neighbours despised Him. “They knew the humble con- 
 ditions of His life and family. They had seen Him 
 working in the carpenter shop. Impossible that such a 
 person should be great! Absurd to do Him honour! 
 Measured by their parochial standard Jesus was one of 
 the least important citizens of Nazareth. 
 
 But measured by the larger standard of world-vision, 
 and spiritual wisdom, and power upon the soul of man, 
 Jesus was the greatest teacher and leader ever seen on 
 earth. 
 
 This is the distinction between prophets and officials. 
 Dressed in a little brief authority, officials feast on hon- 
 ours in the place where they dwell. Men bow down to 
 them and praise them and give them reverence for their 
 titles. But prophets must not look for this kind of two- 
 penny reward. ‘Their honour does not depend on local 
 rank, It is the silent tribute of the world to the truth 
 and beauty of their teaching. 
 
 27 
 
THE “ FULNESS ” WORDS 
 
 He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness——Romans 
 1225, 
 
 I like those words which end with “ fulness.” 
 
 Of course some of them are bad, like hatefulness, and 
 deceitfulness, and harmfulness. 
 
 But how many more of them are good! Hopefulness, 
 and joyfulness, and thoughtfulness, and mercifulness, 
 and above all faithfulness. 
 
 What is the reason for this liking? Perhaps it is be- 
 cause these words have something inward about them. 
 They describe a quality which fills the heart and over- 
 flows naturally into the life. 
 
 They are not words of mere obedience to outward 
 law. ‘They are words of spontaneous goodness coming 
 from the voluntary union of the soul with that which 
 is best. 
 
 ‘They seem to me like springs and fountains ever flow- 
 ing from a secret source. 
 
 ‘They remind me of that glorious saying of Christ: 
 “I came that they may have life, and may have it 
 abundantly.” 
 
 Modern religion is much concerned with plumbing. 
 But Christ cares for the water supply. 
 
 28 
 
LOST 
 
 Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.— 
 Isaiali 322/373} 
 
 What would you think of a man who, finding himself 
 lost in the woods, said: ‘‘ Well, now that I’m lost I may 
 as well get as much pleasure out of it as I can,” 
 began to wander aimlessly around picking flowers and 
 hunting for birds’ nests? 
 
 What would you think of the captain of a vessel who, 
 being driven out of his course in a storm and unable to 
 take observations, came down from the bridge, and said 
 to crew and passengers: “‘ We’re lost, so we'll just sail 
 around and amuse ourselves and try to forget our 
 troubles ”’? 
 
 Of course you would say that both these men were 
 crazy. No matter if they were lost, their duty was to 
 set a sharp look-out to discover their position and in the 
 meantime to keep cool and use their best judgment to 
 recover the lost way. In the woods or at sea we cannot 
 imagine such foolish and cowardly actions except from 
 a man out of his head. 
 
 And yet in the issues of life such conduct is not un- 
 common. Men get into a fog of doubt or a thicket of 
 confusing opinions, throw up their hands in despair, and 
 say, “ let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.” 
 
 The pursuit of fleeting pleasures and distracting 
 amusements is the counsel of despair that leads to death. 
 
 29 
 
 and ~ 
 
THE POWER OF A LIFE PURPOSE 
 
 I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, 
 so that I may accomplish my course.—Acts 20:24. . 
 
 When you look at life as an observer the things that 
 happen to you seem of tremendous importance. When 
 you look at life as an actor they seem insignificant. 
 
 Paul could look at the certainty of bonds and afflic- 
 tions and say, ‘‘ None of these things move me,”’ because 
 he was totally preoccupied with the honourable comple- 
 tion of his ministry. He could even speak of finishing 
 his course with joy. Why? Because invincible to all 
 things that might affect him was his spiritual delight in 
 carrying through to its conclusion the commission he had 
 received from God. 
 
 A purposeless life is always an unhappy one, no mat- 
 ter how easy its outward circumstances. A life directed 
 to its goal has always happiness in it. For when all is 
 said and done, “‘ happiness consists not so much in the 
 absence of pain as in the presence of joy.” 
 
 Too often we dread “ what may happen to us,” and — 
 conduct our lives on the basis of avoiding all danger or 
 even discomfort. 
 
 How much better for ourselves as well as more ser- 
 viceable to a needy world if we should heed the call of 
 God and trust in the joy of spiritual purpose to overcome 
 the pain of outward events. 
 
 Is it not proverbial that it is always the innocent by- 
 stander that gets hurt? 
 
 30 
 
SILLY LAUGHTER 
 
 As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the 
 laughter of the fool.—Ecclesiastes 7: 6. 
 
 I do not mean the jolly “ ha-ha” that follows a prac- 
 tical joke or a farcical comedy, nor even those youthful 
 outbursts of laughter that are so common among boys 
 and girls when there is really nothing to laugh at. 
 These are good physical exercise. ‘They signify little, 
 but they promote digestion. 
 
 What I mean is the cheap and senseless ridicule of 
 serious things by people who cannot understand them. 
 Every ideal, every forward movement in the world, has 
 been greeted with this ridicule. 
 
 The Athenians on the Areopagus heard St. Paul with 
 a polite grin. But Christianity survives, while Athens is 
 a back number, or worse. 
 
 Laughter is a powerful weapon. 
 
 But it is not an argument. 
 
 That is because fools like to laugh more than they 
 like to think. 
 
 The thorns crackle under the pot. But if you want 
 to get your dinner, you must look for better wood. 
 
 31 
 
TOO LATE 
 The door was shut—Matthew 25: 10. 
 
 What a hopeless sound this phrase has! 
 
 One can almost hear the rasping bolts, and then the 
 hurrying feet and the despairing cry of those who were 
 too late to enter. “The foolish virgins of Christ’s parable 
 were facing the fact that there is a point in life at which 
 no excuses will avail. 
 
 The door is shut. There is absolutely nothing to be 
 done about it. All action should have been taken before- 
 hand. Now it is too late. 
 
 But the important thing to remember is that the ar- 
 rival at the inexorable point of hopelessness is always 
 the culmination of what has gone before; and that this 
 desperate plight is avoidable if we are continually ready. 
 
 Many of us are going to do great things—tomorrow. 
 But tomorrow never comes. For the only day we have 
 is today. And this corrupting habit of running behind 
 schedule—even in small things—has for its inevitable | 
 result the bringing of us face to face with a shut door. 
 
 ‘The demand that life makes on all of us is to be ready 
 at all times, to live neither in the past nor in the future 
 but in the present. 
 
 Until we learn that lesson we cannot escape the cer- 
 tain consequence that we shall one day stand, sorrowful 
 but too late, before the one door through which we desire 
 to enter but cannot—because it is shut, 
 
 32 
 
THE LOVE OF ENEMIES 
 
 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, 
 Love your enemies.—Matthew 5: 43-44. 
 
 I would not lead you to think that I have anything 
 new to say on this most difficult injunction of the Chris- 
 tian religion. But I would like to remind myself with 
 you that we have no right to turn away from it and 
 decline even to think seriously about it. 
 
 There must be some way of obeying it, or else we are 
 in the position of people tantalized by an impossible com- 
 mand given by a Master whose one desire is our eternal 
 welfare. “The thing is preposterous. It is too diabolical. 
 
 What, then, hinders us? 
 
 First, the long-cherished and entrenched delusion that 
 it is impossible,—with the consequent cessation of effort. 
 We forget the centuries of failure that precede success 
 in any field of achievement. How long have men been 
 trying to fly? And with what speed has the triumph 
 advanced under the concentration of effort and the draw- 
 ing together of divergent inventions on the basis of the 
 formulation of a few simple laws! 
 
 May it not be just so with the love of enemies? ‘The 
 intelligent application of continuous effort is almost an 
 irresistible force. When it is lined up with the will of 
 God it is omnipotent. 
 
 O, of course, we may fail. But is there any sober 
 reason for not trying? ‘Think of it! You might be a 
 discoverer in this wilderness almost untouched by human 
 effort, 
 
 33 
 
ON MAKING ENEMIES 
 
 Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity 
 with God?—James 4: 4. 
 
 Lots of people think that the best way to fulfil that 
 most difficult of all Christian teachings: ‘‘ Love your 
 enemies,” is to avoid making any enemies. And so they 
 go about cautiously dodging all clashes, compromising 
 and trimming and making concessions even on matters 
 of principle. 
 
 It is of course evident that the peaceable and gentle 
 spirit is an important element in Christian character. 
 But it is by no means true that the best Christian is he 
 who has the fewest enemies. Indeed, a man will never 
 do anything valuable in this world without making ene- 
 mies. And the counsel of Jesus is not to avoid making 
 enemies but to love even those who are become our ene- 
 mies,—which is quite a different affair. 
 
 When we stop to think about it, a man’s enemies are 
 quite as indicative of his character as his friends are. 
 ‘The only makers of enemies who are worthy of condem- 
 nation are those who alienate all men, or who insist on 
 maintaining enmity when its cause is past. 
 
 Jesus Himself began by making friends, but He 
 never hesitated to incur the hostility of those who op- 
 posed the work God sent Him to do. And all His great 
 disciples ever since have followed that course, 
 
 34 
 
SPIRITUAL HEREDITY 
 
 Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same 
 are sons of Abraham.—Galatians 3: 7. 
 
 A man’s descent from honourable ancestors is not a 
 proper subject for personal boasting,—even though it is 
 often so regarded. Whatever glory there may be belongs 
 to the ancestors, not the descendant. Let the descendant 
 rather put his attention on seeing that the line is con- 
 tinued unimpaired. 
 
 But alongside of this natural heredity in which a man 
 has no choice as regards himself, there is the line of spiri- 
 tual heredity in which he may have the leading choice. 
 
 With whom is he to be related in the realm of mind 
 and spirit? 
 
 Keats, born in his grandfather’s posting-house, chose 
 affinity with the Greek poets and Shakespeare rather 
 than with grooms and hostlers, or even that with doctors 
 and surgeons which was first offered him in his proposed 
 career, 
 
 As I write this I think of the little fishing village on 
 an outlying sea-island where we have just spent several 
 days. In those humble and hospitable homes familiar 
 with tragedy and loneliness we found gentleness and 
 courtesy, good books and noble thinking. And the peo- 
 ple of whom they chiefly spoke were their spiritual an- 
 cestors,—a few beloved authors and occasional visitors 
 who touched and. stirred their spirits. One could be 
 more at home there than in many a fine house where the 
 master’s famous forebears provide the chief topic of polite 
 but wearisome conversation. i 
 
 The sons of Abraham who are entitled to rejoice in 
 their ancestor are those who, by living in faith, have 
 chosen him for their spiritual father. 
 
 oD 
 
HELPFULNESS BEYOND THEORIES 
 A cup of cold water—Matthew 10: 42. 
 
 One of the most lovely of human qualities is plain and 
 unadorned helpfulness. It is not common enough to pass 
 unnoticed. Among the worldly wise it is notoriously 
 lacking. 
 
 Even those of us who call ourselves disciples of Christ 
 too often allow our theories to inhibit practical helpful- 
 ness. Instead of fixing our eye on the human need and 
 getting into action to meet that need we launch off on 
 our general theories and neglect the concrete instance. 
 
 How many human obligations remain unpaid, how 
 many opportunities for service ungrasped, just because 
 of this foolish habit of our uncontrolled minds. 
 
 Of course no sane man thinks that life can be reduced 
 to the spurious simplicity of helpfulness. Hard, con- 
 sistent thinking is always necessary. But what I want 
 to know is: Why should we allow our theorizing to 
 cripple our activities? 
 
 Why should college graduates so often be expert in 
 the dialectics of philosophic doubt, and sometimes so 
 lethargic in performing particular service? 
 
 It is important for the human mind to work out the 
 theories of life. But what does the thought that ham- 
 strings effort amount to? 
 
 While you are theorizing about population and water 
 supply and the nature of man perhaps you are neglecting 
 a request for a cup of cold water. 
 
 By all means think. But why neglect to act? For 
 that, too, is life. 
 
 36 
 
MY GOSPEL 
 
 According to my gospel.—Romans 2: 16. 
 
 When St. Paul speaks of “ my gospel” he does not 
 mean that he has invented it, or that he owns it, or that 
 he has a right to limit or define it. 
 
 On the contrary, he means that it has found him, that 
 he belongs to it, that it is a living force within him, in- 
 spiring and guiding him in all his work.and preaching. 
 
 What is it then, this gospel, this good news which took 
 possession of Paul’s soul and sent him out to preach it 
 to Jews and Gentiles? 
 
 It is the conviction that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son 
 of God, the revealer of our Father in Heaven. It is the 
 assurance that His death on the cross is the atoning sacri- 
 fice for the sin of the world, and that through faith in it 
 the vilest sinner may find forgiveness. It is the promise 
 that Christ’s spirit of love will enable those who trust 
 Him to overcome all enemies,—even the last enemy, 
 which is death. 
 
 This is Paul’s gospel. Happy are we if it is ours. 
 
 37 
 
UNCONTROLLED HASTE 
 
 His nurse took him up, and fled; and it came to pass, 
 as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame.— 
 II Samuel 4: 4. 
 
 It was a tragic thing that happened to little five-year- 
 old Mephibosheth when the news of the death of Jona- 
 than his father came to the royal palaces. His nurse 
 caught him up to carry him to safety and escape the in- 
 evitable revolution, but she dropped him; and ever after 
 he was lame. 
 
 The accident was due to haste, and not to wilful 
 neglect. “The woman’s purpose was good, but she exe- 
 cuted it poorly because she was panic-stricken. 
 
 Here is one of a long list of tragic accidents due to 
 uncontrolled haste. Nothing is ever gained by trying to 
 do anything when you are off balance. Unless you are 
 able to keep yourself under perfect control in time of 
 crisis, you become a peril not only to yourself but to 
 others. 
 
 This truth needs especially to be remembered in this 
 day of fast transportation. Every day the newspapers 
 contain accounts of accidents due to speed beyond con- 
 trol. Most of those responsible for the accidents are full 
 of remorse afterwards. But what good is that to the 
 victims ? 
 
 Surely there are enough unavoidable accidents to jus- 
 tify us in reducing the unnecessary ones by observing 
 every reasonable precaution. 
 
 The place to begin is by controlling yourself. 
 
SALUTARY HARSHNESS 
 
 The rod and reproof give wisdom; 
 But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother. 
 —Proverbs 29:15. 
 
 Spoiled children are bad enough in themselves, but 
 when they are grown up they are intolerable. And I 
 will leave it to any careful observer of human nature to 
 say whether, or not, we are overstocked with spoiled 
 children (young and old) today. 
 
 This idea of allowing all men to choose their own 
 way, “ to make their bed and lie in it,” has a fine sound 
 of liberality about it; but when it degenerates into mere 
 indifference and irresponsibility on our part toward 
 others—especially those who must look to us for guid- 
 ance—it is just plain bunk. 
 
 Is there no such thing as the social inheritance of 
 ideals? By what insane reasoning do we conclude that 
 all tradition is evil? Is each individual limited for his 
 education to his own personal experiments? 
 
 Is it fair,—especially is it fair to children, to launch 
 them in such a world as this without discipline, without 
 warning? Is it really kindness to let any one grow up, 
 apart from the experience of punishment, in the delusion 
 that the world centres about him? Why do we shake 
 our heads over our friends when their backs are turned? 
 
 Why not be strictly honest and fearlessly kind, and say 
 and do what we know is needful ? 
 
 39 
 
THORNS IN THE FLESH 
 
 There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a mes- 
 senger of Satan to buffet me.—II Corinthians 12: 7. 
 
 What was this “‘ thorn” to which the Apostle Paul 
 alludes so feelingly, not only in this letter to the Co- 
 rinthians but also in his letter to the Galatians? 
 
 Nobody knows, but a great many writers have made 
 guesses about it. Some say that it was the general frailty 
 and insignificance of his “‘ bodily presence ”’; others guess 
 (a wild guess, this) that it was a nagging wife like the 
 consort who tormented Job; others conjecture that it 
 was what the modern psychoanalysts call an inferiority 
 complex. But the sensible commentators incline to the 
 view that it was either an epileptic tendency or a form 
 of eye-disease common in the East. Perhaps it was both. 
 What difference does it make? 
 
 _ The point is that Paul did not describe his thorn and 
 
 dwell upon its nature and details. ‘Three times, he says, 
 he prayed to be delivered from it, but it stayed. So he 
 carried it, and went on with his work, vigorously, cheer- 
 fully, triumphantly to the end. A good example! 
 
 Let us not make much of our “thorns,” lest they 
 afflict our friends. Let us rather think of our “ roses,” 
 and give thanks for them. ‘This is the “ power that is 
 made perfect in weakness.” 
 
 40 
 
HALF-TRUTHS 
 
 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.—Proverbs 
 25:2. 
 
 Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever—he 
 revealeth the deep and secret things.—Daniel 2: 20, 22. 
 
 Most important truths are half-truths ;—which is only 
 another way of saying that life is more than mind. 
 
 Both of these declarations about God are true. ‘The 
 apparent contradiction in their conclusions is due, not to 
 their inaccuracy, but to the inherent absolutism of our 
 minds. 
 
 Was it not Ruskin who said that he never felt that he 
 had fully expressed himself on any subject until he had 
 contradicted himself at least three times? 
 
 Somewhere (I can’t recall where) I have lately come 
 across the idea, in speech or writing, that truth is not so 
 much an object to be encased in words as a target at 
 which we aim our words with varying degrees of success. 
 
 If that be taken, not as an excuse for the careless use 
 of language, but as an explanation of the limitations of 
 words, I should say that it was a very valuable idea. 
 
 In particular, when we deal with statements about 
 God we ought to recognize the absolute inadequacy of 
 any declaration when considered in entire isolation. Any 
 description of God must necessarily be but a partial 
 truth. Unless, indeed, we desire to maintain the irre- 
 ligious view that God is the creation of our own minds. 
 
 41 
 
PRESENT BLESSINGS 
 
 Now are we children of God, and it is not yet made 
 manifest what we shall be.—I John 3:2. 
 
 ‘That is a good verse to read, because the writer of it 
 is not only looking ahead with hope, but is appreciative 
 of the blessings of his immediate situation. 
 
 It is a good frame of mind, but alas! a rare one. 
 
 ‘The common attitude of our day—even among those 
 who look to the future hopefully—is sharply critical, 
 often sad or bitter as regards the present. Many of us 
 have forgotten how to enjoy our daily blessings because 
 we are obsessed with possible evil in the future, or more 
 often because our attention is wholly focussed on certain 
 secondary troubles of today. 
 
 After all, it is something to be one of God’s children 
 now, today, this very minute. Why not sometimes lay 
 aside all the uncertainties with which man can only deal 
 by faith, and spend a moment realizing the privilege you 
 have in being a child of God? 
 
 It will not do to take this as a matter of course. You 
 cannot shuffle your way through life and still find it 
 gracious and beautiful. 
 
 The good Christian perceives glories unspeakable be- 
 yond the present time. But he also rejoices greatly in 
 the privilege of today. He is no despiser of the blessings 
 of the passing moment. He asserts confidently and 
 thankfully, “‘ Now are we children of God.” 
 
 42 
 
HUMBLE VIRTUES 
 
 In your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowl- 
 edge.—lII Peter 1:5. 
 
 It was said by Professor Brander Matthews concern- 
 ing a certain famous French writer now dead, that he 
 “understands everything—except perhaps those very 
 commonplace virtues which sustain the social fabric.” 
 
 There are lots of people like that—at least in their 
 failure to understand the simple virtues. “They have 
 allowed learning to outweigh human values. ‘They are 
 so sophisticated that they cannot be their natural selves 
 nor recognize humble virtues in others. 
 
 And yet these very virtues which they disdain are the 
 one guarantee which makes free social life possible. If 
 men did not expect to be treated on the basis of the daily 
 virtues there would be much less freedom than there is. 
 Life within a prison must always lack some of the free- 
 dom of the outside world, because of the absence of this 
 expectation. 
 
 It is very easy for brainy people to take a superior 
 attitude toward humble virtues. But it is certainly im- 
 possible for a free society to endure without them. 
 
 Perhaps, therefore, it would be more honest (unless 
 indeed we be in the terrible state of ridiculing even hon- 
 esty) to acknowledge the place of the humble virtues in 
 the social order, and, as a part of that Sea to exhibit 
 them ourselves. 
 
 Doubtless there is more ween in that than we 
 usually recognize. 
 
 43 
 
MEMORY AND FORGETTERY 
 
 Remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath 
 led thee.-—Deuteronomy 8: 2. 
 Thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth.—lIsaiah 
 
 54:4. 
 
 What to remember,—what to forget,—that is the 
 question. 
 
 It seems to me that the good things, the heavenly guid- 
 ance, the help that other men have given us to keep the 
 right path, are the things to remember. 
 
 The mistakes, the false leads, the devilish influences, 
 are the things to forget. 
 
 Perhaps the people who misled you were sincere. 
 Don’t condemn them. Forget their advice. 
 
 Can we control our memory and our forgettery? 
 
 Not absolutely, perhaps. But the psychologists tell us 
 that the vividness of our memory depends on the stress 
 of attention. ‘Therefére, says St. Paul, “if there be any 
 virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.” 
 
 Attend more closely to that which is beautiful and 
 excellent. Press it on your mind like a seal on wax. 
 Rejoice in it. Do not be afraid to be glad. 
 
 Joy is a great aid to memory. It is a vital principle 
 of all true knowledge. If you know the truth it makes 
 you free, and to be free is joyful. Deep inward happi- 
 ness is the spirit of true remembrance. 
 
 Joseph called the name of his first-born son Manasseh ; 
 “for,” said he, ‘‘ God hath made me forget all my toil.” 
 
 44 
 
EXPERIMENTS 
 
 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; 
 But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel. 
 —Proverbs 12:15. 
 
 Even if we had the chance none of us would think of 
 walking into a well-equipped chemical laboratory and 
 starting off on experiments without any past training or 
 present instructor. Not only the danger of such action, 
 but its futility as a means of discovery and its crass dull- 
 ness would hinder us from it. We wish to acquire at 
 least a preliminary knowledge of what has already been 
 done in this field in order to avoid peril and waste, and 
 to obtain a good start for ourselves. 
 
 We should do well to show as much good sense in 
 other matters,—more especially where human growth 
 and development are concerned. And yet many people 
 are loth to observe this caution. ‘They enter the labora- 
 tories of education, industry, philanthropy, government 
 and religion, and launch experiments without having 
 any personal qualifications therefor. Unfamiliar with 
 what has been tried and rejected or tested and found 
 good, they launch wild experiments, the consequences of 
 which must usually be borne by others than themselves. 
 
 Of course the trial method is the way of progress. 
 Advance is always through the experimental fringe that 
 temporarily marks the extent of knowledge. But the 
 point is that these experiments ought to be made not by 
 any Tom, Dick or Harry, but by those selected men 
 who by patient labour have qualified themselves for 
 knowing what they are doing. 
 
 45 
 
UNSEEING EYES 
 
 These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true 
 witness . . . L counsel thee to buy of me... eyesalve 
 to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.—Revelation 
 Pe TANTS: 
 
 He rose from the table where he had been playing 
 cards with some companions on a river steamer, yawned 
 and nodded his head toward glittering expanses of turbu- 
 lent waters and glorious rugged headlands shining in the — 
 sunlight. ‘‘ You only have to take one look at that,” he 
 said in a loud voice, “ to see it all,’’—and went back to 
 his cards. ‘Throughout the day while the stupendous 
 panorama unrolled before us his eyes were sealed. 
 
 Pitiable, you say? Yes, but he is not very different 
 from the rest of us with our blind spots. 
 
 One man races through the land in a speedy car and 
 sees little but the number plates on the cars he overtakes. 
 
 Another man surrounded by a lovely garden or wood- 
 land makes no effort to discover their secrets. Another 
 living beside a great library of noble literature glances 
 only at the printed sheet of the passing moment. An- 
 other perhaps having made up his mind that certain 
 people are of no account, forever fails to see in them 
 anything worthy of his attention. 
 
 Of course there are things which only the specially 
 trained eye can either see or fully appreciate. But most 
 of us possess many more blind spots than is at all 
 necessary. 
 
 Unseeing eyes are swift betrayers of an unsympathetic, 
 self-centred heart. 
 
 46 
 
FOREBEARS AND POSTERITY 
 
 They are not all Israel, that are of Israel : neither, 
 because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children.— 
 Romans 9: 6-7. 
 
 It is a curious fact that many of the things in which 
 men take the greatest personal pride are, as a matter of 
 fact, outside their control. 
 
 Take this affair of ancestors, for example. If there is 
 one thing in the world for which we have no slightest 
 responsibility, by way of praise or blame, it is for our 
 parents. 
 
 And yet men are continually bragging about certain 
 selected persons among their forebears as if in some way 
 the fame of those men could be bodily transferred to 
 themselves. As if the achievements of a past generation 
 reflected credit on the present generation apart from the 
 present generation’s own activities. 
 
 Put the boastful descendant of some old sea-dog of an 
 admiral on a heaving deck, or even lay him tenderly in a 
 deck-chair, and he is less inclined for conversation than 
 at the afternoon reception on shore. 
 
 Set the bragging descendant of the pioneer in the for- 
 est, and the chances are that he’ll be walking circles and 
 shouting for help instead of talking about himself in the 
 person of his ancestor with that restrained ardour with 
 which men speak of .themselves. 
 
 Let the patriot who is so eloquent on the great issues 
 of his famous ancestor’s day sit down before the issues 
 of today with equal insight and patience. 
 
 Perhaps then the coming generation may find some 
 nearer incentive than our ancestors to encourage them 
 to effort. 
 
 For, as Booker IT. Washington has acutely observed: 
 “It is easier to be a descendant than an ancestor.” 
 
 47 
 
FEELINGS AND ACTION 
 
 Then David and the people that were with him lifted 
 up their voice and wept, until they had no more power 
 to weep.—I Samuel 30: 4. 
 
 No one can weep forever, no matter how terrible his 
 grief. “The most impetuous of emotional outbursts must 
 come to an end. 
 
 With shallow persons, that is all there is to it. When 
 the outburst of feeling is over, they straightway try to 
 forget and go on in their same old ways. 
 
 Not so with the man whose heart and hand move in 
 conjunction. He turns from weeping to action. 
 
 David turned from weeping at pillaged Ziklag to 
 organize an expedition against the marauding Amale- 
 kites. Huis weeping came to an end and promptly became 
 a motive for action. 
 
 Emotion must always be temporary. By its very na- 
 ture its expression must be brief. Its one enduring 
 power lies in its ability to be transformed into motive. 
 
 The question was once asked of Dr. ‘Trudeau whether 
 the feeling of pity was not destroyed by continued living 
 with ill people. His response was: “ Pity as an emotion 
 passes, but pity as a motive remains.” 
 
 Much of the sense of futility in people’s lives comes 
 from the failure to transmute their worthy emotions 
 from temporary outbursts into lasting motives for life 
 work, 
 
 Until a man effects that transformation, he is only a 
 helpless and hopeless sentimentalist—an inadequate bun- 
 dle of feelings in a world that demands action. 
 
 48 
 
INFALLIBILITY 
 
 No doubt but ye are the people, 
 And wisdom shall die with you. 
 —Job 12:2. 
 
 It is a strange thing how easily men assume the atti- 
 tude of omniscience and speak with the accents of 
 infallibility. 
 
 And yet nothing is more absurd. We are all subject 
 to error; and the more we strive to master any subject 
 the more apparent this ought to become. 
 
 And yet it often seems that we are more eager to 
 speak with confidence than with humility. Sometimes it 
 seems that dogmatism is dearer to our hearts than truth. 
 
 Especially is this attitude characteristic of ignorant 
 people, either those who, because of youth, have not yet 
 had time to think widely, or those who, though old 
 enough, have neglected their opportunities. 
 
 The first mark of the really wise man is in knowing 
 how limited the field of human knowledge is at best, and 
 in measuring his words and using them with restraint. 
 
 For there are few more ludicrous sights in this rather 
 topsyturvy world than a man holding forth with su- 
 preme assurance upon a theme which his hearers know 
 to be a doubtful issue. “The situation is all the more 
 absurd if it take place in the Professor’s chair or the 
 Church pulpit. . 
 
 There is a saying I often heard at Oxford: ‘‘ None 
 of us is infallible—not even the youngest.” 
 
 49 
 
VOLUNTEERS 
 
 And the people blessed all the men that willingly 
 offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.—Nehemiah 
 PP. 
 
 It was no easy thing to dwell in Jerusalem in those 
 days. A ruined city, a hostile environment, a doubtful 
 political protection from the king of Persia, plenty of 
 hard work sure, short rations and daily perils,—these 
 were the necessary conditions. Only one thing stood 
 against them,—the free will to rebuild Zion. “The men 
 who had this free will were blessed by the people. 
 
 Volunteers are the aristocracy of Pioneers. 
 
 Those who are pushed forward deserve less honour 
 than those who willingly go forward. 
 
 A drafted man who obeys cheerfully is worthy of 
 respect. A volunteer deserves a blessing,—beyond a 
 bonus. 
 
 Enthusiasm, in the eighteenth century, was a word of 
 discredit. Now, I think, we should call it a word of 
 glory. 
 
 Let us ask ourselves what are the causes for which we 
 would be glad willingly to offer ourselves. Let us 
 measure the worth and the strength of our enthusiasms. 
 
 If we have none, that will show that we are afraid, or 
 that we are no longer alive. 
 
 50 
 
THE DISCIPLINE OF DEFEAT 
 
 Take thy part in suffering hardship, as a good soldier 
 of Christ Jesus —II ‘Timothy 2:3 (margin). 
 
 We are accustomed to regard the great men of past 
 days as easily successful. Ancient issues usually seem 
 clear-cut, while those of our own day look confused and 
 dark. 
 
 George Washington and his career appear to us as a 
 simple and glorious record of achievement. 
 
 Even if we remember the pitiful retreat of the Conti- 
 nental Army from Brooklyn Heights across the Hudson 
 and the Delaware, or the bitter sufferings of Valley 
 Forge, we forget the stern discipline of defeat through 
 which George Washington passed in the earlier days of 
 his service. 
 
 To speak of but two noteworthy instances. 
 
 On July 4, 1754, he found himself retreating in a 
 rout from the disastrous expedition which he had led 
 against Fort Duquesne. ‘‘ Perhaps,’ writes Francis 
 Parkman, “ this miserable morning was the darkest of 
 his life.”’ 
 
 But Washington’s purpose was not broken. When he 
 had led the remnant of his force to safety he took up 
 again the thankless task of defending the Virginia bor- 
 ders, and for several years suffered not only the hardships 
 of campaign but the scandalous abuse heaped upon him 
 by enemies among his own people. 
 
 Yorktown was not the obvious outcome of inevitable 
 events. It was chiefly the fruit of the steadfast char- 
 acter of George Washington, who endured the anguish of 
 Fort Necessity and the Virginia borders and the Conway 
 Cabal and many other trials, and was prepared for vic- 
 tory by the discipline of defeat, 
 
 51 
 
TRANSFORMATION 
 Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.—John 16: 20. 
 
 Nothing is more marvellous in life than the way in 
 which things are transformed, so that their very nature 
 seems to be changed, although the things themselves 
 remain. 
 
 This transformation may work in either direction. A 
 success may become a failure; a gift, a burden; a privi- 
 lege, an embarrassment; a familiar friend, an intimate 
 enemy (Psalm 41:9). 
 
 Or, a disappointment may turn into a blessing; a 
 load of care may uplift the spirit as with wings; a 
 defeat may become the first step in a victory; a physical 
 limitation may mean enlargement of mental vision; a 
 deep grief may lead to a deeper gladness; an apparent 
 enemy may turn out to be a real and loyal friend. 
 
 It is this blessed kind of transformation that Jesus 
 promises to His disciples. “The word .which He uses to 
 describe it is very wonderful. It means to be created, 
 to be born. . 
 
 Your sorrow, says Christ, shall be reborn as joy. 
 Evils may come upon you, but nothing can harm you, 
 because you are the children of God. Your trials shall 
 be reborn as victories; your doubts and fears, as stronger 
 assurances of faith; your losses, as gains; your shadowy 
 dread of Death, as the bright rapture of Immortality. 
 You yourselves shall awake in my likeness, and where I 
 am, there shall you be always. 
 
 52 
 
THE YOUNGER GENERATION 
 
 All thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great 
 shall be the peace of thy children.—Isaiah 54: 13. 
 
 There is a form of criticism which is very popular 
 today among persons of middle age and older. It is the 
 condemnation of the younger generation. 
 
 There seems to be, speaking in general terms, very 
 little sympathy or understanding between these two suc- 
 ceeding generations. But is this not due to the exagger- 
 ations of the rigidity of age and the rebelliousness of 
 youth? It is certainly not necessary in the nature of 
 things. 
 
 Take two examples from the Bible, and let them be 
 selected from those circumstances where perhaps most 
 of the difficulty centres: What could be more delightful 
 than the relation existing between Ruth and her mother- 
 in-law, Naomi? or between Moses and his father-in-law, 
 Jethro? And doubtless as you read this, you also can 
 recall examples of a like happy relationship between per- 
 sons in succeeding generations. 
 
 There is great wisdom in the words of a college stu- 
 dent who, in reply to the rather testy criticism of an older 
 man, said: “If our fathers had all the good qualities 
 we are supposed to lack, why have they not known how 
 to impart them to us?” 
 
 The criticism of a succeeding generation always im- 
 plies condemnation of the predecessor,—though critics 
 are not always aware of this. 
 
 Perhaps the situation would be greatly improved if 
 each generation learned how to establish in its successor 
 the principles of genuine religion instead of issuing a 
 futile plea for mere imitation. 
 
 The great need is for an effective system of religious 
 education, 
 
 53 
 
VINDICTIVENESS 
 
 Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, 
 saith the Lord.—Romans 12: 19. 
 
 There are few qualities which are more overmastering 
 in a man than vindictiveness. ‘To follow up your enemy 
 with that relentlessness that gives him no opportunity to 
 repent is both socially unjust because of your lack of 
 complete information, and tactically foolish as offering 
 no occasion for winning his friendship. 
 
 The only person who is qualified to recompense final 
 judgment is God, the all-seeing, all-wise, all-loving. 
 
 One reason why some men have such persistent ene- 
 mies is because they are continually hounding their 
 enemies to fresh hostilities. They give them no chance 
 to consider in quietness; they offer no opportunity for 
 that gradual withdrawal that precedes the making of 
 peace. “They do not see that the victory of annihilation 
 is really no victory at all. 
 
 Naturally there are some things which no decent man 
 will permit to be done save over his dead body. But he 
 may resist and prevent the doing of these things without 
 becoming vindictive. He may show a readiness to win 
 over his enemy to become an ally that will prove no small 
 factor in stopping the enemy and may ultimately add a 
 new defender for his cause. 
 
 Let us beware lest our enemies prove to be chiefly the 
 creation of our own vindictive spirit. 
 
 54 
 
UNITY IN DIVERSITY 
 
 When they perceived the grace that was given unto 
 me, James, Cephas and John ... gave to me and Bar- 
 nabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go 
 unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision.— 
 Galatians 2:9. 
 
 One of the hardest things in the world is to recognize 
 merit and value in those who disagree with us. ‘This is 
 particularly difficult in religious issues, since religion 
 usually is manifested in strong personal convictions. 
 And it is always difficult for men with strong personal 
 convictions to leave room for the convictions of other 
 people. ‘The instinct to set oneself up. as the ultimate 
 standard to which all others must conform is almost 
 irresistible. 
 
 And yet when we face the facts of life we discover 
 that there is almost always more than one way of ap- 
 proaching the same spiritual purpose. There is, for 
 example, the way of the formal and literalistic type of 
 mind, and there is that of the poetical and symbolical 
 type. The presentation of the same truth to these two 
 types will necessarily differ, and so will its embodiment. 
 Why not? And why should not each recognize the 
 independent rights of the other? It is not uniformity 
 that the world needs, but unity. 
 
 When Paul and Barnabas carried the Gospel to the 
 Gentiles they found it necessary to proceed differently 
 from James and Cephas and John in dealing with the 
 Jews. At first this difference was a cause of dissension 
 among them. But soon, like sensible men, they gave 
 each other the right hands of fellowship and travelled 
 by differing ways toward the same goal with mutual 
 good will, 
 
 55 
 
TYRANNY IS VAIN 
 Trust not in oppression.—Psalm 62: 10. 
 
 For most men, this counsel is a very difficult one to 
 accept. It is peculiarly hard in an age which is inclined 
 to render undue homage to the “ go-getter,” the man 
 who “ produces results.” ‘Truly the doer of deeds is a 
 man of mark in any age or civilization. But to set up 
 measurable accomplishment as the test of a man’s value, 
 is hardly consonant with all the facts of human life. 
 To worship success as the only goal in any walk of life 
 is to invite men to trust in oppression. 
 
 Any work in which men are engaged arouses, sooner 
 or later, active, or at least passive opposition. “The in- 
 variable temptation for the producing of immediate re- 
 sults is to crush that opposition. It looks as if this were 
 both the quickest and surest way. Most of us are willing 
 to stretch a point of conscience in order to kill the oppo- 
 sition and get a clear field for our purposes. We think 
 Wwe are wise when we are the biggest fools. 
 
 For if there is one thing history teaches us, it is that 
 a dead enemy unjustly slain is more alive than ever. 
 
 Throttled minorities, silenced opposition, every expres- 
 sion of tyranny must be in the long run self-defeating. 
 
 God alone is our refuge, who shall bring us all into 
 obedience to His will. 
 
 56 
 
FAITH 
 I. A VENTURE 
 
 Faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of 
 things not seen.—Hebrews 11:1. 
 
 Faith is a many-sided word. Perhaps by concentrat- 
 ing our attention on its various aspects successively, we 
 may end by being more fully aware of its illimitable 
 glory. It is not a narrower view that we seek but, 
 through analysis and concentration on one point, a truer 
 ultimate appreciation of the whole. 
 
 Faith is certainly a venture. Cautious timidity finds 
 no part in it. ‘To exercise faith, the soul must stand up 
 in full strength and reach out into the unknown with 
 reasonable courage and hope. It will not be done with- 
 out daring. It means taking a chance from the worldly 
 point of view because we believe in invisible and ‘un- 
 provable’ things. 
 
 Some men decline to believe for this very reason. 
 They propose to conduct their lives on the basis that 
 seeing is believing. But is not all genuine wisdom op- 
 posed to them? Life demands the venture of faith. 
 Geometry, with its unprovable axiom, philosophy with 
 its accepted postulate, science with its experimental 
 hypothesis, all these bear witness to the rights of faith in 
 human life. And behind them all stands the vital re- 
 quirement of faith in the religious sense. 
 
 To utter the great declaration of faith: “ In the begin- 
 ning God,” can never be the logical conclusion of 
 assembled evidence. It must ever remain a venture 
 calling for courage and trust. 
 
 57 
 
FAITH 
 Il. A CONCLUSION 
 
 Believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether 
 
 they are of God.—I John 4:1. 
 
 The element of venture is a vital part of faith. But 
 it should always be remembered that faith is not a barren 
 gesture of confidence in a doubtful world, a brave but 
 reckless plunge into the unknown. 
 
 No faith in God is worth considering which does not 
 find verification in progressive human experience. Even 
 the beliefs of the past must submit to the testing of today, 
 if they would be accepted today. 
 
 The man of faith is not your credulous fellow, easily 
 believing anything without discrimination. He keeps 
 testing his faith, retaining the pure ore and casting out 
 the slag. 
 
 Not all that is preached to us is worthy of belief, 
 though it be presented never so fervently. We must 
 keep testing lest our lives become cluttered up with 
 superstitions and prejudices, lest we be left like a rueful 
 child who has captured a butterfly clutching the dead 
 form after the life has fled. 
 
 In any genuinely religious faith there must be the dis- 
 cipline of experience. Otherwise religion and life will 
 be separated and immorality will inevitably follow. 
 
 Reason can never take the place of faith, but if your 
 faith be unreasonable, a mere defiance of daily experi- 
 ence, it will bring you neither peace nor power. 
 
 58 
 
FAITH 
 Ill. A CREATIVE ENERGY 
 
 If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed . . . 
 nothing shall be impossible unto youu—Matthew 17: 20. 
 
 Faith is not only a venture, calling for daring, and to 
 be tested by the progressive experience of mankind, it is 
 also an energy capable of bringing to pass new things. 
 Religion is not just an interpretation of things as they 
 are. It is a means of changing things according to God’s 
 will. And faith is the power which effects these changes. 
 
 Usually when we sit down in despair and ask our- 
 selves, How can there be God with such terrible things 
 in the world? we ought to be bringing forth our faith as 
 a transforming energy rather than questioning its justifi- 
 cation in worldly terms. 
 
 Faith, to be sound and whole, must have in it the 
 ability to defy the evidence of things that are and to 
 declare things to come. In itself it must carry the 
 earnest of progress—a new heaven and a new earth. 
 
 It is most unfortunate (to pass by for the moment that 
 it is also a profound error) that our age approaches faith 
 from the negative side: Can I believe? 
 
 It will be a great blessing when we rediscover that 
 God is always offering to men the power that alone is 
 able to transform ourselves and the world in which 
 we live. 
 
 59 
 
OVER-CONFIDENCE 
 
 Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he 
 fall_——I Corinthians 10: 12. 
 
 Success is always perilous. The successful man 
 neglects to judge himself. He forgets how far his 
 achievements are due to circumstances or other people. 
 He accepts as his due the popular homage that an undis- 
 criminating world always renders to the successful man. 
 
 And—*“ pride cometh before a fall.” 
 
 It is worth while for a man to examine himself con- 
 tinually lest, some little leak in the dyke being neglected, 
 he suddenly find himself overwhelmed in the inundating 
 sea. For the only stability on which a man can rely is 
 not his reputation, even when that is founded on his own 
 achievements, but the strength of his character at any 
 given moment as revealed to himself by constant watch- 
 fulness. Not a petty introspective spirit indeed, which 
 is always crippling, but sound self-knowledge. 
 
 For the margin between success and failure is always 
 very small. 
 
 Perhaps it is safest to remember what Sir James M. 
 Barrie said: “ We are all of us failures—at least all the 
 best of us are.” In that frame of mind we shall be on 
 the watch for those flaws in ourselves which are the be- 
 ginning of the only real disaster that can befall us. 
 
 ‘The man who is in real danger is the man who thinks 
 he is perfectly safe. 
 
 60 
 
TOLERANCE 
 
 Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this 
 counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown; 
 but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them. 
 —Acts 5: 38-39. 
 
 ‘There were times of tumult and disorder in the early 
 days of the Christian Church. But these occasions were, 
 in most cases at least, due to the intolerant public opin- 
 ion of those days. “The mob took it for granted that 
 thought and speech should be controlled by force, and 
 proceeded to practice their prejudices. 
 
 A beautiful illustration of tolerance was offered by 
 the great rabbi Gamaliel who opposed his Jewish fellow- 
 countrymen in trying to silence the apostles, and declared 
 that the rightness or wrongness of their preaching would 
 appear if the outcome of it were left in the hands of God. 
 
 ‘The same tolerance based on faith in God is greatly 
 needed today. Not that men should be indifferent as to 
 what is thought or said, but that they should have such 
 faith in God as to believe that the truth will ultimately 
 prevail. 
 
 At bottom intolerance is the product of scepticism and 
 consequent fear. “The intolerant man is afraid because 
 in his heart he does not believe that God has any ex- 
 istence apart from himself. Instead of believing in God 
 he patronizes Him as an extension of himself and goes 
 about in mortal fear lest his own little private theories 
 of life be disturbed. 
 
 Surely the teaching of history is plain: There can be 
 no boundaries set to thought; there can be no forcible 
 control of belief. 
 
 “The truth is great and shall prevail 
 When none care whether it prevail or not.” 
 
 61 
 
TIRESOME PEOPLE 
 
 I am weary of my life because of the daughters of 
 Heth.—Genesis 27: 46. 
 
 We hear much today about the necessity of self- 
 expression. But I note that the idea usually is stressed 
 by those whose manner of self-expression has little of in- 
 terest or value for other people. “The kind of man whose 
 conversation is only the by-product of energetic egotism 
 is soon known asa bore. Before his coming men rise up- 
 and flee. ‘They know he is come when he arrives, and if 
 they remain for an hour of his talk they will know no 
 more. 
 
 What can be more irritating than the feminine chatter 
 that betokens nothing but uncontrolled nervous explo- 
 sions? How many visits to picture galleries, how many 
 journeys amid great natural beauties are marred by 
 these things! 
 
 The presence or visits of such people make the life of 
 a good many households well-nigh unbearable. “They 
 are seldom silent, listening or meditating. The slightest 
 stimulus releases the same old story. “They criticize, not 
 to improve things, but to express their own superiority. 
 
 Is there no good in them? 
 
 No; not until they learn that the world does not exist 
 to receive the imprint of their wearisome selves. Not 
 until they learn that there are subtler ways of enjoying 
 life than by making a big noise. 
 
 62 
 
THE SOUL’S THIRST 
 
 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, 
 
 So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 
 
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. 
 —Psalm 42: 1-2. 
 
 The very essence of life is desire. The only creature 
 who wants nothing is dead. 
 
 Now there is a kind of religion that teaches us that all 
 desire is evil. Buddha says, “‘ Whom thirst conquers, 
 thirst the contemptible, for him will suffering grow as 
 the grass grows. Who conquers thirst, the contemptible, 
 which is hard to escape in the world, from him will 
 suffering fall away like water drops from the lotus 
 flower.” 
 
 A more adequate religion teaches us that happiness and 
 peace consist not in the negation of desire, but in its right 
 direction and use. Furthermore, it tells us that all the 
 humbler thirsts of human life are only parables of the 
 great thirst of the soul for God. 
 
 As Spurgeon put it: “ When it is as natural for us to 
 long for God as for an animal to thirst, it is well with 
 our souls, however painful our feelings.” 
 
 The one inexorable thirst of life is the thirst for God. 
 To deny that thirst is to begin the committing of a form 
 of slow murder which involves the utmost in cruelty to 
 yourself and to others. 
 
 63 
 
THE TEST OF REPENTANCE 
 
 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance.— 
 Matthew 3: 8. 
 
 Our age needs a fresh study of the teaching of John 
 the Baptist. We have forgotten the background of dis- 
 content and repentance against which the real value of 
 the Gospel shines forth. We are inclined (at least more 
 frequently than is justified) to view Christianity as an 
 agreeably beneficent manner of life demanding no par- 
 ticular depth of feeling and experience. 
 
 ‘The repentance which makes us turn from the sins of 
 our own day with a shudder of revulsion and reach for 
 the Gospel with the eagerness of desperate need is lack- 
 ing. In its place we find remorse, brief periods of 
 enormous self-pity, passing moments of sentimental 
 regret. Many of us are worldlings, sick at heart, dully 
 aware of the futility of material existence as an end in 
 itself, but without enough of the pioneering spirit to set 
 forth and discover the spiritual continents that await 
 colonists. Our so-called repentance is the substitute 
 remorse that leads to despair and not the resolute right- 
 about-face that leads to a new life. 
 
 We need to test our repentance, not by the acuteness 
 of our feelings at any moment, but by the change it 
 effects in our daily life afterwards. 
 
 By that test maybe we haven’t as yet repented at all! 
 
 64 
 
ON THINKING MEANLY OF OURSELVES 
 W ell done, good and faithful servant—Matthew 25: 21. 
 
 This word of commendation was addressed not only to 
 the man who, receiving five talents, brought in five new 
 talents to his lord; but also to the man who, having 
 received two talents, brought in two new talents. The 
 two-talented man obtained the same praise as his more 
 talented fellow-servant. 
 
 Could there be a more lovely parable of God’s dealing 
 with His people? 
 
 He is exacting in that He demands of each one service 
 according to his ability. But He is just in that His 
 commendation depends not on the amount of our service 
 but on its relation to our qualifications. 
 
 Oftentimes we are tempted to think meanly of our- 
 selves, to despise ourselves as insignificant and worthless. 
 Truly it is well for us “not to think of ourselves more 
 highly than we ought to think, but so to think as to think 
 soberly,’ and yet we ought never to forget that God 
 takes us for what we are and deals with us on the basis 
 of omniscient justice. ‘The one-talented man was cast 
 into outer darkness, not because he did not do the work 
 of a five-talented man, but because he did not even use 
 his one talent. 
 
 The worldly conception of greatness does not hold 
 before God. God never thinks meanly of the best en- 
 deavours of His servants. He calls us “ good and faith- 
 ful servants’ when we make full use of what we have 
 received, 
 
 65 
 
THE TWO GLORIES 
 
 For they loved the glory that is of men more than the 
 glory that is of God.—John 12: 43. 
 
 Here is a choice that often has to be made. Will you 
 take the side that seems to be popular, or the side that 
 you know is right? 
 
 Many of the rulers, says the Evangelist, believed in 
 Jesus, but they did not confess it, for fear they would be 
 put out of their place. 
 
 Many a man in office hesitates to do what his con- 
 science tells him, lest by so doing he should lose his posi- 
 tion. Many a private person shrinks from expressing his 
 real convictions, lest it should make him unpopular. 
 
 I do not say that if a man sticks to his convictions 
 and stands up for them, he will always come out on top 
 in the long run and be praised as a hero. Sometimes it 
 happens so, but not always. To rely on that is to miss 
 the central meaning of life’s challenge. 
 
 Which would you rather have, the brief applause of 
 men, or the eternal approval of God? 
 
 That is the choice which we must make between the 
 two glories. 
 
 66 
 
THE FAITH OF DOUBTERS 
 I believe; help thou mine unbelief —Mark 9: 24. 
 
 There are many varieties of religious experience. 
 These arise from the difference of human minds and 
 temperaments. 
 
 There are sentimentalists, who can believe anything 
 if it is sufficiently exciting. ‘Their lives are built around 
 an exclamation point. 
 
 There are dogmatists, who can believe anything that 
 is definitely and positively stated by authority. ‘Their 
 lives are built around a full stop. 
 
 There are natural and inevitable sceptics who question 
 everything and always ask why and how. ‘Their lives 
 are built around an interrogation point. 
 
 The man in the text seems to have belonged to this 
 last class. He doubted, yet he _ believed,—believed 
 enough to ask, and to receive, his blessing. 
 
 One of the greatest of English preachers, Robertson 
 of Brighton, fell into doubts so deep that he had to give 
 up preaching and go away into the mountains. 
 
 “Yet one thing I believe,” said he, ‘‘ it must be right 
 to do right.” Following that star of faith he came back 
 into a more joyous and fruitful ministry than he had 
 ever known before. 
 
 Doubt is but fog, however thick. Faith is a light, 
 however dim. 
 
 67 
 
THE DOUBTS OF BELIEVERS 
 
 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some 
 doubted. —Matthew 28: 17. 
 
 Doubt is not a sin. 
 
 It is a questioning state of mind,—sometimes a 
 hindrance. sometimes a stimulus. Which it shall be 
 depends on the wav we take it. 
 
 If we demand that faith shall be equivalent to knowl- 
 edge we make a mistake. It is always an adventure,— 
 something that cannot now be proved but may be lived 
 by. If we stop living by it we shall never get the proof. 
 
 One of my best friends was a noble man, smitten in 
 the prime of youth with an incurable disease. He always 
 doubted, yet he lived a clean Christian life, and I am 
 sure that he knows now the truth of all that he 
 questioned. 
 
 With our finite minds we cannot picture God. Is that 
 an evidence that He does not exist? I should say the 
 contrary. 
 
 We cannot clearly imagine the life beyond death. 
 We have not got the factors. But does that disprove its 
 reality? On the contrary, I think it is in favour of 
 faith in immortality. 
 
 Most of our doubts are failures or limitations of 
 imagination. ‘These are so natural and inevitable that 
 we should not allow them to make us unbelievers. 
 
 68 
 
VAIN EXCUSES 
 
 All with one consent began to make excuse.—Luke 
 Tarlo, 
 
 It is always possible to offer a perfectly plausible 
 excuse for doing anything you want to do, or for leaving 
 undone whatever you wish to avoid. Nothing could be 
 simpler. First decide what you want to do, and supply 
 the reasons afterwards. 
 
 But of what value is your excuse to yourself? If you 
 avoid the greatest thing in the world in order to carry 
 out some secondary obligation—where does that leave 
 you, regardless of the cogency of your excuse? 
 
 No man ever got anywhere yet by explaining and 
 excusing himself. And yet how often we try that road! 
 
 No time to live—because we must make money. 
 
 No time for our friends—because we have so many 
 social duties. 
 
 No time for thought—because we must talk con- 
 tinuously. 
 
 No time to grow—because we must “ express our- 
 selves.” 
 
 No time for service—because we must be always 
 pleasing ourselves. 
 
 No time for health—because we must be famous. 
 
 No time for love—because we will not forget our 
 proud selves. 
 
 Empty churches—because of crowded benches and 
 beaches. 
 
 God forgotten—because of our preoccupation with 
 idle affairs. 
 
 How far do you think these excuses will satisfy our 
 own enlightened consciences when we awake from 
 dreams to reality? 
 
 69 
 
EXPECTATIONS 
 
 He gave heed unto them, expecting to receive some- 
 thing from them.—Acts 3: 5. 
 
 The lame beggar at the beautiful gate of the temple 
 expected to receive alms from Peter and John. I sup- 
 pose he was struck by their benevolent attitude and the 
 fact that his plea had captured their attention. But he 
 had no idea that he was to be the recipient of the bless- 
 ing of healing rather than a stray coin or two. 
 
 His expectation was too low. ‘The gift was far 
 greater than anything he had dared to hope. 
 
 Do we not all often find ourselves in a similar posi- 
 tion with regard to our expectations from other people? 
 Of course we are sometimes disappointed. But are not 
 our disappointments usually in material things? (The 
 lame beggar, you notice, didn’t get any money.) 
 
 Perhaps our expectations from the men we meet in- 
 stead of being too high are really too low. Rather than 
 asking for the means to eke out a broken and miserable 
 existence we should seek spiritual blessing. For is there 
 not in all good men a blessing which they are ready to 
 confer on all who will receive it? It may not usually 
 be a complete healing, but it is part of the healing 
 process of life. 
 
 I am filled with humility when I remember how 
 
 many men have far exceeded the poor expectation I have 
 had of them. 
 
 70 
 
IRREFUTABLE FACTS 
 
 And seeing the man that was healed standing with 
 them, they could say nothing against it—Acts 4:14. 
 
 An interesting thing brought to light by the attempt to 
 scale Mount Everest was the fact that several centuries 
 ago when European scientists at the foot of Mont Blanc 
 were learnedly arguing whether or not life were possible 
 on that snowy summit, or whether at such a height any 
 sound could be heard, Tibetan peasants were walking, 
 as a matter of course, over mountain passes hundreds of 
 feet higher. 
 
 Lots of things that we consider impossible are daily 
 being done by simple folk who approach them as prac- 
 tical issues. 
 
 While men who are somewhat overweighted with 
 their learning declare the impossibility of being born 
 again and the impotence of the spirit in the face of mat- 
 ter, others are testing the power of God and rejoicing 
 in its achievements. 
 
 After all is said and done, it is not our theories or 
 prejudices that rule the world. Facts are inescapable— 
 whether we like it or not. 
 
 Perhaps it would be better in so big a universe if we 
 took a less theoretical and dogmatic position and ac- 
 quired a humbly inquiring attitude. 
 
 Doubtless, then, we should be spared the humiliating 
 experience of being confronted with irrefutable facts that 
 reveal the inadequacy of our petty theories and systems 
 of thought. 
 
 71 
 
COMBATING EVIL 
 
 Handle not, nor taste, nor touch ... are not of any 
 value against the indulgence of the flesh——Colossians 
 22 22a, 
 
 The trouble with asceticism as a theory of life is that 
 it defeats its own ends. Setting out to be a means of 
 combating the indulgence of the flesh it fails to accom- 
 plish its purpose. 
 
 The reason for this failure is evident. It is purely 
 negative. It tries to make a man good by pointing out 
 to him only what he must not do. Modern psychology 
 (not to mention ancient religion) plainly reveals the im- 
 possibility of this attitude as a sufficient restraint. ‘There 
 is an ‘‘imp of the perverse” in all of us. The only 
 feasible way to keep out of evil is to be totally preoccu- 
 pied with good. Attach yourself to a noble cause, and 
 temptations to all sorts of evil and unimportant things 
 lose most of their power. 
 
 ‘There is such a thing as being so concerned over com- 
 bating sin as to be irresistibly drawn to it. Many a 
 sermon which directs its attack on sin through a lurid 
 description of its nature, only makes it attractive by 
 centring attention on it. The preacher’s purpose is 
 good, but his strategy is wretched. 
 
 ‘The indulgence of the flesh is best combated by the 
 consecration of men,—body, soul and spirit,—to the 
 engrossing ideal of the kingdom of God. 
 
 72 
 
HATRED OF EVIL 
 O ye that love Jehovah, hate evil—Psalm 97: 10. 
 
 Every emotion of man has its service to perform in 
 the conduct of life. Most of our difficulties come from 
 the misuse or abuse of what in its right use is good. 
 
 The terrible revulsions of hatred with their destruc- 
 tive strength have their place. ‘They are the natural 
 complement of the love of that which is high and lovely 
 and pure. ‘he lcver of God must hate evil as He 
 hates it. 
 
 And that means we must hate it with an annihilating 
 hatred. Most of us are content to grieve over it and 
 cry: Alas, alas! 
 
 This will never do. We must not be satisfied to 
 escape the direct clutches of evil. We must launch 
 against it a campaign of extermination. And that calls 
 for all the resourcefulness available in ourselves and 
 in God. 
 
 For evil is deceptive beyond anything in the world. 
 Attack it in one place and it slips away into another place 
 leaving the stupid reformer hammering at the door of 
 an empty house. 
 
 Do you remember the scourges of white pine blister 
 that destroyed so many noble trees a few years ago? 
 Little could be accomplished by trying to save each sick 
 tree. Only when men’s sorrow at that destruction ad- 
 vanced to the disciplined hatred that traced the propaga- 
 tion of the pines’ disease to the currant and gooseberry 
 bushes, and set an army of men to root them out—only 
 then was it effective. 
 
 So must it be with evil in ourselves and in others. As 
 you love God, hate it till it is dead. 
 
 73 
 
TOO MUCH EQUIPMENT 
 
 David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I 
 have not proved them. And David put them off him.— 
 I Samuel 17: 39. 
 
 So soon as Saul had put his armour on David, David 
 found that he had to be rid of that equipment or he 
 could not meet Goliath in battle. So he put off Saul’s 
 paraphernalia of war and went to the conquest of his 
 country’s enemy with the slight outfit of sling and stones 
 to which he was accustomed. 
 
 David was not the first, nor is he the last man to find 
 himself handicapped by too much equipment. Many a 
 man’s native skill is restrained by the heavy armour laid 
 on him by foolish friends or by his silly self. 
 
 Preachers keep themselves from preaching the Gospel 
 because they desire to make a great display of their 
 learning. 
 
 Churches fail to win the allegiance of men because 
 they devote too much time to material equipment. Col- 
 leges and schools provide the latest things in dormitories 
 and class-rooms and laboratories, but take too much for 
 granted the teaching and studying that is supposed to 
 justify them. 
 
 Parents spend huge sums of money on the clothing of 
 their children, their external manners and appearance 
 and in preparing the positions in life which they are to 
 occupy. But like as not the poor youths will rattle 
 around in it all like dry peas in a pod. 
 
 The finest equipment is sometimes only a handicap. 
 
 74 
 
NOT ENOUGH EQUIPMENT 
 
 Distribution was made unto each, according as any 
 one had need.—Acts 4: 35. 
 
 If some people are so overburdened with equipment as 
 to be handicapped by its weight and the care it requires, 
 it is equally true that others have so little that they are 
 continually working at reduced efficiency. 
 
 It may be quite possible for a man to cut down a tree 
 with a penknife, but we ought not to complain if he 
 takes a long time to do it. 
 
 The workman in every line of labour is worthy of his 
 tools,—no less the workman in ideals than the workman 
 in ideas expressed through matter. 
 
 Did you ever try to think, when you were cold? 
 Did you ever try to grow mentally without the stimulus 
 of like-minded persons? Did you ever try to follow a 
 great thought in an atmosphere of continual petty 
 anxiety? 
 
 I enter a plea on behalf of the workmen in ideals— 
 teachers, missionaries, social workers, thinkers. For the 
 most part, these are workers who lack equipment. Be- 
 ing idealists, they are as a class hard workers. But how 
 often the tools of their trade are denied them!—books, 
 fellowship with others like themselves, leisure to think 
 hard and deeply, brief repose and diversion in which 
 their weary minds may be restored and refreshed. 
 
 Idealists need equipment as much as any man. 
 
 75 
 
THE PERILS OF AN EMPTY HEART 
 
 The last state of that man becometh worse than the 
 first—Matthew 12: 45. 
 
 The only possible way to keep evil out of your heart 
 is to fill it with good. An empty heart, like an open 
 door, is an invitation to the passerby to enter in. 
 
 Practically all men—a small and fearful minority to 
 the contrary—really long for the good, the beautiful, 
 the true. The pet thesis of the vociferous pessimists 
 (“ Christian ” and others), that human nature is essen- 
 tially in love with evil, is the product of a diseased 
 imagination. But that we “all fail and come short of 
 the glory of God ” is the judgment of an honest observer 
 of human live. 
 
 The main trouble with human nature’s campaign 
 against evil is its blundering character. We are so 
 inexpressibly stupid. 
 
 We put a fearful strain upon the nerves of our young 
 people by giving them a long list of ‘‘ don’ts ”; but how 
 seldom we implant a living grace. We threaten and 
 cajole and bluster at one another and ourselves, but it is 
 all futile. Life cannot be lived on a negative basis. 
 You cannot seat a child (or a grown person) on a chair 
 and say: ‘‘ Now be good.” 
 
 Either fill the heart with good, or evil will inevitably 
 possess it. An empty heart is no more defensible than 
 an empty fortress. Fill it with invincible love and its 
 defenses are impregnable. 
 
 76 
 
PERSONAL CHOICE 
 
 Whosoever will—Revelation 22:17. 
 
 
 
 I see that the authorities of a university in Chicago 
 have declared that heredity and environment are nearly 
 equal in shaping human fortune. Good! But these 
 learned men say nothing about the most potent force of 
 all,—personal choice, the liberty of the soul. 
 
 Every man has a thousand ancestors from whom he 
 inherits. It is for him to choose which line of heredity 
 he will follow. 
 
 In every man’s environment there are a thousand in- 
 fluences for good or for evil. It is for him to choose 
 which of them he prefers, and with which he will 
 co-operate. 
 
 It is a strange confusion of forces in which we have 
 to live, brother, but it is for each of us to say, personally, 
 whether we want to live upward or downward. Free 
 will can conquer both heredity and environment. 
 
 Unless this is true, religion is a vain thing and a 
 mockery. 
 
 Christ, consorting with publicans and sinners, taught 
 this gospel of freedom, If you will be free and be saved, 
 you can, no matter what your heredity and environment. 
 When the word of faith comes to you, you have your 
 chance. 
 
 77 
 
ABUSING EDUCATION 
 
 Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe 
 on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great 
 millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he 
 should be sunk in the depth of the sea—Matthew 18:6 
 
 ‘There can be no doubt that the present day rediscov- 
 ery of the value and possibility in a child is a great 
 event. But there can also be no doubt that this redis- 
 covery is full of peril. Like every natural factor in 
 human life, it can be employed for a good purpose or 
 abused for an evil purpose. ‘The state may insist on 
 education for all its child citizens, but the question still 
 remains as to the nature of that education. Will it be 
 a true leading out of the children’s life, or the circulation 
 of prejudice? ‘Thieves also may and do conduct schools 
 for their own purpose. 
 
 “To take them young” is a sound principle: for the 
 malleability of a child’s mind and habits is proverbial. 
 But how terrible is the crime of those who abuse this 
 fact by inculcating prejudice or establishing bad habits. 
 
 Is there any more terrifying sight than to see an inno- 
 cent little child, unable in himself to comprehend the 
 significance of his conduct, aping prejudices or evil habits 
 of mind and hand learned from parents and other 
 teachers? 
 
 And what shall be said of him who betrays the trust 
 and weakness of a child by employing the power of edu- 
 cation for evil? He is the most despicable of all men, fit 
 only, as Jesus said, to be sunk in the depth of the sea. 
 
 3 
 
 78 
 
EDUCATING THE WILL 
 
 Train up a child in the way he should go, 
 And even when he is old he will not depart from it. 
 —Proverbs 22:6. 
 
 Education in these days is coming into its rightful 
 heritage of honour. It is one of the good signs of the 
 times. ‘The crisis that hastened the event was largely a 
 by-product of that great catastrophe which we call the 
 World War. We are learning the value of educated 
 men, 
 
 Also we have some very interesting data on the weak- 
 nesses of the little education we already have. And 
 unless I miss my guess the discovery of most far-reaching 
 social consequence in the field of education today is the 
 discovery that the education of the will must be central. 
 to the whole system. Without that there can be no se- 
 curity and no confidence. 
 
 We are all familiar nowadays with the failure of the 
 attempt of the older generation to make the younger 
 generation a duplicate of itself. ‘Train; teach, discipline 
 as much as you like—it can’t be done with any regular- 
 ity. One boy may submit, but the next may revolt and 
 go to the opposite extreme. The same thing externally 
 applied may produce diametrically opposite results. ‘The 
 one hope of continuity through the generations lies in 
 the education of the will. 
 
 The unity of humanity can be found only in God. 
 Men whose wills are educated to do God’s will stand 
 together no matter to what generation they belong. 
 That’s why religion is the heart of all education. 
 
 79 
 
ECCENTRIC PEOPLE 
 
 If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in 
 this world, let him become a fool, that he may become 
 wise.—I Corinthians 3: 18. 
 
 To be called eccentric by some people is really a great 
 compliment. For as Ion Keith Falconer wrote in a 
 letter to a friend: ‘‘ The usual centre is self, the proper 
 centre is God. If therefore one lives for God, one is 
 out of centre or eccentric with regard to the people who 
 do not.” 
 
 Nothing can be more important for a man than to find 
 the true centre of life and live accordingly. 
 
 Before Copernicus it was believed that the earth was 
 the centre of the universe. Then men learned that the 
 sun is the centre of our system. “Today the stupendous 
 conception of endless systems towering in illimitable 
 space leads the thought of man out in ever enlarging 
 circles seeking to find the centre of the universe. 
 
 So in our thought of human life must we reach out 
 beyond ourselves until by faith we rest in God. Only 
 so can our lives run their true course. 
 
 By the worldly man we shall be called peculiar, eccen- 
 tric. And from his narrow point of view we shall be 
 so. But the pioneers, the men of faith, are always ridi- 
 culed and opposed. 
 
 The lurid glare of the passing moment does not betray 
 the really eccentric people. Only the calm light of 
 eternity can do that. 
 
 80 
 
EARNING YOUR LIVING AND SPENDING 
 YOUR LIFE ‘ 
 
 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not 
 bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?— 
 Isaiah 55: 2. 
 
 Earning your living and spending your life are only 
 two aspects of the same thing. 
 
 The mistake that many people make is that they enter 
 the market to sell their talents to the highest financial 
 bidder. In other words they minimize and often totally 
 overlook any other return on the expenditure of their 
 lives than that which can be expressed in terms of dol- 
 lars and cents. 
 
 But there is another sort of income without which 
 life degenerates into a barren and bitter existence. I 
 mean spiritual satisfaction. 
 
 The people who perceive this truth and act on it are 
 the truly happy people. While they recognize the need 
 for a certain minimum money income their real payment 
 for labour is found in those spiritual satisfactions which 
 are beyond money valuation. 
 
 What teacher would surrender the joy she finds in 
 the achievement of her pupil? 
 
 What minister could live save in his secret delight at 
 the youth going on from strength to strength or the 
 sinner directed to salvation? 
 
 To set a mere money valuation on your labour is a 
 perilous mistake. For just as surely as you must earn 
 your living must you spend your life. 
 
 And if you earn only money, where will you obtain 
 peace? 
 
 81 
 
THE ALMIGHTY RESERVE FORCE 
 I was brought low and he saved me.—Psalm 116: 6, 
 
 The ultimate winning of a war depends on the re- 
 serve force which can be called into the field to stay a 
 defeat or to clinch a victory. 
 
 The same thing is true of the spiritual conflict, the 
 battle of life. 
 
 The reason why men and women fail and go under, 
 is because they will not believe in the almighty reserve 
 force which is behind them, waiting to be called. 
 
 God is good. If you want to be good, He is ready 
 and able to reinforce you. 
 
 I like that Salvation Army slogan: Down but not out. 
 
 Perhaps you are low in your mind, today. You think 
 you are losing. What difference does that make? Stick 
 to your duty. Fight a good fight. Call up the heavenly 
 reserves through faith and prayer. You shall win at last. 
 
 Learn to distinguish between a reverse and a de- 
 feat. Learn to put more confidence in the Divine 
 reinforcements. 
 
 Exercise the two virtues with which God is always 
 well-pleased,—hAumility and courage. Do not be 
 ashamed to ask for help. Use it bravely when it comes 
 over the hill. 
 
 82 
 
: ey 
 
 WHERE DECISIONS ARE MADE 
 
 Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing 
 water, 
 
 There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah. 
 
 —Judges 5:11. 
 
 It is a curious delusion that most of us cherish, the 
 delusion that the important things in human history are 
 wars and dynastic changes and tumultuous public events. 
 As a matter of fact, these things are in reality only the 
 consequences of decisions long since made and now taking 
 effect in the outward world. 
 
 The exodus from Egypt and the settling of the Prom- 
 ised Land, for example, are stirring events, but we ought 
 not to forget that they would never have occurred unless 
 Moses, guarding Jethro’s sheep in the lonely wilderness 
 of Midian, had first made his decision in quietness. 
 
 And so it is with most great deeds. “They are con- 
 ceived in quiet communion with God, though they be 
 carried out amid the stress and tumult of public conflict. 
 Beware of the mistaken idea that heroism or other forms 
 of greatness spring up spontaneously out of conflict! 
 
 Long before were the issues decided and in far differ- 
 ent scenes. Some poor little schoolroom, some meeting- 
 place of friends, some obscure church, some inconspicu- 
 ous library—in fact any place where the mighty acts of 
 God are reviewed in tranquility—may enclose a turning- 
 point in the world’s history. For there are made, by 
 individual souls, the decisions on which events depend. 
 
 83 
 
HAPPINESS ACCORDING TO JESUS 
 I 
 
 Blessed are they that have been persecuted for right- 
 eousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.— 
 Matthew 5: 10. 
 
 Even though lots of people confuse solemnity with 
 seriousness, and black clothes with piety, there can be 
 no doubt that the religion to which Jesus calls men has 
 a heart of joy. Jesus has set His approval on the 
 human instinct for happiness. 
 
 He calls on men to endure suffering,—but not sto- 
 ically, grimly, without hope. Indeed, it is said of Him 
 in the Bible that for the joy that was set before Him 
 He endured the cross. 
 
 Where we men go wrong is not in desiring happiness, 
 
 but in the manner in which we expect to obtain it. 
 Notice, then, three things about happiness according to 
 Jesus. And today the first: 
 Joy to Jesus was inward, not dependent on outward 
 circumstances. “Those who have entered most sympa- 
 thetically and understandingly into the experiences of 
 His life, find no incongruity in applying to Him the 
 tragic words of the great prophet: “ He was despised 
 and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief.” And yet He was never broken-spirited. 
 Always we are conscious of His mighty will at work, 
 even when His enemies seemed most powerful. He was 
 never a mere victim, but always a willing sacrifice. 
 
 From Him we learn that happiness does not consist 
 in freedom from pain and grief, but in the presence of 
 an inextinguishable joy in the heart. 
 
 84 
 
HAPPINESS ACCORDING TO JESUS 
 II 
 
 He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth 
 his life for my sake shall find it—Matthew 10: 39. 
 
 Too often we set out to achieve happiness only to find 
 that it is ever eluding us. Inward joy is not to be cap- 
 tured by pursuit, however earnest. It is to be received 
 as a free gift by those who do God’s will. 
 
 The joy of Jesus was incidental, in the sense that it 
 was never the object of His seeking. He “ pleased not 
 himself,” He ‘‘ came not to be ministered unto, but to 
 minister,” and therefore joy was His. 
 
 Happiness is always a by-product. It never can be 
 anything else. No man can command happiness. 
 
 In its superficial form happiness may differ greatly in 
 persons of various temperaments. It may be expressive 
 or even vociferous; or it may be inarticulate and quiet. 
 Noise is not an evidence of its reality. “There is such a 
 thing as “the loud laugh that speaks the vacant mind.” 
 
 We never read that Jesus laughed, though we read 
 several times that He wept. His joy was the inward 
 joy, kept living and fresh by the wayside springs, as He 
 made His journey of service across the world. Is that 
 not the heart of meaning in His words: “‘ He that find- 
 eth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for 
 my sake shall find it”? 
 
 No man can be happy until he forgets all about 
 himself. 
 
 85 
 
HAPPINESS ACCORDING TO JESUS 
 Ill 
 
 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may 
 be in you, and that your joy may be made full—John 
 TSSIT 
 
 Jesus’ joy was not solitary, but social. His life was 
 not centred in Himself, but in the salvation of all men. 
 He looked round about on the multitude with compas- 
 sion. He rejoiced in the triumphs of other people. 
 When His disciples returned from their successful 
 missionary tour He rejoiced in the spirit and said, “I 
 thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” He 
 declared the joy that there is in heaven over one sinner 
 that repenteth. 
 | ‘There is in reality no such thing as a private joy. 
 | There is private greed, gratification, selfishness. But 
 | happiness is a social thing.’ No joy amounts to anything 
 ~ until you can share it with somebody else. 
 
 Is there not right here the cause of most men’s failure 
 to be happy? We want all our joys to be private per- 
 sonal joys. Instead of rejoicing in the happiness of other 
 people we pity ourselves and envy them. How much 
 happiness we miss simply by failing to enter into the joys 
 of other people or by trying to hoard pleasure for our- 
 selves! We walk along a humdrum way shut up to our 
 wretched selves, when we might be walking a path of 
 glory. 
 
 The bigger your heart, the more joy can get into it. 
 
 86 
 
THE GOSPEL OF HOPE 
 The hope that is in you.—I Peter 3:15. 
 
 If you want to stay Christians you must read the New 
 Testament. Doing this faithfully you will find St. Paul 
 the apostle of faith, St. John the apostle of love, St. 
 James the apostle of good works, and St. Peter the 
 apostle of hope. 
 
 Remember Peter’s story and you will understand the 
 reason. ‘Three times he denied his Lord. Yet Christ 
 gave him another chance, and he made good. 
 
 To be without hope is to be without God. The 
 pessimist is subconsciously an atheist. 
 
 If your child goes wrong, do not say, ‘ You are hope- 
 less, you are damned.” Say, “‘ You have erred. Repent, 
 and have a hope.” 
 
 Say the same thing to yourself when all looks black 
 around you. , 
 
 I hate all systems and theologies which extinguish 
 hope. I accept all disciplines which leave room for hope 
 and encourage it. 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds painted Hope exultant, springing 
 on the clouds. George Frederic Watts paints her pa- 
 tient, playing on a single string, by the light of a single 
 star. 
 
 87 
 
PASSING OVER 
 
 The old things are passed away; behold, they are 
 become new.—II Corinthians 5: 17. 
 
 Tout lasse, tout casse, tout passe: says the old French 
 proverb. Everything grows tiresome, everything breaks 
 down, everything passes away. But the Christian inter- 
 pretation gives a new meaning to this sad true saying. 
 It says that certain things do not merely pass on; they 
 pass over, and become new. 
 
 Exhaustion, destruction, disse neataton! is not the 
 necessary fate of the things that mean most to us in this 
 mortal life. Change, indeed, is inevitable. ‘Things can- 
 not stay as they are, nor endure forever. 
 
 But there is a power which preserves them even while 
 they change and seem to vanish. “This power is regener- 
 ation, the new birth. 
 
 ‘Thus ‘‘ the old order changeth, yielding place to new.” 
 Thus forms and institutions which once seemed sacred 
 perish to the eye, but cast their life into something larger 
 and better. ‘“Chus when the earthly house of our taber- 
 nacle, the body of flesh, is dissolved, we have a building 
 from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens. 
 
 If we are Christians, we must believe in passing over. 
 
 88 
 
FOOLISH DISCONTENT 
 
 Murmur not among yourselves—John 6: 43. 
 
 Smouldering discontent is one of the most destructive 
 fires that burns in the human breast. It eats deep into 
 the vitals of life and consumes more energy than any of 
 the quick blazing fires of passion. 
 
 Its origin is usually rebellion against life. 
 
 Now it is never going to be possible for men to recon- 
 cile or explain away all of the apparent contradictions of 
 life. Every great thing that men have done has been the 
 fruit of faith. While the chronic kickers are grumbling 
 and complaining among themselves, the doers are making 
 the venture of faith and getting results. 
 
 Especially is this true in our attitude to Jesus Christ. 
 We will never get anywhere worth going to as long as 
 we debate back and forth on the basis of various texts 
 or opinions ‘about Him. We must settle down to peace- 
 ful convictions in our own hearts and lay aside our 
 bickerings. 
 
 Where do these endeavours to enclose the infinite in 
 the finite lead us? Only to the misguided zeal of sense- 
 less partisanships, 
 
 It is better to bow humbly before the mystery of God 
 Incarnate than to argue discontentedly about how and 
 why and when. 
 
 Omniscience is not one of the characteristics of men. 
 But conceit is. 
 
 Only when we stop our opinionated quarrelling over 
 issues totally beyond our comprehension are we really 
 able to perceive the glories that God is revealing. 
 
 89 
 
DODGING DUTY 
 
 The word of Jehovah came unto Jonah .. . saying, 
 Arise, go to Nineveh. ... But Jonah rose up to flee 
 unto Tarshish.—Jonah 1: 1-3. 
 
 Jonah was not the first nor is he the last man to run 
 away from the call of God. 
 
 That is one of the most popular forms of conduct 
 among inexperienced people. Men think that they can 
 get away from God, that they can forget His call, that 
 they can bury the memory of their religious experiences 
 in a fever of another sort of activity. You may find 
 plenty of such people wherever you are, and usually you 
 may recognize them by the look of their faces, the joy- 
 lessness of their lives. 
 
 Some of them take ship, like Jonah, to a foreign land 
 where they think they will find escape from the duties of 
 citizenship and other personal responsibilities. Others 
 remain at home but draw themselves aloof from needy 
 folk by a haughty demeanour and other barriers, seen and 
 unseen. Others launch out into a wild orgy with boon 
 companions in the mad endeavour to forget the still 
 small voice in their hearts. 
 mp O, there are many ways of dodging duty! But none 
 ' of them provides a lasting escape. For there is no way 
 _ of losing yourself except in obedience to the voice of 
 
 God. 
 
 90 
 
ACCEPTING THE WILL OF GOD 
 
 Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak 
 with thee-—Ezekiel 2:1. 
 
 The futility of much that is called religion consists 
 in our endeavour to receive it lying down. 
 
 But religion is not received that way. Resignation is 
 a great word, but it is not to be facilely pronounced. 
 How often we sigh when things go wrong and say dis- 
 piritedly: ‘‘ Oh, well, I suppose it’s the will of God.” 
 If we really believed it were the will of God we should 
 accept it in quite another spirit. ! 
 
 Sometimes we use the phrase “ the will of God ” just 
 to cover up our own inadequacy—the failure of rebellion. 
 Sometimes as the utterance of despair. It ought only to 
 be employed with reverent and willing acceptance. 
 
 And the prime requirement for receiving the will of 
 God is the attitude of readiness. For the Christian atti- 
 tude calls for something far nobler and finer than being 
 “resigned to the will of God.” It calls for the active 
 acceptance of God’s will. We must stand on our feet 
 and hear what the Lord will say unto us, ready to do 
 our part in that will which is not only omnipotent but 
 all-loving. 
 
 This is the way of the Christ who came not to do His | 
 own will but the will of Him that sent Him, and who. 
 received the cross, not grudgingly but willingly, not as_ 
 an inevitable sorrow, but as the way of salvation. 
 
 gI 
 
NICE PEOPLE AND RESPECTABLE SINS 
 I. ENVY 
 
 For envy the chief priests had delivered him up.— 
 Mark 15: 10. 
 
 The very sins which finally brought Jesus to the cross 
 are among the commonest sins of our day even among 
 “nice people.” 
 
 A great many of us for reasons of breeding, training, 
 or natural caution easily avoid the grosser sensual sins 
 which receive most of the opprobrium of civilized com- 
 munities, while the sins of the spirit, which are the root 
 sins of human nature, flourish among us. 
 
 First consider envy. 
 
 ‘This is no rarity in our modern life, even within the 
 churches. It is always a leading element in theological 
 controversy. 
 
 And how many of our dissatisfactions with life are 
 due to casting envious eyes on the career of somebody 
 else. We fail to count our own blessings because we are 
 jealous of another’s blessings. 
 
 The plain woman is envious of her beautiful sister. 
 The poor man envies the rich man. ‘The man out of 
 office is jealous of the office-holder. 
 
 But there is something worse than experiencing this 
 more or less natural but undesirable impulse. And that 
 is, allowing our conduct to be controlled by envy. 
 
 Doubtless the chief priests had many ways of justify- 
 ing their hostility to Jesus. “The fact cannot be hid that 
 they delivered Him up for envy. 
 
 Is not the same sin horribly potent today? 
 
 92 
 
NICE PEOPLE AND RESPECTABLE SINS 
 II. GREED 
 
 What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver 
 him unto you2—-Matthew 26:15. 
 
 The final element in Judas’ willingness to betray Jesus 
 was evidently greed, in which the money he received was 
 only a symbol. 
 
 Doubtless other elements entered into the horrible 
 decision, but it was greed that clinched his determination. 
 
 Nor is Judas the only man who has been thrust into 
 evil by the chink of money in his hand. 
 
 It has long been a commonplace of politics, as Sir 
 Robert Walpole said: ‘‘ All men have their price.” But 
 in order to perceive how often this sin makes its appear- 
 ance we need to remember that the price is only occasion- 
 ally cold cash. Often it is rank or title, influence or 
 fame. 
 
 Not all men desire exactly the same thing. 
 
 Nor is it the kind of payment you receive that consti- 
 tutes the sin. It is the willingness to allow whatever 
 sort of gain appeals to you to control your action— 
 regardless of truth and justice, and higher loyalties. 
 
 The one man who is universally respected by decent 
 people and feared by evildoers is the man who is uncon- 
 trolled by the motive of greed. 
 
 I leave it to you to judge whether greed does not 
 remain one of the popular sins in every age. 
 
 93 
 
NICE PEOPLE AND RESPECTABLE SINS 
 
 f 
 
 : ha. SRR 
 
 mira CMa Ill. FALSE WITNESS 
 a pete i s : 
 wt For many bare false witness against him——Mark 14: 56. 
 
 Bearing false witness against our neighbour is one of 
 the most popular of our respectable sins. It is the basis 
 of all slander and mean gossip, and is the constant at- 
 mosphere of many tea-tables and of a large number of 
 church societies. 
 
 It is one of the same old sins that led finally to the 
 crucifixion of Jesus. Not a whit changed in its nature 
 it rears its ugly head wherever men forget or neglect 
 the plain warnings of history. 
 
 How easily we pick up the juicy morsel of gossip— 
 quite careless of any investigation of its origin. We 
 shake our heads sadly and pass it along, adding a quaint 
 little twist of our own lest it lose anything in the telling. 
 
 It isn’t always the language we use that is false. Some 
 of us have “ principles ” against telling a lie in so many 
 words. But O, how cleverly we can say one thing and 
 imply another! A lifted eyebrow, a smirk,—and some- 
 body’s reputation is permanently tarnished. 
 
 Nor is it always unkindly intended. Sometimes we 
 are just interested in making a good story. 
 
 Decent men and women everywhere tremble at the 
 thought of Jesus on the cross. 
 
 And yet how little progress we have made in getting 
 away from false witness which helped put Him there. 
 
 94 
 
f GF 
 7 ee 
 
 NICE PEOPLE AND RESPECTABLE SINS 
 
 AA bt Oe ff oat 
 \ dehl® Bh big 
 
 , fore = beat 
 IV. SERVILITY CAN 
 Miser ad 
 Pilate . . . washed his hands ... saying, I am in- 
 nocent, ... but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be 
 
 crucified.—Matthew 27: 24-26. 
 
 
 
 ‘The truth is, Pilate was a coward. He lacked the 
 courage of his convictions. Seeing which way the tide 
 was running in that mob, he tried to still his conscience 
 by uttering a half-hearted declaration of the innocence of 
 his prisoner. ‘Then he falsely declared his own freedom 
 from responsibility in the matter and handed over his 
 prisoner. 
 
 Technically he cleared himself—like a weak-kneed 
 sheriff who surrenders his prisoner with a few feeble 
 protests to the lynching mob. 
 
 Of course Pilate was in a difficult place. ‘The mob 
 was posing as a band of patriotic citizens, and Pilate was 
 undoubtedly afraid of being called a traitor to Rome. 
 He chose the easier course of bowing to the will of 
 the mob. 
 
 Is that rare today? 
 
 A young man finds his friends proposing conduct con- 
 trary to his judgment. He protests feebly, and then 
 yields, saying: Well, it’s your idea and I’m not 
 responsible. 
 
 A business man accepts the chance to make a big deal 
 by abandoning his convictions and descending to the 
 conventional standards of business ethics. 
 
 A young woman finds herself in a quandary, with her 
 conscience recommending one course and her social ad- 
 vancement another. 
 
 Servility? O yes, there’s plenty of it right in ourselves. 
 
 95 
 
V THE POWER OF THE CROSS 
 
 I have been crucified with Christ.—Galatians 2: 20. 
 
 This is not the easy and egoistic declaration of a 
 superficial and self-centred thinker. It is the word of 
 Paul who meditated as deeply as any man upon all the 
 aspects of that terrible event on Calvary. 
 
 What can he mean, then, by this simple but mo- 
 mentous statement? 
 
 What else but that he has so given himself over to 
 Christ, so shared by sympathy in the tragical experience, 
 that it has spiritually occurred to him. ‘Through self- 
 obliterating sympathy Paul, too, has hung in anguish on 
 the bitter cross. 
 
 Consequently the crucifixion is not a mere event that 
 has taken place and may now be forgotten; nor is it even 
 to be limited as an important historical occurrence that 
 has its effect outside the concern of the individual Chris- 
 tian. It is a personal matter, something that has a direct 
 bearing on each human being—something that not only 
 has affected the course of human history but which does 
 affect the direction of individual lives in every age. 
 
 No man is wise enough to set forth adequately the 
 historical or philosophical significance of the cross of 
 Christ. But that, after all, is not the prime issue before 
 you and me. 
 
 Our concern must be so to enlarge our minds and 
 hearts by sympathetic entrance into that terrible event, 
 that we shall find the cross, not a dim far-off occurrence, 
 but a present power for making us dead unto sin but 
 alive unto God in Christ Jesus, 
 
 96 
 
er 
 a 
 
 ee 
 
 THE TOUCHSTONE OF RELIGION 
 Lovest thou me?—John 21:17. 
 
 Everyone who reads the Bible is familiar with the 
 striking incident where Jesus three times put this ques- 
 tion to Simon Peter. But it is evident that compara- 
 tively few are aware of its far-reaching significance. 
 
 For instance, do we realize that these three words 
 form an epitome of Jesus’ requirement for discipleship ? 
 And do we realize that the profoundest difficulties in the 
 way of men becoming Christians lie in the realm of 
 conscious decision and personal devotion rather than in 
 the field of philosophy or science? 
 
 “Man, woman, lovest thou me? ”’ is the question that 
 in every age Christ addresses to each human soul. On 
 the answer to that question, spoken in terms of everyday 
 living, everything depends. 
 
 The trouble is that many people if they honestly put 
 their answer into words would say: 
 
 “No, Lord, we don’t love you; that’s going too far. 
 But we argue about you, and analyse you into elements 
 of humanity and divinity and explain you in conflicting 
 theories. We spend a good deal of time doing this and, 
 as we're busy people, we have no time left to love you. 
 In fact we have very little time to love anybody. In our 
 opinion love is terribly inefficient and old-fashioned. 
 Some day we'll invent a good substitute. In the mean- 
 time we like to use your name because it lends influence 
 to our theories among the unthinking multitude.” 
 
 It sounds pretty raw, doesn’t it? But insofar as re- 
 ligion is a failure today that is the reason, It lacks love. 
 
 97 
 
CHRIST’S RESURRECTION AND OURS 
 
 Now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first- 
 fruits of them that are asleep.—I Corinthians 15: 20. 
 
 There are few historical events of a distant age that 
 have had as trustworthy testimony borne to them as the 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ. And there is none which 
 has had as steady a stream of witness borne to it in every 
 age. The history of the Christian Church is a living 
 testimonial to confidence in that testimony and to a cor- 
 roborating experience in the human heart. 
 
 Doubtless there are inconsistencies in the testimony, 
 as is always true of honest independent testimony every- 
 where. Even the first three evangelists do not make 
 identical reports. But as to the fact of the resurrection 
 they report with absolute unanimity. 
 
 Doubtless also a difficulty arises from the uniqueness 
 of the event. ‘There is nothing with which we may 
 compare it, and, as most of our speech is based on com- 
 parisons, it is not easy to speak of the resurrection. 
 
 But these are, of course, secondary matters. The his- 
 torical fact itself remains unshaken. ‘The resurrection 
 was the power that sent forth the Gospel to win the 
 world through the disciples. 
 
 Nor is this all. From the first the Christian Church 
 has associated her faith in immortality with Christ’s 
 resurrection. “This was never a step dictated by logic. 
 It was an irresistible movement of the heart. You will 
 argue about it only to your own confusion. But you will 
 find its complete justification in the Master’s teaching 
 about the human soul and the relation existing between 
 the soul and himself, 
 
 98 
 
PEACE WITHIN 
 
 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is 
 stayed on thee.—lIsaiah 26: 3. 
 
 The business of the world seems to be carried on in 
 controversy, dispute, conflict, rising at times to the actual 
 horror of war between great nations. 
 
 No doubt all this confusion and turmoil comes from 
 the selfishness, the ignorance, the imperfection of human 
 nature, which theologians call “ original sin.” 
 
 The lover of peace is distressed and troubled by the 
 tumult and the strife. He longs for better things. He 
 will not evade his duty or shrink from his part in a 
 conflict between right and wrong. But he cannot live 
 happily or work powerfully without a basis of peace. 
 
 Let him find it within. Believing that God is all- 
 merciful and omnipotent, that Christ Jesus came to save 
 sinners, and that Love is almighty and everlasting, he has 
 an impregnable citadel of inward peace. Nothing can 
 conquer or dismay him. He is a child of God, 
 
 99 
 
PREPAREDNESS 
 
 Half of my servants wrought in the work, and half 
 of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows.— 
 Nehemiah 4: 16. 
 
 This was a large proportion of armed force, fifty per 
 cent of a small community. But then, you see, under 
 Nehemiah the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem was 
 surrounded by enemies who would have asked nothing 
 better than to break it all down and throw the city back 
 into helpless ruin. 
 
 Nehemiah knew this, and therefore he acted as our 
 Pilgrim fathers did when they carried their muskets to 
 church. 
 
 If all men were peaceful and friendly, pacifism would 
 be the only true orthodoxy. Armies and police would be 
 superfluous and sinful. But while the millennium is 
 delayed, protection is necessary. And protection means 
 preparedness. 
 
 In the present state of the world to say, “I will not 
 and cannot resist,’ is the same as saying, ‘“‘ Come and 
 take what you like.” It would not be an incentive to 
 peace, but an invitation to pillage. 
 
 But the proportion of armaments to peaceful indus- 
 tries must be determined by the necessities of the time 
 and case. 
 
 I have said before, and say again: It will be an ill day 
 for America when we spend more for merely military 
 defense than for the vital education of the people of 
 these United States, 
 
 I0O 
 
SENTIMENT AS A FORCE 
 
 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance 
 sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but 
 sorrow of heart-——Nehemiah 2: 2. 
 
 Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer, a high office in 
 Babylon. He had heard of the ruin and desolation of 
 Jerusalem, the home of his fathers, the shrine of his 
 faith. ‘This grieved him to the heart and he could not 
 keep it out of his face. It was this deep sentiment in 
 Nehemiah that moved the wise king Artaxerxes to grant 
 his trusted servant permission, and a subsidy, to rebuild 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 The most efficient men in the world are at heart men 
 of sentiment. 
 
 That is because mankind is more closely bound to- 
 gether by its feelings than by its opinions. In our own 
 day, gratitude for the refuge and help that a poor boy 
 found in books has built thousands of libraries. Sorrow 
 in the heart for the death of a beloved child has raised 
 a new wall against the tyranny of needless disease. 
 
 Sentimentalism is folly and weakness. But true senti- 
 ment,—feeling for others,—is the greatest forward force 
 in the world. 
 
 IOI 
 
WORSHIP 
 
 And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to 
 another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh 
 come to worship before me, saith Jehovah.—l\saiah 
 
 66: 23. 
 
 The need of acknowledging God over all and particu- 
 larly the need of performing acts of worship in common 
 with other people is a fundamental human need. ‘The 
 fact that large numbers of people constantly neglect it 
 in no way proves that it is a superfluous gesture. A 
 great many people have always insisted on their right to 
 do things that are essentially bad for them, and to 
 neglect certain things which are connected with their 
 well-being. “The mere existence or non-existence of any 
 social custom has little to do with its ultimate desirability. 
 
 ‘The act of public worship in one form or another is 
 vital to the social and personal life of men. 
 
 Each man needs to escape from the fragmentary nature 
 of his own life into the universal realm which the wor- 
 ship of God reveals. 
 
 Furthermore, each man needs to look upon his fellow- 
 men not as competitors or rivals but as men who have 
 their place in God’s providence as well as he. 
 
 The worship of God with its emphasis on the value of 
 each soul and with its all-embracing view of the universe 
 both encourages the individual to do his part in the 
 world and makes him see his fellows in their right light. 
 
 Are you neglecting one of the fundamental needs of 
 your life by failing to join in the public worship of God? 
 
 102 
 
WORK 
 
 My Father worketh even until now, and I work.— 
 John 5:17. 
 
 Work is probably one of the chief blessings of man- 
 kind. Jesus declares that it is a characteristic of God 
 and of Himself. Consequently it must always be among 
 the virtues inculcated by Christianity. 
 
 Vulgar people think that the mark of being a lady or 
 gentleman is avoidance of work and so they attempt to 
 attain the desired rank by not working. ‘The logic is 
 false and the morality is execrable. 
 
 Many people also make the error of thinking that 
 work, to be worthy of the name, must be disagreeable. 
 Especially will they regard reproachfully anyone who 
 seems to be enjoying his own labours. If a man likes to 
 work, they think he must be loafing, and by the same 
 inaccurate reasoning, they often identify sulking about a 
 job with working at it. 
 
 Work, the actual exercise of whatever talents we e may 
 have, is not the only expression of sound life, but it is 
 one of the most important. It is one of the high spots 
 in the life of the growing youth, when he discovers that 
 he has a contribution to make to the world’s work. 
 Work is the balance wheel of life both for the able- 
 bodied and also, tempered according to capacity, for 
 handicapped people, 
 
 103 
 
THE NECESSITY OF WONDER 
 That ye may marvel—John 5: 20. 
 
 The state of wonder is a condition of mind most vital 
 to human beings. The man who never marvels is a dull 
 clod at best. He is missing one of the great joys of 
 existence. He shows himself unfitted for life in this 
 universe. 
 
 All normal children are full of wonder. But many 
 adults allow that freshness of mind to wear off. I have 
 often thought that this was one of the particular things 
 that Jesus had reference to when He said: ‘‘ Except ye 
 turn and become as little children ye shall in no wise 
 enter the kingdom of God.’ He was setting the stamp 
 of His disapproval on that hard, bitter frame of mind 
 that looks on life as a mechanical process without room 
 for the exultation of wonder. 
 
 After all, the childlike attitude of delighted awe is 
 characteristic of all really great men. ‘The musician, 
 the poet, the artist, is always coming to an unexpected 
 cry of wonder. I shall never forget the thrill in the 
 voice of Professor J. Arthur Thompson, when in a recent 
 lecture he paused and said with impressive simplicity: 
 “A feather is one of the most perfect things in nature.” 
 There was a world of wonder in his whole tone and 
 attitude. He was a child crying out with delight before 
 the marvels of God’s universe. 
 
 Perhaps if we all wondered a little more we would 
 do a lot less complaining. 
 
 104 
 
READY MISINFORMATION 
 
 The lips of a fool will swallow up himself.—Ecclesi- 
 astes 10: 12. 
 
 I stood on the hurricane deck of a steamer sailing out 
 of Boston Harbour one lovely summer evening, watching 
 the graceful manceuvres of a little band of terns over the 
 opalescent waters. “Wo men came noisily out on deck 
 near me. One promptly pointed out the birds to the 
 other, and in a loud and emphatic voice (evidently for 
 my benefit as well as his companion’s), remarked with an 
 air of great knowledge: “Those are what they call 
 chickadees.” 
 
 From this he turned to deliver himself jauntily of 
 various other pieces of misinformation. But I fled to a 
 remote spot to smoke my pipe and meditate on human 
 nature’s irrepressible desire to declaim on all subjects 
 regardless of qualifications for speaking. 
 
 We all do it, don’t we? Rather than keep silent and 
 humbly enjoy beauty or grace, regardless of our qualifi- 
 cations for commenting on it we prefer to disclose what 
 we are pleased to consider our knowledge. Especially if 
 we think our listeners are less instructed than ourselves 
 are we apt to hold forth with confidence on subjects 
 quite beyond our reach. Unhappily this habit appears 
 not only in conversation but in lectures, books and 
 sermons. 
 
 Quite aside from the irreparable damage a man per- 
 forms in trying to appear wiser than he is, he runs the 
 risk of meeting somebody who knows, where he only 
 proclaims. 
 
 Sooner or later the fool swallows up himself. 
 
 / 
 
 105 
 
THE WEAK BROTHER AS BULLY 
 
 Blessed is he that considereth the weak.—Psalm 
 41:1 (Margin). 
 
 ‘The problem of the weak brother is a most serious 
 issue to the man who remembers that the strong ought to 
 bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please 
 themselves. 
 
 Always bearing this profound Christian truth in mind 
 I want to draw your attention to a much overlooked 
 aspect of the problem. 
 
 Oftentimes his very weakness makes the weak brother 
 a bully. He wants the world run for his benefit. 
 
 Many a minister is devoured body and soul by weak 
 brothers and sisters. (Not that any decent minister ob- 
 jects to being devoured, provided it does any real good.) 
 And how pathetic is the life of many a faithful daughter 
 of a household because of some weak bully who battens 
 like a parasite on her grace. 
 
 Yes, all those who have strength ought to bear the in- 
 firmities of the weak; but not so as to encourage weak- 
 ness. And how much of the sickness of the world is 
 just cherished weakness. It is so agreeable to be cared 
 for. We all have a touch of that love of ease. But do 
 we really help the weak by letting them handicap the 
 strong? 
 
 Perhaps you think that is harsh, even cruel? Listen: 
 One of the most gallant and gracious spirits I have ever 
 known lay long years on a bed of pain; but she carried 
 many in her heart, and fed even the able-bodied with the 
 bread and water of life. 
 
 106 
 
WASTING OR SPENDING? 
 
 He wasted his substance with riotous living.—Luke 
 VS2T3. 
 
 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. 
 —II Corinthians 12:15. 
 
 There are three things a man can do with himself and 
 his possessions. He may selfishly hoard them; he may 
 lavishly waste them; he may intelligently spend them. 
 
 There can be no question as to which method religion 
 calls on every man to follow. 
 
 The temporary nature of earthly strength and riches 
 is plain to all men who think. 
 
 What, then, shall a man do with that portion of life 
 and possessions which falls into his hands? 
 
 If he tries to hoard it he only fixes his attention on the 
 sure day when he shall lose it all—without profit to him- 
 self or others. For the miser is one of the most wretched 
 of men. 
 
 If he dissipates it in riotous living he shall speedily 
 find himself (aided and abetted by various sorts of 
 human harpies) in bitter want of even the humblest 
 necessities of life. 
 
 Only if he spends it freely and gladly for the pur- 
 poses of his soul may he experience the full meaning of 
 life and say at the end: 
 
 Glad did I live and gladly die, 
 
 And I laid me down with a will.” 
 
 For of what value is strength of mind or body, or 
 what is the significance of worldly possessions save as 
 they are spent for the release of spiritual powers? 
 
 107 
 
HUMDRUM DUTIES 
 
 As his share is that goeth down to the battle, so shall 
 his share be that tarrieth by the baggage—I1 Samuel 
 30: 24. | 
 
 David had a little army of six hundred men to fight 
 the Philistines. But when he came to the brook Besor, 
 two hundred of his followers were so worn out and faint 
 that they could not go over, so they were left behind to 
 take care of the baggage, while the others went on to do 
 the fighting and win the victory. 
 
 Then those who had been in the front of the battle 
 claimed all the spoil. But David said, “‘ No! ‘Those 
 who guarded our stuff while we were fighting shall have 
 an equal share. ‘They earned the victory as much as 
 we did.” 
 
 How many tasks and duties there are in life which 
 seem dull and monotonous, yet which are as vital and 
 indispensable as the more daring and romantic adven- 
 tures! They are humdrum, perhaps, but they are worthy 
 of all honour. 
 
 ‘The devoted mother, the good and faithful servant, 
 the patient teacher, the kind nurse, the steady toiler, the 
 loyal guardian of a trust,—these also are heroes. ‘They 
 shall not be forgotten when the Great King distributes 
 His rewards. 7 
 
 Remember what the blind poet, John Milton, wrote: 
 “They also serve who only stand and wait.” 
 
 108 
 
ISOLATED IDEALS 
 ... Like a wild ass alone by himself —Hosea 8: 9. 
 
 Nothing is more perilous than an unrelated ideal. It 
 is responsible for the abundant crop of lop-sided special- 
 ists who have no conception of the relationship of their 
 speciality to life as a whole, and for the flood of furious 
 fanatics who race through the land. Each of them has 
 usually a noble ideal which he sponsors, but he has for- 
 gotten that an ideal taken out of its living environment 
 bears litthe resemblance to an ideal in actual life. It’s all 
 very well to study museum specimens in separate cases, 
 but you don’t deal with them that way in the field. 
 
 Much is made today of the ideal of personal liberty. 
 But unless that noble ideal is rightly related to the ideal 
 of service it leads only to trouble. What do these per- 
 sonal liberty howlers know about freedom? ‘They have 
 isolated an ideal and thereby destroyed it. 
 
 ‘Take again the ideal of faith. We are told that we 
 are saved by our faith. But separate faith from good 
 works and what have you got? An unsupported decla- 
 ration, an ideal that soon degenerates into intellectual 
 quibbling. 
 
 The world suffers today from the dominance of iso- 
 lated ideals. We must learn to use ideals in their living 
 relationships. 
 
 As Emerson put it: 
 
 “‘ All are needed by each one; 
 Nothing is fair or good alone.” 
 
 109 
 
SELF-COM PLACENCY 
 
 They themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, 
 and comparing themselves with themselves, are without 
 understanding.—IJ Corinthians 10: 12. 
 
 The only really unbearable man in the world is not 
 the egotist. A good honest egotist is infinitely superior 
 to Uriah Heep. ‘The unbearable man is the self- 
 complacent man. ‘The egotist talks some about what he 
 has done, but still more about what he is going to do. 
 The self-complacent man is well-content with what he 
 is. I can see his carefully pursed lips and his sickeningly 
 sleek deportment. 
 
 He has Arrived. And he gives you the fearful im- 
 pression that he believes that all progress ends in him. 
 
 Inevitably your spirit revolts against the terrible 
 thought, and you long to run riot in so asininely solemn 
 and inadequate a world. 
 
 Egotism is understandable and even commendable 
 where it represents high personal concentration on the 
 matter in hand. But self-complacency is the invariable 
 refuge of small men; the puny attempt to start a reputa- 
 tion by neglecting the canons of good judgment. 
 
 If you want to be thoroughly despised, if you want to 
 cut the nerve of all achievement, try being satisfied with 
 yourself, 
 
 And if a self-complacent individual is essentially ridic- 
 ulous what shall be said of those little bands of innately 
 morally superior beings, those “ little groups of serious 
 thinkers ”’ who view the common herd from afar? 
 
 Truly all the self-complacent are, as Paul contempt- 
 uously says, “ without understanding,” 
 
SELF-DENIAL 
 He must increase, but I must decrease.—John 3: 30. 
 
 It is too readily assumed among certain thinkers and 
 writers that life is largely a battle between youth and 
 age, between those who are in office to retain their offices 
 and those who are outside to gain them. 
 
 That may be true of a small number of vociferous 
 persons, but it is far from expressing the real heart of 
 humanity. Anyone who has had experience with men in 
 various walks of life is greatly impressed with the readi- 
 ness with which most older men make way for their 
 younger brethren. ‘This is of course most noticeable in 
 those careers which have for their object genuine service 
 to mankind. For the truth is obvious that no serviceable 
 career can be conducted in solitary state and it is equally 
 obvious that provision must be made for its permanent 
 continuance beyond the limits of one life. 
 
 The record of the relationship between Jesus and 
 John the Baptist, His forerunner, is a lovely illustration 
 of this. 
 
 Of no one did Jesus speak in higher terms than of 
 John; nor is there a more beautiful story of self- 
 abnegation in all history than John’s graceful gesture as 
 he merged his career with that of his Lord and Master 
 and withdrew his rugged personality from the centre of 
 the stage. 
 
 Many a man has reason to thank God for the unex- 
 pected graciousness with which his poor efforts are re- 
 ceived, and for the kindliness with which men of power 
 and influence open up a way in which he may walk. 
 
 Self-denial may not be a virtue native to human 
 nature, but it is acquired more frequently than some 
 men think, 
 
SELF-FORGETFULNESS 
 
 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but 
 whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.—Luke 
 
 17 \*\5.3% 
 
 A young woman, who recently graduated from college, 
 was making a name for herself in her chosen career. Of 
 course she was promptly interviewed by an enterprising 
 reporter, who asked: ‘‘ What is the secret of your suc- 
 cess?’ Her answer contains a great truth: “ Really,” 
 she exclaimed, “I never take time to think about 
 myself,” 
 
 So absorbed was she in what she was doing that she 
 had no time for crippling introspection. With her atten- 
 tion centred whole-heartedly on her objective, she herself 
 was lost in her work. 
 
 ‘That young woman had found the way of accomplish- 
 ment, of self-realization. 
 
 Somehow we must break away from ourselves. We 
 must get such a hold on life that our little selves are 
 lifted out of self-consciousness and made free and great 
 in self-oblivion. 
 
 ‘The common error is to reserve this spiritual law for 
 times of crises; whereas the truth is that it applies to the 
 whole of life. 
 
 Just recall the times when you have been both happy 
 and useful. Were they not times when, with a genuine 
 disregard of yourself, you poured out your capacities in a 
 worthy cause? 
 
 Is there any reason why it should not be your regular 
 practice instead of an occasional performance? 
 
 II2 
 
SELF-GLORIFICATION 
 
 He did according to his will, and magnified him- 
 self. —Daniel 8: 4. 
 
 A popular occupation of our day is magnifying our- 
 selves. It is a sort of endeavour to create an atmos- 
 phere of self-respect which we do not feel by talking 
 about our jobs and ourselves in resounding terms. 
 
 For example, the other day I saw a poster in a win- 
 dow. It showed a stalwart and handsome young man in 
 overalls with a wrench in his hand, and bore in large 
 letters the inscription: “‘ The Plumber Protects the 
 Health of the Nation.” 
 
 Well, the only trouble with that sign, so far as I was 
 concerned, was that it promptly reminded me of a 
 plumber who endangered the health of a houseful of 
 people because, as I had the disagreeable task of pointing 
 out to him, he ran the drain-pipe from the kitchen sink 
 uphill. 
 
 A good plumber protects the health of the nation,— 
 O yes, but this business of sweeping up the good, bad, 
 and indifferent workers in any calling and praising them 
 in the mass is sheer bunk. 
 
 Every honourable calling has its opportunities of 
 service. But to magnify the job apart from the qualifica- 
 tions of the workman only lends comfort to the pride of 
 slackers and shirkers and renders them intolerable to 
 their honest fellow-workmen. 
 
 Besides, it’s a lie of the most subtle kind. 
 
 113 
 
SELF-RESPECT OR SELF-PITY? 
 
 Thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash 
 thy face; that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy 
 Father who is in secret-—Matthew 6: 17-18. 
 
 Astonishing as it may seem to some of us, it Is none 
 the less true that some things are not fit subjects for 
 publicity. 
 
 Among the most notable of such things are your own 
 troubles. 
 
 And yet how common is the sin of representing our- 
 self as an object of pity. How often we go around col- 
 lecting sympathy in the most brazen manner, pouring out 
 our troubles wherever we can get a listening ear, and in 
 general adding appreciably to the world’s stock of 
 SOrrows. 
 
 Descending from a mountain-top one summer after- 
 noon, I found myself on the shores of a lovely lake. In 
 a boat nearby sat an old man fishing. By and by, in the 
 manner of persons meeting in the woods (and the fish 
 being apparently otherwise engaged), he rowed over to 
 where I squatted on a rock by the shore. We lit our 
 pipes and entered into desultory conversation. I sup- 
 pose something in my manner betrayed the wonder in 
 my mind that so old a man should be out on this lonely 
 lake alone, for, fixing me with a quizzical look, he ex- 
 plained: “I’m too old to be much use, but anyhow I 
 calculate not to make trouble for people’’”—and then 
 with flashing eyes—‘‘ At least I’m never going to be an 
 object of pity to anyone.” 
 
 Wasn’t the old man right? 
 
 114 
 
, a 
 
 Pa 
 
 Melss® pees d Aytihe 
 = 4 ae’ 2 = 
 
 SELR:AMASTERY), a okt 
 
 Bahay h tte : IS NS ay PP 
 He whose spirit is without restraint Chek Core, 
 
 Is like a city that is broken down and without walls. 
 —Proverbs 25: 28. 
 
 We hear a great outcry in these days against the mul- 
 tiplicity of laws with which most men claim they are 
 needlessly burdened. But we do not perceive enough 
 recognition of the only alternative to increasing legisla- 
 tion,—that is increasing of self-mastery. 
 
 We sometimes forget the important fact that legis- 
 lators also are men and must remain subject to the laws 
 they enact. With the exception of a few men who are 
 afflicted with what has been described as legimania most 
 legislators are only trying to make laws for the protec- 
 tion of public rights. As long as we have large numbers 
 of citizens who accept no restraint on their personal lib- 
 erty except that which is enforced by law, the number 
 of laws must go on multiplying. 
 
 The one security against the sense of being gagged 
 and bound hand and foot in our increasingly complex 
 civilization lies in the development of self-mastery among 
 our citizens. Where there are unjust laws the business 
 of good citizens is to agitate for their repeal; and doubt- 
 less there is room for some improvement here. But isn’t 
 it about time that we abandoned this negatively grum- 
 bling attitude about laws that interfere with our precious 
 personalities and recognize that lots of the trouble origi- 
 nates in the fact that we lack self-mastery ? 
 
 115 
 
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 Ae we ise Me 2&2 
 ya eee wh RE AeA, ¢ taf 
 
 Bs ak We 
 Yorke, GH ar daha. 
 
FOREIGN WIVES 
 
 All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them 
 had wives by whom they had children—Ezra 10: 44. 
 
 Here is a curious case. The Jews of the Captivity, 
 returning, by permission of the great King Cyrus, to 
 restore their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem, were 
 mainly men. Quite naturally they fell in love with the 
 women of the land in which they were working, and 
 married them, and had children by them. ‘This was con- 
 trary to the ancient tradition that the Jews must be a 
 nation set apart, a peculiar people. So Ezra commanded 
 that all these foreign marriages should be annulled. It 
 was probably the biggest divorce decree on record. 
 
 As a national policy it may have been prudent. But 
 what I want to know is, what became of the wives who 
 had married in good faith, and the children who had 
 been born without being consulted? Would Christ have 
 approved this casting off of the innocent? 
 
 Race purity is a fine thing. It is best to marry one of 
 your own kind. But it is better still to keep your prom- 
 ises and to meet your responsibilities towards women and 
 children like a man of honour. 
 
 Can you correct a mistake by committing an injustice? 
 
 116 
 
THE STRUGGLES OF THE SOUL 
 
 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?— 
 Psalms 22: 1. 
 
 There is, of course, a sense in which religion is the 
 most simple and natural thing in the world. But to stop 
 there, is to show oneself blind to the facts of human life 
 and cruel to one’s fellow-men. 
 
 Take the question of prayer. How sweet and true are 
 the prayers of a child. How naturally he trusts, how 
 simply he speaks! But how hard a man must struggle to 
 attain that childish state! Countless things in himself 
 and in the world about him as he sees it rise up to 
 interfere. 
 
 Lowell expressed the difficulty when he wrote: 
 
 “T, that still pray at morning and at eve,... 
 Thrice in my life perhaps have truly prayed, 
 Thrice, stirred below my conscious self, have felt 
 That perfect disenthrallment which is God.” 
 
 We need to practice a continual discipline of the soul 
 lest we fall into the futility of identifying religion with 
 external observances. 
 
 “That drony vacuum of compulsory prayer, 
 Still pumping phrases for the Ineffable, 
 Though all the valves of memory gasp and wheeze.” 
 
 Prayer is simple and natural, but behind its expression 
 lies the terrible conflict through which the soul is dis- 
 ciplined to meet with God. 
 
 117 
 
STATISTICS 
 
 And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David 
 to number Israel—I Chronicles 21: 1. 
 
 The taking of a census seems to us a most natural and 
 right thing for a ruler to do. And probably the idea in 
 the mind of the author of this narrative in describing 
 David’s census of Israel as a sin is forever hidden from 
 us as a matter of historical knowledge. And yet I think 
 we may at least profitably speculate upon it. 
 
 I imagine David looking for statistics to bolster up 
 his faith in the progress of Israel. Instead of trusting in 
 God he was beginning to calculate his own situation as 
 a worldly ruler. 
 
 Certainly that was a sin; and what is more, a sin that 
 we are thoroughly competent to understand today be- 
 cause most of us fall under it. 
 
 Surely it is well that we should have statistics to indi- 
 cate to us the places in which growth or loss is occurring. 
 
 But may I not ask if it is not a real sin in religion to 
 draw our conclusions from the things which may be ex- 
 pressed in terms of statistics? Is a church progressing 
 or failing simply in accordance with the rise or fall of 
 the number of its members? Is the final proof of re- 
 ligion to be found in arithmetic? Are the largest 
 churches always the most powerful churches? Consider 
 the contribution to spiritual life of the Quakers or the 
 Waldensian Church of Italy! 
 
 Can you express in terms of statistics the invincible 
 fact of “one soul against the flesh of all mankind ”? 
 
 118 
 
HELP FOR THE TEMPTED 
 
 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he 
 is able to succour them that are tempted.—Hebrews 
 2g te 
 
 It is a curious thing how little even Christians realize 
 the continuous temptations through which Jesus passed. 
 We glance superficially at the formal account in the 
 fourth chapters of Matthew and Luke and think that 
 there is not much to it. We forget Jesus’ significant 
 word to His disciples in the last week of His life: “ Ye 
 are they that have continued with me in my tempta- 
 tions.” Because we are too stupid to read between the 
 lines of the swift-moving narratives of the Gospel, we 
 overlook the constant assaults of temptations through 
 which He came unscathed. 
 
 Again, we fail to appreciate the reality of those tempta- 
 tions because of preconceptions and prejudices concerning 
 the nature of divinity, by which we set Him outside of 
 the reach of real trial. 
 
 Could anything be further from the plain witness of 
 the Gospel? Surely the testimony is clear: Jesus stands 
 with men in His subjection to temptation. He stands 
 infinitely above us in His constant triumph over 
 temptation. 
 
 And therein lies His ability to help us in our tempta- 
 tions. What a comfort to find, not only a companion 
 in the terrible loneliness of temptation, but One who 
 having Himself conquered, is able and willing to help us! 
 
 119 
 
STANDING YOUR GROUND 
 
 Be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before 
 them.—Jeremiah 1:17. 
 
 The following story is told about Henry Ward 
 Beecher as a boy: 
 
 The teacher in the school he attended asked a boy a 
 question which the boy answered. Apparently the 
 teacher was much incensed at the answer and cried 
 testily: Sit down! The abashed boy sat abruptly down. 
 Several boys were asked the same question and gave the 
 same answer and promptly became confused when the 
 teacher voiced his unexplained disapproval. 
 
 Finally Beecher was called and gave the same answer 
 as the other boys. Sit down! roared the teacher. But 
 Beecher held his ground and insisted that the answer 
 was correct. For a few moments the teacher stormed at 
 him, but seeing Beecher obdurate and convinced, he 
 smiled and said: Well, boys, you were all correct, but 
 Beecher was the only one sure enough to stand up for it. 
 
 ““ Let no one falter,” said Lincoln, ‘* who thinks he is 
 right.” It is important not only to give the right answer 
 but to stick to it through thick and thin. 
 
 Many a true word has been lost through dismay at 
 the opposition it aroused. 
 
 The truth is not always kindly received; and we must 
 learn to declare it even amid the hubbub of denunciation. 
 
 I20 
 
THE KINGDOM OF THE SPIRIT 
 I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.—Joel 2: 28. 
 
 Religion can never be a specialized department of life 
 like engineering or chemistry where only the technically 
 trained expert may speak with authority. Of course 
 religion has its prophets, those who speak with peculiar 
 authority, but they are! not primarily the product of 
 technical training. ‘The schools of the prophets occa- 
 sionally have a prophet pass through their hands and 
 quite frequently they help him; but prophets also appear 
 from nowhere. 
 
 Religion is not a private domain reserved for people 
 of any particular age or class or other human qualifica- 
 tion. It belongs to each and all; and leadership in re- 
 ligion belongs to those who, being called of God and 
 possessing the capacities, answer the call and employ 
 their capacities as He directs. 
 
 In other words, religion is universal, but all religious 
 men are not equally qualified for the same thing. ‘The 
 outpouring of the spirit means different things for dif- 
 ferent people. For some it means prophesying, for others 
 the dreaming of dreams, for others the seeing of visions, 
 -——and also for those whom the world inclines to overlook 
 there shall be given an outpouring of the spirit. 
 
 Religion is universal, but there are distinctions within 
 the realm of the spirit. 
 
 I2I 
 
LET IT DIE DOWN 
 
 For lack of wood the fire goeth out; 
 And where there is no whisper, contention ceaseth, 
 —Proverbs 26: 20. 
 
 The old saying is that “it takes two to make a quar- 
 rel.” Let us add that it takes three to keep a quarrel 
 alive. The third person is the “ Whisperer,’’ as Solomon 
 calls him. 
 
 This is the person who brings new fuel to the fire, 
 and piles on false reports and rumours and malicious 
 interpretations of perfectly simple words and actions. 
 He fans the flame to keep it going for his own pleasure. 
 He has no real interest in the contention, but he likes 
 to watch the blaze and hear the sparks crackle. 
 
 For the most part, when two human beings have a 
 quarrel, after a while they grow tired of it and a little 
 ashamed of it. Probably both of them have a dim idea 
 that they were somewhat to blame for it. ‘They are 
 quite willing to let it die down and expire, as it naturally 
 will in the course of time. That is wise and wholesome. 
 
 Then, when the Whisperer comes along with fresh 
 fuel to revive the flame, let both parties join hands to 
 throw him and his wood out onto the rubbish heap. 
 That will make the reconciliation complete, 
 
 122 
 
JUDGING MEN 
 
 Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of 
 this man, how much evil he did. . . . But the Lord said 
 unto him, Go thy way; for he is a chosen vessel unto 
 me.—Acts 9: 13-15. 
 
 Ananias was judging Paul by his common reputation. / 
 Christ by His potentialities. That is the great difference ( 
 between worldly and divine judgments. 
 
 Which was right? 
 
 Of course it is easier to condemn or approve a man 
 merely on the basis of what he has done than take the 
 trouble and exercise the insight necessary to perceive 
 what he may yet be capable of doing. But is it fair to 
 him, or even good sense? 
 
 Suppose Paul had been judged by the Christian com- 
 munity solely on his past performances, suppose Ananias 
 and Barnabas had surrendered to the popular prejudice 
 against Paul. ‘The Christian Church would have lost 
 her greatest Apostle. “The whole course of world his- 
 tory would have been changed. Possibly our land today 
 would be a wilderness and we barbarians. 
 
 ‘Tremendous issues are always suspended on our judg- 
 ments of our fellow-men. Until we learn to judge men 
 on the basis of what they are and may become we shall 
 be continually doing them an injustice and depriving 
 mankind of noble service. 
 
 Will you apply that to our usual treatment of men 
 who have served terms in prison? Many a man has 
 been helped to return to an evil career because he is 
 judged by his past without regard to his present state and 
 future possibilities. 
 
 How would we like to have God judge us solely on 
 our past conduct? 
 
 123 
 
CRITICISM VERSUS GOSSIP 
 He spake unadvisedly with his lips —Psalm 106: 33. 
 
 a The story is told of a great musician who took his 
 orchestra on tour, and during his travels received a note 
 ' from a well-meaning person in one of his audiences. 
 This is what the note said: “I think it only fair to 
 inform you that the man in your orchestra who blows 
 the instrument that pulls in and out, only played during 
 the brief intervals when you were looking at him.” 
 
 How much of our comment on other people’s work is 
 of that unintelligent character. If the eagerness and 
 deadly seriousness of our comments were only matched 
 by an equal intelligence and kindness, how much we 
 could help one another. 
 
 But no; we would rather say our say regardless of 
 our qualifications for speaking. 
 
 And how disgustingly we bedizen our meanness to 
 make it appear as righteousness—like cabaret companions 
 masquerading as lovers. No one is really deceived. 
 There is only a conspiracy among those interested. 
 
 The differences between criticism and gossip are ob- 
 vious: the motive of criticism is improvement; of gossip, 
 injury. Criticism is addressed, ultimately at least, to the 
 person criticized; gossip, to his enemies. Criticism is 
 responsible. Gossip is irresponsible. 
 
 Which prevails in your conversation and communi- 
 cation? 
 
 124 
 
A e 
 a i . 
 
 COURAGEOUS LIVING AND DYING | 
 
 Whether we live... or die, we are the Lord’s.— 
 Romans 14: 8. 
 
 From his birth, more than twenty years ago, crippled 
 Johnny had lain helpless in his humble home. His 
 mother, a worn but kindly little woman, who is janitor 
 for several tenements, steadfastly refused the neigh- 
 bour’s well-meant advice ‘‘ to put Johnny away.” Even 
 when the father died or when the young brother, who 
 had just begun to work steadily, met with a fatal acci- 
 dent, still that indomitable mother was obdurate. “ No 
 one will take care of him like me. If I drop in my 
 tracks I’ll do it.” 
 
 There was nothing for the neighbours to do but to 
 help as they could. And help they did in the unobtrusive 
 way that humble neighbours have. Now it’s a cream- 
 puff which Johnny loved. Now it’s a little Christmas- 
 tree with real lights on it or a lily-bulb which he watched 
 with absorbed devotion develop into a perfect flower. 
 Now it’s, “ I'll stay with the boy while you run over to 
 church this morning.” And always the little sister when 
 she came home from school would sit and read him 
 stories from the Bible and other books. 
 
 So the lad was dying in the early morning hours and 
 his mother was beside him. “ Angel-face,”’ he whispered 
 —that was his name for that careworn countenance— 
 “go and sleep. I’m dying. ‘Tomorrow I'll rest, but 
 you'll have to work. I can die alone. God will. help 
 me.” 
 
 But his mother stayed with him till the end. 
 
 125 
 
“COSMIC PRIDE” 
 
 The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah— 
 Psalm 33: 5. 
 
 Somewhere lately I have read this phrase, ‘ cosmic 
 pride,” and it sticks in my mind. 
 
 Pride may be good or bad according to its source. 
 To be proud of yourself is a despicable emotion. But to 
 be proud of your friends’ achievements is noble. 
 
 The reason why pride usually connotes evil is because 
 it is almost exclusively associated with fatuous self- 
 esteem. And there are few more disgusting emotions 
 than that. 
 
 And yet there is such a thing as justified and worthy 
 pride, especially when it is inclusive rather than 
 exclusive. 
 
 When a man performs an heroic deed we are all 
 stirred with pride to be men to whom such deeds are 
 possible. We need more pride of that sort. 
 
 We need the emotion that makes us proud to be living 
 souls in this magnificent universe. We need news from 
 India and China and Europe and the islands of the seas 
 that will stir us to cosmic pride—just as they need like 
 news from us. 
 
 And such news does come. And I venture to say there 
 is no insuperable barrier against its coming increasingly 
 until all small and local prides are smothered in the 
 generous emotion of cosmic pride,—when all men shall 
 perceive that the earth is full of the lovingkindness of 
 Jehovah. 
 
 126 
 
~ / f 
 
 CLF 
 
 EXTINGUISHING THE SPIRIT 
 Quench not the Spirit—I Thessalonians 5: 19. 
 
 The quality that distinguishes man as a moral being 
 from all the animals is his ability to commune with God, 
 the fact that the Holy Spirit may dwell in him. 
 
 But the mere fact that man has in himself the possi- 
 bility of being the peculiar abiding place of the Spirit is 
 no guarantee that he is such. There is too much talk 
 about this issue in the abstract and too little attention 
 paid to the question of whether or no the Spirit is present 
 in any particular man. 
 
 The truth is that many of us defend the spiritual 
 greatness of mankind by pointing to certain distinguished 
 men and women, while so far as our own lives are con- 
 cerned we are consciously or unconsciously extinguishing 
 both the warmth and light of the Spirit. 
 
 For there are just as many ways of quenching the 
 Spirit as there are of spoiling a camp-fire. 
 
 Obviously you can extinguish it by neglect, by failing 
 to supply wood for burning, or by placing it wrongly for 
 the flames to take hold, or by employing the wrong kind 
 of wood—green for the beginning or dry for its 
 continuance. 
 
 And equally surely you can destroy any kind of fire 
 by fussing over it. As soon as you have it laid one way 
 change it to another before the flames have a chance. In 
 a little while the baffled flame will retire in disgust with 
 a puff of smoke. 
 
 In like manner the Spirit in a man which is fussed 
 over or neglected will go out, leaving the doleful spec- 
 tacle of a lifeless hearth. 
 
 127 
 
 mom £, 
 
A FRIENDLY CORRECTION 
 
 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him 
 unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God 
 more accurately.—Acts 18: 26. 
 
 It is the easiest thing in the world for the man whose 
 life-work calls on him for constant speaking with author- 
 ity to be utterly unconscious of certain gaps in his knowl- 
 edge. Particularly is this true of the teacher, preacher 
 or newspaper editor. Happy is such a man who has 
 friends like that lovely couple, Aquila and Priscilla. 
 
 When they found something missing in the knowledge 
 ‘of that brilliant and eloquent preacher Apollos “ they 
 expounded unto him the way of God more accurately.” 
 But, mark you, how they did it. “‘ They took him unto 
 them.” No public ridicule; no endeavour to “‘ show up ” 
 the ignorance of the young and enthusiastic preacher. 
 “They took him unto them.” 
 
 Let your imagination play on the scene. I can see 
 that devout and kindly husband and wife inviting the 
 preacher to supper and launching out into a private and 
 friendly conversation which was to make still more clear 
 to him the way of God. It is a beautiful picture and 
 one that lingers in the memory. 
 
 It reminds us how easy it is for a busy man to have 
 incomplete knowledge even of his own particular sub- 
 ject; and how dependent each man is on other people 
 for full and balanced knowledge; and finally it affords 
 a lovely instance of a delicate and kindly way of impart- 
 ing new knowledge. 
 
 How much more effective corrections are when given 
 in that manner! 
 
 128 
 
CONVICTIONS AND ENVIRONMENT 
 
 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye 
 dwelt, ye shall not do: and after the doings of the land 
 of Canaan, whither I bring you, ye shall not dow... 
 Mine ordinances shall ye do.—Leviticus 18: 3-4. 
 
 One of the most pitiful weaknesses of men is our in- 
 clination to fall in with the customs with which we find 
 ourselves surrounded. It always requires effort to op- 
 pose environment, and often it demands real courage. 
 
 It is so much easier to go with the current than to 
 fight it. Usually it is less painful to still the protest of 
 conscience (especially if we do it habitually) than it is to 
 stand alone or with two or three against established 
 custom. 
 
 Look how quickly even “nice people” let go of 
 their principles when they find themselves in strange 
 surroundings. 
 
 In truth there can be no greater trial of conviction 
 than is to be found in an environment which lends it 
 no support. 
 
 And yet to decide by inward conviction and not by 
 outward circumstance is the very thing that as religious 
 men and women we are called to do. 
 
 In this age we are constantly finding ourselves in such 
 trials. Very few communities are entirely homogeneous, 
 particularly in regard to religious observances. And 
 how few there are who under these conditions stand 
 fast by their convictions. 
 
 No wonder that strong personal religion is a rare and 
 _highly treasured thing. For its very foundation stone is 
 unwavering loyalty to God’s voice in the soul without 
 regard to environment. 
 
 129 
 
iw. * 
 
 THE SCORN OF CONSEQUENCES 
 
 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver 
 us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us 
 out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto 
 thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor wor- 
 ship the golden image which thou hast set up—Daniel 
 3:17-18. 
 
 This statement of the three men ordered to conform 
 against their consciences to Nebuchadnezzar’s decree, is 
 a perfect illustration of the attitude of faith. They 
 hoped, even expected that God would save them from 
 the fiery furnace with which they were threatened; but 
 their devotion to God was not dependent upon the ful- 
 filment of that hope. Even before the event, they had 
 considered the possibility that their hope would be 
 thwarted and had put themselves on record as refusing 
 to conform to the king’s order under any conditions. 
 
 It was a bold whole-hearted decision, made in the 
 absolute realm of the spirit without regard to the out- 
 come in worldly affairs. 
 
 We need more decisions of that sort today. It is so 
 hard to have confidence in leaders who always have their 
 ears to the ground to find out what will be the effect of 
 any course of action, before they adopt it! It is so hard 
 to trust teachers who never say anything which does not 
 receive popular applause! 
 
 In every realm of activity, we need men who will act, 
 not on the basis of what consequences for themselves may 
 be involved, but on the basis of unshakable religious 
 conviction, 
 
 130 
 
AN EVIL CONSCIENCE a A 
 
 The wicked flee when no man pursueth; 
 But the righteous are bold as a lion. 
 —Proverbs 28: 1. 
 
 An evil conscience is a terrible companion. It trans- 
 forms every shadow into a lurking peril; it multiplies 
 every sound into the footsteps of an avenger. The man 
 who has violated his conscience is continually in a panic. 
 The wicked man knows that the universe is against him, 
 and he is always on the watch lest he be undone. He 
 dare not put his trust anywhere save in himself. He 
 must be ever on the alert and often he finds himself in 
 flight before his own conscience from which he can never 
 altogether escape. 
 
 On the other hand, nothing gives boldness to a man 
 like the knowledge that he is right. The safety of the 
 good man depends, not upon escape, but upon standing 
 his ground and raising a banner for the rallying of the 
 forces of righteousness. 
 
 Before a man starts in on the desperate game of plot- 
 ting evil in a world planned by God for the organization 
 of righteousness, let him recall his boyhood experiences. 
 Let him remember the horror that dogged his steps when 
 he crept into his home in silence and darkness after an 
 evening of deliberate evil. How terrible was the moon, 
 like an awful eye of God looking in his window! And 
 the next day, how he started if some one spoke to him 
 unexpectedly! And how killing was the kindness of his 
 mother who thought he looked a trifle pale and might 
 have caught cold! 
 
 No; these are not illusions. “They are the evidences 
 that an evil conscience is the one enemy that can 
 injure man. 
 
 131 
 
CONCENTRATION AND SELF-CONTROL 
 
 Every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self- 
 control in all things. Now they do it to receive a cor- 
 ruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.—Il Corinthians 
 
 9225. 
 
 If one may judge by his references to them in his 
 letters, the Apostle Paul was a great admirer of the ath- 
 letes who took part in the running, boxing and wrestling 
 contests of his day. 
 
 What accounts for the tremendous interest of this 
 spiritually-minded man in these pagan athletes? 
 
 Is it not to be found in their single-hearted concen- 
 tration on their objectives and the self-control which 
 they exercised in seeking to attain them? 
 
 Paul saw the supreme importance of these qualities 
 and only regretted that while men showed such noble 
 zeal to win a corruptible crown, they were unwilling to 
 exercise themselves similarly for the incorruptible crown 
 of life. 
 
 There is an element of great pathos in his words. He 
 utters generous tribute to that fine body of young men 
 who, with attention riveted on the wreath which was the 
 victor’s award, went through ten months of hard train- 
 ing (according to regulations) and, even further, ‘“ exer- 
 cised self-control in all things.” But he cannot overlook 
 the incompleteness of these physical and mental speci- 
 mens, nor forget the dissipated nature of Corinthian life. 
 
 Concentration on the goal and self-mastery as the 
 means of getting there are vital to spiritual achievement. 
 
 Is it not evident that much of our spiritual futility is 
 due to our distracted attention and consequent unwil- 
 lingness to exercise self-control ? 
 
 132 
 
THE FOLLY OF CONCEIT 
 Great swelling words of vanity.—II Peter 2: 18. 
 
 Vanity (which in its derivation means emptiness and 
 unreality) is one of the most corrosive elements that ever 
 get into the metal of life. 
 
 It takes perfectly good specimens of men and women 
 and turns them into hollow shams. It makes us trifle 
 with seeming rather than deal with reality. It makes 
 life a welter of confusion, and consumes more energy 
 than is required to do many noble deeds. 
 
 The famous William Carey, in one of the stories he 
 translated out of the Indian dialects, offers us an amus- 
 ing commentary on vanity. 
 
 He tells of a frog who while crossing a road was ter- 
 rified by the approach of an elephant. “Trembling, he 
 hid till the great animal passed by, and then, hearing 
 some one say on looking at the tracks: “‘ How huge 
 an elephant must have gone this way,” he hopped out 
 and said: “We quadrupeds are wont to leave such 
 footprints.” 
 
 How true to life that is! 
 
 Vanity always consists in claiming for ourselves some- 
 thing we haven’t got. 
 
 How ridiculous is the uncovering of conceit! 
 
 And how exquisite is the discovery of true worth and 
 its unadvertised enjoyment! 
 
 133 
 
IMMORTALITY 
 
 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the 
 
 life-—John 11:25. 
 
 One reason for our confusion in thinking about im- 
 _ mortality is due to two fundamental errors in approach- 
 ing the subject. 
 
 In the first place we think of it as indefinite extension 
 in time. And naturally the mind staggers aghast from 
 the awful contemplation of years without number like 
 the grains of sand on the beach. ‘There is nothing spiri- 
 tual about that crassly material conception. 
 
 It is not mere quantity of life measured in terms of 
 extent that the soul needs. It is rather a quality of life. 
 
 Again we think of immortality as permanence of con- 
 dition, and we develop astonishingly grotesque ideas of 
 a future life. From these conceptions most thoughtful 
 souls revolt: 
 
 “‘ She desires no isles of the blest, no quiet seats of 
 the just, 
 
 To rest in a golden grave, or to bask in a sum- 
 mer sky; 
 
 Give her the wages of going on, and not to die.” 
 
 What we need is that which is at the heart of Jesus’ 
 teaching and personal witness: the indestructibility of 
 the soul for the sake of its own perfection and growth, 
 and for the infinite value of its relationships with other 
 spiritual beings like ourselves, and especially with God. 
 
 Concerning this vital knowledge we can learn nothing 
 by the silly game of spiritual peeping and prying. We 
 must turn simply to Him who is the way, the truth, and 
 the life. 
 
 134 
 
CONCEALING DIFFICULTIES 
 
 When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad 
 countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may 
 be seen of men to fast-—Matthew 6: 16. 
 
 Most people like to have their activities noticed by 
 other people. Nor can I find anything wrong in that 
 liking. ‘The orator desires his words to be heard; the 
 painter wishes to have his pictures regarded; the host 
 delights in the happiness of his guests. “The man who 
 doesn’t care whether his doings are appreciated is a 
 queer, unsocial fellow, to say the least. 
 
 But there is an attitude abroad which is the very re- 
 verse of this wholesome and natural concern in other 
 people’s interest in our work. I mean the sentimental 
 attitude of drawing the world’s attention to all the diff- 
 culties through which we have had to pass in achieving 
 our results. 
 
 There is no call to advertise our fastings and tribula- 
 tions. Let the finished product speak for itself. Why 
 all this laborious explaining of processes, this empha- 
 sizing of difficulties? What has become of the true 
 artistic instinct of concealing the pains and letting the 
 glory of the achievement be its own witness? 
 
 Does any full-grown human being need to be told that 
 every worthy accomplishment requires sacrifice and fast- 
 ing? Can we not rid ourselves of reducing life to a 
 publicity problem? 
 
 Where is the man of whom it can be said: 
 
 *‘ His action won such reverence sweet, 
 As hid all measure of the feat ” ? 
 
 135 
 
SOCIAL JUSTICE 
 I. CHARITY 
 
 Your abundance being a supply at this present time 
 for their want.—II Corinthians 8: 14. 
 
 There can be no question but that charity is an im- 
 portant virtue in a world where some men have more 
 than enough and others are in want. No one can have 
 much experience of the world without perceiving both 
 the need for charity and the moral obligations to prac- 
 tise it. 
 
 In our days charity is highly organized and some of 
 the ablest people are engaged in the difficult task of 
 administering it. 
 
 And there are very few people who are not in some 
 degree concerned in the giving of charity. But right 
 there is one of the great difficulties. Comparatively few 
 people give with any distinct purpose in view. For 
 many people charity consists in giving away some small 
 portion of surplus after they have spent all they wish on 
 themselves. By some charity is only practised for the 
 selfish purpose of satisfying their own benevolent feelings. 
 
 One hears it said that ten per cent of one’s income 
 should be given away. Our income tax law provides for 
 exemption from taxation of fifteen per cent given to 
 charitable purposes. But these are only endeavours to 
 regularize from the side of giving and not on the basis 
 of need. 
 
 Christian charity must steer a careful course between 
 pauperization of its recipients and mere selfish gratifica- 
 tion of its donors. It must be based on willingness to 
 make sacrifices and a sympathetic respect for all men. 
 
 136 
 
SOCIAL JUSTICE 
 II. STEWARDSHIP 
 
 Who then is the faithful and wise steward?—Luke 
 12: 42. 
 
 ‘The injunction to give a portion of our possessions for 
 the benefit of those who are in need is far from being the 
 last word that religion speaks on social justice. We are 
 called to a higher obligation than charity. 
 
 There are, of course, those who claim that when 
 religion teaches the secondary virtue of charity it has 
 nothing further to say about a man’s possessions. But 
 any man who thinks seriously on the issue knows that our 
 responsibility does not end with what we give away. 
 The question of how we spend what we keep for our- 
 selves must also be faced. 
 
 And here the magnificent obligation of stewardship 
 arises in the mind of every thoughtful man. It will not 
 do to divide our possessions into two heaps—even if those 
 heaps be equal in size—and say: This is for God; and 
 this is for myself. Both heaps belong to God, and both 
 must be administered for Him. In the expenditure of 
 both must run the same purpose of service to Him. 
 
 No doubt this is a far harder thing than the mere 
 giving of a certain per cent of our possessions to worthy 
 causes. But there can be no question but that it is the 
 only condition on which genuine moral integrity is pos- 
 sible for a thinking man. 
 
 Let each man ask himself: Do all my expenditures, 
 personal and charitable, represent the administration of 
 a trust fund given into my hands by God? 
 
 137 
 
SOCIAL JUSTICE 
 Ill. MAKING MONEY 
 
 To do righteousness and justice 
 Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice. 
 —Proverbs 21: 3. 
 
 Behind the issues of charity and stewardship there is 
 still a further question for the religious man to face. 
 For charity and stewardship deal only with the adminis- 
 tration of possessions already in hand. And behind the 
 obligation of faithful expenditure and generous giving is 
 the question: How do we earn or obtain our possessions ? 
 
 If a man is making money in ways that involve social 
 injustice can he in any way be called religious if he 
 administers it well? 
 
 This is not the secondary issue of “‘ tainted money.” 
 It is the profound issue of religion’s concern with social 
 justice. 
 
 If we are to be religious in a sense that has any real 
 significance we must be as much concerned over the man- 
 ner in which we obtain money as over the way in which 
 we expend it. Let any man who is in doubt on this issue 
 re-read his Bible, especially the prophets, the Gospels and 
 the Epistle of James. 
 
 It is so much easier to be “‘ generous’ after we become 
 rich than to let the chance to make money go by because 
 it may involve social injustice. And yet the logic of the 
 facts forces us back step by step to face this great 
 obligation. 
 
 And until we go the full length and deal not only with 
 the giving and spending of money but with the earning 
 of it religion is only scratching the surface of our lives. 
 
 138 
 
A HEART OF COMPASSION 
 
 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a 
 heart of compassion.—Colossians 3: 12. 
 
 There is a beauty in words, as real as the beauty of 
 things. It does not come to us through sight, but 
 through the inward vision of their meaning and the finer 
 sense of their associations. 
 
 Compassion means something more than pity, and 
 therefore it is more beautiful. It means not merely 
 being sorry for people in trouble, but being sorry with 
 them. It implies a sharing the grief and distress of 
 others. 
 
 It is said of Christ that when the leper came to him 
 for healing, ‘‘ being moved with compassion, he stretched 
 forth his hand and touched him,” and he was cleansed. 
 Again, when the crowd of people has followed Him into 
 the wilderness, weary and hungry, Jesus says, “I have 
 compassion on the multitude.” Again, He was “‘ moved 
 with compassion ”’ when the two blind men cried to Him, 
 ** Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” Again, when He 
 met the widow of Nain mourning for the death of her 
 only son, Jesus “ had compassion on her ” and said unto 
 her ‘“‘ Weep not.” Again, as He went about the cities 
 and villages healing the sick and the afflicted, ‘‘ when he 
 saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for 
 them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep 
 not having a shepherd.” 
 
 It is a heavenly quality. God Himself is full of com- 
 passion. No one else in the world is more sorry with us 
 in our sickness and suffering than He is. It was to show 
 us this that Christ came. 
 
 To have a heart of compassion is to grow into the 
 divine likeness. 
 
 139 
 
THE UNCHANGEABLE CHRIST 
 
 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and 
 forever.—Hebrews 13: 8. 
 
 Variety, the old proverb says, is the spice of life. 
 
 It is a good proverb but it avails only in the realm of 
 secondary things, for nobody expects to live on spices. 
 
 The more deeply we reflect on life the more insistent 
 becomes the need for something unchangeable. All of 
 us dwell continually amid the natural changes of the 
 inner man. Most of us pass through many changes in 
 outward condition during our lifetime. And even when 
 those changes are few they do not reveal the stability for 
 which our heart really seeks. 
 
 What we need with an agony of longing that cannot 
 be uttered is the confidence that behind the outward phe- 
 nomena of life there is a spiritual reality which is for- 
 ever the same. Philosophy may increase its power to 
 enfold the universe in its understanding. Science may 
 advance victoriously into as yet unknown realms. But 
 goodness will be forever the same. 
 
 How do we dare hold such a faith which alone gives 
 unity to our life and binds in a beloved brotherhood the 
 honest men of every age? 
 
 Is it not by looking unto Jesus Christ who is the same 
 yesterday, today and forever? No matter from what 
 racial background or through what philosophy He has 
 been viewed He remains always the same. 
 
 Amid the ebb and flow of thought and knowledge, the 
 flux and uncertainty of life, He is the one sure resting 
 place of the soul in its instinct for permanency. 
 
 140 
 
THE SECOND LOOK 
 
 Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 
 . . « they left all, and followed him.—Luke 5: 8, 11. 
 
 There is always a crisis when a mature human being 
 first comprehendingly meets Christ as a living person- 
 ality. “he contrast between a man and the divine Son 
 of God is overwhelming. Power and holiness stand out 
 against feebleness and sinfulness. We are filled with 
 awe and shamed with the knowledge of personal un- 
 worthiness. “The memory of our sins rebukes us. Our 
 thwarted and neglected and denied aspirations are re- 
 called. We are smothered in anger and grief. And our 
 first inclination is to be rid somehow of this disquieting 
 Presence. In natural human agony, we cry, “ Depart 
 from us for we are sinful men, O Lord.” All the depths 
 of our souls are shaken and our first-prayer is to be rid 
 of the horror it brings. 
 
 But there is a world of difference between the first 
 and second looking at Christ. ‘The first repels by the 
 grandeur and holiness it reveals. “The second draws by 
 persuasion and attraction. It is the same Christ—but 
 more fully comprehended in His purpose of salvation. 
 
 The trouble with many of us is that we stop at the 
 first view and miss His comforting “ Fear not” and 
 overlook His challenging commission. In our secret 
 hearts we are afraid because we have not looked again 
 
 and left all and followed Him. 
 
 141 
 
CHILDLIKENESS 
 
 Except ye turn, and became as little children, ye shall 
 in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven—Matthew 
 
 18: 3. 
 
 Doubtless most children look forward with pleasur- 
 able anticipations to growing up, and some even long to 
 be like what they suppose you and I are. But equally 
 certainly do we look back with yearning to what children 
 are. Now if the business of being an adult were an in- 
 evitable progress from innocent simplicity to sophisti- 
 cated self-consciousness, life would indeed be a process of 
 disillusionment. And indeed it is true, as all poetic souls 
 have realized, that growing up into a recogition of limi- 
 tations is an inevitable experience. ‘Therein lies its real 
 pathos. 
 
 But you will observe, if you meditate quietly on Jesus’ 
 words, that He does not call on us to perform the im- 
 possible and wicked feat of remaining children. He does 
 not bid us check growth, physically or mentally. He 
 nowhere presents the kingdom as the possession of child- 
 ish folk. He invites us, when we have gone through the 
 deep waters of growing up to “ turn and become as little 
 children ” in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 That, by God’s grace, is not only a possibility but a 
 necessity for the human soul. It means turning from 
 worldly wisdom to the heavenly wisdom of faith on 
 which all real knowledge is founded. It means finding 
 in the experience of forgiveness the adult counterpart of 
 childhood’s innocence. It means looking at all people 
 and the world itself through the fresh eyes of a new 
 spiritual birth. 
 
 142 
 
SEASONED SPEECH 
 
 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with 
 salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each 
 one.—Colossians 4: 6. 
 
 
 
 This counsel was directed in the first place to the 
 manner of answering critics of Christianity. But like 
 all valuable counsel it has a much wider application than 
 the particular circumstances that drew it forth. 
 
 Look at it as it bears on all speech—especially conver- 
 sation. It proposes two ingredients for what a man shall 
 say—grace and salt, courtesy and piquancy. Speech 
 ought to be kind and considerate but not flat and plati- 
 tudinous; it should be salty, but leave no distasteful sting. 
 
 Graciously stimulating conversation is one of the most 
 valuable and agreeable things in the world. Alas, in 
 these bob-tailed, hustling days, it is a lost art save among 
 a few intimate friends. People are much inclined to say 
 their say dogmatically and then go on to the next listener. . 
 We need to remember that the object of speech is not 
 the mere speaking of our minds or even of the truth. 
 Much depends on the manner of our speech. Grace and 
 salt are necessary unless even the truth is to create ene- 
 mies rather than win friends. 
 
 Let a man not only consider what he is to say, but let 
 him be alert to say it with pungency and kindness that it 
 may have its best effect. 
 
 143 
 
UNFOUNDED CERTAINTY 
 
 They laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was 
 dead.—Luke 8: 53. 
 
 You know the kind of man who is always coming 
 around and “ facing you with the facts”? The world 
 to him is a closed system of law to which he holds the 
 key. Is this or that possible? Ask him—and he'll show 
 you the facts. 
 
 If you press him hard as to where he got his facts, he 
 will probably decline to explain,—but he will assert his 
 facts more vehemently than ever. 
 
 He poohs-poohs all talk of things which cannot be 
 perceived by the senses. He calls himself a practical 
 man. No illusions for him! 
 
 But what are these facts which he so strenuously pro- 
 claims? With all our vaunted knowledge what an in- 
 finitesimal fragment of this universe has been examined 
 by the mind of man! And how short is the period 
 during which we have watched the working of what we 
 are pleased to denominate universal laws! 
 
 In the midst of aeons of time and infinite space it is 
 fitting that we should occupy ourselves with humble in- 
 quiry rather than spurious certainty. 
 
 The men who laughed Jesus to scorn in the presence of 
 what to them were irrefutable facts revealed rather the 
 inadequacy of their knowledge than the correctness of 
 their facts. 
 
 Don’t you wonder how they felt later when they met 
 the little girl playing in the village streets? Probably 
 they were still unconvinced and unrepentant, for the 
 human mind is terribly tenacious of its own prejudices. 
 
 144 
 
CEREMONIES VERSUS MORALITY 
 
 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight 
 in your solemn assemblies. . . . But let justice roll down 
 as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.—Amos 
 527,244 
 
 Ceremonies are an important part of public religion. 
 Informal ceremonies may be just as much of a ritual as 
 formal ones. Even the careful avoidance of all ceremony 
 is really as much of a ceremony as the most elaborate 
 service. It is not the way in which we worship God that 
 matters; but whether or not we worship Him at all. 
 
 What Amos is denouncing is not formal worship, but 
 ceremonies divorced from morality. “Chat men of in- 
 iquitous life should perform the ceremonies of religion 
 without qualms as to their conduct, can only be intoler- 
 able to God. For religion, in any vital sense, begins not 
 with occasional observances, but with an effect on the 
 whole life. Apart from that effect, ceremonies are 
 nothing but hypocrisy. 
 
 There is always a day of disaster for nations or indi- 
 viduals who keep up the forms of religion but neglect 
 its moral content. 
 
 Despite popular belief to the contrary, it must be 
 better to neglect the ceremonies of religion than its living 
 embodiment in daily conduct. 
 
 Where pure religion is found, ceremony and morality 
 are interfused in the earthly integrity of soul and body. 
 
 145 
 
CENSORSHIP AND CHARACTER 
 
 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able 
 to stand against the wiles of the devil——Ephesians 6: 11. 
 
 Shall social reforms be established by censorship or by 
 the inner protection of character? For the most part 
 men are partisans and argue the absolute necessity of the 
 particular side which they have chosen without regard to 
 the other. Good men are to be found on both sides, as 
 usual. And, also as usual, the best men are to be found 
 recognizing justice in both positions and trying to work 
 a plan of procedure that will in the first place accomplish 
 the desired effect. 
 
 There can be no question but that society rightly 
 demands that temptation be not unnecessarily flaunted 
 in the public face—especially in the face of children 
 and inexperienced people. ‘That requires a degree of 
 censorship. 
 
 On the other hand, all men who know something of 
 human nature, particularly as found in themselves, know 
 that the only final defense against temptation is the inner 
 refusal of a man’s soul, prompted and given strength by 
 God. ‘The chief help that censorship can lend to this 
 defense is in warding off temptation until the soul is 
 mature and strong enough to stand by itself. ‘That form 
 of censorship must be primarily the censorship of parents 
 and teachers supported by such laws as they may 
 honestly require. 
 
 Innocence cannot be legislated. In grown men and 
 women it can only be the result of a deliberate choice of 
 whatsoever things are true, honourable, just, pure, 
 lovely, and of good report. 
 
 146 
 
WHO’S TO BLAME? 
 
 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall 
 stand before kings.—Proverbs 22: 29. 
 
 I once spent a winter week in an inn in an old New 
 England farming district. One afternoon, with several 
 others, I stood by the stove in the country store. As a 
 visitor I listened carefully to the conversation, only 
 saying enough to indicate that I was listening as a 
 friend. “There were many deserted farms in the neigh- 
 bourhood (I was told), and “ big business ” was destroy- 
 ing the chances of the simple and honest farmers. “There 
 was much grumbling and complaining, but no plan of 
 action was proposed. 
 
 On several days after that I walked around the coun- 
 tryside, and this is what I saw: Mosquito netting flap- 
 ping in the wintry blasts at the door of almost every 
 house—evidently left to be tattered after its summer 
 service; an automobile equipped with a full set of good 
 tires with only a few minor accessories missing, left to 
 fall to pieces beside the road directly across from an 
 occupied farmhouse; an almost new farm-tractor and 
 dumping wagon standing in a lurched attitude and 
 blanketed with the first snow in a field about a hundred 
 yards from an open barn-door; a hammock swaying 
 wildly between two leafless maple-trees in front of a 
 roadside farm, lashed by a stiff breeze and a temperature 
 of two degrees above zero. 
 
 I suppose men will always complain of the oppressions 
 they suffer; and God knows, often enough their com- 
 plaints are just. But when you find things like these 
 you sometimes wonder whether the oppressor is some 
 mysterious outsider or just native incompetence, 
 
 147 
 
BEFUDDLED ORDERS 
 
 If the trumpet give an uncertain voice, whe shall pre- 
 pare himself for war?—I Corinthians 14: 8. 
 
 I was shown a letter the other day which stated that 
 some society voted to appoint ‘‘a temporary, provisional, 
 preliminary regional committee composed of approxi- 
 mately forty persons, approximately one-half of whom 
 shall be women,” etc., etc. 
 
 It doesn’t matter what it was all about, the fact re- 
 mains that you can’t get around the tentative nature of 
 the proposal. Apparently this meeting had “ wanted to 
 do something,” and being either unable to decide what 
 to do, or unwilling to commit itself very far, had taken 
 this. inane method of “ voting something” that meant 
 nothing. 
 
 It is typical of much present-day procedure. We all 
 want what we call progress, or results; but most of us 
 are scared to commit ourselves to anything. We hedge 
 action around with such a mass of verbiage that there’s 
 certain to be some loophole for escape if we decide to 
 turn tail later. 
 
 In trying to reconcile open diplomacy and pure democ- 
 racy with the getting of results, many little groups of 
 serious planners seem to be floundering in a maze of 
 words and phrases that may mean anything anybody 
 chooses, when the hour strikes. 
 
 Who wants to serve on a “temporary, provisional, 
 preliminary committee”? If we can’t get any further 
 than that, why delude ourselves into thinking we have 
 done anything except reveal our own befuddlement? 
 
 148 
 
SPEAKING WITH AUTHORITY 
 
 And they were astonished at his teaching; for he 
 taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes. 
 —Mark 1: 22. 
 
 This seems a very strange statement. Considered 
 closely, it is just the reverse of what we might have 
 expected. For the scribes were “the authorities,” the 
 regular professors of theology and ethics, the established 
 interpreters of Scripture and the censors of public moral- 
 ity. Whereas Jesus was just a plain man of the people, 
 who came from a carpenter’s shop, and had no title or 
 rank or wealth in the world. 
 
 Yet His voice came into the religious controversy and 
 fog of the time like a clear wind from heaven, His teach- 
 ing amid the darkness of the doctors was a Divine word 
 creating light. Men were not confused when they heard 
 Him. ‘They were either convicted and became His foes, 
 or converted and became His followers. “The quiet 
 power of His speech was a living force among the souls 
 of men. 
 
 Whence came this authority? Undoubtedly from 
 God, whose beloved Son and personal Messenger He 
 was. But on the human side we find three things in the 
 teaching of Jesus which are sources of power. 
 
 First, knowledge; direct, real experience of God. 
 Second, sincerity; the straight and simple utterance of a 
 heart loyal to the truth. Third, love; “I will give 
 you rest.” | 
 
 We need more of these three things if we desire, as 
 followers of Christ, to speak with authority. 
 
 149 
 
AT HOME IN THE WORLD 
 
 Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not.— 
 Genesis 28: 16. 
 
 Many people suffer greatly because they are unable to 
 find themselves at home in the world. ‘They rush rest- 
 lessly from one thing to another, always dissatisfied, 
 rarely at peace. 
 
 It is true that we are but sojourners in this world. 
 None of us can ever be permanently satisfied here unless 
 we disobey Paul’s clear injunction: ‘‘ Quench not the 
 spirit.” 
 
 ‘There must ever be a conflict within man. As I heard 
 it skilfully described the other day: “‘ Man is a migratory 
 creature with an instinct for permanence.” 
 
 And yet the homing-instinct can be satisfied here and 
 now if we seek its fulfilment not in outward circum- 
 stances but in inward reality. After all, this is God’s 
 world, and as living souls in it we have a course to run 
 and relationships to fulfil. 
 
 It is not so much the impermanence of outward things 
 that gives us the feeling of being adrift and lost in the 
 failure to realize the presence of God with us. 
 
 When once we grasp the truth that it is the things 
 which are not seen which are eternal then we can pitch 
 our tents each night with good cheer and enjoy even the 
 passing pleasures of the moment. 
 
 For we shall be at home in the world knowing the 
 one thing vitally necessary to the peace of man: God is 
 with us. 
 
 150 
 
YET NOT 
 
 We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; per- 
 plexed, yet not unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; 
 smitten down, yet not destroyed.—II Corinthians 4: 8, 9. 
 
 Evidently Paul was not a Pollyanna optimist. He did 
 not imagine that the world is altogether good, and life 
 wholly pleasant, and sickness only a mental error, and 
 sorrow only a phantom. He faced the hard facts of 
 existence; he felt “‘ the slings and arrows of outrageous 
 fortune;” he was often troubled, and sometimes dis- 
 tressed. But he never surrendered to sorrow. He re- 
 fused to cross the boundary line from grief into despair. 
 In the darkest, stormiest waters he held fast to the life- 
 line of hope. 
 
 He tells us that the way in which he succeeded in 
 doing this was by remembering vividly the sufferings and 
 death of Jesus, and trusting absolutely in the life of 
 Jesus to be made manifest in our body. 
 
 This line of sharp distinction between suffering and 
 surrender, which is drawn in the text by the words 
 ‘yet not,” is a good line for us to follow, in sickness 
 and health, in poverty and wealth, in prosperity and 
 adversity. 
 
 Resignation is a Christian virtue. Desperation is an 
 infidel vice. 
 
 151 
 
ANOTHER CHANCE 
 
 The word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second 
 time.—Jonah 3:1. 
 
 One of the most impressive things about God’s dealing 
 with men is His insistent following up of His invita- 
 tions. He does not become discouraged at hesitations or 
 even flat refusals; He does not say: You’ve had your 
 chance and that’s all you'll get. He is always in need 
 of prophets and workmen and He is continually con- 
 cerned over the fate of each man. 
 
 The first chance is seldom enough for any of us. 
 There are so many things working against our appreci- 
 ation or acceptance of God’s call. Fortunately for us, 
 He is longsuffering and persistent. And the wisdom of 
 that patience is frequently marked by the yielding of the 
 rebellious and the conviction of the hesitant. 
 
 Moses hesitated a long time before he took up the 
 call to lead the Exodus. Saul resisted stubbornly until 
 the vision and voice on the Damascus road broke down 
 his obstinacy. 
 
 The truth is that God’s purpose for individuals and 
 for the world is not judgment but salvation. And again 
 and again it has happened that the second call has ac- 
 complished what the first has failed to do. 
 
 Would not you and I be far better servants of God if 
 we learned from this method to be more generously per- 
 sistent and resourceful in our dealings with one another? 
 
AMUSEMENTS AND THEIR PURPOSE 
 
 My glory is fresh in me, 
 And my bow is renewed in my hand, 
 —Job 29:20. 
 
 The story is told of the Apostle John that one day a 
 hunter found him seated on the ground and playing with 
 a tame quail. The hunter expressed astonishment that 
 sO earnest and serious a man should be spending his time 
 so idly. John looked up and asked: “‘ Why is the bow 
 on thy shoulder unstrung? ” 
 
 “ Because if kept always taut it would lose its spring,” 
 replied the hunter. 
 
 “ For the same reason,” said the Apostle, “ I play with 
 this little bird.” 
 
 It is no sign of weakness, but a mark of decent regard 
 for human nature to recognize the need of relaxation. 
 Especially in the midst of a complex civilization where 
 particular strain is put on the conscious effort to adapt 
 oneself to environment it is important to unstring the 
 bow. 
 
 But it is vital to remember that this unstringing is for 
 the purpose of conserving the bow’s strength. If your 
 relaxation takes the spring out of your bow, it is worse 
 than useless. 
 
 How much better it would be if we took our amuse- 
 ments less as a means of passing the time and more as a 
 genuine (even if unconscious) restorative. 
 
 Perhaps then more of us would adopt the simple way 
 of playing with some living creature instead of squander- 
 ing money on expensive ‘‘ amusements ”’—from which 
 we must recover afterwards. 
 
 153 
 
EDUCATION THROUGH AFFLICTION 
 
 For it became him, for whom are all things, and 
 through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto 
 glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect 
 through sufferings—Hebrews 2: 10. 
 
 The endeavour to avoid pain is a curious element in 
 the futility of uninspired human nature. I do not mean 
 that the conscious seeking after suffering is a noble pur- 
 pose. ‘The desire for martyrdom is often nothing more 
 than the dull man’s way of securing attention. But I 
 mean that the principle on which many of us uncon- 
 sciously conduct our lives is that of avoiding pain and 
 cultivating pleasure. We forget that the ultimate fac- 
 tors in the spiritual universe are not pain and pleasure, 
 but right and wrong; that deliberate following of the 
 right not only often leads through suffering, but that 
 this suffering has a real part to play in the education 
 of the soul. 
 
 Not only is it true that the discoveries and inventions 
 which mark the progress of man have been made at the 
 cost of great suffering, but the heights of spiritual 
 achievement have been invariably attained by those alone 
 who know what anguish of soul is. 
 
 How terrible would be the loss to mankind if there 
 were taken away from us the deeds accomplished through 
 pain! And how poverty-stricken is human nature itself 
 apart from the discipline of suffering. 
 
 Did the glory of Christ ever reach a higher point than 
 when He was lifted up on the cross? 
 
 Can you and I ever be His true disciples unless we 
 accept education through affliction? 
 
 154 
 
ADVISING OTHER PEOPLE 
 The thing that thou doest is not good.—Exodus 18: 17. 
 
 Moses was lucky to have such a father-in-law as 
 Jethro who counselled him so frankly and considerately. 
 In fact this whole chapter of Exodus is a model of how 
 to give advice to other people. Restrained, dignified, 
 sympathetic—a true corrective and no mere pointing out 
 of error. 
 
 The world needs more “ in-laws” like that. And es- 
 pecially do we need to learn how to give advice to other 
 people. Most of our criticism is so personal, so satis- 
 factory to our own pride and so useless to help the person 
 criticised. 
 
 Surely there must be some way to suppress that na- 
 tural sin of tumultuous jubilation at the errors of others 
 so that we can speak a helpful warning instead of an 
 intolerable denunciation. 
 
 How sagely Jethro spoke! He referred to the great 
 burden that Moses was wrongfully assuming, and he 
 acutely pointed out that it would not only wear Moses 
 away (which to enthusiastic Moses might seem unim- 
 portant), but would also wear out the people. He 
 reached Moses through his beloved people. And then 
 he pointed out that the great purpose of the Exodus was 
 that “ all the people shall go to their place in peace,” and 
 that to accomplish this, organization and the adjustment 
 of responsibilities was needed. 
 
 The next time you have criticism to offer study 
 Jethro’s procedure, 
 
 155 
 
ADVENTURES IN FAMILIAR THINGS 
 
 Because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have 
 thou authority over ten cities—Luke 19: 17. 
 
 The proverb has it that “ familiarity breeds con- 
 tempt ;’” but that refers to the familiarity which has lost 
 all sense of values. There is another kind of familiarity 
 which produces love and respect. 
 
 In truth, novelty is no more desirable in itself than 
 familiarity. And adventure in its essence depends less 
 on strangeness of events than freshness of spirit. ‘The 
 number of experiences that in themselves can be called 
 new for any man are very limited. But the number of 
 times a man may be renewed in approaching the same 
 experience seems to be without limit. Daily bread and 
 sleep never lose their appeal. 
 
 How your heart leaps when you meet your friend! 
 Will any mere stranger usurp his place? The more you 
 see him, the better it is. Each time there is some new 
 beauty or grace to discover. 
 
 Look at Nature. What is more commonplace than 
 the burgeoning of life? But it will require a scientist 
 and a poet to describe it. And they will remind you how 
 much there is still to be discovered about the very grass 
 at your doorstep, not to mention the stars shining nightly 
 over your head. 
 
 Is your home a poor thing because it is familiar? 
 Why, its very grace is in its familiarity. You can walk 
 through it in the dark and put your hand on this and 
 this and this. Can there be anything more familiar or 
 more full of adventure than a home—the tenting place 
 of immortal souls on the journey of life? 
 
 156 
 
ADAPTABILITY 
 
 I am become all things to all men, that I may by all 
 means save some.—I Corinthians 9: 22. 
 
 One reason why some religious people have such dif_i- 
 culty in winning others to the religious life is because of 
 their uncompromising rigidity. ‘To them there is only 
 one way of being religious—and that is their own par- 
 ticular way. They cannot see that a man may be re- 
 ligious and yet be quite different from themselves. “They 
 confuse unity of spirit with identity of form. Conse- 
 quently, instead of persuading men, they antagonize 
 them. “They become proponents of party opinions, rather 
 than missionaries of religion. 
 
 This was not the Apostle Paul’s way. With an in- 
 telligence worthy of the great missionary cause, he ad- 
 justed his approach to various sorts of men in accordance 
 with their ability to grasp his meaning. How different 
 are his epistles to the ‘Thessalonians, an assemblage of 
 rough, simple folk, and that to the Colossians, a people 
 that prided themselves on their philosophy and superior 
 knowledge. 
 
 Was this adaptability the method of an opportunist, a 
 compromiser? Examine Paul’s writings, review the 
 events of his life and see! Here was an unwavering 
 spiritual allegiance combined with a careful observance 
 of the surface differences in men in order that each man 
 might be reached with the world-embracing message of 
 Christ. 
 
 Is it not the genius of Christianity that it is the 
 adaptable presentation of eternal truth? 
 
 157 
 
& 
 
 THE FOLLY OF IMPATIENCE 
 
 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come 
 down from the mount, the people gathered themselves 
 together unto Aaron, and said, Up, make us gods, ... 
 for as for this Moses .. . we know not what is become 
 of him.—Exodus 32: 1. 
 
 It is easy enough for us to see in the light of later 
 events, the folly of this action. But at the time the 
 surface evidence appeared to justify what the people did. 
 The only virtue that would have saved them from their 
 error was lacking: i. e., patience. Having made up their 
 minds how soon Moses ought to return, they refused to 
 wait for him even though they had no remotest idea 
 what might be keeping him. Impatient, impulsive, head- 
 strong, they could not wait but plunged off into an ill- 
 considered course that was full of trouble for them all. 
 
 Action taken under the impulse of haste and impa- 
 tience is usually foolish. A superficial glance often seems 
 to justify a course which a little patience reveals as the 
 utterest folly. What reason had these people for doubt- 
 ing Moses, except their own impatience? What justifi- 
 cation was there for their plan except their headlong 
 desire to do something at once? 
 
 Impatience accounts for many wild schemes in days 
 of emergency and creates many a frightful panic. Action 
 is the result toward which thought tends, but impatient 
 action is always the result of folly. 
 
 Can you hope to hit the mark if you go off at 
 half-cock ? 
 
 158 
 
THE NATURE OF LOYALTY 
 
 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the 
 promise made of God unto our fathers—Acts 26: 6. 
 
 The Apostle Paul was too intelligent and devout a 
 man to view the world under the false simplicity of the 
 “either this or that”? formula. As a trained historian 
 he saw that the manner of picturing life as a conflict of 
 loyalties—a manner which is very popular today—indi- 
 cates an extremely superficial view of history. 
 
 Above the conflict he found the progressive fulfilment 
 of the old in the new. He had become a Christian and, 
 in the popular view, this was a new loyalty in conflict 
 with his old loyalty. But he pointed out that he stood 
 in his new position “‘ for the hope of the promise made of 
 God unto our fathers.”” He had not cut himself off from 
 the noble history of Israel. He had rather stepped into 
 the right relationship with that history for his day and 
 generation. 
 
 It is said that Henry Ward Beecher was once asked 
 whether he were a Calvinist. ‘‘ Yes,” he replied, ‘‘ be- 
 cause I believe what John Calvin would have believed 
 had he lived in my time and seen things as I see them.” 
 
 Loyalty never means the blind self-surrender of one 
 man to another. It is a high spiritual relationship which 
 calls for the fullest and freest exercise of personality. 
 
 159 
 
THE QUESTION OF SERVICE 
 
 He that is the greater among you, let him become as 
 the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.— 
 Luke 22: 26. 
 
 These are the days in which many young men and 
 women are graduating from the schools and colleges of 
 our land. ‘The contrast between the academic cloister 
 and ‘the world” is not so great as it is supposed by 
 some to be. Especially is this true for that fine and 
 growing body of young people who at least in part earn 
 the expenses of their education. Still there is no doubt 
 that graduation marks an epoch in the life of the indi- 
 vidual student. ‘The question of what to do next, if it is 
 not already decided, becomes the most practical issue in 
 the world. 
 
 You will see some foolish young people drifting pur- 
 poselessly into a career that will never satisfy them, or 
 grasping greedily at something that looks good because 
 of its financial returns. 
 
 You will hear silly old people grumbling because 
 
 Johnny or Susie show no interest in a nice little job that 
 is benevolently offered them in the hope that they will 
 settle down and get married. 
 - But you will also see the sensible people—both the 
 young ones and their older counsellors—facing together 
 the real question: Where can this young man or that 
 young woman perform the highest service in the living 
 of their lives? 
 
 Talk as you will about opportunities and salaries and 
 careers and fame,—that is the main issue. Leave it out 
 in favour of any other consideration and you are heading 
 for trouble. 
 
 Bring it up and discuss it frankly. For of what value 
 is life apart from the service it may render? 
 
 160 
 
LIVING UP TO CAPACITY 
 
 I came that they may have life, and may have it 
 abundantly.—John 10: 10. 
 
 Most of us talk a good deal about being too busy, but 
 the truth is that very few of us are busy enough. 
 
 We are too anxious, or too confused, or too much in 
 a hurry—but rarely too busy. 
 
 We have not learned how to live up to our capacities— 
 either by way of work, or by way of enjoyment of life. 
 
 We spend a great deal of time running away from life, 
 trying to get a snug little place fixed up for ourselves 
 where we expect to sit down and enjoy life. But when 
 we accomplish our purpose happiness has somehow 
 eluded us. 
 
 Neither our physical nor moral muscles get sufficient 
 exercise. We look for happiness in escape from life 
 when in reality happiness is only to be found in meeting 
 the full tides of life. Our real need is not less life but 
 more life. 
 
 Surely that is the lesson which Jesus teaches us: 
 “TI came that they may have life and may have it 
 abundantly.” 
 
 What satisfaction is there for the sword that rusts 
 away? 
 
 What peace is there for the candle that remains 
 unlighted ? 
 
 Let the sword be raised in the good battle of life. 
 
 Let the candle burn bravely to the socket. 
 
 ““ How good is man’s life, the mere living! how fit 
 to employ 
 All the heart and the soul and the senses forever 
 in joy.” 
 
 161 
 
THE TREATMENT OF INSIDERS 
 Be at peace among yourselves.—l Thessalonians 5: 13. 
 
 It would seem that among people who are agreed on 
 the great purposes of life or who are bound together by 
 some large common interest, peace could be taken for 
 granted, And yet we all know that small things break 
 the peace among brethren just as well as among stran- 
 gers. In fact it often appears that it takes less to start 
 a quarrel in the former than in the latter case. 
 
 The truth is that there is no situation in which the 
 peace does not need to be kept. 
 
 One reason why we find so little peace is because we 
 act as if it were a natural condition requiring no effort 
 on our part, whereas in reality the maintenance of peace 
 requires our constant and deliberate attention. 
 
 Did you ever notice how insignificant a cause will 
 begin a quarrel among children in the same family? Or 
 how easily those who are closely associated tend to drift 
 apart even to the extent of becoming violently hostile, 
 unless something is done to prevent it? 
 
 You cannot take peace for granted even among those 
 who have every good reason for being at peace with each 
 other. There is no logic in war or hostility of any kind. 
 
 If you really want peace to continue among families or 
 churches or in any sort of relationship among men you 
 will be well advised to take time and effort to maintain 
 it. For peace is much more costly to restore than to 
 keep. Among brethren it requires special attention. 
 
 162 
 
THE TREATMENT OF OUTSIDERS 
 
 ..- Lhat ye may walk becomingly toward them that 
 are without.—I Thessalonians 4: 12. 
 
 It is necessary for men to associate themselves in con- 
 genial groups. And of course every such grouping in- 
 volves incidentally the exclusion of certain other men. 
 Trouble originates not with the natural instinct that 
 draws together like-minded persons, but with the atti- 
 tude inside the association toward those who are outside 
 it. So long as the emphasis falls on the positive attrac- 
 tion that forms the association all is well. But when 
 those inside begin to take a superior attitude toward 
 those outside,—or vice versa—then disaster is imminent. 
 
 All this is especially true of religious associations 
 where traditions or prejudices frequently transform con- 
 victions into intolerance. 
 
 As a strict matter of fact there is nothing that more 
 promptly or accurately reveals the true nature of a man’s 
 faith than his attitude toward those who do not share it. 
 
 Is he patronizingly superior; or fiercely hostile; or 
 stupidly indifferent? Be sure then that his own faith 
 lacks depth, or balance, or conviction. 
 
 But does he respect the convictions of other men while 
 holding fast his own; does he combat what he believes to 
 be false opinions, not with personal animosity, but with 
 the clear and positive statements of his own belief; does 
 he seek always to learn what any man may have to 
 teach him? 
 
 Then you may know that you have met a man of genu- 
 ine faith because he walks becomingly toward them that 
 are without. 
 
 163 
 
PREPARING FOR WARS 
 
 Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth 
 thou shalt have wars.——II Chronicles 16: 9. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest issue before men today is that of 
 putting an end to war. We have become deeply im- 
 ‘pressed with the futility of fighting as a means of settling 
 any question. 
 
 “Nothing is ever settled until it is settled right.” A 
 nation may, by force of arms, temporarily obtain its ends 
 over its neighbour; but that neighbour, if there is a real 
 conviction of injustice, will never accept defeat perma- 
 nently. The effect of righteousness alone, as Isaiah said, 
 is quietness and confidence forever. “The attempt to 
 assemble power for any ends apart from justice, merely 
 paves the way for coming disaster. 
 
 This was the error of Asa, King of Judah, when he 
 made his alliance with Ben-hadad, King of Syria, and 
 failed to rely on God. Hanani, the seer, warned him of 
 the inevitable outcome of the barren combination of 
 power. 
 
 The lesson has never been learned by the nations of 
 the world. Still we go on preparing the way for future 
 wars by our opportunist policy of ruthlessly grasping 
 temporary advantages for ourselves, or trying to settle 
 issues with other nations by the threat of superior force. 
 
 That nation alone is secure from the real perils of 
 war whose man-power is made invincible by a home and 
 foreign policy of justice and fair play for all. 
 
 164 
 
A BUSYBODY 
 
 Let none of you suffer as a meddler in other men’s 
 matters.—l Peter 4:15. 
 
 St. Peter seems to have disliked the busybody quite as 
 cordially as St. Paul did. But he uses a different Greek 
 word to describe this obnoxious person. St. Paul’s word 
 means a man or a woman who is always bustling around 
 about trifles. St. Peter’s word is stronger: it means a 
 person who sets up to be a bishop over other people’s 
 affairs. “The significance is the same in both cases. 
 
 The busybody is a he or a she who attempts to control 
 or regulate the private concerns of others. He (for 
 politeness’ sake let us say he) concentrates his attention 
 on the conduct of his neighbours, tells them what they 
 should eat and drink and wear, instructs them how to 
 carry on their business and train their children, and gen- 
 erally oversees their life for them. If they fail to follow 
 his unsolicited advice, he promptly judges and condemns 
 them, and usually circulates evil reports about them. He 
 claims that it is a matter of conscience with him. Not 
 at all,—it is a matter of vanity, malice, and mental 
 erysipelas. 
 
 Naturally, he often gets himself into trouble. That is 
 why St. Peter warned the Christians, ‘‘ Let none of you 
 suffer as a busybody.” 
 
 165 
 
RESPONSIBILITY FOR OTHERS 
 
 His sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he 
 restrained them not.—I Samuel 3: 13. 
 
 Despite the tendency of our day to be unduly con- 
 cerned about other people’s conduct of their affairs, it is 
 necessary that we realize the impossibility of being totally 
 irresponsible toward other people. We cannot by any 
 chance wash our hands of concern for others without 
 permanently crippling our own spiritual nature. 
 
 “No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to 
 himself.” 
 
 As a matter of legal obligation of course you are not 
 required to be concerned about the personal welfare of 
 your fellow-townsman, but if you are a good citizen you 
 will be so. 
 
 Now, one of the most displeasing and disastrous kinds 
 of irresponsibility appears (as it did in the case of Eli 
 and his sons) in a certain type of family life. 
 
 Some parents think their responsibility ends when they 
 clothe and feed their children and hand them over to 
 church and school for education. 
 
 I once had the appalling experience of being roundly 
 scolded by a lady of that sort for the bad actions of her 
 boy to whom she both showed maternal neglect and 
 offered a corrupt example of private conduct. 
 
 You cannot afford to make even the mistake of neglect. 
 If social or business affairs interfere you’d better readapt 
 them now than regret them later. 
 
 No institution will ever be devised to take the 
 place of private concern for others—especially parental 
 concern. 
 
 166 
 
RESPECTABILITY OR SALVATION 
 
 I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to 
 repentance.—Luke 5: 32. 
 
 Jesus quickly won the nickname of “the friend of 
 publicans and sinners.” It was a maliciously given title, 
 for it was intended to insinuate that His purpose in 
 associating with people of bad reputation was evil. But 
 no one dared bring the charge directly. It would have 
 fallen flat. So an endeavour was made to injure by 
 innuendo where no charges could be brought. 
 
 Nowadays we acknowledge freely the glory of that 
 nickname given in derision. Like many another name 
 hostilely applied, it has been transformed into an hon- 
 ourable title. 
 
 But do we follow the example Jesus set in acquiring 
 the name? 
 
 Perhaps the most serious single charge that can be 
 brought against the Church as an institution is that it is 
 induced to put respectability ahead of passionate concern 
 for all sorts and conditions of men. When every allow- 
 ance is made for our natural limitations of adaptability, 
 does it not still remain true that at least in action our 
 churches are more concerned with respectability than 
 salvation? We are a little more eager to be above all 
 suspicion rather than to follow our Master in this as in 
 other respects. 
 
 Is this not the reason why many men who are earnest 
 Christians tend to avoid the Church? 
 
 If church officers and members occupied themselves 
 more with the cure of souls and less with external con- 
 formity and orderliness of conduct, we would at least 
 stand nearer our Master than we do. Is that not the 
 heart of every reform needed in the Christian Church? 
 
 167 
 
RESPECT FOR OTHERS 
 Honour all men.—I Peter 2:17. 
 
 One of the great difficulties in human relationships 
 comes from our failure to render honour to all men. We 
 are too easily inclined to coddle ourselves and our par- 
 ticular group of intimates and to neglect or despise all 
 outside of that circle. 
 
 Well, of course that is a little better than being a 
 selfish individualist,—not to mention the fact that it is 
 also a somewhat wiser worldly philosophy,—but it is 
 still contrary to the teaching of universal religion. 
 
 For the fact is that, while the personal aspects of love 
 must necessarily be reserved for the limited circle of 
 those who are our particular friends, the respect for 
 human personality, which is the basis of intelligent love, 
 cannot rightfully be denied to any man. 
 
 We greatly need, today, a renewed emphasis on this 
 truth. Our neglect of it accounts for man’s oppression 
 of man at long range without any particular feeling of 
 concern; and explains our cruelly conventional and im- 
 personal relations with those who are called servants— 
 whether ‘‘ domestic ” or ‘ public.” 
 
 In the final analysis, the significance of men does not 
 depend on their degree of personal relationship to me (or 
 anybody else), but on the fact that as living souls we 
 are all created in the image of God and owe each other 
 mutual respect, 
 
 168 
 
GOOD-HUMOURED RESOURCEFULNESS 
 
 So he reasoned in the synagogue ... and in the 
 market-place every day with them that met him.—Acts 
 
 17:17. 
 
 Paul was evidently not only a man of great vigour and 
 force but likewise a man of persuasive power and re- 
 sourcefulness. “The word “ reasoned ”’ is frequently used 
 in the book of Acts concerning his preaching. His efforts 
 to draw men to the Gospel were not founded on his 
 ability to enforce his opinion on others, but rather on his 
 success in confronting men with their own consciences. 
 He cannot be accused of trying to bluster and smash his 
 way through men’s minds. 
 
 I was playing pool one evening on a rickety old table 
 in a London mission. Failing entirely to negotiate the 
 bumps I fell to hitting the balls rather viciously. Where- 
 upon an old weatherbeaten fellow who was watching 
 whispered hoarsely to his neighbour: “‘ Wot the gen’le- 
 man lacks in skill ’e more than makes hup for in force.” 
 
 There was no indiscriminate use of force in Paul’s 
 methods. His speech always made men feel the skilfully 
 aroused pressure of their own consciences. 
 
 Nor did he complain if everybody did not come to hear 
 him preach. He simply carried the same preaching into 
 the market-place. 
 
 Doubtless he often wished the mountain would come 
 to him, but if it would not he would go to the mountain. 
 That may be Mahomet’s phrase but it was Paul’s method 
 long beforehand. 
 
 Good-humoured resourcefulness is a great aid in get- 
 ting things done. 
 
 169 
 
PASSING RESOLUTIONS 
 
 All the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. 
 And the people did according to this promise. 
 —Nehemiah 5: 13. 
 
 When Nehemiah found that his work of restoring 
 Jerusalem was being handicapped by the greediness of 
 certain astute but unprincipled inhabitants of the city, he 
 proposed the abolition of usury in order to put an end to 
 an intolerable situation. ‘The people voted in favour of 
 his proposition. And not only so, but they also put it 
 into practice. ‘Chey passed a resolution and actually put 
 it into action! 
 
 Something tells me that there is in this fact an im- 
 portant theme for our meditation today. 
 
 The passing of resolutions is a very popular form of 
 exercise. Lots of people seem to feel that when a resolu- 
 tion is passed responsibility for it is ended. 
 
 As a matter of fact when a resolution is voted and 
 printed for circulation, nothing has been accomplished 
 unless action is undertaken for putting it into practice. 
 
 Would it not be better if we adopted fewer of these 
 resounding resolutions addressed to nobody in particular 
 (and least of all to ourselves) and laid hold of a few 
 simple principles and embodied them in our lives? 
 
 Wouldn’t our Christianity be a far more honest thing 
 if we adopted this procedure? 
 
 170 
 
ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY 
 
 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his 
 youth—lLamentations 3: 27. 
 
 Irresponsibility dressed up to look like independence is 
 one of the accepted delusions of the romanticists. As a 
 matter of fact everybody knows that, except for very little 
 children, a measure of responsibility is a vital need of all 
 people. Of course we all like to talk about being utterly 
 carefree; but that is only a brief holiday mood which 
 comes as a reaction from the steady strain of responsi- 
 bility. If irresponsibility lasted any length of time we 
 should soon sicken of it. For we know perfectly well 
 that what we need most is not easier lives but greater 
 strength. 
 
 Naturally no one wants to see little children pre- 
 maturely aged by the weight of responsibility thrown on 
 young and undeveloped shoulders. “The pinched faces of 
 toiling children who ought to be studying and playing, 
 or the weary backs of “ little mothers ”’ who ought to be 
 playing with dolls instead of caring for babies are dis- 
 graces to our civilization. But it is no greater disgrace 
 than that of the young men and women who grow up 
 without a care and develop into parasites on society, a 
 shame to themselves and an intolerable nuisance to their 
 families and friends. 
 
 In every town and village you may find their hang- 
 out, whether it be a street corner, a dance hall or a 
 private house. 
 
 The discipline of responsibility is a vital part of edu- 
 cation for life. Unduly to postpone its acceptance by 
 yourself or others is a social injustice all the more perni- 
 cious because of its sentimentality. 
 
 171 
 
RESERVE POWER 
 
 David ... chose him five smooth stones out of the 
 brook.—I Samuel 17: 40. 
 
 In the fascinating story of David’s victory over Go- 
 liath everyone remembers that David chose five smooth 
 stones out of the brook, but that the very first one he 
 hurled from his sling hit the mark and gave him the vic- 
 tory. David was apparently a dead shot, but he carried 
 the four extra stones in case of an emergency. Being a 
 wise, though youthful warrior, he knew the uncertainties 
 of battle and came supplied with extra ammunition. 
 Doubtless he was confident of his mastery of the sling 
 and the righteousness of his cause, but he was not going 
 to boast about mastery even to himself, nor rely on the 
 justice of his cause to excuse ample preparation on his 
 part. 
 
 Some people are rather inclined to skimp their own 
 preparations, especially in a good cause or for a feat in 
 which they are particularly skilled. 
 
 For example, there are ministers who keep talking 
 about one idea only in the unsearchable riches of Christ 
 and will not increase their equipment nor broaden their 
 preparation. “They are not very effective because if their 
 one shot misses they are helpless. 
 
 Also there are many people who are trying to meet 
 life with an irreducible minimum of religion. ‘They are 
 taking more than a long chance, for religion is powerless 
 until it represents the fullest generosity. 
 
 172 
 
THE FOLLY OF RESENTMENT 
 A revolting and a rebellious heart.—Jeremiah 5: 23. 
 
 Some children were playing in the Park. A small boy 
 came flying down a sloping asphalt walk on his scooter, 
 the very embodiment of joy. At the foot of the hill he 
 lost control and swerved into the curb, pitching headlong 
 on the grass at the side. He arose unhurt but with the 
 terrible marks of anger on his face, went back to the 
 curb and deliberately kicked it with all his might. Of 
 course, then he hurt himself and howled with pain and 
 resentment. 
 
 All of which is characteristic of many people far older 
 than the little boy. They resent injuries—especially in- 
 juries to their self-esteem—even when they are due to 
 their own blunders and are inflicted by the impersonal 
 laws of nature. 
 
 ‘The same thing applies to the harbouring of personal 
 erudges. The amount of energy and mental power 
 wasted on resentment of one sort or another would 
 suffice for the carrying out of many noble projects. 
 
 The damage done us by malicious persons or by colli- 
 sion with the laws of God’s universe is nothing compared 
 with the injury we work ourselves through resentment. 
 
 As a beloved friend wrote me the other day: ‘‘ People 
 are always looking out of the back of their heads at the 
 past with a sullen mental attitude which doesn’t help 
 them at all, instead of looking forward to the future with 
 some measure of hope.” 
 
 173 
 
SENSELESS REMORSE 
 
 Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall 
 the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake 
 this great tempest is upon you.—Jonah 1: 12. 
 
 ‘That offer of Jonah to be sacrificed for the good of 
 the ship has a fine sound of generosity about it. But 
 unless the offer is to be interpreted entirely apart from 
 Jonah’s character, as illustrated elsewhere in the book, 
 its root lay in acute remorse and childish superstition. 
 
 Being caught in the storm as he was running away 
 from the call of God, his baffled and sore conscience 
 dragged him down into senseless despair. Instead of per- 
 ceiving that God was seeking to turn him from his selfish 
 way, he found only God’s retribution following him. His 
 offer to be thrown overboard came not so much out of 
 willingness to be sacrificed for the sake of his shipmates 
 as out of sudden personal despair. If he could not have 
 his own way of going to Tarshish, what was his life 
 worth? If God would not leave him alone, he would 
 rather be dead. Very likely there was a touch of pity 
 for his fellow voyagers in the final offer, but the root of 
 it was barren remorse. 
 
 Remorse, until the rudder of the will is turned toward 
 duty and the star of hope arises, is without meaning. 
 
 To be so sorry and afraid that you wish you were 
 dead, is not enough. What God asks for is repentance 
 unto salvation. 
 
 174 
 
UTILITARIAN RELIGION 
 
 O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even 
 as thou wilt-—Matthew 15: 28. 
 
 
 
 Suppose a man who had never been aware of the 
 beauty of the world suddenly had his eyes opened and 
 saw the exquisite glory of a landscape. Suppose then he 
 became obsessed with the irresistible desire to reproduce 
 it on canvas and went to a great artist and said: “ Quick, 
 give me the skill to paint this scene.’”’ Would we not 
 call him a great fool, for thinking that it would be pos- 
 sible at a moment’s notice to gain and exercise so mar- 
 vellous a power ? 
 
 And yet, is that not just the attitude many people take 
 in religion? So long as men feel at ease in themselves, 
 they turn away from religion. But when some great 
 trouble besets them or an unsurmountable obstacle stands 
 in their way, they would like to receive faith at once in 
 order to remove the trouble or the obstacle. 
 
 No wonder that the religion men seek to work up in 
 order to produce this or that particular result is im- 
 potent. It must be so, because there is no faith in it. 
 
 Religion is not a utilitarian scheme for obtaining om- 
 nipotence when we in ourselves are helpless. It is a way 
 of life which, being daily practised, provides saving 
 power in the time of crisis. 
 
 If you have faith first you will have power in time of 
 need ; but you cannot get power by calling for faith when 
 you are in trouble. 
 
 175 
 
PROOF BY REITERATION 
 
 They think that they shall be heard for their much 
 speaking.—Matthew 6: 7. 
 
 There is a curious idea abroad today that if you keep 
 on saying a thing often enough people will accept it for 
 the truth. 
 
 Doubtless it is a fact that many people judge more of 
 the importance of any statement by the number of times 
 they see it in print or hear it said, than by the person who 
 says or writes it or by its innate value. 
 
 I have just received the seventeenth letter in six 
 months from a firm informing me that a certain machine 
 which they make is absolutely essential to my business. 
 Unfortunately for the firm I happen to know more 
 about my own affairs than they do. ‘The first letter I 
 read. All the others have gone into the waste-paper 
 basket. If that method of advertising is good business, 
 then there is something radically wrong with our system 
 of education. ‘Iwo or three circulars, to be sure one at 
 least receives attention, I can understand. But seventeen 
 is only an evidence of poor business or a frightful com- 
 mentary on human nature as at present educated. 
 
 What a revolution it would work in our modern life 
 if we could really train people to disregard the vocifer- 
 ousness of statements and to observe the speaker, his 
 reasons, and to weigh the statements themselves, 
 
 176 
 
RACIAL LABELS 
 
 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye 
 say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to 
 worship.—John 4: 20. 
 
 “The Samaritan woman, perceiving that Jesus was of 
 the Jewish race, attributed to him the standard Jewish 
 belief that men ought to worship in Jerusalem. It was 
 an utterly superficial judgment. Jesus was a Jew, but 
 not in the sense that he shared all opinions with his 
 compatriots. 
 
 Naturally as a Jew, and until the authorities of his 
 own people cast him out, his worship centered in Jeru- 
 salem. But it was not a narrow nationalistic worship 
 that he observed in the national shrine. He told that 
 worldly woman, ‘‘ The hour cometh and now is, when 
 the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit 
 and truth.” Neither the Holy Mountain of Samaria nor 
 the Holy City of Jerusalem was the exclusive place of 
 worship. For God’s call is for the spiritual worship of 
 the heart which is subject to no form, time or place. 
 
 The Samaritan woman made a serious mistake in at- 
 tributing an opinion to Jesus on the basis of her observa- 
 tion of certain racial characteristics. 
 
 Even so, to apply a racial label to any man without 
 considering whether or not he deserves it is a great in- 
 justice. And this is true both by way of commendation 
 or blame. 
 
 For each individual is not only a representative of his 
 race or nation. He may be, first of all, a man. 
 
 177 
 
THE PURPOSE OF THE HEART 
 But one thing is needful.—Luke 10: 42. 
 
 The story of Martha cumbered about much serving 
 and complaining to Jesus because her sister, who was 
 seated at Jesus’ feet, was not helping her, is frequently 
 misunderstood. Jesus’ rebuke to Martha and commenda- 
 tion of Mary has been taken to mean the absolute supe- 
 riority of the reflective over the active manner of life. 
 Poor Martha has been condemned by well-fed people for 
 being busy over such unimportant things as food, and 
 justification has been found for idleness in the undis- 
 criminating praise of Mary. 
 
 We need to go deeper to find the real lesson. What 
 Jesus rebuked in Martha was not the task she had under- 
 taken, but the grumbling and worried spirit in which she 
 was doing it. What he praised in Mary was not her 
 aloofness from the supper preparations but her concern 
 in the things of the spirit. 
 
 Suppose Martha had gone about her work cheerfully, 
 singing as we have all heard women sing over the supper 
 dishes; and suppose Mary had been uttering to Jesus 
 unkind comments on her “ worldly sister.”’ Which, then, 
 do you think, would have received the rebuke and which 
 the praise? 
 
 There is no one exclusive form of service that is ac- 
 ceptable to God. But there is one spiritual attitude. 
 which must pervade everything that God’s people do. 
 
 178 
 
RELIGION AND TALK 
 
 Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things 
 which I say?—Luke 6: 46. 
 
 One reason why some people are pessimistic about the 
 outlook for religion is because they confuse religion with 
 talking about religion. ‘The latter is a very beneficial 
 and somewhat neglected exercise but ought never to be 
 considered the sole evidence of the possession of true 
 religion. 
 
 For religion is the right attitude of any whole life 
 toward God and man; while the ability to talk helpfully 
 on religious themes is a particular gift. 
 
 Bearing witness to the truth is far more than talking 
 about it. I can never forget the lesson taught me by one 
 of the sanest and most helpful Church officers I have 
 ever known. A common and lovely phrase in his public 
 prayers goes like this: “‘ Help us, O Lord, to hear the 
 truth, and then to live it out that it may become in us 
 the living Word.” 
 
 The severest criticism that can be levelled against the 
 Church is that it fosters talk about religion and religious: 
 ceremonies, but neglects embodied justice, mercy and 
 truth. ‘The reason for this is evident: It is because men 
 are always confusing the form with the reality, the 
 manner of expression with the thing itself. 
 
 Talk is valuable; but even religious talk is only a 
 small part of religion. 
 
 179 
 
WITHOUT PUBLICITY 
 See thou say nothing to any man.—Mark 1: 44. 
 
 I have a friend who declares that publicity is not 
 always an unmixed blessing even for good deeds or ideas. 
 There are times he claims when things need to grow 
 silently and unnoticed out of sight. “The burgeoning of 
 summer is lovely to his thought, but he is also charmed 
 by the silent underground contribution of winter. He 
 mourns the crippling of many fine movements through 
 too much forcing under the pitiless rays of public popu- 
 larity. The Christian Church suffered greatly in his 
 opinion when Christianity became the State religion 
 under the Emperor Constantine. ‘Today the Church is 
 handicapped by being too much in the public eye. Let 
 her take the quiet ways of inner development lest she be 
 swallowed up in cheap notoriety. 
 
 Can you advertise humility? What does self-con- 
 scious goodness become? Surely there is lovely music 
 that cannot be played on the big drum or the trumpet. 
 
 There are even flowers that bloom only in the shadows 
 of secret forests. You need not seek for the greatest 
 values only in those things which are blared forth as new 
 and unprecedented. 
 
 Jesus at least began his work in the ancient synagogue 
 and under the Mosaic law. What part did undesired 
 and unsought publicity play in the break that later came? 
 
 What do you think of my friend’s opinion? Has it 
 not a needed emphasis for our day—even if it be not the 
 whole truth? Some things must speak for themselves 
 without advertisement. 
 
 180 
 
 Beas. 
 
PROTUBERANT PROSPERITY 
 Their eyes stand out with fatness——Psalm 73: 7. 
 
 To be prosperous may be a legitimate part of a man’s 
 purpose. But there is a kind of prosperity which is dis- 
 quieting to all honest men. 
 
 Francis Bacon said, “ Prosperity is the blessing of the 
 Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New.” 
 And every thoughtful man knows that the way of life 
 to which Jesus calls men does not set prosperity as one 
 of its aims. 
 
 Not that a wealthy man should be looked on with sus- 
 picion. ‘lo take that attitude would be to neglect Jesus’ 
 teaching of the value of every human soul. But there is 
 a kind of prosperity which is totally inconsistent with the 
 Christian position. And it behooves every man who in- 
 herits or earns large sums of money to see to it that his 
 prosperity is not of that kind. 
 
 The vulgar displays of some rich people betray not 
 only their evil hearts, but provide a source of genuine 
 temptation to other people. 
 
 No one can say how serious a trial it is for hard- 
 working people to labour for a mere pittance where they 
 are surrounded by the idle rich. No one can say how 
 much bitterness is engendered out of a sense of genuine 
 injustice. 
 
 It is all very well to condemn envy, but that is not the 
 whole story. Protuberant prosperity is a source of real 
 social danger because it reveals an evil heart. 
 
 181 
 
WHERE ARE THE PROPHETS? 
 
 Ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and 
 the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to inter- 
 pret this time?—Luke 12: 56. 
 
 There are lots of good weather-prophets in the world. 
 Their business has a direct and practical bearing on the 
 conduct of human affairs. “Their observations are ac- 
 curate and intelligent and their predictions are valuable. 
 
 But when it comes to interpreting this age, where are 
 the prophets? Not that candidates for the position are 
 lacking. ‘There are more than enough of them as every- 
 body knows. But they have not the qualifications in 
 their field which the weather-prophets have in theirs. 
 
 Such was Jesus’ criticism in his day. Would it be any 
 different in our day? 
 
 Our age is well supplied with men who are very skil- 
 ful in what are called practical affairs—the relating of 
 nature’s forces to man’s daily life. Jet no one depreciate 
 the usefulness of such service. 
 
 But is there not a deeper aspect to life than this? Is 
 there not need that men should learn how to observe and 
 criticise (in the full meaning of that word) this age? 
 
 No one can say what our age means or what men 
 ought to do until a prophet arises who will observe 
 widely and ponder deeply instead of glancing and chat- 
 tering, and who will draw conclusions from established 
 facts rather than from personal prejudices. 
 
 Alas for the age that shows consummate skill in al- 
 _most everything except the interpretation of life! 
 
 182 
 
RELIGION AND REASON 
 
 Ready always to give answer to every man that asketh 
 you a reason concerning the hope that is in you. 
 
 —TI Peter 3:15. 
 
 A great deal of the difficulty about religion in a scien- 
 tific age comes from misunderstandings engendered by 
 extremists. On the one hand, some men desire to re- 
 duce religion to mere rationalism. On the other, men 
 desire to debar reason. “They would treat even questions 
 of historic fact as issues of faith. 
 
 “There are two extremes,” wrote Pascal, “‘ to exclude 
 reason and to admit only reason.” 
 
 We must remember that mind is not the only thing in 
 man and that pride of intellect is full of peril. Equally 
 must we realize that Jesus’ Great Commandment calls 
 on us to love God with the mind as well as with the 
 heart and soul. 
 
 Does not the word of our text give us the key to the 
 right relationship between religion and reason? Religion 
 is (in the partial definition of this aspect of it) a reason- 
 able hope. It is not the undisciplined, fanciful longing 
 of the troubled human soul. It is the tested and ap- 
 proved response of the soul to God. 
 
 The origin of religion is neither an intellectual argu- 
 ment nor a cherished delusion. It is the formulated ex- 
 pression of the interaction of intuition and experience. 
 It is “ faith which is but hope grown wise.” 
 
 183 
 
CAN PROPHECY BE CONTROLLED? 
 
 Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good 
 unto the King with one mouth: let thy word, I pray 
 thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou 
 good.—I Kings 22: 13. 
 
 Ahab, King of Israel, was a bad man, but like all bad 
 men he had certain good qualities in him. It is well that 
 we should remember that any evil which endures must 
 have some good mingled with it. 
 
 Ahab was a pretty efficient organizer of the nation’s 
 defenses, but like many other able men he was unable to 
 put up with criticism. What he wanted was conformity 
 to his will. And he made the mistake of thinking that 
 he was not only King of Israel, but also head of the 
 prophets. 
 
 Well, of course he found prophets who were very ready 
 to prophesy as he wished concerning his expedition with 
 Jehoshaphat against Syria. ‘There are always men who 
 will freely bestow the sanctions of religion on the popular 
 cause. “They keep their feet on the earth—which is sen- 
 sible—but they keep also an ear to the ground—which 
 may be good politics but is certainly not prophecy. 
 
 Among the so-called prophets of Israel Micaiah alone 
 opposed Ahab in this plan. ‘Thus he incurred the enmity 
 of the subservient prophets and was imprisoned by Ahab. 
 But later events showed who was the prophet and who 
 were the flatterers. 
 
 How foolish to try to control prophecy! The only 
 value in prophecy lies in its direct message from God 
 through the lips of a sane and fearless man. 
 
 184 
 
TOLERANCE THROUGH SYMPATHY 
 
 For he loveth our nation, and himself built us our 
 synagogue.—Luke 7: 5. 
 
 On the now desolate site of Capernaum, I have seen 
 the rich ruins of that splendid synagogue which a noble 
 Roman soldier built for his Jewish friends and neigh- 
 bours. Would that I could see the man himself,—that 
 peaceful warrior, that godly heathen, that generous lover 
 whose affections overcame his prejudices, that humble 
 seeker after truth, of whom Jesus said, “I have not 
 found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”’ 
 
 Here in this chapter St. Luke gives us two pictures of 
 that lovely virtue, tolerance through sympathy. First, 
 the Centurion, who had not only a kind heart but also a 
 big good deed for people of an alien race. Second, 
 Christ, who asked no questions about creeds, but recog- 
 nized in this man the vital power of that loving faith in 
 God and man by which the world is overcome. 
 
 ‘There are two kinds of tolerance. 
 
 The one comes from indifference. It is a supercilious 
 thing. “No matter what you believe,” it seems to say, 
 “you will have to take the consequences. “That does not 
 affect me, because I have the right creed.” 
 
 The other kind of tolerance comes through sympathy. 
 “You and I do not profess the same doctrines,” it says, 
 “ but we seek the same end,—the glory of God and the 
 good of our fellow-men. Our points of view, our cir- 
 cumstances, our educations have been different. ‘The 
 road is not easy. Let us help one another.” 
 
 185 
 
MORAL-BLINDNESS 
 
 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; 
 that put darkness for light, and light for darkness. 
 —Isaiah 5:20. 
 
 Just as we have the phenomenon of color-blindness, so 
 do we have moral-blindness,—the failure of the individ- 
 ual to distinguish between good and evil, right and 
 wrong. 
 
 The doctrine of the Inner Light is true; but there are 
 exceptions. “[hat’s why it is necessary to appeal not only 
 to the individual’s innate conscience, but also to an 
 external standard. 
 
 Any one of us is liable to go seriously wrong if we 
 rely solely on the light within us. “ If the light that is 
 in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness.” 
 
 The trouble that many of us bring on ourselves is 
 that we deliberately or carelessly destroy the original 
 sensitiveness of our consciences. 
 
 You cannot indefinitely go on smothering the voice of 
 conscience and find it still protesting with the same 
 vigour. You cannot continue calling evil good without 
 destroying the sensitive discrimination necessary to moral 
 judgments. 
 
 The man who follows that course will ultimately be 
 calling the Cosmos a chaos because there is moral dis- 
 order in his heart. 
 
 For you cannot possibly see things as they are for your- 
 self if the windows of your soul distort or discolor your 
 view. 
 
 186 
 
CALAMITY-HOWLERS ARE NOT PROPHETS 
 
 It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 
 —Jonah 4:1. 
 
 Jonah was disgruntled because his prediction that 
 Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days was not ful- 
 filled. He quite overlooked the fact that the repentance 
 of the people had averted their imminent peril. In other 
 words, he was more interested in his own reputation as a 
 “prophet ” than in the purpose for which God had sent 
 him to predict the disaster of the wicked city, 1. e., to 
 fend off the destruction by bringing the people to turn 
 from their evil ways. 
 
 There are, alas! plenty of modern “ prophets” like 
 Jonah. ‘They are not true prophets speaking of the con- 
 sequences of evil, with the purpose and hope of turning 
 men unto salvation. “They are mere foretellers of doom, 
 satisfied only if their self-esteem is enhanced by the ful- 
 filment of their predictions. “The motive behind their 
 activities is the petty hope that some day they will be able 
 to say, “I told you so.” 
 
 The only satisfaction that a true prophet finds in 
 pointing out the destruction that must issue from evil 
 conduct, is to add force to his idea for righteousness. 
 
 It will be a great day for the world when we learn to 
 turn a deaf ear to the selfish calamity-howlers and re- 
 member the saving purpose of God. 
 
 ¢ 
 
 187 
 
TOO MUCH COMPANY 
 
 Jesus... withdrew again into the mountain himself 
 
 alone.—John 6:15. 
 
 Even the most social of souls must escape at times 
 from human company. ‘The continuous presence of other 
 people—yes, even those rare souls who know how to 
 obliterate themselves—is fatal to the growth of the Soul. 
 
 Jesus’ love for men was deep and steadfast and invin- 
 cible. Yet He frequently withdrew for solitary com- 
 munion with God. Even when he wanted the support of 
 Peter and James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane 
 He wanted them to abide here and watch while He went 
 forward a little to pray. “There are things that the soul 
 must face alone, though it be comforting to have friends 
 near by. 
 
 One of the self-imposed handicaps of many people in 
 this sociable age is that of too much company. We have 
 not enough friends, who always know when even their 
 beloved presence is an intrusion on the soul. And we 
 have too many acquaintances with whom we pass the 
 time but advance no further upon the mysterious journey 
 of our life. 
 
 To be continuously with company breeds a shallow 
 and thoughtless wit. It issues in the most terrible of all 
 loneliness, soul-loneliness. It stunts the soul which, to 
 grow, must stand at times alone with God. 
 
 188 
 
TOO MUCH SPECIALIZATION 
 
 Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint. 
 —Proverbs 29: 18. 
 
 The inclination of people to go to extremes is the 
 direct result of lack of vision. To “ see life steadily and 
 see it whole” is the first requirement of sane and bal- 
 anced action. 
 
 But it is not a characteristic of many people today. 
 Weare much inclined to run everything into the ground. 
 Even good things are carried so far that they often be- 
 come evil. We forget how readily any virtue may turn 
 into a vice when it is stressed to the exclusion of all other 
 virtues. 
 
 Make no mistake about it. I do not advocate the 
 promulgation of a neat little policy of moderation. The 
 wishy-washy fellow who is “ neither fish, flesh, fowl, nor 
 good red herring”’ is a poor ideal for any age. But I 
 leave it to the judgment of careful observers of our day 
 whether most of us are not weakened in one way or an- 
 other because we are extremists. 
 
 No doubt our age is rightly an age of specialization. 
 We must divide our work according to our qualifications 
 in order to share the benefits of civilization. But we 
 must see to it that in being specialists we exercise care 
 lest we become something less than men. While we 
 labour in our special departments of the world’s work let 
 us not fail to live in the fulness of life which God has 
 given to us, 
 
 189 
 
TOO MUCH ORGANIZATION 
 
 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely 
 on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, 
 and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they 
 look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek 
 Jehovah !—Isaiah 31: 1. 
 
 There is a feeling abroad today that the main need of 
 our age is improved organization. In government, in 
 business, in social life, in the Church, organization occu- 
 pies a great deal of time. 
 
 It goes without saying that organization is needed. 
 But are we not inclined to look a little too exclusively at 
 the technique of our various social procedures and neglect 
 the dynamic without which even the best schemes must 
 fail? 
 
 Of what use is a plan for co- operation unless we have 
 men of good-will to work in it? 
 
 Where will a business organization get you without 
 honest and faithful workers to fill the positions? 
 
 How can government proceed unless the men who ad- 
 minister the offices are honourable as well as capable? 
 
 Can the Church make disciples of all nations by setting 
 up a programme and apportioning various duties to her 
 members if they lack the dynamic of personal conviction ? 
 
 Of course the real object behind organization is to in- 
 crease the freedom, power and happiness of individuals. 
 But it cannot accomplish this if we attend so closely to 
 the plans that we forget the nature of the individual and 
 the source of his real greatness. 
 
 Organization is important. But is not even the best 
 organization impotent unless it is permeated by the 
 Spirit of God who alone gives strength and grace to men? 
 
 190 
 
FIRST-HAND RELIGION 
 
 N ow we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we 
 have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the 
 Saviour of the world.—John 4: 42. 
 
 That worldly creature, the Samaritan woman, with 
 whom Jesus spoke at the well, did a fine thing when she 
 brought her fellow townsmen to see and hear Jesus for 
 themselves. In a way it was a most natural thing to do. 
 And perhaps for that very reason it was fine. It was the 
 sort of thing a child would do. ‘‘ Come and see,” she 
 cried and her enthusiasm was contagious and they went. 
 
 As a result they became believers—not at second- 
 hand, on her say-so, but at first-hand, from their own 
 experience. 
 
 That is the method of spiritual religion. It consists 
 not in telling people about Christ and then stopping 
 there, but in telling about him so that men and women 
 shall go to him for themselves and know and believe at 
 first-hand. 
 
 After all belief in the final sense is a personal word. 
 And so also must be the authority on which it is founded. 
 There is little use in anybody else telling me what I must 
 believe. I must be taken to the source from which the 
 belief springs. Because until my belief becomes personal 
 it is nothing but an expression of external conformity. 
 It cannot affect my soul until the witness of other people 
 is corroborated in my own experience. 
 
 The final verification of Christianity rests in the fact 
 that Christ is a living and present Saviour whom we may 
 know and love and follow today, 
 
 I9I 
 
WEEDS THAT STRANGLE 
 
 And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of 
 riches, choke the word.—Matthew 13: 22. 
 
 What Jesus says about the good seed of the gospel, in 
 the Parable of the Sower, is true of many other good 
 things,—ideals, resolutions, plans, convictions of duty, 
 purposes of improvement. 
 
 Life and human nature are full of weeds which are 
 ready to overgrow and strangle down the plants of worth 
 and value. 
 
 You cannot reforest a barren region with noble trees, 
 unless you protect them in their youth against the en- 
 croachments of the scrub and the underbrush. 
 
 I have seen many a fine rose-bush choked to death by 
 bind-weed. 
 
 I knew a boy whose education was stifled because his 
 father gave him two automobiles and a motor-boat. 
 
 I knew a man who could never accomplish anything 
 seriously worth while because he was always tinkering 
 with trifles. I knew another man whose house was so 
 full of rare and costly bric-a-brac that he was a slave to 
 the care of his collections. 
 
 Unless we know the difference between flowers and 
 weeds we are not fit to take care of a garden. 
 
 It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. 
 We must learn and labour to keep the ground clear of 
 thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a 
 wicked propensity to choke the word of life. 
 
 192 
 
RELIGION WITHOUT FAITH 
 
 So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their 
 graven images; their children likewise, and their chil- 
 dren's children.—II Kings 17: 41. 
 
 The Assyrian conquest of Israel and the importation 
 of immigrants from many nationalities into Samaria was 
 part of a deliberate policy to disintegrate the Northern 
 Kingdom. How well it succeeded appears in the con- 
 tradictory statement that the inhabitants both feared Je- 
 hovah and served their graven images, and that these 
 customs became hereditary. 
 
 Of course this meant that their religion was no longer 
 a vital affair. It was imitative. Observing the customs 
 followed by people of other religions, they absorbed a 
 little from this and that into their own practice. 
 
 But wasn’t that a permissible thing to do? Hasn’t this 
 been the history of all religions in the world? . 
 
 Religions that spread show themselves adaptable to 
 new conditions and capable of development and modifica- 
 tion. ‘That indeed is a law of life. 
 
 But, by the same token, when men try to include in 
 their religion elements that deny its very validity, or 
 when the customs of people around them have more in- 
 fluence on them than their own convictions, then is their 
 religion moribund. 
 
 Surely in the depths of all honourable spiritual belief 
 there is a meeting-ground for all men of good-will. But 
 what can justify the religionist with his carefully-glued- 
 together faith composed of selected observances from 
 many religions in none of which he believes? 
 
 193 
 
WRONG WAYS OF DOING RIGHT THINGS 
 
 Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood. 
 —Ephesians 6: 12. 
 
 I have been reading an account of an attendance con- 
 test recently held between two Bible classes. In one the 
 attendance rose during the four Sundays of the contest 
 from 260 to 681, and in the other from 343 to 552.- 
 
 One class, says the magazine account, “ resorted to the 
 personal invitation and door-bell plan” while the other 
 “brought to their aid street parades, transparencies, 
 brass bands, etc. “The work of both these classes is 
 noteworthy.” 
 
 Noteworthy of what? 
 
 Religion cannot permanently flourish as a form of 
 competition. It must be an enlistment of life. What I 
 want to know is: What are those classes doing now, 
 several months after the competition ? 
 
 Possibly good came out of this strenuous effort. I do 
 not know. Publicity only records the contest. But was 
 there not inevitable damage done? Do you not lower 
 your cause by the employment of methods contrary to 
 the spirit of what you seek to accomplish? | 
 
 Can you picture Jesus running a competition with the 
 Scribes and Pharisees? His disciples dwindled as he 
 walked the way of the cross. But did that reveal failure, 
 —or success ? 
 
 194 
 
 — ee ee 
 
 ——. ~~. * 
 
THE RIGHT USE OF MONEY 
 
 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 
 —I Timothy 6: 10. 
 
 Few men fail to observe the advantages of money in 
 this world, but few have grace to make a proper use of 
 its ‘power. 
 
 It should be carefully noted that the abuse of money 
 is not by any means the exclusive fault of those who have 
 large sums of it. In fact the man who goes out to raise 
 money for some benevolent plan is usually surprised at 
 the persistence of men of wealth in evaluating the pre- 
 cise nature of the service which their gifts may render. 
 After all, there is no more justification for a man of 
 large means to be careless of his money than for his 
 poorer brother. 
 
 The real root of the evil that so often gathers about 
 money is not to be found in money itself, or in the 
 amount of the money. It is to be found in the nature of 
 the men who deal with it. ‘The love of money—not 
 money itself—is a root of all kinds of evil. 
 
 Over a doorway in an old Dutch banking house is 
 this inscription in French: 
 
 “The Golden Age is the age in which gold does not 
 rule.” 
 
 The value of money lies in its control by spiritual pur- 
 pose. ‘To desire it for its own sake is to destroy all 
 human values, 
 
 195 
 
A RESTFUL YOKE 
 
 Take my yoke upon you... and ye shall find rest 
 unto your souls—Matthew 11: 29. 
 
 As in most vital truth there is an element of paradox 
 in this invitation and promise of Jesus to his disciples. 
 
 Where most of us make our mistake is in associating 
 rest with comfort, ease, irresponsibility. We forget that 
 not only does the hand, the mind and the foot need rest 
 but also the soul needs rest. And especially we fail to 
 perceive that there is no rest for the body until the soul 
 be at rest. 
 
 And the one place where the soul can rest is in the 
 yoke of Christ. 
 
 Truly does the psalmist say: “ There is no rest for the 
 wicked.” How can there be with his soul restless and 
 unhappy within him? 
 
 But let a man accept cheerfully the responsibilities of 
 discipleship, let him walk under the easy yoke of Christ, 
 and what a miracle is wrought! Shall he find weariness 
 of body and mind? Certainly. Shall he perhaps suffer? 
 Very likely. But shall he find rest unto his soul? The 
 answer is unanimous. It is far better from every point 
 of view to endure anything rather than to suffer the 
 intolerable anguish of a restless soul. 
 
 If our age is an unhappy age it is just because we are 
 neglecting the soul’s rest and because we need to learn 
 that no peace can be found apart from the soul’s demand 
 for the restful yoke of Christ, 
 
 196 
 
AN EVIDENCE OF RELIGION 
 What do ye more than others?—Matthew 5: 47. 
 
 The great characteristic of spiritual religion is that its 
 first concern is a transformed humanity, men reborn, re- 
 made as God would have us to be. Its object is not to 
 make men, aS we are in our own wisdom, more com- 
 fortable or more powerful in the world. The goal is not 
 the remolding of this sorry scheme of things more nearly 
 to our hearts’ desire, as a certain pessimistic philosopher 
 once sighed. It is rather to transform all men, beginning 
 with ourselves, into the likeness of God’s man, Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Naturally this purpose involves conflict with every 
 custom, habit, institution of men that stands in its way. 
 And the method of procedure is the most radical method 
 in the world, i. e., the winning of individuals and the 
 using of them singly and in organized groups, for bring- 
 ing all men under the influence of God’s transforming 
 grace. 
 
 Worldly-minded men whose material profits or plans 
 are affected combat spiritual religion often with great 
 astuteness. “Their most successful opposition today seems 
 to lie in blurring religious convictions and toning down 
 the sharp definitions of religious conduct. 
 
 If you and I count ourselves religious men, are we dis- 
 tinguishable from worldly men in our home life, our 
 business affairs, our amusements? Or are we nominal 
 and therefore traitorous disciples of Jesus Christ ? 
 
 “ 
 
 
 
SPIRITUAL RESILIENCY 
 
 A righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; 
 But the wicked are overthrown by calamity. 
 —Proverbs 24: 16. 
 
 Trouble and disaster in this world are not reserved for 
 those whose purpose is evil. Misfortune besets the right- 
 eous as well as the wicked. A church will burn as easily 
 as the stronghold of a robber. A missionary of the cross 
 is as vulnerable to bullets as a bandit. 
 
 But there is considerable difference in the effect of dis- 
 aster on righteous and wicked men. Nor is the reason 
 for this far to seek. 
 
 The confidence of the wicked man depends on his own 
 strength and on the uncertain element of evil in other 
 men. He must always be haunted with insecurity and 
 doubt. Any genuine calamity breaks his heart. 
 
 The confidence of the righteous man is in God. He 
 himself is but God’s servant believing that God’s will 
 must prevail. ‘Therefore he rises from every fall and 
 takes up his task again. 
 
 There is no more inspiring observation to be made on 
 men than just this contrast between the resiliency of 
 those who suffer disaster in the service of God and the 
 deadness of those who fall in the promotion of evil. It 
 is one of the clear indications of the ultimate triumph of 
 good over evil. 
 
 198 
 
MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS 
 
 Peter ... saith, Lord, and what shall this man do? 
 Jesus saith unto him, . . . what is that to thee? Follow 
 thou me.—John 21: 21-22. 
 
 Most of us are fearless critics of other men’s conduct 
 and meticulous denouncers of other men’s sins. “To mind 
 other people’s business is a common pastime of our day. 
 There are very few of us who are not deeply concerned 
 over the reform of—somebody else. 
 
 Now there is no more lovely experience than to feel 
 the personal interest of a friend in you and your affairs. 
 But there is no more irritating experience than to be 
 aware of unfriendly meddling and prying into your pri- 
 vate affairs. And it must be frankly said that the spirit 
 of much reform today is of the latter type. “The sense of 
 self-satisfaction that it gives the reformer far outweighs 
 the aid it brings the object of reform. Its method of 
 effecting contact with human nature is crude and bun- 
 gling. Again and again it defeats its own ends (es- 
 timable as they often are) by its crass stupidity. 
 
 A girl of the younger generation said to me in an 
 aggrieved tone concerning a zealous young reformer who 
 had seized the first opportunity of personal acquaintance- 
 ship to offer advice: “‘ I wouldn’t have minded if he had 
 first taken the trouble to become a friend of mine, and 
 then criticised me.” 
 
 After all, the man who cannot respect personality is 
 hardly qualified to be listened to on any subject. We 
 must make room for the most Christian doctrine of 
 minding our own business. 
 
 199 
 
COSTLINESS OF RELIGION 
 
 Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for 
 me with all your heart-—Jeremiah 29: 13. 
 
 As surely as religion is the most valuable thing in the 
 world it is the most costly. It asks of a man all that he 
 has and is—no less. Complete self-consecration is the 
 one and inescapable condition. 
 
 The price always remains the same. 
 
 One of the reasons why we find ourselves with such 
 shocking substitutes is because we are looking for a bar- 
 gain at a lesser price. 
 
 We would like the comforts of religion but we want 
 to withhold the cost of complete consecration. 
 
 We would like to perform occasional service but not 
 have it interfere with our accustomed manner of life. 
 
 Always there is some little reservation that we want to 
 make and consequently we find ourselves in possession 
 not of genuine religion but of some substitute which in- 
 variably fails us at the critical moment. 
 
 But if a man pay the full price of giving all that he 
 has and is to God the miracle occurs, for he receives back 
 not only his own life, but his own life transformed and 
 empowered by God. Religion is now the most real thing 
 in the world to him, for he finds it in his own life. 
 
 And who can say that any price is too great to pay for 
 that blessed experience ? 
 
 200 
 
PICTURES IN THE MIND 
 
 Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the 
 house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers 
 of imagery? For they say, Jehovah seeth us not. . 
 
 —Ezekiel 8: 12. 
 
 It is a strange power, this ability to bring before the 
 eyes of the mind pictures which only you yourself may 
 see. It is full of deadly peril and of great good—accord- 
 ing to the choice of pictures. 
 
 At first it is only a matter which concerns yourself but 
 sooner or later the whole affair will come to the light and 
 be seen of men. From God it is never hidden. 
 
 When a man of unblemished reputation and exemplary 
 conduct is suddenly discovered, to the horror of his asso- 
 ciates, involved in some disgraceful act, the chances are 
 great that his chambers of imagery are hung with pre- 
 liminary sketches of the deed. 
 
 But when a man stands patient and unmovable amid 
 dreadful temptations and hardships, be sure that his 
 secret mind is hung with scenes of peace and hope and 
 courage. 
 
 For that inner and supposedly secret chamber is the 
 source of the outward and revealing act. 
 
 How important then it is that the imaginings of the 
 heart be concerned with good and not with evil! 
 
 Perhaps, then, one of the most practical things a man 
 can do with his holidays and leisure time is to store his 
 mind with pictures of beauty and truth. By discrimi- 
 nating thought, conversation, observation, he may lay up 
 hidden sources of strength and grace. 
 
 201 
 
SAVING POWER OF MEMORY 
 I remembered the word of the Lord.—Acts 11: 16. 
 
 Peter found himself in an unexpected and strange 
 situation. Brought up in the belief that God was ex- 
 clusively concerned with people of his own race, he was 
 suddenly confronted with the clear evidence of God’s 
 interest in the Gentiles. Of course Peter was all at sea 
 in his mind. ‘Then memory came to his rescue. He re- 
 called the word of Jesus about the baptism of the Holy 
 Spirit and recognized that he was faced with the dilemma 
 of accepting or rejecting God himself. Of course, being 
 an honest man, Peter accepted God and rejected the 
 racial tradition in which he had been born. 
 
 But do you think Peter could have done this if he had 
 not remembered the word of the Lord? Jesus had pre- 
 pared the way for Peter’s decision. It was the memory 
 of his word that saved Peter from utter confusion in 
 that perilous moment. 
 
 So it is with many of us in our crises. “The memory 
 of the word of some wise and gracious teacher comes to 
 our rescue, and the new and bewildering experience in 
 which we stand assumes a familiar and orderly aspect. 
 We are set free from fear and panic and enabled to act 
 with sanity and wisdom. Espécially is this true for those 
 whose memory is full of the words of Christ. 
 
 202 
 
CHATTY RELIGION 
 
 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom. 
 —Psalm 111: 10. 
 
 I cannot rid myself of a feeling of anxiety about a 
 tendency in our Churches today to make religion an easy 
 and familiar thing in a rather vulgar sense. ‘The tone of 
 many sermons one hears and reads about is not conversa- 
 tional, direct and simple—all of which things are highly 
 desirable if religion is to really affect the people—but it 
 is chatty. There is a slipshod, easy-going atmosphere to 
 many Church services and meetings that ill-becomes the 
 mighty purpose of the Church. ‘There is a jocose smart- 
 ness about talk on themes of eternal significance that 
 destroys the reverential spirit in which alone religion is 
 possible. 
 
 Perhaps the fault (with notable exceptions) is most 
 apparent in Church advertising and publicity. The en- 
 deavor to catch the eye in newspapers and on bulletin 
 boards frequently leads to statements that are a distinct 
 handicap to the spread of religion—whatever effect they 
 may have on attendance statistics at any particular 
 Church. 
 
 Religion must be simply expressed for the understand- 
 ing of the people. It is not homeliness but vulgarity that 
 injures it. Surely it is only at the peril of our own souls 
 that we neglect the solemn reverential fear of the Lord 
 which should be the beginning of all our words and activ- 
 ities. Chatty religion is impossible if we have any ade- 
 quate knowledge of God. 
 
 203 
 
MEANS AND ENDS 
 
 Combining spiritual things with spiritual words. 
 —I Corinthians 2: 13. 
 
 There is no more pernicious doctrine in all the world 
 than that which teaches that the end justifies the means. 
 Marking the breakdown of personal morality, it indicates 
 the ultimate destruction of all that man holds dear. 
 
 It is the most perfect illustration of atheism, for if 
 man, by the conscious, deliberate doing of evil may pro- 
 duce good, then is the earth still waste and void, nor has 
 God ever moved upon the face of “ The Waters.” 
 
 Most of us realize this truth in the abstract, but fail to 
 perceive it in certain particular instances. Believing our 
 goal to be desirable, we are not much inclined to hesitate 
 at using whatever means may be necessary to reach it. 
 ‘That attitude carries a fine air of conviction with it, but 
 in the realm of the mind it signifies chaos. 
 
 Perhaps the most obvious illustration in our day lies in 
 the use of speech and writing. How often alas! do we 
 speak or write in a manner and with a use of language 
 that defeats our avowed spiritual purpose! 
 
 Preachers labour industriously for the Kingdom of 
 God, but defeat their purpose by the use of denunciatory 
 and complaining speech. 
 
 Articles on behalf of some reform are written and 
 ‘“‘literature!”’ is disseminated which, whatever their 
 power in the realm of the things which are seen and 
 temporal, bring defeat to the spiritual cause. 
 
 Isn’t it about time to combine our treatment of spir- 
 itual things with spiritual words? 
 
 204 
 
ON BEING A MAN 
 We also are men of like passions with you.—Acts 14: 15. 
 
 There is something great about this declaration of Paul 
 and Barnabas. ‘When the crowd, overwhelmed with 
 wonder at the cure of the lame man, worshipped the 
 Apostles as gods they promptly denied the silly imputa- 
 tion of divinity. 
 
 And yet how easy and natural to have accepted the 
 tribute. “They might even have persuaded themselves 
 that it would be good publicity for their cause. 
 
 But no; these were plain honest disciples. “They pre- 
 ferred being known as men of like passions with all 
 others. Around themselves they drew no veil of mystery; 
 they accepted no personal tributes of flattering popularity. 
 ‘They were men; the glory and honour were Christ’s. 
 
 A little later their enemies from other cities following 
 them stoned Paul with the consent and possibly with the 
 help of those who had desired a moment before to wor- 
 ship them. Perhaps if they had received the attribute of 
 divinity Paul might have been spared. But no pose was 
 possible for them. “They knew that they were men. 
 
 To accept the popular tribute of being more than a 
 man has wrecked many a good career, but it has never 
 yet produced a superman. 
 
 It is important to know what a man is and to realize 
 that you are one. 
 
 The first condition of achievement in any career is to 
 be a man—neither a god, nor a beast, nor a machine. 
 
 205 
 
CALCULATED RELIGION 
 
 I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get. 
 —Luke 18: 12. 
 
 The Pharisee who made this declaration was both 
 pious and generous according to the external standard. 
 In fasting and giving he exceeded the requirements of 
 his law. 
 
 ‘The trouble with him was not in what he did, but in 
 his attitude toward it. He was offering a careful report 
 on his religious practices as a justification for self-com- 
 placency. He was boasting, but thought he was praying. 
 Small wonder that he makes such a sorry figure beside 
 the despised publican who, despite his acknowledged sin, 
 at least recognized penitence as the first approach to God. 
 
 For religion cannot be reduced to carefully calculated 
 performances by which a man is entitled to declare his 
 rating before God. Such an attempt reveals a total 
 ignorance of the nature and requirements of religion. 
 Religion can never be measured by its practices, though 
 its sincerity may be witnessed by deeds. 
 
 Is there not a danger today lest in the zeal of organ- 
 ized religion we fall into calculating our benevolences, 
 recording our religious observances, and neglecting the 
 penitent cry of the heart which alone can bring us into 
 the presence of God? 
 
 Surely it is no gain to a needy world to be filled with 
 religious observances, or even social service, if they are to 
 be rendered null and void by a pharisaic heart. 
 
 206 
 
USING YOUR HEAD 
 
 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, 
 then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profit- 
 able to direct.—Ecclesiastes 10: 10. 
 
 “ Nothing,” said Carlyle, “is more terrible than ac- 
 tivity without insight.” 
 
 The tragedy of life is not hardship, labour, suffering; 
 but meaninglessness, emptiness, effort without objective. 
 The fever-racked man who aimlessly passes through the 
 motions of his accustomed daily conduct is a pitiable ob- 
 ject. How much more so those whose daily conduct is 
 merely the expression of the fever of life. 
 
 Only the man whose activity is directed by a great 
 purpose can be fundamentally happy. Life easily de- 
 generates into the mere dance of death unless it be in- 
 telligently directed. Behind the expenditure of the pre- 
 cious energy of life there must be the highest degree of 
 wisdom. Otherwise that energy which can never be 
 recaptured is wasted. 
 
 This is no question of efficiency in the narrow sense. 
 No lazy desire to avoid effort, as an end in itself. No 
 selfish desire to increase power for private profit. It is 
 merely the recognition of the infinite value of the passing 
 phenomenon of strength for spiritual purposes. 
 
 Until a man has learned to direct his energies in ac- 
 cordance with heavenly wisdom he is only beating the 
 air with feverish but futile effort. 
 
 To spend a few minutes sharpening the axe will not 
 only spare an aching back, but it will make the job 
 pleasant and perhaps afford a moment or so for reflection. 
 
 207 
 
THE WAY OF THE CROSS 
 
 Insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, 
 rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may 
 rejoice with exceeding joy.—lI Peter 4: 13. 
 
 The New ‘Testament presentation of Christianity is 
 continually startling men with its frank recognition of 
 difficulties. Here is no endeavour to conceal the cost of 
 being a Christian. Here is honest, direct facing of the 
 requirements, and exuberant confidence in the ultimate 
 outcome. 
 
 We are told plainly, in many places, that Christ died 
 for men, yet not for the object of saving men from sufter- 
 ing and death, but for the purpose of spiritual salvation. 
 
 The Christian invitation is not to escape suffering by 
 following Christ, but to become cheerful partakers of his 
 sufferings, that we may also rejoice exceedingly at the 
 revelation of his glory. 
 
 The trouble with our Christianity is that it is easy- 
 going. We are afflicted with an unreasonable cultural 
 optimism. We are not yet fully aware that Christianity, 
 unless it is to leave out Jesus and his earliest disciples, is 
 a fellowship of suffering and not a mere profit-sharing 
 plan. 
 
 Insofar as our religion is showing itself inadequate 
 today it is for this reason. On the one hand it is futile 
 to present the teaching of Jesus apart from his person and 
 life. And on the other, it is inane to talk of following 
 him without entering into his sufferings. “The way of the 
 cross was an integral element of Jesus’ life. In human 
 measure it must be shared by his disciples, 
 
 208 
 
THE COST OF ETERNAL LIFE 
 
 Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have 
 eternal life?—-Matthew 19: 106. 
 
 The rich young man was in a serious mood. He did 
 not ask this question that he might prove himself entitled 
 to eternal life by the performance of some prescribed 
 deed. He was already a good man, in the narrow mean- 
 ing of the term. But he knew in his heart that some- 
 thing was wrong since he lacked the consciousness of 
 eternal life. 
 
 Jesus, physician of the souls of men, diagnosed his one 
 trouble as the love of great possessions and advised the 
 prompt removal of the obstruction by the sale of his 
 goods and generous giving to the poor. The young man 
 was unwilling to accept the prescription and went away 
 sorrowful. He wanted eternal life—but not at that 
 price. He felt the need of something beyond even his 
 good manner of life, but he couldn’t quite make the 
 sacrifice required to obtain it. 
 
 How many of us find ourselves in that same situation! 
 
 We live a decent life, but we experience the lack of 
 that eternal life which we feel ought to be ours. Some- 
 thing stands between us and our rightful heritage. But 
 when it is pointed out to us, we cannot make the neces- 
 sary sacrifice. 
 
 If we do not prize eternal life above every other thing 
 in the world, it is evident that we are incapable of 
 having it. 
 
 209 
 
COMMUNICATING KNOWLEDGE 
 
 The Lord’s servant must... be.......apt to teach. 
 —II Timothy 2: 24. 
 
 It is quite one thing to know certain facts or hold 
 certain convictions and quite another thing to be able to 
 communicate them to others. A man may know his sub- 
 ject thoroughly and yet be a poor teacher. ‘The ability 
 to teach is a particular gift requiring special attention for 
 its development. 
 
 Take this idea in its simplest form: i. e., asking the 
 way. 
 
 You are travelling in the back country and desire in- 
 formation about the road. How far is it to such-and- 
 such a place, and what forks are there in the road? 
 Suppose you are inquiring of a man who has been many 
 times over the way, even so, the chances are good that he 
 can’t tell you the actual distance or that he will omit 
 some important item in describing your route. “Take him 
 with you over the road and he’ll guide you without hesi- 
 tation. But ask him to tell you how to travel it for 
 yourself,—and that is another story. 
 
 Most of us have this same kind of difficulty in the 
 primary business of religion. We find it hard to com- 
 municate our experience to others. 
 
 Perhaps we need in the first place to clarify and or- 
 ganize our ideas so that they will be communicable. 
 
 Perhaps we need to put ourselves by sympathy in the 
 other man’s place so that we can speak to his require- 
 ments instead of meandering around in inadequate remi- 
 niscences of the way. 
 
 210 
 
AM I NEEDED? 
 
 Who knoweth whether thou art not come to the king- 
 dom for such a time as this?—Esther 4: 14. . 
 
 When Esther, the exiled Jewish maiden, became by 
 a sudden chance queen and consort to King Ahasuerus, 
 Mordecai, her foster father, saw in the influence of her 
 position the one hope of foiling the plot against his fellow 
 Jews. 
 
 It was a perilous role on which Mordecai besought the 
 young queen to enter, but his knowledge of human nature 
 was revealed in the final words of his appeal: ‘ Who 
 knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for 
 such a time as this? ” 
 
 The challenge to usefulness was irresistible. Esther 
 accepted it: “I will go in unto the king, which is not 
 according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” 
 
 ‘The same quality appears all through sound and sane 
 human nature. ‘The surest challenge to heroic action in 
 any human being is the conviction that he is needed to do 
 some particular thing. With that assurance most men or 
 women will face anything, endure anything. 
 
 The head of a great school for nurses retired recently 
 from active service with these remarks upon the begin- 
 ning of her career: 
 
 ‘““I suddenly began to feel myself a needed person. 
 There was a whole hospital full of sick people who 
 wanted to get back to work and healthy living. There 
 were suffering and misery to relieve. ‘This feeling of 
 being needed gives the nurse or any one else the finest 
 satisfaction in life.” 
 
 Are you a needed person? If not, can’t you become 
 one? 
 
DO IT NOW 
 Straightway he called them.—Mark 1:20. 
 
 It is said that one of the striking characteristics of that 
 great and good man, Sir William Osler, was his prompt- 
 ness in following up every purpose that his fertile brain 
 produced. He was assiduous in looking up information 
 when anything unfamiliar came to his attention. He 
 was constantly making memoranda for doing things 
 which he could not immediately attend to. He was 
 prompt in carrying out the good impulses that teemed in 
 his generous heart. He never neglected worthy ideas, 
 nor delayed the performance for which they called. 
 
 A quotation often on his lips was this from Macbeth: 
 
 “The flighty purpose never is o’ertook 
 Unless the deed go with it.” 
 
 Is this not one of the secrets of greatness? Certainly 
 it is not a common characteristic of men. 
 
 We have an impulse to send a note to a friend. But 
 postpone it and perhaps forget it. 
 
 We encounter a noble idea in conversation or a book. 
 But let it slide through our leaky minds. 
 
 We hear or read a strange word or idea. Instead of 
 turning to the dictionary or other book of reference or 
 making a note for later investigation, we let it go. 
 
 Is it any wonder that our minds grow dull or that we 
 are oppressed with the sense of unfulfilled purposes? 
 Greatness may not be within our reach, but mental 
 growth is. And no one need be oppressed by the haunt- 
 ing memory of unaccepted opportunities. 
 
 212 
 
THE END SURE, THE TIME UNCERTAIN 
 It is appointed unto men once to die.-—Hebrews 9: 27. 
 
 The one thing that is absolutely sure in our earthly 
 life is that it must end in that mysterious change which 
 we call death. No possible escape from this conclusion! 
 No other way on or out! 
 
 The heart which has pumped the blood through our 
 bodies so steadily will cease to work. ‘The eyes which 
 have looked upon so many things will be darkened. The 
 lips which have uttered our thoughts and feelings will be 
 sealed with silence. ‘This is “ the unexempt condition of 
 our mortal frailty.” 
 
 It would seem as if such an inevitable end must cast 
 a shadow upon our whole existence. But not so does the 
 Christian faith interpret it. It is a stimulus to life while 
 we live, because although the end is sure the time is un- 
 certain. Make the best of every day of grace. 
 
 Death does not annihilate. After this cometh the 
 judgment of the wise and holy God which we must pre- 
 pare to meet. Beyond this mortal being Christ lives, who 
 bore our sins on the cross, and who shall appear to them 
 that wait for him, unto salvation. 
 
 Let us remember death, but fear it not! 
 
 213 
 
THE PRACTICE OF FREEDOM 
 For freedom did Christ set us free-—Galatians 5: 1. 
 
 Nothing is more important for a man to understand 
 than what it means to be free. Liberty, like all things 
 worth having, is a dangerous gift. It may lead us to 
 heights of undreamed bliss. It may thrust us into the 
 deepest of dungeons. Everything depends on whether 
 we exercise or abuse freedom. 
 
 Individualism run riot is not freedom. Disregard of 
 all convention may become enslavement just as much as 
 stupid conventionality. “To do what you please may lead 
 to the worst of all imprisonments—self-enslavement. 
 Like every virtue, freedom is closely shadowed by a vice. 
 That is the real meaning of the old saying: “ Eternal 
 vigilance is the price of liberty.” 
 
 But if we are to be free we must not only avoid the 
 abuse of freedom; we must exercise freedom. For liberty 
 is not an abstract entity to be captured and held between 
 the thumb and fingers. It is a transforming virtue in a 
 man to be exercised or at once lost. 
 
 If you have been set free, show it in life: think, speak, 
 act asa free man. It is for this purpose that Christ sets 
 men free,—that we may live beyond reach of fear and 
 favour. 
 
 214 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 I 
 
 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have 
 wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? 
 —Jeremiah 12:5. 
 
 Suppose something out of the ordinary hum-drum of 
 life happened to you. Suppose you were jerked up to 
 face a sudden danger, or caught in an unexpected diffi- 
 culty, or subjected to an unusual trial. Suppose a real 
 crisis, a final test of your courage and quality, raised its 
 head above the walls of commonplace which guard our 
 everyday life. How would you behave? 
 
 “‘ Ah,” you say, “ these are mere imaginations, not real 
 practical questions. Why cross the bridge before we 
 come to it? We can’t tell what we would do in a case 
 that has not yet come to us.” 
 
 But you see, as the French proverb says, “It is the 
 unexpected that always happens.” 
 
 And then, if and when it comes, our behaviour is not 
 a matter of chance. It is the result of a certain uncon- 
 scious preparation and training. It is the act that reveals 
 the inmost quality of the person. It is the acid test 
 of character. 
 
 “What would you do?” is no mere imaginary ques- 
 tion. It means, what are you doing now? 
 
 When we come to that uncrossed bridge it may be only 
 a single narrow plank. Are we learning to walk straight 
 and steady? 
 
 215 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 I] 
 
 Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
 —Acts 27:31. 
 
 Perhaps you have already been in a shipwreck, or a 
 near-shipwreck. If so, you know what you did,— 
 whether you were a help or a hindrance, whether you 
 played the coward or the encourager, whether you 
 thought of yourself only or of your shipmates. 
 
 In this classic wreck on the shore of Malta long ago, 
 the calm little prisoner Paul was the hero. He did not 
 care whether he lived or died; but he wanted the ship’s 
 company, sailors, soldiers, and passengers to stick to- 
 gether and do their best to pull through. “ Be of good 
 cheer,” he said, “and let no man desert his post.” 
 
 Isn’t it just the same in the daily hum-drum? Are we 
 thinking only of ourselves, or also of the other people? 
 Do we realize that their lives are just as dear to them as 
 our lives are to us? 
 
 Don’t scream when the car skids. You may demoral- 
 ize the chauffeur, who wants to live as much as you do. 
 
 If we can’t control ourselves we are hardly worth 
 saving. 
 
 - But self-control in the great emergencies is learned 
 daily in the small affairs of life. “ For the good of the 
 ship ” is the motto. 
 
 216 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 IIT 
 
 And Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away 
 unto Cyprus.—Acts 15: 39. 
 
 Paul and Barnabas had been good friends and had 
 worked happily together in the Gospel. But Barnabas 
 liked a man named John Mark and wanted to take him 
 along with them. Paul thought, from experience, that 
 he was a quitter, a slacker, and declined to take him. So 
 Barnabas left Paul and sailed away with his own fa- 
 vourite. Paul said nothing, but simply carried on with 
 his work, choosing Silas as his helper and comrade. 
 
 It is a thing that may happen to any of us,—to be 
 deserted by a friend. It hurts. But the measure of the 
 damage depends on how we take it. 
 
 What does it matter whether we were right or the 
 former friend was right? “The question is, are we strong 
 enough to carry on without his loved support? 
 
 There is no need to quarrel with him or blame him. 
 Our refuge is in our work. He takes one road, we take 
 another. ‘The goal is not changed. 
 
 Wish him Godspeed. Push ahead. If you are really 
 working in earnest your work will bring you new com- 
 panions. Where the trails meet again your old friend 
 will greet you with joy. Friendship does not mean uni- 
 formity of opinion, but unity of purpose and mutual 
 good will. 
 
 217 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 IV 
 
 If riches increase, set not your heart thereon.—Psalm 
 62: 10. 
 
 Riches is a comparative term. Some millionaires feel 
 poor beside the multimillionaires. Goldsmith’s country 
 parson was 
 
 ‘“‘ Passing rich with forty pounds a year.” 
 It is all a matter of relativity. I suppose that wealth 
 reduced to its lowest terms means a bit more of income 
 than the necessary outgo. 
 
 Probably most of our readers have that, otherwise they 
 could not have bought this book. 
 
 But what would you do, friend, if you had a great deal 
 more than that, if you were living on Easy Street? 
 
 Suppose you got the big promotion which you are try- 
 ing to earn. Suppose a fabulous legacy came to you. 
 Suppose your careful investments turned out to be profit- 
 able speculations and you moved from Easy Street to 
 Aristocrat Avenue. What would you do? 
 
 Judge by what you are doing now. Are you helpful 
 to your less fortunate neighbours? Are you ready, not 
 merely to drop a quarter into a beggar’s hat, but to give 
 a dollar to a good cause? 
 
 Remember the camel and the needle’s eye. Riches 
 would ruin you, unless you had learned to be a good 
 steward. 
 
 218 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 V 
 Is any among you suffering? let him pray.—James 5: 13. 
 
 Health is the normal condition of life, just as peace 
 is the normal state of the world. But war comes to the 
 world, and sickness comes to the individual. “The im- 
 portant question is not why does it come, but how shall 
 we meet it? 
 
 To be seriously ill is trying to a real man or woman 
 just because it is abnormal. It involves pain, it stops 
 work, it abolishes pleasure, it destroys independence. 
 How shall we bear it? 
 
 Well, the answer depends on how we have learned to 
 bear the small “slings and arrows” of fortune in the 
 hum-drum of life. 
 
 Has the sting of every insect seemed to us a personal 
 outrage? Has every twinge of a nerve been like a cruel 
 injustice? Have we resented every physical pain as 
 something unmerited and hostile? ‘Then a serious illness 
 may be a calamity to us, and nothing else. 
 
 But if we have learned to take small aches and pains 
 merely as “ rubs of the green,” if we have cherished the 
 spirit of patience and hope in minor adversities, then a 
 serious illness may be a blessing in disguise. 
 
 It may teach us how frail we are. It may enable us 
 to help the doctor and the nurse, God willing, to bring 
 us back to life and work. ‘Therefore pray when you 
 are sick, 
 
 219 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 
 VI 
 The time of my departure is come.—II ‘Timothy 4: 6. 
 
 No man can predict the hour of his death. ‘That it is 
 coming is sure, but when it will arrive he does not know. 
 Yet there are certain signs and omens which bring him 
 face to face with it. 
 
 Old age which has its limits: a disease for which the 
 doctors know no remedy: a decree of the court (as in 
 Paul’s case) against which there is no appeal. 
 
 How shall we meet this stark fact? How shall we 
 behave in this inexorable presence? 
 
 Well, beloved, it seems to me that we must behave 
 just as we have behaved in all the other crises of life,— 
 any one of which might have been final. If we have 
 gone through calamity and sickness and pain and separa- 
 tion without flinching, why should we not go through 
 this last door ? 
 
 If I knew that I had to die next week, I should try to 
 finish my work and put all affairs in order, to say a cheer- 
 ful good-bye to those who love me, and then to slip out 
 quietly on the new voyage trusting absolutely and only in 
 our divine pilot, Jesus Christ. 
 
 220 
 
MORAL SENSE 
 
 Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: 
 Praise is comely for the upright. 
 —Psalm 33:1. 
 
 In many ways ours is a restless, unhappy age. The 
 reason is not hard to find. It lies in our lack of moral 
 sense. On the one hand, many people see life and their 
 relationship to God and man from a totally non-moral 
 point-of-view. This pagan attitude receives such con- 
 tinuous denunciation from the pulpit and the religious 
 press that I may be pardoned for passing it by. It is an 
 obvious evil. 
 
 But there is another side to the picture. If some peo- 
 ple are totally blind to moral issues, others are equally 
 wrong in continually discovering moral issues where none 
 exist. Such an attitude makes for a ridiculous degree of 
 self-consciousness and produces a terribly inflamed con- 
 dition of the conscience. 
 
 For people suffering from this disease all the joy is 
 gone out of life; and God, far from being our heavenly 
 Father, is viewed as a mean and tricky task-master. 
 
 There are lots of things in the world which are merely 
 matters of taste or temperament. ‘They have nothing to 
 do with morality. You will never find the meaning of 
 religion and experience the joy of salvation if you go 
 around measuring yourself and your neighbours with the 
 imaginary foot-rule of manufactured moral issues. 
 
 221 
 
OUR OBLIGATION TO THE PAST 
 
 And these all, having had witness borne to them 
 through their faith, received not the promise, God hav- 
 ing provided some better thing concerning us, that apart 
 from us they should not be made perfect.—Hebrews 
 II: 39-40. 
 
 Most of the attention we give to the past in these vig- 
 orous but not very thoughtful days, is directed toward 
 denying its authority over us. Doubtless it is true that 
 the bald fact that things used to be thus and so, is not a 
 sufficient reason why they should continue thus and so 
 forever. But neither is it a sufficient reason why they 
 should not so continue. Let us turn from this futile 
 though popular discussion, which can never be decided in 
 the abstract but only by the consideration of concrete 
 cases, and let us consider the much neglected issue of our 
 duty toward the past. 
 
 Apart from us, the lives of the heroes of the past are 
 incomplete, imperfect. It is a sobering thought. Not; 
 what has the past done for us? but; what ought we to 
 do for those who have lived and died before us? 
 
 At first glimpse, it seems an absurd issue. What obli- 
 gation have we got toward those who have lived their 
 lives and are now dead? But the more we reflect on it 
 the truer it appears. No man’s work is ever completed 
 in his own lifetime. It goes on endlessly through the 
 ages toward perfection; or it remains forever incomplete 
 because the following generations are faithless to their 
 duty. 
 
 222 
 
PARENTS AND CHILDREN 
 
 Honour thy father and mother (which is the first com- 
 mandment with promise) ... And, ye fathers, provoke 
 not your children to wrath.—Ephesians 6: 2, 4. 
 
 We need to remind ourselves that this question of rela- 
 tionship between the older and the younger generations 
 is not a new thing; and that there are two sides to the 
 question; and still further that all sensible people belong 
 on both sides. 
 
 Let us be frank without being partisan. ‘There can be 
 no doubt about it, this commandment for children to 
 honour their parents is primarily addressed to children 
 and is not intended to afford support to tyrannical par- 
 ents. Lest there be misunderstanding about it, Paul has 
 added to the admonition, ‘‘ Children obey your parents,” 
 the phrase “in the Lord.” He wishes it to be under- 
 stood that he is not suggesting that anything a parent 
 commands must invariably be law for his child. And 
 this he supplements with a direct counsel to fathers not 
 to provoke their children. 
 
 From all of which it ought to be perfectly clear that 
 parental discipline is founded, not on abstract ideas of 
 authority, but on that superior ability to govern and 
 teach which age and experience may reasonably be ex- 
 pected to give. 
 
 On the other hand, it is equally evident that the com- 
 mandment definitely forbids children to set up their very 
 limited experience and inadequate thought against their 
 parents,—for reasons which any one, except spoilt chil- 
 dren, will readily comprehend. 
 
 Perhaps the solution lies in children and parents spend- 
 ing more time together both in work and play, and thus 
 learning to respect each other. 
 
 223 
 
ONLOOKERS 
 The people stood beholding.—Luke 23: 35. 
 
 Before Christ on the cross the people were mere on- 
 lookers. The terrible battle of man and God with sin 
 and death was just a spectacle,—a sight to behold. 
 
 There were of course a few who felt and understood 
 and learned something in that dreadful hour. But the 
 crowd, the general populace, were only onlookers. 
 Doubtless at one moment or other a thrill of pity passed 
 through their frames, but they acted as if they were in 
 no sense personally concerned in the event. 
 
 This is the characteristic attitude of the crowd. Peo- 
 ple in the mass feel that they have no responsibility. As 
 onlookers they have no personal concern in that which 
 holds their attention. 
 
 But can it be true that the audience, the onlookers, are 
 just neutrals? 
 
 Is there not a moral responsibility involved in being an 
 onlooker? What do you think of the Roman populace 
 that thronged the Colosseum for its bloody spectacles? 
 
 Well, let’s bring it up to date. What about the posi- 
 tion of the audience at a prize fight, or at a vulgar show 
 or a suggestive play? Can you blame it all on the 
 fighters, the actors, the promoters? 
 
 In real life no one can escape responsibility by becom- 
 ing an onlooker. For every one is an actor and has a 
 part to play, 
 
 224 
 
THE LIMITS OF OMNIPOTENCE 
 Love never faileth—I Corinthians 13: 8. 
 
 Perhaps the weakest point in our knowledge of God is 
 our misapprehension of his omnipotence. 
 
 We confuse omnipotence with arbitrary power. We 
 argue in the abstract about omnipotence apart from con- 
 sistency of character. And we end up with the most 
 frightful caricature of God. 
 
 We must begin rightly with the faith that Jesus taught 
 us that all things are possible with God. And then we 
 must observe (what Jesus also taught us) that the power 
 of God is not arbitrary but consistent, that God is carry- 
 ing out his will for and through men by the self-imposed 
 limitation inherent in love. 
 
 He cannot make evil good; he cannot make the false 
 true. He cannot violate the sacred rights of personal- 
 ity. Such limitations are the very evidence of moral 
 omnipotence. 
 
 For love is the one thing that can never fail. It can 
 be delayed, thwarted temporarily. It can suffer and even 
 die—temporarily. In the end love rises up again and 
 finally wins the victory. 
 
 The limits of omnipotence are set by love which never 
 
 faileth. 
 
 225 
 
A GREEN OLD AGE 
 
 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; 
 
 They shall be full of sap and green: 
 
 To show that Jehovah is upright; 
 
 He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. 
 —Psalm 92: 14. 
 
 I hear it said so often and by such unqualified per- 
 sons that this is a young man’s world that I have become 
 thoroughly sceptical on the issue. I observe that many 
 men and women of advanced years are more than hold- 
 ing their own with youth; and I note that where youth is 
 making progress which bears the marks of permanency 
 there are usually some of the old boys around. 
 
 Do you know the story of ‘Thomas Mayhew who be- 
 came Governor of the island of Martha’s Vineyard in 
 1642? His son was ordained to the ministry and estab- 
 lished a very successful work notably among the Indians. 
 In all this his father lent encouragement and practical 
 assistance. Finding himself in need of funds the younger 
 man started on a trip to England to interest some people 
 there, but was lost at sea. His father on receipt of the 
 sad news decided to take up his son’s work, and although 
 he was already seventy years old he began the study of 
 the Indian language and went about preaching at the 
 various plantations and finally organized the first Indian 
 Church with an Indian pastor. This work he kept up 
 till he died in his ninetieth year in 1682. And it is said 
 that during the forty years he lived among them as Goy- 
 ernor and missionary the Indians and the white men were 
 continuously at peace, 
 
 226 
 
MAKING YOURSELF A NUISANCE 
 
 Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbour's house, 
 Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee. 
 —Proverbs 25: 17. 
 
 This is not a plea for unneighbourliness. It is a warn- 
 ing against making yourself a nuisance. “To concern 
 yourself too much with your neighbour is not a sign of 
 interest in him, but an indication of thinking too much 
 of yourself. ‘There is a great difference between making 
 a friendly visit and hanging around all the time. Some- 
 times your neighbour is busy with affairs which do not 
 concern you. If you love him, you’ll leave him alone. 
 There is a privacy which the best of friends do not vi- 
 olate. Indeed that is one reason why they are friends. 
 
 Peeping and prying is always a despicable activity even 
 when it is practised under the guise of friendship or 
 neighbourliness. 
 
 It is usually a fault common to those who are not very 
 busy themselves and who like to lean on the activity of 
 others. 
 
 Especially must we beware of making this error in 
 trying to win men to religion. ‘To be perseverant in 
 following after a soul walking in darkness is a virtue. 
 But to pursue him in such fashion that he comes to hate 
 the light is a disastrous error. 
 
 There is an attitude which is neither showing yourself 
 indifferent nor constituting yourself a nuisance. It is 
 founded on a deep regard for your neighbour’s happiness. 
 and a supreme unconcern about getting your own way. 
 
 aay 
 
PROGRAMMES AND PEOPLE 
 
 Jehovah said unto Gideon, By the three hundred that 
 lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into 
 thy hand.—Judges 7: 7. 
 
 When Gideon was called by the angel of the Lord to 
 save Israel from the land of Midian, he promptly devel- 
 oped a plan of procedure. But he did not set up a cam- 
 paign and accept anybody who came along for a share in 
 it. He picked his men with great care. “Twice he went 
 over the men who flocked to his standard and for the 
 first attack on the enemy he reduced his force from 
 32,000 to 300 men. 
 
 ‘ It is a procedure that deserves our attention today. 
 ‘Too many theoretical idealists are at large laying down 
 programmes for all the rest of humanity without regard 
 to the qualifications of men for taking part in their pro- 
 grammes. ‘Their intentions are excellent but their ideals 
 are futilitarian—not because they aim too high for men, 
 but because they do not begin where the men are.. 
 
 No programme will work without properly qualified 
 men. And just as much attention ought to be paid to 
 selecting those men as to preparing the programme. 
 
 The chief need in our age, as probably in every other 
 age, is better men. If the millennium as a social pro- 
 gramme were suddenly put into effect among us it would 
 produce disaster. Let the good work of preparation and 
 selection go on. Every man is good for something, but 
 no man can be qualified for everything. 
 
 228 
 
FOR WHOM ARE PRIVILEGES? 
 
 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast 
 your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them 
 under their feet, and turn and rend you.—Matthew 7: 6. 
 
 We hear a great deal today about what are called 
 *‘ under-privileged groups.” No one who looks upon 
 humanity with genuine sympathy can doubt that there 
 are such people. “They deserve far more attention than 
 they receive. But we ought to realize that the indiscrim- 
 inate extension of privileges is not the real object of 
 philanthropy. For any gift to be beneficial to any person, 
 there must be a corresponding capacity on the part of the 
 recipient to make good use of it. 
 
 And just there lies the trouble with much of our social 
 organization. It lacks discrimination in the distribution 
 of its privileges. Money left to a fool is certainly not 
 a benefit. To send a loafer to college is a doubtful priv- 
 ilege unless you present him also with a few well-calcu- 
 lated mental jolts. 
 
 To provide opportunities and privileges for those who 
 are incapable of exercising them beneficially or who will 
 abuse them, is folly of the most supreme variety. 
 
 The distribution of privileges under the present social 
 order is undoubtedly far from justice. But will it get 
 any better if we rush to the other extreme and attempt to 
 give the same things to everybody, regardless of their 
 qualifications for receiving them? 
 
 229 
 
HIDDEN POTENTIALITIES 
 
 Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.— 
 Judges 6: 12. 
 
 Probably that form of address was a great surprise to 
 young Gideon. For he was apparently a modest, simple- 
 hearted youth who pondered the ill-fortunes of his people 
 in bondage to the Midianites but did not yet realize the 
 part that he was to play in their liberation. Unlike many 
 people he did not think of himself as a hero. Perhaps 
 that is why the angel of God perceived heroic qualities 
 in him. 
 
 Very possibly Gideon did not look like a hero. But 
 then, heroism has a way of bobbing up in most unlikely 
 persons. Certainly he was engaged in a very common- 
 place task when the call came. He was ingloriously 
 beating out wheat in the wine press in order to hide it 
 from the Midianites. But under that uncouth exterior 
 and amid those ordinary labours the angel saw the quali- 
 ties that were to make him the saviour of his people. 
 
 Most men—more especially those of a humble spirit— 
 have hidden potentialities of some sort. Recall the boys 
 with whom you used to play—particularly the awkward, 
 shy boys ridiculed and slighted by their companions. 
 How often does it happen that these are now the ones 
 who are accomplishing things and rendering service to 
 men. 
 
 If we could read character aright we should be salut- 
 ing many ar ordinary looking boy as a mighty man of 
 valour, 
 
 230 
 
POSTPONED DUTIES 
 
 When I have a convenient season, I will call thee unto 
 me.—Acts 24:25. 
 
 Felix, the Roman Governor, for all his pomp and au- 
 thority was terrified. He trembled before his prisoner. 
 
 Paul, reasoning of righteousness and self-control and 
 the judgment to come, reached his conscience. “This was 
 a real experience for both men. 
 
 Felix saw what the inevitable outcome would be if he 
 faced the duty that Paul set, not only before him, but 
 before the whole world. So he did what most of us do 
 under similar circumstances. He postponed the decision 
 to a convenient season. So far as we know the conven- 
 ient season never came. 
 
 It never does come for anybody. You simply cannot 
 postpone a duty. You can only refuse it. And when 
 you refuse it you have taken the most effective way of 
 damaging yourself. 
 
 How many of the sorrows and anxieties of life come 
 from “ postponed ”’ duties. 
 
 Tomorrow is never what we think it will be. In 
 that sense tomorrow never comes. “Today we think we 
 will be happy and please ourselves. “Tomorrow we 
 will do our duty. But we only make ourselves wretched 
 pleasure-seekers. 
 
 For human nature is fundamentally such that it can 
 only find enduring gladness in the incidental accompani- 
 ments of duty performed today. 
 
 231 
 
THE ART OF PLODDING 
 They shall walk, and not faint.—l\saiah 40: 31. 
 
 “ T can plod,” said William Carey, “that is my only 
 genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. ‘To this 
 I owe everything.” 
 
 As a result of this “ plodding” he advanced in sixty 
 years from a poor cobbler’s apprentice at the age of thir- 
 teen, to die at seventy-three not only one of the most dis- 
 tinguished Englishmen of his country, but the establisher 
 of the modern world missionary movement. 
 
 A master of many Indian dialects, a notable translator 
 and teacher, a real contributor to the science of botany, 
 a great disciple of Christ—he was able to walk and not 
 faint. 
 
 It is a great quality, this ability to keep indefinitely 
 pushing on toward the goal even though the pace seem 
 intolerably slow. It is the quality celebrated in the fable 
 of the race which the tortoise won from the hare. 
 
 To keep on patiently plodding along is the attitude of 
 those who, in the words of Isaiah, wait for the Lord. 
 ‘They alone can endure the strain of an almost imper- 
 ceptible advance. Only they can run without weariness 
 and likewise perform the far more exacting task of plod- 
 ding industriously without becoming discouraged. Cer- 
 tainly it is one aspect of genius that it is “‘ the infinite 
 capacity for taking pains.” 
 
 ¢ 
 
 232 
 
WAYSIDE PLEASURES 
 
 He that hath mercy on them will lead them, even by 
 springs of water will he guide them.—lIsaiah 49: 10. 
 
 One reason why life looks so pleasureless to many peo- 
 ple is because they make pleasure the main object of liv- 
 ing. For to set out to capture pleasure only means that 
 it will straightway elude you; its very essence lies in its 
 unexpected and incidental nature. 
 
 There is only one basis for really enjoying life, and 
 that is, to walk in the way in which God leads you. 
 Then you are prepared to find delight in all sorts of 
 wayside incidents, 
 
 For one thing, the ability of the senses to enjoy any- 
 thing depends as much on the tone of the mind as on any 
 external happening. Some people are like Peter Bell of 
 whom Wordsworth wrote: 
 
 “A primrose by a river’s brim 
 A yellow primrose was to him, 
 And it was nothing more.” 
 
 When a man is drifting through life, seeking nothing 
 outside of self-gratification, the world must become in- 
 creasingly a barren and forbidding wilderness. 
 
 But it is wonderful how many delights fall to the lot 
 of him who is led by God. For such a one the clasp of 
 a friend’s hand, a cool drink in the heat of noon, a 
 merry salutation from a passing traveller, a glimpse of 
 beauty by the road, a quiet resting-place at night, are all 
 full of unspeakable pleasure. 
 
 233 
 
PLAY 
 
 The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls 
 playing in the streets thereof.—Zechariah 8: 5. 
 
 What a pretty picture that is! You can almost hear 
 the shouts and laughter of happy voices and see the merry 
 dancing rings of children. 
 
 Let us stop a moment and meditate on this lovely 
 scene which the prophet describes as taking place in “‘ the 
 city of truth.” 
 
 Play is no small thing in bringing happiness to human 
 life. That’s why most boys and girls enjoy life more 
 than men and women. We allow the joints of our minds 
 to become stiffened with dignity or pride or anxiety. We 
 are afraid or unwilling to let go and disport ourselves. 
 We have stunted our imaginations so that the streets of 
 our own city instead of being a playground and wonder- 
 land of adventure seem a dull and drab prison house. 
 
 Surely those of us who are grown-up children need to 
 play. Why not! Is it inconsistent with a due sense of 
 responsibility? Is it the mark of a frivolous mind? 
 
 Look at the men and women who are succeeding in 
 work of any sort that bears the human touch. Do they 
 not turn and become, when the chance offers, carefree 
 playing children? 
 
 Play is quite as important to human life as work. The 
 pompous, unbending individual and .the mean cynical 
 fellow are human misfits. “They may exist but they 
 cannot live. 
 
 234 
 
THE SACREDNESS OF PERSONALITY 
 
 The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.— 
 I Corinthians 3:17 (margin). 
 
 The use of churches, even under the stress of war con- 
 ditions, for other purposes than worship always arouses 
 great indignation among religious people. 
 
 And yet, although it is evident to all spiritually- 
 minded persons that the abiding-place of God is in man- 
 kind rather than in buildings, many people fail to take 
 the action requisite to prevent the continual debauching 
 of the minds and bodies of men. Indeed, there are not 
 a few who claim the right to employ their own minds 
 and bodies in any manner they desire and the minds and 
 bodies of other people in whatever manner they are able. 
 
 We greatly need a fresh realization of the holiness of 
 men’s persons as the temple of God in order to put an 
 end to these violations of sanctuary. For no one can 
 estimate the endless troubles which arise from this abuse 
 of personality through the employment of human life for 
 our own selfish ends instead of recognizing it as the 
 abiding-place of God in the Spirit. 
 
 And doubtless if we paid more attention to educat- 
 ing ourselves and our children in the acceptance of the 
 sacredness of personality we should be released from 
 much silly fussing over the spurious modern panacea of 
 censorship. 
 
 235 
 
PERSONAL TROUBLES AND PRAYER FOR 
 OTHERS 
 
 Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed 
 for his friends—Job 42: 10. 
 
 There is nothing so liberating as a sincere concern for 
 other people. Most of the prisons in which men find 
 themselves locked up are built in part by themselves. 
 
 If you really desire spiritual liberty, pray for your 
 friends. ‘The charter of personal liberty belongs to the 
 man whose life is given to his friends. 
 
 “He that loseth his life shall find it.” 
 
 The man whose universe centres about himself must 
 always be a slave. 
 
 Altruism is not disinterested except in the purely selfish 
 sense. It is the road to freedom. But will we take it? 
 
 ‘The youth becomes preoccupied with his own sensa- 
 tions and reactions. He deals with other people only for 
 their effect upon himself. Little by little life shuts him 
 in, till suddenly he hears the iron door clang to and the 
 bolts make it fast. 
 
 The old man thrusts life away from him. He will 
 dwell alone with memory. His shell hardens over him 
 till suddenly he finds the very breath of life cut off. 
 
 There is no peace that way. Our lives can only be 
 free when they are concerned with our friends. 
 
 ‘The end of many troubles comes when we step out of 
 the prison of self and find spiritual liberation in earnest 
 prayer for our friends. 
 
 Have you tried it lately? 
 
 236 
 
PRINCES OF PETTINESS 
 
 Ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over 
 justice and the love of God.—Luke 11: 42. 
 
 It is always easy to be busy, but it requires greatness 
 to select the things that are worth being busy about. 
 
 How facilely we concern ourselves about secondary 
 things. The ancient Pharisees are not the only people 
 who were meticulous about details and careless of first 
 principles. 
 
 Many a man forgets that the object of his labour is 
 life—and wastes himself on the detail of money-making. 
 
 Many a woman forgets that the object for which she 
 manages her household is the happiness and well-being of 
 the family,—and worries and frets over minor irregulari- 
 ties until everyone is miserable. 
 
 Many a preacher forgets that his purpose in the church 
 is to bring the Gospel to the souls of men and establish 
 it there—and gets lost in the mazes of committees and 
 other details of organization. 
 
 And most of us find one way or another of falling 
 away from the important things and pouring out time and 
 effort over secondary things. In fact one of the chief 
 excuses we offer ourselves for failing to act in primary 
 obligations is that we are too busy over details of living. 
 We are ready to fuss, but not to decide. We are con- 
 cerned to dress well, but we neglect our minds. We 
 spend a good deal of time over our reputation, but not 
 much on our characters. 
 
 In fact many of us are in serious danger of becoming 
 princes of pettiness, 
 
 237 
 
THE DELUSION OF PERFECTIONISM 
 
 Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your Heavenly Father 
 is perfect.—Matthew 5: 48. 
 
 Nothing is commoner among small-minded men than 
 the delusion of perfectionism. “To hear some of them 
 talk you would think that it would be next to impossible 
 to pick a flaw in their conduct. 
 
 But every honest man knows (to put it mildly) that 
 even the best of men has his weaknesses. 
 
 What, then, is the meaning of this declaratory com- 
 mand of Jesus? It cannot be a word spoken to tantalize 
 us with the impossibility of fulfilment. It must have a 
 practical bearing on our lives. ‘To look for anything 
 less would be to run counter to the whole spirit and 
 purpose of Jesus’ teaching. 
 
 How, then, shall we be perfect as our heavenly Father 
 is perfect? Perfection in the realm of action is evidently 
 out of the question. But, thanks be to God, a man is not 
 only what he does. Superior to the realm of conduct is 
 that of character ; beyond performance is motive and pur- 
 pose. And here it is that we are called on to be perfect 
 as our heavenly Father is perfect. Relatively to his 
 capacity and condition a man may be perfect in the realm 
 of character and purpose. 
 
 It is therefore incumbent on all serious-minded men to 
 stop trying to dress up and defend their conduct, and 
 concentrate on the establishment in their hearts of that 
 love which alone makes perfect. 
 
 238 
 
LIMITATIONS 
 Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further—Job 38: 11. 
 
 It is not only the sea to which God has set limits. 
 Everything has its limits; even human nature. 
 
 And yet men will go on acting as if there were no end 
 to their personal possibilities. 
 
 One of the first signs of intellectual maturity is the 
 recognition of limitations. 
 
 The “city feller”? may rather fancy himself in the 
 garb of a cowboy. So far it is nothing but dressing up. 
 But let him not forget that a cowboy’s work is only for 
 him who has something in him which is not native to 
 all men. 
 
 The 250-pounder will not make a distance runner; 
 nor the 110-pounder a footballer. No man is yet found 
 
 who can remain continuously awake, or who can escape 
 
 the need of food and drink. 
 
 In reality it is the part of cowardly egotism to refuse 
 to recognize the limits of human nature and in particular 
 our own limitations. 
 
 There is no need to be apologetic about such limita- 
 tions as are inherent in your nature unless you are failing 
 to make the most of what possibilities you have. 
 
 For the first step in overcoming limitations is to recog- 
 nize them. 
 
 Even if you can’t lift a rock with your arms and back, 
 you may have brains enough to use a lever. 
 
 The result is the same. 
 
 239 
 
 4 
 
MOODS 
 
 Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered 
 the mount.—Exodus 24:15. 
 
 Every one who climbs mountains is familiar with the 
 fact that the high peaks are frequently hidden in the 
 clouds. How often a climbing expedition sets out. from 
 the valley in warm, lovely weather and ends up on the 
 peak that was its goal enveloped in cold fog and rain and 
 snow. ‘Lhe beautiful view that was anticipated is hid- 
 den. Perhaps it may open up for a momentary glimpse. 
 Perhaps it may be veiled till the expedition must re- 
 turn. Sometimes just as the valley is reached the 
 cloud that shrouded the peak suddenly is torn aside and 
 the climbers are tantalized with the thought of what 
 they have missed. ‘That is one of the uncertainties of 
 mountaineering. 
 
 Nor is it any different in the realm of spiritual living. 
 ‘There are moods that like clouds may veil our view as we 
 clamber to the spiritual heights. Sometimes they are 
 quite unpredictable. The factors that make spiritual 
 weather, like meteorological conditions, are not yet 
 known as an exact science. 
 
 But perhaps if we dealt with moods as the moun- 
 taineer deals with weather conditions, we should be far 
 wiser and happier. Especially on the heights there are 
 many uncertainties. But the view is there if we will 
 keep on climbing the mountain till we get it. 
 
 Clouds do not permanently obliterate landscape, nor 
 moods the vision of faith. 
 
 240 
 
SPONTANEOUS PRAYER 
 
 The King said unto me, For what dost thou make 
 request? So I prayed to the God of Heaven. And I 
 said unto the King, If it please the king ..., etc.— 
 Nehemiah 2: 4-5. 
 
 It was a critical moment for Nehemiah. ‘The un- 
 spoken thoughts of his heart had left an impress on his 
 face and the king took note of the expression of his cup- 
 bearer. What did he want? Then Nehemiah knew 
 that he must speak out and risk his secret concern for his 
 own people on the king’s sympathy. 
 
 Observe then what he did. He prayed to the God 
 of Heaven and spoke to the king—to all intents and 
 purposes simultaneously. It was no sonorous balanced 
 prayer that Nehemiah uttered in that brief pause between 
 the King’s question and his polite but bold request that 
 he be permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. 
 ‘There was no time for anything but the swift sponta- 
 neous prostration of his soul before God. 
 
 What was that prayer? An impulsive “ God help 
 me’’? No one knows. Perhaps it was so swift that 
 there were no words, just a rush of the spirit into the 
 solemn and gracious abiding presence of God to receive 
 courage and hope. 
 
 Do you ever feel that our religion is too much limited 
 to formal observances and state occasions? Consider the 
 needs of mankind as a whole. Pageant and ceremonial 
 have a place there. But neither they nor anything else 
 can take the place of that spontaneous, trustful casting of 
 the soul upon God in every time of need. 
 
 241 
 
UNANSWERED PRAYERS 
 
 Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.—Luke 
 22: 42. 
 
 In one of our familiar hymns is a line of touching 
 beauty and pathos: 
 
 “Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.” 
 
 Everyone who has implored the sparing of a well- 
 beloved life that seemed to be passing away, everyone 
 who has begged relief from some sharp trial, some great 
 calamity, some slowly creeping painful illness, knows 
 how hard it is to leave the petition ungranted and rise to 
 the day’s work with unshaken faith and courage. 
 
 That is what the hymn means. No one has really 
 prayed who does not understand and feel its deep signif- 
 icance. Underneath all our true supplications there must 
 lie the confidence that God knows what is best, and He 
 may not see the matter as we do. He has more light. 
 The best of all things is that His will should be done. 
 
 But is the prayer really unanswered just because the 
 response is delayed, or different from what we wanted? 
 If patience comes into our hearts is not that in itself a 
 beautiful and glorious answer? 
 
 Patience is a form of love which endureth all things. 
 Patience is a mode of faith which overcometh the world. 
 
 I think there are no unanswered prayers. 
 
 Only there are some which are answered at another 
 time and in a different way from what we expected. 
 
 242 
 
RICHES AS A HANDICAP 
 
 How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
 kingdom of God/—Mark 10: 23. 
 
 An old Vermont farmer was talking with a young 
 neighbour. The young man was complaining because 
 the devil’s paint-brush (that bright but destructive weed ) 
 was ruining his hay-crop. “ Fertilize your land, my 
 boy, fertilize your land,” said the old man, “ I’ve noticed 
 that the devil’s paint-brush is like lots of folks. It can’t 
 stand prosperity.” 
 
 You see, the trouble is not in the prosperity itself, but 
 in the character of the persons who meet it. Unless a 
 man have stability of character, riches at once throw him 
 off his balance. How often the frugal and hard-working 
 youth is turned by the acquirement of riches into a hard 
 and selfish old man! How often the man, whose first 
 book written with care and devotion achieves success, 
 degenerates into a merely popular author! How often 
 the modest industrious woman is changed by prosperity 
 into a vain and frivolous creature! 
 
 Prosperity is for most of us a terrible pitfall. Adver- 
 sity seems usually to call forth the best that is in us. 
 
 What is it that will enable us to go through life 
 master of the outward circumstances of both prosperity 
 and hardship? Surely it is to follow in the way of 
 Christ who came not to do his own will, but the will of 
 God who sent him. 
 
 243 
 
PERSEVERANCE 
 
 Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season 
 we shall reap, if we faint not.—Galatians 6: 9. 
 
 Most divisions among men are unreal, without essen- 
 tial justification. But the more I deal with men the 
 more am I impressed with the importance of that division 
 which separates men into “stickers”? and “ quitters.” 
 Again and again I find myself unable to discover any 
 vital difference between two men except that one carries 
 his undertaking through to a conclusion, while the other 
 peters out somewhere along the way. Oftentimes the 
 latter makes a better beginning than the former. But 
 the ability to see a task through to the end is quite a 
 different quality from the ability to undertake it. 
 
 Unless my acquaintance with people has been peculiar, 
 it would seem that there are today a good many people, 
 otherwise excellently qualified for valuable service, who 
 lack the one quality of perseverence. “They do not finish 
 what they have begun. Often they are too impatient to 
 see that time is an element in every valuable accomplish- 
 ment. Some of them are continually ‘‘ taking up” some 
 new pursuit—and, as soon as the novelty wears off or the 
 dificulties appear, laying it aside for something else. 
 ‘They never reap the benefits of what are frequently fine 
 beginnings, because they will not stay long enough with 
 their undertakings. 
 
 It is a great pity, because not only are many harvests 
 unreaped, but also much bitterness and despair befall 
 those who fail to endure unto the end. 
 
 244 
 
PLAIN SPEECH 
 
 So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to 
 be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?— 
 I Corinthians 14: 9. 
 
 Many people, alas! do not employ speech for the pur- 
 pose of revealing the truth, but often for the object of 
 concealing it. 
 
 In fact this is one of the commonest ways of lying— 
 not the direct statement of falsehood but so tortuous a 
 use of language that men easily get the wrong idea of the 
 facts. This is the method of educated crooks in deceiving 
 simple folks. It is the procedure of the old secret diplo- 
 macy which was forever saying one thing and meaning 
 another. It is the manner of a certain school of writers 
 and speakers today who will talk or write fluently at 
 great length; and when they stop the reader or the lis- 
 tener is in the same state as when the words began— 
 except that he is feeling weary. 
 
 We do too much writing and talking for our own 
 selfish satisfaction and without consideration for other 
 people. The desire to express ourselves is no justification 
 for inflicting meaningless words on a world already suffi- 
 ciently confused. If we do not ourselves know what we 
 are saying, surely it is reasonable to expect that no one 
 else will understand. 
 
 Doubtless much confusion in the Church would cease 
 if preachers employed only speech easy to be understood. 
 The output of talk would be decreased; but who would 
 grieve? 
 
 245 
 
THE NECESSITY OF APPEARING 
 RIDICULOUS 
 
 They laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, 
 What is this thing that ye do?—-Nehemiah 2: 19. 
 
 One of the strongest feelings in most people is an in- 
 stinctive aversion to appearing ridiculous. We are will- 
 ing to do almost anything to escape being laughed at. 
 In fact there are few more powerful weapons in the 
 world than ridicule. 
 
 And yet the whole strength of ridicule lies in the 
 weakness of the person attacked. In itself a laugh has 
 no power at all. 
 
 When Nehemiah returned with the permission of the 
 Persian king to rebuild Jerusalem the Bedawin chieftains 
 who were profiting by the desolate condition of the city 
 gathered about him and poured spiteful laughter on him 
 for undertaking the colossal task. Doubtless it did look 
 ridiculous. A handful of enthusiastic Jews planning the 
 reconstruction of a destroyed city surrounded by scornful 
 tribes of marauders like a ring of grinning jackals. And 
 yet the ridiculous thing was done. 
 
 One of the first requirements for a doer of deeds is 
 the ability to withstand ridicule. I would even go fur- 
 ther and say that no one ever accomplished anything 
 worth while without appearing foolish to some one. 
 Certainly most progress in invention and discovery is 
 made in the face of laughter. And what man ever car- 
 ried out the will of God without looking ridiculous? 
 
 If you have never been called absurd you may be sure 
 you have never done anything important. 
 
 246 
 
RECIPE FOR RIOTS 
 
 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into 
 disrepute; but also that the temple of the great goddess 
 Diana be made of no account.—Acts 19: 27. 
 
 Demetrius was a shrewd man according to his lights. 
 He knew just what to do in order to stir up his fellow 
 townsmen against the Apostle Paul’s preaching. Climb- 
 ing on whatever in those days occupied the place of the 
 modern soap-box he mixed the one sure formula for riots; 
 the appeal to self-interest backed by religious prejudice. 
 
 He pointed out that if Paul’s preaching reached the 
 hearts of the people the business of those who made the 
 silver images of Diana would be ruined; and then justi- 
 fied the selfishness thus aroused by showing that it meant 
 the despising and ultimate destruction “ of the temple of 
 the great goddess Diana... whom all Asia and the 
 world worshippeth.” 
 
 It was a first-rate demagogue’s speech and inevitably 
 led to the desired riot. But could it permanently stay 
 the course of Paul’s preaching? 
 
 Today the Gospel encircles the world. Diana’s temple 
 at Ephesus and the life of the silversmiths who lived on 
 her trade are buried in the musty past. 
 
 The next time you hear a speaker appeal to people’s 
 self-interest and back it up with the sanctions of religious 
 prejudice, beware. He is only brewing the old recipe for 
 riots which is as potent today as ever. 
 
 247 
 
PREACHING WITHOUT WORDS 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God; 
 And the firmament showeth his handiwork. 
 —Psalm 19: I. 
 
 Reading or listening to words does not provide the sole 
 way of receiving ideas and comprehending truth. Or, if 
 you prefer to put it so, there is another language in the 
 world than the words of human speech. 
 
 Books and talk, after all, are only convenient ways for 
 communicating what a man has learned from experience 
 and observation of the world. Wisdom primarily lies 
 not in the words but in what is behind them. Sincere 
 writers and speakers know this and aim to help their 
 hearers to listen for themselves to the wordless language 
 of the universe. 
 
 Especially is this the case with religious truth. For 
 the ultimate evidence for God in your soul or mine is 
 not some other man’s talk about Him, but the whole 
 testimony of heaven and earth that comes directly home 
 to our souls. 
 
 Do not misunderstand me. Words are vital for the 
 formulation and communication of thought. But there 
 are vital religious truths concerning which stars or trees 
 are God’s accredited prophets. Some of the finest ser- 
 mons are wordless, though they usually send their hearers 
 away with a few words to summon men to “ hear” the 
 original prophet. 
 
 Perhaps this is what our age needs. More listening to 
 God’s wordless sermons and less to men’s verbose and 
 inadequate arguments. 
 
 248 
 
POPULAR BELIEF AND TRUTH 
 
 For what if some were without faith? Shall their 
 want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of 
 God?—Romans 3: 3. 
 
 I am always much astonished to hear the argument 
 developed against the claims of faith that “‘ Nobody be- 
 lieves such things today.”’ Probably the implication is 
 that nobody as sensible as the speaker believes such things. 
 
 Well, there are plenty of things to consider in such a 
 statement which I will pass by as irrelevant. But I 
 must declare myself as not at all convinced that religious 
 faith is on the decline. Rather am I confident that it is 
 facing a period of purification from which it will emerge 
 still more vigorous. 
 
 But the particular point that I wish to discuss here is 
 the strange assumption that the general failure of people 
 to believe indicates the folly of believing. 
 
 No more preposterous declaration could be made. And 
 yet it is one of the commonest replies offered to the invi- 
 tation to believe. It is often uttered by the superior 
 young man who is quite sure that he is in the forefront 
 of truth. 
 
 Stop a moment and consider its significance: 
 
 Supposing Columbus had taken that attitude to the 
 faith knocking at his door but denied by all others. 
 
 Supposing Galileo had shut out the truth seeking en- 
 trance into his mind saying, Nobody believes that. 
 
 You see it is necessary that we deal with questions on 
 their merits regardless of the attitude of other people. 
 “The voice of the people is the voice of God” will 
 hardly do as a motto for the man who is seeking truth. 
 
 The truth or falsehood of faith is not proved by its 
 popularity or unpopularity. 
 
 249 
 
THE VALUE OF ROUTINE 
 
 Jesus entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on 
 the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.—Luke 4: 16. 
 
 There is a prejudice abroad today in favour of erratic 
 and irregular conduct—especially for ourselves. In some 
 unaccountable way the idea of independence has become 
 associated with it. Regularity and routine are con- 
 demned as dull and stupid and incompatible with being 
 a man of spirit. While unaccountability is taken as the 
 mark of spiritual power. 
 
 As a matter of fact, of course, irregularity and individ- 
 ualism may be just as much of a convention as regularity 
 and formality; while spiritual grace is not invariably 
 shown by lawless conduct. 
 
 In truth there is no standard way of living a spiritual 
 life. The very examples of Jesus and his disciples are 
 evidences of this. But I would like you to observe that 
 as one way of developing spiritual power routine has a 
 real value. 
 
 Regularity of private prayer, or of public worship need 
 not make them stereotyped and conventional perform- 
 ances. It is not the external act that produces this un- 
 desirable effect. It is the inner attitude. If you are dull 
 yourself, routine will make you duller still. But if you 
 are wide awake the proper use of routine may be the 
 means of discovering stability and depth in your spiritual 
 nature and releasing power that would otherwise be 
 lacking. 
 
 250 
 
A WISE RULER 
 
 I am not minded to be a judge of these matters.— 
 
 Acts 18:15. 
 
 Among the most troublesome people in the world are 
 the little groups of self-appointed vicegerents of God, 
 who assert that they have the right to use government 
 for the enforcement on everybody of their private views. 
 Such groups are the parodists of freedom. Insisting on 
 their right to their own opinions, they deny to others an 
 equal right. They are not satisfied to have their ideas 
 stand the test of public judgment. ‘They do not ask a 
 fair field for their legitimate propaganda. “They demand 
 the elimination of all competition. 
 
 Such was the group that came to Gallio when he was 
 proconsul of Achaia, dragging the Apostle Paul with 
 them. Paul had, in their eyes, performed the horrible 
 heresy of persuading Crispus, the ruler of their Syna- 
 gogue, to become a Christian and they desired the arm 
 of government to punish him. But Gallio was too wise 
 to be made into a tool by these zealots. He motioned 
 Paul, then about to defend himself, to silence and he 
 threw the case out of court as having nothing to do with 
 the law, there being neither a civil wrong nor any out- 
 rage of public morality at stake. 
 
 Is it not a great mistake for religious people to look to 
 government for anything else than the maintenance of 
 tolerance to provide an open field for the free working 
 of the Spirit? 
 
 251 
 
THE POINT OF THE STORY 
 Thou art the man.—II Samuel 12: 7. 
 
 The prophet Nathan has told David the story of the 
 unjust taking by a rich man of a poor man’s one ewe 
 lamb and David has impulsively uttered indignation 
 against such conduct. : 
 
 But like most good stories, this one had a point, which 
 in this instance was directed at David’s unjust dealing 
 with Uriah. 
 
 Curious, wasn’t it, that the King didn’t see himself in 
 the picture until the prophet pointed his accusing phrase 
 right at him: Thou art the man. Of course then he saw 
 it and, being an honest man, confessed and repented. 
 But, unless the prophet had tagged the moral on his 
 story, do you think David would have seen the point? 
 
 And is it not so with most of us? We are indignant 
 against the evils of which we read and hear, but we 
 gather ourselves up in a sense of superiority which for- 
 bids the moral to come home to us. 
 
 There is, in these days, considerable criticism of the 
 art of preaching as a naive and childish procedure with 
 carefully labelled morals dragged in at every opportunity. 
 Perhaps it will be time enough to heed that criticism 
 when men learn how to judge themselves in the light of 
 what they see and hear about other people. 
 
 252 
 
NOT FOR SALE 
 
 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, 
 and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, 
 come, buy wine and milk without money and without 
 price.—Isaiah 55: 1. 
 
 One of the continually astonishing things about relig- 
 ion as the way of life, is the fact that it is freely offered 
 to all men. ‘There is no monetary price attached to it. 
 Your poverty need not keep you from it, nor will your 
 wealth place it within your reach. It is not for sale at 
 any price. It is the gift of God to his children who, 
 realizing their need, are willing to receive it from him. 
 
 In many ways money plays a great part—and a part 
 that ought not to be despised—in all sorts of affairs. 
 You cannot get an advanced education without the leis- 
 ure which money provides. ‘The services of organized 
 religion are not possible without money. All of which 
 is not to say that either what a University or a Church 
 offers can be bought by money alone, but merely that 
 money is concerned in providing it. 
 
 Religion in the personal sense is absolutely free. There 
 is nothing between your Soul and God which requires 
 anything not already potentially in your hands for its 
 removal. Whether you own a county or just the shirt 
 on your back, there is no difference. 
 
 Is it not wonderfully encouraging to realize that amid 
 all the differences of condition that separate men, we may 
 all be spiritual equals through God’s gracious gift to 
 every man? 
 
 253 
 
APPOINTED FOR SALVATION 
 
 For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the 
 obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.— 
 I Thessalonians 5: 9. 
 
 It is not always remembered by Christians that the 
 primary business of Christianity is salvation, not judg- 
 ment. Of course, judgment is the reverse side of sal- 
 vation as a moral state. But the striking thing about 
 genuine Christianity,—that is, Christianity which is 
 faithful to the life and teaching of Jesus—is that it seeks 
 not the punishment of sinners, but their conversion and 
 salvation; that it has, at least so far as men are con- 
 cerned, nothing to do with dividing men into totally 
 separated flocks of sheep and goats. 
 
 There are, of course, lost sheep in the world,—but 
 they are all sheep. Indeed it is a bold man who will, 
 except in the abstract, classify even the sheep. And per- 
 haps the most sensible procedure is to recognize that we 
 are all lost sheep totally dependent on the mercy of God 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Nor, on the other hand, should we think meanly of 
 ourselves as if we were forgotten or despised of God. 
 Life truly is too much for any of us, especially if we try 
 to live it or understand it all at once. But if we remem- 
 ber that we are appointed unto salvation through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and then recall to what a diversity of 
 men and women he has made that salvation evident, we 
 will be able to receive with humble and thankful hearts 
 this unspeakable gift of God, 
 
 254 
 
REJECTING SALVATION 
 
 O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ... how often would I 
 have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gath- 
 ereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! 
 —Luke 13: 34. 
 
 One cold, wintry day I was strolling in the woods, 
 
 looking and listening, when I came upon a band of hardy 
 bluebirds evidently lured by a mild season to remain late 
 in their summer haunts and now caught by a sudden cold 
 snap. How strange they looked in the snow amid the 
 bare trees. 
 
 One in particular drew my attention. He would 
 alight on a twig with great fluttering, pause a moment, 
 and almost immediately fly on. Drawing carefully 
 nearer I found the reason. One leg was broken and with 
 the other he could maintain his balance but for a moment 
 in the cold wind. It was a doleful predicament. How 
 soon would the bright blue wings weary and the poor 
 creature, unable to rest, fall a prey to his natural enemies 
 upon the ground? 
 
 Until darkness ended the search I followed that bird 
 trying every means I knew to get him in my hands for 
 safety and succour. But his instincts identified me with 
 the enemy death and he fluttered with increasing weari- 
 ness before me. We could not speak the same language 
 and my good intentions were foiled. 
 
 Many people have had similar experiences with the 
 dumb creation. But do we perceive the parallelism in 
 our own relations with God? How often we reject our 
 one hope of salvation because we will not trust God. 
 That refusal is the more terrible by as much as sin is 
 worse than death, 
 
 255 
 
LIMITATIONS OF THE SCIENTIFIC 
 METHOD 
 
 The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit 
 of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot 
 know them, because they are spiritually judged.—Il Co- 
 rinthians 2: 14. 
 
 This statement of Paul’s, instead of being a theological 
 abstraction with little practical significance, is one of the 
 most important truths for helping us correct the popular 
 errors of today. 
 
 For this is an age in which that great form of pro- 
 cedure known as the scientific method has been foolishly 
 exalted into the solution of every question before men. 
 Of course no accredited scientist makes such a claim, but 
 plenty of ignorant people make it for him. And it is 
 all terribly confusing to the untrained thinker. 
 
 As a plain matter of fact it ought to be recognized that 
 when you havé explained how any particular occurrence 
 takes place you have not by any means explained why it 
 takes place. 
 
 Doubtless the scientific method has a valuable service 
 to perform (among other things) in curbing certain ab- 
 surdities of logic and speculation. But by what right is 
 it used by pseudo-scientists as the sole arbiter in the 
 realm of faith? 
 
 Truly men do the honourable method of science a 
 great disservice by making for it a claim totally outside 
 its natural limits. 
 
 The world needs poets and theologians today as well as 
 “engineers”? of one sort or another. It is the sum of 
 our various contributions, in mutual interaction, that 
 contains the hope of progress. 
 
 256 
 
OPEN SECRETS 
 
 There is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed. 
 —Luke 12:2. 
 
 Jesus is not here talking of a law that will begin to 
 function in a remote future—He is talking of the spir- 
 itual law of life under which we live at all times. 
 
 What is in the heart is revealed in the life. Conceal- 
 ment is impossible. Sooner or later it will come out. 
 The man who thinks evil will some day do evil—perhaps 
 even when he doesn’t want to. 
 
 Outward conduct is ultimately controlled by inner 
 state. All the prohibitory laws in the world will not 
 finally prevent the hatred in men’s hearts from dragging 
 them into evil conduct. ‘The only cure is to get at the 
 hidden hatred and remove it; or, better still, to give it 
 no resting place in the first place. 
 
 One reason why men think that the concealment of 
 any particular sin from their fellowmen permanently pre- 
 vents its discovery is because they fail to understand the 
 simple law that each sin entails consequences in the per- 
 petrator’s life regardless of the world’s knowledge of its 
 commission. “The danger is not in the possibility that 
 your sin as a specific act will be found out but in the 
 certainty that your sin will find you out and ultimately 
 betray you. 
 
 In terms of life there are no secrets. 
 
 257 
 
THE MIRACLE OF THE SEED 
 
 Unto what is the Kingdom of God like? ... It is 
 like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, 
 and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became 
 a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches 
 thereof. —Luke 13: 18-19. 
 
 There is a popular delusion abroad today that all 
 really important movements must be launched with a 
 great blaring of trumpets, a magnificant supply of mate- 
 rial equipment, and especially with a generous provision 
 of capital. Everything must start big in order to get 
 attention and make a success. 
 
 Are we not starting at the wrong end—at least as 
 concerns spiritual movements? 
 
 The first thing is not the tree but the seed. ‘The first 
 requirement is not a great organization but the spiritual 
 idea. “The Church of Christ does not advance by con- 
 centration on statistical increases. It advances by the 
 industrious planting and cultivation of the seed. 
 
 No; I am not one who neglects the demands of 
 achievement; but I am one who has grown very weary 
 of the delusion of big beginnings. ‘The worldly way of 
 securing popular attention through spectacular beginnings 
 is not the correct way for spiritual works. ‘There is 
 many a small church, unnoticed by the world, which is 
 alive with spiritual growth. “There is many a Christian, 
 unknown to fame, who carries in himself the promise of 
 great growth and fruitage. Small beginnings are the 
 right beginnings. But let us be sure that we begin with 
 the living seed, and not a lifeless grain of sand, 
 
 258 
 
THE WRONG KIND OF SEEKING 
 
 They shall run to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, 
 and shall not find it—Amos 8: 12. 
 
 I do not think that anyone can reasonably call our age 
 an irreligious age. It must be evident to every man who 
 observes his fellowmen with sympathy that people today 
 are very conscious of their need of God. You may see 
 the evidence of that fact notably in the modern poetry 
 and in that rather formless and chaotic thing known as 
 the Youth movement, and in the prolific birth of new 
 cults. 
 
 One is of course prepared to find that the boundaries 
 of thought, as well as the boundaries of nations, are 
 changed after the cataclysm of a great war. Nor is one 
 surprised to note a certain amount of surface instability 
 and insecurity in an age when inventions and discoveries. 
 follow each other with bewildering rapidity. 
 
 And yet even those who find themselves profoundly 
 sympathetic with the spirit of this age must often be 
 seriously troubled by the unbalanced thought and con- 
 duct of many people. If anything seems new, they fol- 
 low it with an avidity that argues lack of all reflection. 
 They act with an impatience that plunges them into un- 
 considered and frequently foolish deeds. 
 
 It will not do to feel the need of God and set off in 
 a wild chase to capture Him. It is also required that we 
 steady down to the spiritual depths in which alone He 
 reveals himself to men. 
 
 259 
 
REVERENCING PERSONALITY 
 
 We wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took 
 advantage of no man.—\I Corinthians 7: 2. 
 
 Of course we all reverence personality in ourselves. 
 
 But it is a real spiritual grace to exercise the same 
 regard for our fellowmen. And it is especially difficult 
 for a man who has a great purpose to carry through to 
 bear in. mind that he ought to accomplish it with the aid 
 of men rather than over their opposition. 
 
 Most men will agree in conversation that spiritual 
 purposes are achieved only through recognition of the 
 rights of personality, but when we get to work on any 
 particular plan the temptation to fall back on force and 
 take any advantage we can is almost irresistible. 
 
 One of the great qualities in Paul was his steadfast 
 regard for personality even when it meant delays and 
 hindrances in his own work. He took no advantage of 
 anybody. 
 
 How humbly he used his learned mind to explain and 
 propound the truth to the young Church! 
 
 How carefully he avoided demanding their financial 
 contributions, and offered them opportunities to express 
 their generosity! 
 
 He did not even take advantage of them by sending 
 some one else as his agent to do what he himself might 
 shrink from doing—which is the method of some who 
 desire to rule but are personally timid. 
 
 It is a fine record—all the more noteworthy be- 
 cause it was accompanied by great zeal and large 
 accomplishment. 
 
 260 
 
PRAISE FOR THE LIVING 
 
 Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, 
 and your fathers killed them. So ye are witnesses and 
 consent unto the works of your fathers; for they killed 
 them, and ye build their tombs.—Luke 11: 47-48. 
 
 There is an old maxim to the effect that only good 
 should be spoken of the dead. It is a noble half-truth 
 and ought to be considered by those who are inclined to 
 injure the good names of people whose voices are stilled 
 in death. But this business of pronouncing indiscrim- 
 inate eulogy on any man just because he is dead, is noth- 
 ing but rank sentimentalism. You cannot praise a man 
 by exalting qualities which he never had, even by attrib- 
 uting them to him. ‘That is idol worship and of course 
 lacks reality. 
 
 But the most serious error in our judgment of other 
 men is probably not too great generosity to them after 
 death, even though much of our praise be inaccurate. 
 Rather it is our distortion of the counsel to speak only 
 good of the dead, to the popular dictum that no credit 
 should be given to the living. That is the reason why so 
 many eulogies are sickeningly fulsome. It looks as if we 
 could only see the living man as a potential, if not an 
 actual, rival, and dared therefore give him no credit. 
 When dead, he may be praised in speech and monument, 
 since death has ended any possible competition. 
 
 Why should generous praise wait for death? Why 
 can we not introduce the element of eternity into our 
 judgment of living men so that greatness may be recog- 
 nized and encouraged before it takes its dificult journey 
 into the valley of the shadow? 
 
 261 
 
SENSATIONALISM 
 
 The devil . . . set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 
 and saith ... If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself 
 down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge 
 concerning thee-——Matthew 4:5, 6. 
 
 There is all the difference in the world between the 
 legitimate endeavour to attract attention to one’s work 
 and the illegitimate attempt to win the favour of the 
 crowd. One is publicity, the other is sensationalism. 
 There is a great distinction, for example, between the 
 ways of advertising a circus and a church—although 
 many church people do not recognize it. 
 
 Nothing is gained by attracting attention to any activ- 
 ity or person except by methods inherently compatible 
 with the regular conduct of that activity or person. 
 
 Jesus met that issue right at the beginning of his min- 
 istry. He determined that nothing should deflect him 
 from his chosen purpose which by its very nature de- 
 barred the use of merely sensational methods. ‘The fact 
 that his miracles of healing drew public attention to him 
 was purely an accident. His leaping from the pinnacle 
 of the temple would have been a play to the gallery with 
 no relation to his mission. “Therefore he refused it. 
 
 The trouble with sensationalism is that it defeats the 
 purpose of all serious projects. And besides it argues 
 something wrong in its practisers. As John La Farge 
 once wrote of a certain school of eccentric and unskilled 
 painters: ‘‘ They are driven to do something to attract 
 attention, even their own attention.” 
 
 262 
 
ARE YOU A STUMBLING-BLOCK? 
 
 Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but 
 judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block 
 in his brother’s way, or an occasion of falling—Romans 
 
 T4135: 
 
 We are commonly inclined to look upon temptation as 
 something that affects us and forget the vital fact that we 
 may ourselves be stumbling-blocks to other people. 
 
 Comparatively speaking there are few men mean 
 enough to set out deliberately and maliciously to throw 
 temptation in their neighbour’s way with a view to his 
 destruction. ‘There are some such and they must be 
 handled with vigour and skill as social menaces to the 
 community. Every decent city or village government 
 must fight organized and commercialized temptation. 
 
 But I wish to speak rather of those who are uncon- 
 scious or at least unpurposeful tempters of others, per- 
 sons who live their lives oblivious to the fact that they 
 are surrounded by people at different stages of moral 
 development and who thus unintentionally become real 
 -tempters of others. 
 
 Of course the world cannot be run for the benefit of 
 the weak brother; but is not something due to him just 
 because he is weak? And oftentimes his weakness is 
 only the immaturity of youth. 
 
 Surely, as Christians, it is incumbent upon us to note 
 the effect of our manner of life on those about us and to 
 see to it that it is not a source of temptation. 
 
 What will it profit us to assert our own personal rights 
 and then discover that we have contributed to the crip- 
 pling of our brother for whom Christ died? 
 
 263 
 
THE BASIS FOR HUMAN JUDGMENTS 
 By their fruits ye shall know them—Matthew 7: 20. 
 
 The one test that Jesus approved by which men may 
 justly judge one another is the practical test of fruit- 
 bearing,—not merely that faith should bear fruit in 
 terms of character and conduct but that there should be 
 in that fruit the seed of further fruit. 
 
 Indeed what other just test can there be in a practical 
 world like this? Are you and I qualified to judge the 
 unseen motives of men’s hearts? Put it the other way 
 round: We know that they are not qualified to judge. 
 our motives. 
 
 You see religion is always in the profoundest sense a 
 practical affair. Recall the story of the blind man that 
 Jesus restored to sight. “The Pharisees tried to overawe 
 the poor fellow with their authoritative declaration that 
 Jesus was a sinner. But he refused to be entangled in 
 their arguments. ‘“ One thing I know,” he announced 
 with admirable perseverance in face of their heckling, 
 “that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” Of course that 
 declaration was unanswerable. He made their pompous 
 pronouncements look silly by sticking stubbornly to the 
 practical issue. 
 
 Surely in those natural judgments that life compels us 
 to pass on one another we ought to proceed on the basis 
 of Jesus’ test. When men claim divine sanction for con- 
 tradictory positions let us forget their claims and examine 
 their fruits. 
 
 And let us not neglect to make sure that our own 
 religion will stand up under this searching test. 
 
 264 
 
THINGS 
 
 Having food and covering we shall be therewith con- 
 tent.—I ‘Timothy 6: 8. 
 
 Anyone who has had the responsibility of conducting 
 a party of people on a journey knows the insufferable 
 anxiety occasioned by the superfluous baggage that all 
 inexperienced as well as a few old but obstinate travellers 
 bring. Unless a strong authority is exerted right at the 
 beginning, the trip, for one person at least, will be oc- 
 cupied with finding, transporting and assembling trunks, 
 _valises and packages. It is a thankless and at last a 
 useless service. 
 
 But it is much more serious when we try to live our 
 whole lives cumbered with superfluous things. And how 
 many people are either doing it or trying to do it! Some- 
 times it seems as if the inability to buy—and not always 
 that!—is the only stop to the amount of things people 
 desire to own and cart about with them. We clutter 
 ourselves up with possessions until. we can hardly turn 
 around amid the pile. 
 
 Up to a certain point, of course, the owning of things 
 is a means of securing liberty. If you lack a suit of 
 clothes you are hindered from unobtrusive public appear- 
 ance. But there is a point at which the increase of 
 possessions is only a burden. 
 
 It is not just to set the danger line for others by com- 
 parison with yourself, for one man may need things 
 which to another are superfluous. But you will do well 
 to be on guard against the domination of material things 
 which is the peculiar peril of an age of prosperity. 
 
 265 
 
THE SIN OF DOING NOTHING 
 Inasmuch as ye did it not-—Matthew 25: 45. 
 
 One of the most persistent errors of religious thinking 
 is the idea that goodness consists chiefly in not doing cer- 
 tain things. The negative aspect is emphasized out of all 
 proportion. 
 
 Perhaps the prevalence of this error dates from our 
 childhood when our rightly exasperated parents told us 
 to “ sit on that chair, and be good ’”—which we promptly 
 interpreted as an order to do nothing. 
 
 However that may be, the error persists. When the 
 minister calls, he is informed with commendable purpose 
 but poor judgment, ‘‘ My husband has no interest in the 
 Church, but he is a good man; he never harms anybody.” 
 
 And most of us content ourselves with the reflection 
 that we have not been guilty of this or that particular sin. 
 
 We quite forget that Jesus’ chief condemnation was 
 reserved for those who neglected to perform the acts for 
 which love calls. ‘The rich man who neglected the beg- 
 gar at his gate is pictured in hell. ‘The man who neg- 
 lected to use his talent is marked as a failure. The 
 people of whom He could say, ‘“‘ Inasmuch as ye did it 
 not unto one of the least of these my brethren,” are con- 
 demned to punishment. Not one of these people had 
 been guilty of anything except doing nothing, 
 
 Evidently in Jesus’ teaching the most blameworthy sins 
 were sins of omission. 
 
 If we are to be truly His disciples do we not need a 
 radical revision in our conception of sin? 
 
 266 
 
OTHER PEOPLE’S TROUBLES 
 
 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with 
 them.—Hebrews 13: 3. 
 
 The final witness to love is the willingness to share 
 another’s suffering. You may see that in the derivation 
 of our word “ sympathy ” which at first meant to suffer 
 with another, though it has since been enlarged to indi- 
 cate the sharing of another’s feelings of whatever kind 
 they may be. 
 
 What better proof of love than that? 
 
 The worldly man says, “I have troubles enough of 
 my own. Why should I be concerned with yours?” 
 
 But the Christian learns from Jesus that his object 
 should not be to build a fortress for himself against a sea 
 of troubles, but to share his brother’s woes, not to flee to 
 some illusion of happy islands, but to cast in his lot with 
 his fellowmen and work with them for the well-being, 
 the peace, the salvation of all men. 
 
 No one who has himself been through deep waters can 
 doubt what it means to have a friend stand by sharing 
 without reserve in a trial or sorrow, whatever it may 
 be. To come through alone is a desperate chance. To 
 come through accompanied by a voluntary companion is 
 a gallant hope. 
 
 Surely it is a truth which finds its final vindication in 
 Jesus Christ himself who entered into our temptations 
 and burdens. 
 
 Surely as his disciples we ought to reflect in our con- 
 duct toward one another’s troubles something of the 
 spirit of him who hath borne our griefs and carried 
 our SOrrows. 
 
 267 
 
OTHER PEOPLE'S SINS 
 
 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; 
 And sinners shall be converted unto thee. 
 
 —Psalm 51:13. 
 
 Most of us are pretty shrewd observers of other peo- 
 ples’ sins and fairly voluble in our denunciation of them. 
 The conventional among us are usually willing to confess 
 our own sins (in the abstract) and prompt to condemn 
 other people’s sins (in the concrete). But we all hesi- 
 tate to risk incurring the nickname which was given to 
 Jesus, ‘a friend of publicans and sinners.” 
 
 And yet, as has been said repeatedly and with con- 
 siderable eloquence, our business as Christians is to hate 
 the sin and love the sinner. 
 
 It is a difficult thing to do, perhaps as hard as anything 
 in the world. It means that we must lay aside the 
 . worldly conception of respectability. It means that we 
 must forego the childish pleasure of setting off our sup- 
 posed virtues against the background of other people’s 
 sins painted in darkest colours. It means not only that 
 we shall enter the lists against our own sins, but that we 
 shall accept the privilege of helping others to turn from 
 their sins. 
 
 To a real disciple of Jesus Christ other men’s sins are 
 not just excuses for uttering condemnations (no matter 
 how true they may be). ‘They are invitations to open 
 the way to God’s salvation so that the sinner may be 
 taught and converted and saved. 
 
 268 
 
OTHER PEOPLE’S HAPPINESS 
 
 The friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and hear- 
 eth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s 
 voice.—John 3: 29. 
 
 It is asad thing when a man cannot rejoice in another 
 man’s happiness without dragging in personal compari- 
 sons. How many opportunities for genuine gladness are 
 let slip because we look on the other man’s happiness only 
 to exclaim, “‘ Alas! everybody is happy except myself ”— 
 quite forgetting that we also may rejoice in his happiness. 
 
 Surely the man who limits his rejoicing to good for- 
 tune befalling himself cuts himself needlessly off from a 
 great deal of the good cheer of life. 
 
 And what does he gain by his selfish action? Nothing, 
 except loneliness. Nothing, except the unnecessary sense 
 of being without a friend because he is not friendly 
 himself. 
 
 ‘There are few qualities that more endear a man to his 
 fellowmen than the ability to rejoice wholeheartedly in 
 their happiness. Who is so welcome at any time as he 
 who can cast aside his own anxieties and rejoice in his 
 neighbour’s good fortune? 
 
 That is one of the things that lends grace and beauty 
 to a wedding party. It is a company of people gathered 
 to rejoice in the happiness which is not personally their 
 own. 
 
 If you really want to know people and love them you 
 must rejoice with them. It is not a duty so much as a 
 privilege. For it means that your heart is in the right 
 place and functioning properly. 
 
 269 
 
OTHER PEOPLE'S VIRTUES 
 
 He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose 
 shoes I am not worthy to bear—Matthew 3:11. 
 
 Among them that are born of women there hath not 
 arisen a greater than John the Baptist —Matthew 11:11. 
 
 A fundamental part of the right relationship of the 
 individual soul to God is the relationship that each man 
 sustains to his fellowmen. ‘This is clearly emphasized 
 everywhere in the New Testament. Love of God and 
 of one’s neighbour are two parts of one commandment. 
 Divine forgiveness is inseparably connected with forgive- 
 ness among men. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most difficult places in which to 
 maintain a right relationship with other men is in con- 
 nection with their virtues. 
 
 Like all sins envy is self-destructive. It may offer 
 temporary advantage but in the end it brings disaster. 
 Nothing is gained by failing to observe and give full 
 credit to another’s virtues. Envy made Cain a murderer, 
 and revealed the pettiness of the elder Brother who over- 
 looked his prodigal brother’s repentance and saw only 
 his sin. 
 
 How beautiful by contrast was the mutual recognition 
 of virtues by John the Baptist and Jesus. Did either one 
 suffer injury from generous and gracious words and con- 
 duct toward the other? 
 
 Only small men withhold full credit to the greatness 
 and goodness of other men. 
 
 It is so easy to assume that other men’s virtues are 
 insignificant or even non-existent because we think that 
 this attitude exalts ourselves. 
 
 270 
 
THE FAD OF SUSPENDED JUDGMENT 
 
 How long go ye limping between the two sides?— 
 I Kings 18:21. 
 
 One may justly say that suspended judgment is become 
 a fad of our day. Lots of people are going around saying 
 about almost every issue: Well, it all depends on the 
 point-of-view; there is much to be said on both sides. 
 
 Now, God forbid that I should even seem to assume 
 that all issues are clear, or should even seem to condemn 
 anybody who is seriously weighing evidence and seeking 
 to come to a conclusion on any subject and in the mean- 
 time holding his decision in abeyance. 
 
 But our trouble is not with honest and serious-minded 
 doubters. Our trouble is with this fad of suspended 
 judgment promoted by our influential but crass-minded 
 and flippant sophists. 
 
 One of the easiest ways in the world to get a popular 
 reputation for wisdom today is to talk on both sides of 
 all questions and come to no conclusions. 
 
 Words, words, words,—and not a flash of discrimina- 
 tion, evaluation, judgment among them! 
 
 ‘The system is too easy to have power to reach the 
 truth. By it, tolerance is reduced to indifference, and 
 men go limping along under the delusion that they are 
 broad-minded, when, in reality, they are only indecisive. 
 
 If you care to know what my experience of this fad 
 indicates it is that the basis of most of it is mental and 
 moral laziness. 
 
 271 
 
PARABLES AND ALLEGORIES 
 
 All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multi- 
 tudes.—Matthew 13: 34. 
 
 The parables of Jesus are not allegories. 
 
 An allegory is an unreal story meant to convey a les- 
 son,—which it usually fails to do because it is unreal. 
 A virtue, like Purity, or a vice, like Avarice, is dressed 
 up in man’s or woman’s clothes and sent through a series 
 of adventures. 
 
 These do not interest or instruct us because things do 
 not happen that way. Virtues and vices have to be em- 
 bodied before they can be clothed; and they are never 
 single, but always mixed. 
 
 But a parable is a brief tale of real things and persons, 
 carrying along with it (or beside it as the Greek name 
 implies) a deeper meaning. It suggests a hidden picture 
 to the mind’s eye. It whispers a message to the inward 
 ear. 
 
 Such are the parables of Jesus, stories of things that 
 have occurred, or may have happened a hundred times, 
 but told with a significance that goes beyond the mere 
 tale. 
 
 Why did Jesus prefer this method of speaking to the 
 multitudes so much that, as the record says, “‘ without a 
 parable spake he nothing unto them?” 
 
 We do not know all the reasons. But two suggest 
 themselves. 
 
 First, he wished to catch their attention. Pictures 
 attract children. Second, he wished to make them think. 
 
 ‘Thoughtlessness is the peril of the multitude. Unless 
 you will think, neither reading nor listening will help 
 you. 
 
 272 
 
MEETING TEMPTATION 
 
 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into mani- 
 fold temptations; knowing that the proving of your 
 faith worketh patience. And let patience have its per- 
 fect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in 
 nothing.—James 1: 2-4. 
 
 It seems a hard saying to call on men to rejoice when 
 they fall into temptations. How can that be? How can 
 we be glad over such bitter experiences? 
 
 In the first place notice that we are not urged to seek 
 temptation. Jesus has taught us to pray: Lead us not 
 into temptation. And the more a man knows of life the 
 more earnestly does he utter that petition. 
 
 Our call is not to seek temptation but to rejoice when 
 we fall into it: that is to meet it with a joyful spirit— 
 which is quite another thing from seeking it. 
 
 And the reason why we should meet temptation joy- 
 fully is because when we meet it in that spirit we ac- 
 knowledge that it is a testing by means of which we may 
 grow, that our business is victory over it, and that God’s 
 purpose for us is increasing strength through trial. 
 
 To seek out temptation self-confidently, as youth is 
 inclined to do; or to meet it hopelessly, as is the fashion 
 of age, are both fundemental errors that lead to many 
 disasters. 
 
 Our business is to meet temptation, when it comes, 
 with joy. 
 
 “ Why comes temptation but for man to meet 
 
 And master, and make crouch beneath his foot, 
 And so be pedestaled in triumph.” 
 
 273 
 
SHOWING-OFF 
 
 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before 
 men, to be seen of them.—Matthew 6: 1. 
 
 It is not only children who are guilty of the sin of 
 showing-off. Some of us get the habit young and retain 
 it all our lives. 
 
 We are terribly anxious lest our merits be overlooked. 
 How humiliating to see others receive the plaudits of the 
 crowd while we are unnoticed. 
 
 Any one who has responsibility for the business affairs 
 of a Church or any philanthropic enterprise is familiar 
 with this common human weakness. How we love to 
 lead off the subscription list. How we love to be known 
 as generous givers and first citizens! Naturally publicity 
 in such matters has its value for its just influence on 
 others. But how often the spiritual value of gifts is 
 destroyed because they are given to be seen of men. 
 
 After all showing-off may build up a reputation, but 
 it destroys the very foundation of genuine righteousness. 
 
 Until we learn to do things from the sheer joy of doing 
 them we may establish a reputation but we shall never 
 build a character. 
 
 And sooner or later, like the smart boy showing-off to 
 the admiringly giggling little girls, we shall stub our toe 
 and sprawl undignifiedly amid the unsympathetic laugh- 
 ter of an amused world. 
 
 274 
 
ON BEING SICK 
 
 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, ... for 
 Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.— 
 II Corinthians 12: 10. 
 
 Being unable to get rid of poor health, the Apostle 
 Paul even took pleasure in his weakness because through 
 it the power of Christ rested upon him. It is lofty doc- 
 trine but it has found noble justification in the lives of 
 many afflicted people who have followed Paul’s bold 
 leading. 
 
 Would that it were honoured by all people who carry 
 the burden of ill-health! What a difference this would 
 make to sympathetic families and friends, doctors and 
 ministers! For there is no tyranny like the tyranny of 
 exacting and querulous sick people. Verily they enjoy 
 bad health, not because through it the sufficient power of 
 God may rest upon them, but because they find in it an 
 excuse for domineering over those whom they facilely 
 assume have no troubles of their own. 
 
 You can see humble and kindly persons wince under 
 the complaints of these despots. You can see sympathetic 
 natures wilting and shrivelling beneath the blazing rays 
 of their egotism. 
 
 Every one within reach is “‘ shanghaied ” for a listener 
 to troubles which have long been exalted into justifica- 
 tions for self-love. And the net result is a meaningless 
 addition to the sorrows of the world. 
 
 There is a right and a wrong way of taking pleasure 
 in our weaknesses. Do we make ourselves a nuisance or 
 an inspiration ? 
 
 275 
 
THE ARISTOCRACY OF SERVICE 
 
 Jesus knowing that the father had given all. things into 
 his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goeth 
 unto God ... began to wash the disciples’ feet—John 
 1323-8. 
 
 Every society has its aristocracy. Originally the word 
 meant government by the best citizens. And surely no 
 one could quarrel with that ideal. But this fine word has 
 been abused until the emphasis has shifted from the idea 
 of obligation to the idea of privilege. 
 
 The story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet sets be- 
 fore us the true ideal of aristocracy—the ideal of service, 
 Noblesse oblige. 
 
 See how clearly these ideas of aristocracy and service 
 are associated in the record. Jesus’ knowledge of his 
 origin from God, of his destiny into God, of the power 
 that God had put in his hands, led him to wash the dis- 
 ciples’ feet. What could be plainer? Here are the el- 
 ements which are the very essence of aristocracy: Noble 
 origin and destiny combined with power. And in the 
 hands of Jesus these qualifications lead directly to service. 
 
 Here is the true aristocracy which is not exclusive but 
 inclusive for all who will exercise its obligations. For 
 to all men belong a common origin and destiny—God, 
 and to all is given some measure of power under God. 
 
 Is not this the genuine conception of aristocracy? Not 
 a privileged class leaning back on its superior power over 
 others; but a royal band consciously devoting its talents 
 to the public welfare. 
 
 276 
 
SPURIOUS SIMPLICITY 
 
 Wherein are some things hard to be understood.— 
 
 II Peter 3: 16. 
 
 There is a great longing today for simplicity espe- 
 cially in thought and speech. Most of us are no longer 
 influenced by bombastic oratory or rhetoric. We want 
 the simple truth. And this is a good sign of our times. 
 But like all virtues it easily degenerates into a vice. 
 There is a tendency abroad to reduce thought to spurious 
 simplicity. Particularly dangerous is this in the realm 
 of religion. Some men are describing Christianity as a 
 simple, obvious, natural, easy thing. “They say: All you 
 have to do is to drop theology and practice the sermon 
 on the mount! 
 
 Truly to live out the sermon on the mount is the fine 
 flower of religion. But is that the whole of it? Is there 
 no root from which the flower blossoms forth ? 
 
 Religion is not just conduct. It is motive. It is com- 
 munion with God. Why should I treat man as my 
 brother unless God is our Father? And even suppose I 
 want to do it, how can I, unless I have laid hold of 
 divine power ? 
 
 To simplify things especially in our all too confused 
 age is important. But it is possible to go beyond the 
 truth in the process. 
 
 To preach ethics apart from the dynamic of faith may 
 be easy but it is not effective. 
 
 For the soul of man is a deep mystery and the will of 
 man is not easily won to righteousness. 
 
 277 
 
BELOVED HYMNS 
 
 Singing and making melody with your heart to the 
 Lord.—Ephesians 5: 19. 
 
 How much nearer Christians are in their hymns than 
 they are in their doctrinal creeds! 
 
 All agree in using the Psalms as a common treasury 
 of song. ‘‘ The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want,” was 
 written by a Jew, and translated by a Presbyterian. 
 
 “ Jerusalem, the golden,” and ‘‘ There’s a wideness in 
 God’s mercy,” were written by Catholics. “‘ Sun of my 
 soul,” and ‘‘ Abide with me,” were written by Anglicans. 
 “Nearer my God to Thee,” by a Unitarian; “ Dear 
 Lord and Father of mankind,” by a Quaker; “ O little 
 town of Bethlehem,’ by an American Episcopalian; 
 “My faith looks up to Thee,” by a Congregationalist; 
 *‘ Blest be the tie that binds,” by a Baptist; “ I heard the 
 voice of Jesus say,” by a Presbyterian; and “‘ Jesus, lover 
 of my soul,” by a Methodist. | 
 
 But who of us would stop to hold a theological exami- 
 nation on the authors before we join in these dear and 
 holy songs? | 
 
 The melody in our heart is too clear and simple to be 
 troubled by controversies. The joy of the Holy Spirit 
 lifts us nearer to that Heaven where, I hope and believe, 
 we shall all see our Lord as He is and be changed into 
 His likeness. 
 
 278 
 
GOOD THINGS MISPLACED 
 
 As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest so honour 
 is not seemly for a fool.—Proverbs 26: 1. 
 
 Snow in winter is a good thing; but not in summer. 
 Rain is necessary, a “‘ useful trouble,” in the spring-time 
 when the crops are growing; but not in autumn when 
 they are ripe and ready for the harvest. Honour is a 
 good thing when it is well-earned and wisely worn; but 
 not when it comes to those who have not deserved it and 
 know not how to use it. 
 
 Yet in the course of nature, and of human nature, these 
 misplacements of things in themselves good sometimes 
 occur. A May frost blackens the orchard. An August 
 flood ruins the hay; fools are set high in reputation and 
 power. 
 
 A loud-mouthed ignoramus is hailed as a great orator; 
 a careless, lazy, cock-eyed painter is praised as a won- 
 derful artist; a shallow and impudent writer is exalted 
 as a genius; a narrow, selfish, and malignant politician 
 is honoured as a statesman; and a solemn, silly propa- 
 gandist of dead theories is called a sage. 
 
 This is vexatious, of course,—summer snow and har- 
 vest rain! But what can we do about it? Not very 
 much; we have to take it as it comes; fretting over it 
 will do no good. 
 
 After all, these displacements are not permanent. 
 They will pass away like dead leaves. Meantime we 
 must try to keep our judgment sane and serene; to do our 
 own task as well as we can; and to make up for refusing 
 to honour eminent fools, by giving the more honour to 
 good, quiet workmen in every field. 
 
 279 
 
SMALL THINGS 
 
 Behold the ships also, though they are so great and are 
 driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very 
 small rudder—James 3: 4. 
 
 Size is not always an indication of importance. We 
 all stop to look at a big man walking in a crowd. But 
 he is not always superior to his less noticeable compan- 
 ions. The giant Goliath was no doubt a splendid figure 
 on the field of battle; but he was no match for the ruddy 
 stripling David. 
 
 It is all very interesting to see the tallest building in 
 the world, or the largest ship, or the biggest city. But 
 let us not forget that size apart from other qualifications 
 is no indication of real superiority. 
 
 There are small things which wield a mighty influence. 
 
 A rudder is a small thing compared to the ship which it 
 steers. But who wants to be on a rudderless ship? 
 
 Your home may be very small and humble, but would 
 you exchange it and all that it means for a residence in 
 the biggest hotel in the world? 
 
 A man may be a very small creature, but would you 
 rather be an elephant or the man who controls him? 
 
 Words are little things, but what tremendous power 
 for good or evil they may exert! 
 
 Let us beware lest we be deceived by mere bulk and 
 miss the secret of spiritual power. 
 
 280 
 
HALF-BAKED 
 Ephraim is a cake not turned.—Hosea 7: 8. 
 
 No one who has had the disagreeable experience of 
 having to subsist on badly baked bread is likely to forget 
 it. If it be your own cooking you may put up with it for 
 a while out of pride, but soon or late, under the leader- 
 ship of an insulted stomach the rebellion will break forth. 
 
 ‘The metaphor is equally true in the realm of human 
 conduct and thought. Nothing is more provocative of 
 revolt among the neighbours than a half-baked fellow 
 from whom stream forth rash and ill-considered actions 
 and unformed and lop-sided opinions. He is a constant 
 source of social indigestion to those around him. And 
 what a sorry figure he cuts,—scorched on one side, 
 sticky and pasty on the other, an unpalatable and un- 
 nourishing morsel! 
 
 Of course even a good loaf goes through a time when 
 it is only half-baked. But it is not at that moment of- 
 fered for food. 
 
 Experiments are assuredly necessary as a means of 
 discovering further truth and disclosing ancient error. 
 But when they concern human beings they ought to be 
 conducted with due regard for human values. 
 
 The heat of much thought ought to pass through all 
 sides of an idea before it is issued in speech or action. 
 At least it would prevent a lot of unnecessary and pain- 
 ful indigestion. 
 
 281 
 
A LESSON FOR GROWN-UPS 
 
 He called to him a little child, and set him in the 
 midst of them.—Matthew 18: 2. 
 
 The output of preaching and teaching to children to 
 prepare them for becoming men and women is enormous. 
 And it is well that this should be so. It would be still 
 better if that teaching and preaching should be more 
 closely directed to giving them a true understanding of 
 themselves and a clearer view of the moral opportunities 
 and obligations of human life. 
 
 But there is another side to this question which has 
 been almost totally neglected except by those who are 
 real lovers of the teachings of Jesus: that is, emphasis on 
 the need of men and women to become little children. 
 
 The truth is, spiritual maturity is a double process: 
 that of growing up in experience and knowledge, and of 
 becoming young again in spirit. 
 
 Most of us seem to lack this combination of qualities. 
 It is comparatively easy to become sophisticated and cyn- 
 ical; but very exacting to attain to the wisdom revealed 
 unto babes. 
 
 Are you perhaps getting just.a little hard and bitter ? 
 —maybe even justifiably so from the worldly view-point ? 
 
 Establish a real personal interest in some child—your 
 own child will do as well as any other—and let him or 
 her reveal to you how to turn and become as a little child. 
 
 Then you will be really grown up. 
 
 282 
 
IF WINTER COMES 
 Summer and winter ... shall not cease.-—Genesis 8 :22. 
 
 ‘The ontological argument for the existence of God has 
 not much force nowadays, because metaphysics are out of 
 fashion. ‘The teleogical argument has lost ground, be- 
 cause people have misunderstood the teachings of evolu- 
 tion. But the cosmological argument has gained ground, 
 because science has taught us that a universe of law and 
 order must be the creation of a Sovereign Reason and 
 Will,—that is God. 
 
 Winter strips the foliage off the trees, withers the 
 flowers, binds the streams with icy fetters. But this does 
 not mean destruction. It means only withdrawal for 
 renewal. 
 
 ‘The buds on the leafless trees are promises. “The hopes 
 in disappointed hearts are prophecies. How were they 
 planted, save by the Lord of Life? 
 
 In the midst of winter the assurance of coming spring 
 is one of the pillars of the universe. In the presence 
 of death the faith of immortality is the mainstay of 
 mankind. 
 
 283 
 
THE GOSPEL IS POWER 
 
 I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of 
 God unto salvation—Romans 1: 16. 
 
 The world is full of impotent idealisms. ‘There is a 
 great deal more appreciation of beauty, truth and good- 
 ness than there is embodiment of them in life. 
 
 Bacon declartd that knowledge is power. But this can 
 never be the whole truth—as any learned man will tell 
 you. Large numbers of men know what is good, and 
 are yet utterly unable to practise it. “That is one of the 
 great mysteries of life, that we should know the highest 
 and yet choose for ourselves what is low. 
 
 Certainly ignorance is one of the great evils that beset 
 men, but it is far from being the only evil. “The leading 
 forth of the mind among noble thoughts is a great ser- 
 vice to mankind, but it is not the only thing needed. 
 The will and the heart must be affected even more di- 
 rectly than by education in this narrower sense. ‘There 
 must be religion with education—otherwise education is 
 impotent. We must be saved as well as illuminated. 
 
 And here is where the Gospel comes in. “It is the 
 power of God unto salvation.” Along with the truth— 
 which is one, wherever and however apprehended—we 
 require a power sufficient to enable us not only to recog- 
 nize but to embody the truth. 
 
 The Gospel is the only dynamic capable of transform- 
 ing men from incompetent dreamers into sons of God. 
 
 284 
 
GOD’S LAW AMONG BIRDS AND MEN 
 
 Yea the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed 
 times; and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the 
 crane observe the time of their coming; but my people 
 know not the law of Jehovah.—Jeremiah 8: 7. 
 
 Nothing is more impressive than to observe the regu- 
 larity of nature. How evenly (with minor and occa- 
 sional variations) the seasons come round. For one who 
 knows how to watch them, the birds return each spring 
 with a precision that is marvellous to consider. No one 
 has ever adequately explained the astonishing phenom- 
 enon of migration, though many have observed it. “The 
 prophet Jeremiah in the Seventh Century B. C. makes 
 one of the earliest literary references to it. He perceives 
 that the birds come obediently to some great law of their 
 being; and with their obedience he contrasts the disre- 
 gard of his fellow countrymen for the law of God which 
 ought to be equally written in their nature. Just as the 
 birds return in accord with the mysterious summons of 
 natural law, so ought men to move with precision and 
 unanimity according to the law of God. 
 
 Why is it that we will insist on having our own way 
 and asserting the right of each moral being to break the 
 law of God? What can be the outcome of such conduct 
 but injury to ourselves and others? What chaos it 
 would introduce into the delicate balance of nature if 
 the doves suddenly rebelled against their call to migra- 
 tion! And what chaos we are continually introducing 
 into the delicate adjustments of the spiritual realm by 
 the egotistic setting up of our puny plans against the 
 immutable and sovereign law of God! 
 
 285 
 
REMEMBERED ACHIEVEMENT 
 
 David said, There is none like that; give it me.— 
 I Samuel 21: 9. 
 
 David was hard beset fleeing from the wrath of Saul, 
 weaponless and alone, when he came to Nob and sought 
 food of Ahimelech the priest. Having obtained the food, 
 his next thought was for a weapon lest he be taken de- 
 fenseless by his enemies. 
 
 “‘ Is there not here under thy hand spear or sword?” 
 he inquired. And Ahimelech took down the sword of 
 Goliath, with which David on a famous former day had 
 given the coup de grice to his country’s enemy. 
 
 You can feel the thrill in David’s response as he 
 reached out and took the sword: “ There is none like 
 that; give it me.” And you know instinctively that the 
 joy in his heart as his fingers closed around the hilt, had 
 nothing to do with the quality of the steel or the balance 
 of that mighty weapon. ; 
 
 What lifted up David’s dejected heart and made him 
 once more a bold, courageous man, was the revived mem- 
 ory of that great exploit which, under God’s grace, he 
 had performed. 
 
 Even so may every man hope to find encouragement 
 for himself in future trials, provided he meets today with 
 fearless courage the challenge of the present moment. 
 
 286 
 
GRATITUDE AND ITS EXPRESSION 
 
 Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 
 
 —Luke 17:17. 
 
 It is a question full of pathos. Ten lepers who had 
 besought Jesus’ mercy had been cleansed, but only one— 
 and he a Samaritan—had returned to give thanks. 
 
 No one knows why the nine failed to re-appear. For 
 I think it must go without saying that they were thank- 
 ful. Can you imagine a human being who would not 
 rejoice at being rescued out of the power of a dread 
 disease? And yet somehow they failed to express their 
 gratitude. 
 
 Frankly I am not one of those who thinks this is just 
 a “notable illustration of the all but universal ingrati- 
 tude of mankind.” I do not observe that men are un- 
 thankful though I note that they frequently forget to 
 express the thanks that they feel. We are thoughtless 
 and careless and neglectful. Our feelings are sound, 
 but our expression of them is usually inadequate and 
 sometimes totally overlooked. In our secret hearts we 
 do not take our blessings as a matter of course, but 
 unfortunately we often act as if we did. 
 
 Here is a lovely theme for life-long study: How to 
 give suitable expression to the gratitude we feel. 
 
 We all need to acquire more skill in directing lips, 
 hands and feet at the bidding of a grateful heart. Other- 
 wise the heart itself may shrivel, 
 
 287 
 
FRUSTRATED GENIUS 
 
 Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every 
 man who hath any suit or cause might come unto me, 
 and I would do him justice!—II Samuel 15: 4. 
 
 The world always has a full complement of frustrated 
 
 geniuses 
 “ Wandering between two worlds, one dead, 
 ‘The other powerless to be born.” 
 
 Absalom was one of them. Ambitious, critical of 
 things as they were, self-confident, he thought that if 
 only he were king all would be well. 
 
 Doubtless there were abuses in David’s rule, but there 
 was no hope of improvement in the steps Absalom took 
 to supplant his father. , 
 
 He fawned upon his fellow citizens who were in 
 trouble and made large promises to discontented folks. 
 At the same time he offered a self-revelation that indi- 
 cated his incapacity for fulfilling the promises. 
 
 Absalom was so obsessed with the genius that he 
 thought he recognized in himself that he was blind to the 
 evident genius in his father. Being a man without loy- 
 alty or personal restraint, he coveted the rank of king for 
 himself, convinced that there his frustrated genius might 
 be recognized of all. But his abortive rebellion failed 
 because it was founded on jealousy and ambition and 
 lacked the stability of genuine and positive issues of 
 human welfare. 
 
 That is the usual experience of those who go about 
 nursing the feeling that they are frustrated geniuses. 
 Life has an exorable way of applying the acid test to 
 their claims, 
 
 288 
 
SENTIMENTALITY 
 
 The children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who 
 shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which 
 we did eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the 
 melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.— 
 Numbers 11: 4-5. 
 
 Everyone knows there is a world of difference between 
 sentiment and sentimentality. All honest men have senti- 
 ments. But your sentimentalist is an affected fellow, 
 vulgar and shallow. 
 
 It was perhaps inevitable that after so many years of 
 slavery in Egypt the personal habits of the children of 
 Israel should have become adapted to the conditions 
 under which they lived. And again it was natural that 
 amid the hardships of the wilderness their hearts should 
 exaggerate the material comforts they had experienced in 
 Egypt. 
 
 But this maudlin weeping over the memory of the 
 good food eaten in slavery was only rank sentimentality. 
 I cannot help thinking that their tears must have flowed 
 still more copiously as they remembered the leeks and 
 the onions and the garlic. For the moment at least they 
 gave themselves up to irrational feelings and forgot the 
 moral condemnation of slavery which was the ground of 
 God’s call to the exodus. So pitiful seemed the lack of 
 leeks, onions and garlic especially when they gazed upon 
 the dry and hard manna, that tears were irresistible. 
 
 That is the root of sentimentality: overwrought feel- 
 ings with sober moral reflection left out. 
 
 It looks childish in other people. How do you think 
 it looks in yourself? 
 
 289 
 
GENTLENESS AND GREATNESS 
 Thy gentleness hath made me great.—Psalm 18: 35. 
 
 The strong man has always the tendency to be self- 
 reliant even to the extent of being self-sufficient. He 
 forgets how he got his strength. 
 
 And how did he get it? 
 
 Surely in one way or another he got it from gentleness, 
 tenderness. 
 
 Take a good look at this runner as he races around the 
 cinder-track. What skill and power in those flashing 
 legs and feet! But go back twenty or twenty-five years 
 and observe him swaying unsteadily on wobbling legs and 
 clutching his mother’s skirts. Can this runner be the 
 same person as that child? Yes, the same,—made great 
 by gentleness. 
 
 Listen to this debater as he marshalls the forces of 
 an overwhelming argument with a skill that sweeps 
 everything before him. Can this be the same person 
 as the child weeping over his alphabet and braced for 
 the desperate assault on twenty-six letters by the pa- 
 tience of an obscure teacher? Yes, the same,—made 
 great by gentleness. 
 
 Observe this woman among the sick and wounded. 
 Skilful, tender, steady, she is a tower of strength to the 
 sufferers. Be sure that somewhere gentleness has touched 
 her and brought forth strength. 
 
 There can be no greatness, whatever the form it take, 
 without gentleness. 
 
 “The child is father of the man; 
 And I could wish my days to be 
 Bound each to each by natural piety.” 
 
 290 
 
PRAISE YE THE LORD 
 
 I will sing praises unto my God while I have any 
 being.—Psalm 146: 2. 
 
 “I wish,” said a lovely old lady to me the other day, 
 “I wish that the churches would learn how to praise 
 God. I attend so many doleful services. It does me 
 more good to praise God than anything else I do.” 
 
 There is wisdom in those simple words—a wisdom 
 needing particular emphasis today. 
 
 It is a self-conscious age. “The over-conscientious peo- 
 ple find themselves so concerned with duty, that they 
 neglect praise. “The sceptical folks are so interested in 
 analysing human nature and offering their one-sided in- 
 terpretations, that they have no inclination for praise. 
 
 We all greatly need the self-forgetfulness, the objec- 
 tive frame of mind, that comes with honest praise. ‘There 
 is a fine freedom which can only be experienced by those 
 who rejoice in the nature and governance of God. There 
 ‘is a renewal of spirit that is derived only from blotting 
 out the memory of petty things in an exalted gratitude 
 for major blessings. 
 
 Say what you will truthfully about the sorrows and 
 limitations of human life and the insoluble mysteries of 
 the creation, there yet remains the clear call to praise 
 God. For the real origin of religion is not a hopeless 
 wail for help, but the joyful shout of expectant faith. 
 
 291 
 
THE ONE FOUNDATION 
 
 Other foundation can no man lay than that which is 
 laid, which is Jesus Christ-—I Corinthians 3:11. 
 
 Nothing is more important than the beginning of an 
 enterprise. 
 
 What kind of a fool would you call a builder who 
 commenced his building without first carefully choosing 
 a good foundation? And yet many of us do that very 
 thing with our lives. We start acquiring education and 
 making friends and generally erecting the house of our 
 lives without any regard to whether we are building on 
 swamp or sand or rock. Is it any wonder that the air 
 echoes with the crash of falling lives and that the ground 
 is covered with the wreckage? ; 
 
 First choose your foundation. Begin at the beginning. 
 You can’t build a life any more than a house from the 
 roof down. And as the foundation of a secure house is 
 the living rock, so the foundation of human life is the 
 living Christ. . 
 
 He lived the only completely successful life we know 
 anything about. Sin, pain and death, these perpetual 
 enemies of mankind, were impotent before Him. Like 
 a shining lily in the light of the ages, like the towering 
 castles of man’s dreams rises the straight and true and 
 perfect edifice of His life. Reality has only once attained 
 to it; imagination can reach no further, 
 
 292 
 
THE SYMPATHY OF FRIENDS 
 
 Whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took 
 courage.—Acts 28:15. 
 
 There is no more beautiful incident in the Bible than 
 the account of Paul’s arrival at the market of Appius. ~ 
 Buffeted in shipwreck, narrowly escaped from death on 
 land and sea, he comes ashore on his way to Rome, Rome 
 the goal of his ambition. But he comes as a prisoner 
 under guard. Small wonder if he walks despondently. 
 What a contrast to his hopes! Furthermore, he is cut 
 off from knowledge of his beloved Churches in Asia 
 Minor. Would you blame him if he were wrapped in 
 gloom? 
 
 But look! What is this? Friendly faces, kindly 
 greetings. A little band of Christians from the Ro- 
 man Church have come forty-three miles to meet him, 
 “Whom when Paul saw he thanked God and took cour- 
 age.’ ©O lovely gesture of Christian sympathy! ‘They 
 could not release him from bonds, but they could walk 
 beside him on that sorrowful journey and cheer him with 
 word and look. 
 
 We all find ourselves at one time or another in sorrows 
 which our friends can do nothing to end but which they 
 may do everything to transform. What experience can 
 be more heartening in a day of trouble than to look up 
 and see the faces and hear the words of loyal friends? 
 Truly there is nothing more lovely in the world than 
 the sympathy of our friends. 
 
 293 
 
THE REVEALING POWER OF FRIENDSHIP 
 
 Iron sharpeneth iron; 
 So aman sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. 
 —Proverbs 27:17. 
 
 In an examination in a Sunday School with which I 
 am connected the question was asked: What is a friend? 
 A little girl of ten years wrote this answer: “ A friend 
 is some one who will tell you things that no one else will 
 tell you.” 
 
 The more I reflect on those words the more am I im- 
 pressed with the little girl’s wisdom. Both by way of 
 personal commendation and condemnation and by way 
 of comment on life a friend will tell you things that no 
 one else will tell you. From a friend you will obtain 
 those gracious, intimate glimpses of life without which it 
 is all a barren waste. For only between friends can 
 such revealing comments pass. Among strangers there 
 is not enough confidence. 
 
 But from other things that the little girl wrote in the 
 same examination I am led to understand that she was 
 placing particular emphasis on a friend’s ability to help 
 you obtain a true knowledge of yourself. Of course no 
 one can keep friends if he seeks simply to gain a reflec- 
 tion of himself from them. Nevertheless it is true that 
 in friendship we learn more about our friends and about 
 ourselves than is possible in any other way. 
 
 Surely life can find no deeper significance than in the 
 gracious glimpses of another soul and in the truthful 
 presentation of yourself that real friendship affords. 
 
 294 
 
FRIENDLY GESTURES 
 
 Salute one another 
 The saints salute you 
 —Epistles (passim). 
 
 There are many instances of these friendly gestures in 
 the Epistles of the New Testament. At first reading 
 perhaps the frequent messages to and from Prisca and 
 Aquila and Mary and Timothy and others seem of little 
 significance to us. We may even think they take away 
 from the universal appeal of the Epistles. 
 
 But stop for a moment and reflect. What could be 
 more indicative of the Christian spirit than the desire to 
 exchange personal salutations? It shows how deep and 
 true the currents of these Epistles run that with their 
 tremendous themes they yet contain these lovely friendly 
 salutations. 
 
 For it is a worthy instinct of human nature, this de- 
 sire to give and receive a salutation. It has nothing to 
 do with the economic conditions of life; and except for 
 the fact that man is above all else a spiritual being it 
 would be totally futile. But there it is, written into the 
 nature of every man of good will: 
 
 The postman passes the time of day as he delivers the 
 mail; the *bus driver lifts one hand in salute from his 
 wheel as he passes his fellow-driver on the road; the 
 brakeman leans out from his car platform as his train 
 rushes through the station where his friend is employed ; 
 the captain pulls the whistle cord in salute as his vessel 
 passes the ship piloted by his friend. 
 
 And every once in a while some one with whom we 
 thought we had only a business or professional relation 
 sends us a message on the occasion of some joy or sorrow 
 that reminds us of the breadth and depth of human 
 sympathy, | 
 
 295 
 
“GLITTERING GENERALITIES ” 
 All men are liars—Psalm 116: 11. 
 
 No error is easier than that of drawing a greater con- 
 clusion than is warranted by the premises with which we 
 start. An isolated instance is enlarged into an inviolable 
 rule of nature. A partial observation is treated as if it 
 were an exhaustive study. 
 
 Men make a flying visit to a strange country and come 
 home to discuss the delicate problems of that country 
 with a finality that would be ludicrous if it did not have 
 such serious results. 
 
 When we ourselves are ill or in trouble how quickly 
 we assume that the whole world is a gloomy place. We 
 enlarge our own particular feelings and experiences into 
 principles of world-wide significance. 
 
 Having had some hard experiences in dealing with 
 several persons we conclude that all human nature (ex- 
 cept our own peculiar share of it) is corrupt. 
 
 Having been defrauded we make up our minds that all 
 business is dishonest. 
 
 Having once known a minister or Church officer who 
 fell publicly before temptation we declare that all relig- 
 ion is hypocrisy. ? 
 
 Many a verdict which we feel quite free to declare 
 whenever we please, if tracked down to its origin is 
 founded on an isolated instance magnified by desire or 
 interest to.an invariable law. 
 
 The habit of generalizing may be a thought-process 
 needful to dealing with the future, but it ought to be 
 exercised very carefully lest it proclaim us as fools in the 
 eyes of real thinkers, 
 
 296 
 
OBVIOUS SERVICE 
 
 It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God, 
 and serve tables.—Acts 6: 2. 
 
 The decision to make service the goal of your life is 
 excellent so far as it goes. But it has soon to be trans- 
 lated into terms of action. And then the difficulty be- 
 gins. For there are as many kinds of service as there are 
 kinds of men in the world. 
 
 The easiest thing to do of course is to lay hold of the 
 nearest useful job and do it without regard to your quali- 
 fications. ‘There are always plenty of zealous but un- 
 discriminating persons who are interested in securing 
 occupants for the positions for which they are responsible 
 regardless of any human waste it may entail. But the 
 business of a man who has his life to invest is not only 
 to find a useful job, but a job that calls for all his 
 abilities. 
 
 It was not pride that made the Apostles unwilling to 
 spend their time serving tables. Doubtless it would have 
 been a great show of humility for them to undertake this 
 worthy and needed service. But they perceived that they 
 were required for other work and they secured the ap- 
 pointment of new men for this service. 
 
 Let a man beware lest the popularity of the service 
 idea betray him into undertaking work which bears the 
 obvious service label rather than work that is a higher 
 though less noticeable service, 
 
 297 
 
A BIT OF SENTIMENT 
 
 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give 
 me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by 
 the gate!—II Samuel 23:15. 
 
 In the Cave of Adullam, among his fierce and ragged 
 warriors, the heart of David went back to his boyhood, 
 and he longed for a draught of water from that well 
 where he had often quenched his thirst when he was a 
 shepherd-lad. I do not know that it was especially good 
 water. But he wanted it for old times’ sake. 
 
 Bethlehem was then in the hands of the Philistines. 
 But three of David’s mighty men risked their lives to 
 break into the enemy’s stronghold, and bring back the 
 water for which their chief’s heart thirsted. When he 
 held the cup in his hand he realized what his friends had 
 dared for him. His heart was satisfied. He could not 
 drink the precious water, but poured it on the ground 
 with prayer as an offering to God. 
 
 Sentimentality? No, friend, it was not that. But it 
 was sentiment, real and true and deep: the power that 
 makes us love the memories of home and defend them; 
 the power that binds loyal men to a brave leader; the 
 power that lifts human life above the level of a logical 
 machine and makes it a fine adventure. 
 
 A man without sentiment is like a tree without sap,— 
 not a tree, but a post. 
 
 298 
 
SHORT-CUTS 
 He that believeth shall not be in haste.—Isaiah 28: 16. 
 
 The habit of taking short-cuts is one that lays strong 
 hold on people who are always in a hurry. We think we 
 shall save time by cutting our corners. Sometimes this 
 is justified. But in our age short-cutting is far more of 
 a careless habit than a reasoned attempt to save time for 
 more valuable purposes. 
 
 There are hundreds of illustrations. 
 
 Jay-walking in our crowded cities is not done by the 
 men with important business to transact, but by the 
 thoughtless folks. 
 
 ‘The true mountaineer is not looking for the shortest 
 and quickest way to the summit. He is looking for the 
 surest way—even if it takes more time. 
 
 The man who desires a trained mind is not looking for 
 the easiest way to get a college degree. 
 
 In fact everyone that has important business in hand 
 knows that full allowance of time is a necessary element 
 in carrying out his purpose. Nothing really worth while 
 is accomplished in a hurry. It pays to go the full course. 
 
 Perhaps if we all realized and practised this there 
 would be less hectic and unbalanced short-cutting, fewer 
 half-baked college degrees, and more of that patience and 
 poise that mark the man who knows that time is needed 
 to get anywhere worth going. 
 
 In matters of religion this truth is of vital import. 
 The man who believes in God is not anxious about cut- 
 ting corners because he is engaged in tasks 
 
 “Too great for haste, too high for rivalry.” 
 
 299 
 
A STEP FORWARD 
 
 After the (Way which they call a sect, so serve I the 
 God of our fathers, believing all things which are ac- 
 cording to the law, and which are written in the prophets. 
 —Acts 24:14. 
 
 There is a line of continuity with the past that must 
 be maintained, if any progress is to be rendered possible. 
 Only the man who respects the past is able to take a step 
 forward, because he alone is qualified to know not only 
 what is feasible but to judge what will be beneficial. 
 
 And yet the fact must be plain to all lovers of mankind 
 that what has been in the past ought by no means to be 
 the sole determining factor in any situation. “There come 
 times in history when a change from what has preceded 
 is necessary. Such are times of crisis, no doubt; but it 
 will not do to shut our eyes to their existence, nor to try 
 to meet them with the usual means of ordinary times. 
 
 The ground-gains of progress may come by imper- 
 ceptible degrees, but the consolidation of those gains for 
 the benefit of all the people must often seem the result 
 of sudden “ breaks ” with the past. And so they are, for 
 the vast majority of people. There are only a few who 
 are deep enough in thought at any time of crisis, to per- 
 ceive that the cataclysm is but the next imperceptible 
 degree of advance in a chain of events, 
 
 300 
 
FORMS THAT FALSIFY 
 
 Ye have made void the word of God because of your 
 tradition.— Matthew 15: 6. 
 
 The great peril which all moral truth faces is lest the 
 form in which it appears become first the cell in which it 
 is imprisoned, and finally the coffin in which it is buried. 
 Forms and institutions are vital to the manifestation of 
 truth in such a world as this; but there is continual dan- 
 ger lest the body be taken as identical with the spirit. 
 
 A man’s clothes and house are important to him so 
 long as he is alive. But of what value are they if he 
 be dead ? 
 
 Just so is it with moral truth. What is the use of 
 concerning, ourselves with forms and traditions and con- 
 ventions and institutions in which to array truth, if these 
 things cut off the vital breath of life? And if, in seeking 
 to devise clothing and a dwelling-place for truth, we 
 produce sumptuous raiment and a splendid palace as a 
 setting, but smother the life out of truth, of what profit 
 is it? Who will be instructed by a corpse? 
 
 It was not only some of the ancient Pharisees who 
 made this error. It is a common error in every age. 
 
 The one safeguard lies in remembering that forms and 
 institutions, like clothes and houses, are only of value for 
 contributing to the life of the spirit. 
 
 301 
 
POWER OF FORGIVENESS 
 
 There is forgiveness with Thee, 
 That Thou mayest be feared. 
 —Psalm 130: 4. 
 
 No experience is more terrible than that of being for- 
 given. ‘There is no one we hate more than the man we 
 have wronged. But if he insists on forgiving us we are 
 overwhelmed with confusion. A young Christian work- 
 ing man told me that he lost a valued tool from his tool 
 kit and recognized it later in the kit of his fellow work- 
 man. Being the only Christian at work in the room he 
 felt it incumbent upon him to show forgiveness. So he 
 went to the thief and said, “I see you have one of my 
 tools, but you can keep it if you need it.”” Then he went 
 on with his work and put the incident out of his mind. 
 During the next two weeks the thief three times tried to 
 give the value of the tool to its rightful owner—once by 
 offering to give him something else of equal value, again 
 by offering his services between hours, and again by slip- 
 ping money into his coat pocket. ‘The incident closed 
 with a lasting friendship between the two men because, 
 said the thief, “I couldn’t stand being forgiven.” 
 
 Even more irresistible is God’s forgiveness toward us. 
 How puny and vain are our struggles against it. ‘“‘ God 
 commendeth his own love toward us in that, while we 
 were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 
 
 302 
 
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 
 Am I my brother’s keeper?—Genesis 4: 9. 
 
 When Cain had murdered Abel and heard God asking, 
 ** Where is Abel thy brother? ”’ he must have known that 
 God was not asking for information. And yet he chose 
 to answer with the sulky response, “I know not,” and 
 then added the peevish defense, “Am I my brother’s 
 keeper? ’”’—must I be able at all times to account for 
 where my brother is and what he is doing? 
 
 The defense was absurd, and Cain must have realized 
 it even while he spoke. Of course Cain was not respon- 
 sible for Abel’s conduct and whereabouts! But he was 
 responsible for what he had done to Abel. And this was 
 what God was asking about. Why is not Abel free and 
 living like yourself? 
 
 No one can be held accountable in the final sense for 
 what other people do. That would be a violation of the 
 rights of personality. But we are responsible for what 
 we do to others, directly and indirectly. ‘To deny this is 
 to run in the face of social responsibility which is just as 
 real as individual rights. 
 
 No, Cain was not his brother’s keeper; but, as has 
 often been pointed out, he ought to have been his 
 brother’s brother. 
 
 393 
 
CASE-WORK 
 
 If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily 
 food, and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be 
 ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the 
 things needful to the body; what doth it profit?—-James 
 2: 15-16. 
 
 Theory and practice are brought together in the rather 
 unattractive but important word “ Case-work,” from the 
 Social Worker’s vocabulary. It is one thing to work out 
 a theory—especially a theory about human life—and it 
 is quite another thing to deal with the concrete cases 
 which life presents. I would not utter a word in dis- 
 paragement of the teaching of theories in classroom and 
 study. “Theories ought to be the product of accumulated 
 experience boiled down to a residuum of wisdom. 
 
 Unfortunately there is too often in college, seminary, 
 church and other institutions, a tendency to formulate 
 theories in almost total dissociation from facts. For 
 example, that ancient unreality, the economic man, has 
 certainly never existed on land or sea. Or, again, who 
 could conceive in real life such a stilted caricature as is 
 often held up before us as the Christian ideal ? 
 
 This business of analysing life into its constituent parts 
 and then theorizing about each part as if it were in a 
 vacuum, leads inevitably to ridiculous conclusions. ‘The 
 only safeguard lies in disciplining the generalizing ten- 
 dency of the mind by continual dealing with concrete 
 instances. 
 
 If you think that faith is everything, observe its in- 
 adequacy as you deal with a brother or sister naked and 
 in lack of daily food. 
 
SPIRITUAL INDEBTEDNESS 
 
 Who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that 
 thou didst not receive?—I Corinthians 4: 7. 
 
 It is a common failing (especially among men) to as- 
 sume that all we have and are is in some mysterious way 
 to be directly traced to our own private virtues. Most 
 men hate to recognize their indebtedness to any one else, 
 and very few acknowledge it. And yet to recognize and 
 acknowledge indebtedness is one of the plainest marks of 
 genuine religion. 
 
 The trouble is we like to think of the world as a battle- 
 field in which we go forth to snatch achievement and 
 fame for ourselves. As a matter of fact, it is much more 
 nearly a co-operative society in which pooled effort pro- 
 vides the opportunity which genius seizes when it comes. 
 
 How many great men would there be if you took 
 away the little red schoolhouses and the nameless 
 teachers ? 
 
 How many unknown wives and mothers find their 
 monuments in careers too often regarded as individual 
 achievements ? 
 
 And would it not be better for us all if we generously 
 acknowledged our indebtedness for what we have and are 
 to all sorts and conditions of people? 
 
 Paul showed himself a truly great man, for he knew 
 that Life itself is the best Teacher, and that there is no 
 man who cannot instruct some one else. 
 
 For the only career that any man produces by his own 
 unaided efforts is that of the perfect fool. 
 
 395 
 
THE LONG LOOK 
 
 The sons of this world are for their own generation 
 wiser than the sons of the light-—Luke 16: 8. 
 
 It’s all very nice to associate prosperity with honesty, 
 but we all know that this association is accidental and 
 no law. 
 
 To disregard all scruples is easily the surest way of 
 getting immediate results, “The wicked has an enormous 
 temporary advantage over the man who will not act out- 
 side his principles. You may know what course the 
 righteous man will take if you know a moral principle 
 when you see one. But you cannot plan to meet the 
 evil man’s schemes because you can never be sure which 
 way his advantage lies. For it is his regular procedure 
 to hide his trail beneath many false clues. 
 
 ‘The rich man whose dishonest steward used his lost 
 job to provide himself with new friends was doubtless 
 not pleased at discovering the fact. But he recognized 
 the unrighteous steward’s personal astuteness. For the 
 moment he had done well for himself. “That’s where 
 evil is strong. 
 
 “But suppose the story went further. Can you not see 
 trouble inevitably gathering for the steward and even 
 for his innocent descendants and relatives? 
 
 For their own generation the sons of the world are 
 wiser than the sons of the light. But for the eternity of 
 the soul or even the duration of humanity they are in- 
 expressibly stupid, | 
 
 306 
 
~ ALERTNESS WITH DEPENDENCE 
 Watch and pray.— Matthew 26: 41. 
 
 Commonly we obey only one-half of this command- 
 ment. But its strength lies in the interplay of the two 
 parts. 
 
 Sometimes we fail because, though we are very much 
 awake ourselves, we rely exclusively on our own alert- 
 ness. “The inevitable outcome is disaster, for as Jeremiah 
 has truly said: “It is not in man that walketh to direct 
 his steps.” 
 
 This is the common error of the man who is obsessed 
 with the idea of his own importance and temporarily ig- 
 norant of life. It is the common attitude of the worldly 
 man, 
 
 Again we omit the other half of the commandment. 
 We besiege heaven with prayer and then shut our eyes to 
 our particular part in God’s answer to that prayer. We 
 pray but neglect to watch. Plenty of people who think 
 they are very religious make this mistake. 
 
 Jesus’ command calls for both vigilance and supplica- 
 tion, readiness and dependence. 
 
 “Pray to God and row to shore,’”’ says the proverb of 
 the Russian fishermen. “ Pray to God and keep your 
 powder dry,” runs the saying of our pioneer forefathers. 
 
 There are two sides to man’s religious life: his own 
 honest efforts and God’s guidance and support. Each 
 without the other is inadequate. 
 
 307 
 
GENEROSITY 
 
 Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he him- 
 self said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.— 
 Acts 20: 35. 
 
 ‘The Christmas season is a time when generosity finds 
 its fullest expression. It is natural now to give. And 
 many people are getting a fresh understanding of the 
 experience that it is more blessed to give than to receive. 
 
 But it is not just indiscriminate giving that is blessed. 
 There is such a thing as giving in a way to please your- 
 self but injure the recipient. ‘The doting parent and the 
 spoilt child are the well known representatives of that 
 error. But there are others. 
 
 We must beware, it is true, of falling into the mean 
 attitude of those disciples who complained when the poor 
 woman brought the box of precious ointment to Jesus. 
 They considered it wasteful, “ for this ointment might 
 have been sold for above three hundred shillings and 
 given to the poor.’ But Jesus rebuked this carping 
 frame of mind. 
 
 And yet all this is not to say that there is no need to 
 direct our gifts where they shall bring real benefit. It is 
 so easy to please ourselves in giving and overlook a com- 
 monplace but worthy individual or cause. 
 
 In this connection it is interesting to recall that the 
 first money received by Morse, the inventor of the tele- 
 graph, for the actual sale of his patent rights (for use on 
 a short line from the Post Office to the National Ob- 
 servatory in Washington) was presented by him to a 
 Sunday School, 
 
 308 
 
RICHNESS OF LIFE 
 Be ye also enlarged.—II Corinthians 6: 13. 
 
 One reason why we live such circumscribed lives is 
 because we only give our attention to those things which 
 directly concern our business or our comfort. We forget 
 that a whole universe is at hand to interpret to us the 
 meaning of life. 
 
 That is why every one who can possibly do so ought 
 to have some sort of hobby,—some interest to lead outside 
 of himself, where he can lose the strain of his particular 
 life in the wonder of the universal aspect. 
 
 It may be some form of sport, or sketching,—no matter 
 how bad the sketches,—or some animal to care for and 
 watch, or (like Oliver Wendell Holmes) measuring and 
 marvelling at New England elm trees. Anything el- 
 emental will do. 
 
 To centre your attention on your own life in its minor 
 aspects is always discouraging. Bye and bye you will find 
 yourself a prisoner of boredom. But to turn on your life 
 the light and interpretation of the universe is to find in 
 it both beauty and value. 
 
 For one of the great lessons which a man must learn 
 if he would experience fulness of life, is how to keep his 
 eye on the particular object before him and his mind on 
 the universe, 
 
 309 
 
CHRISTMAS FOR ALL 
 
 Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the 
 people.—Luke 2: 10. 
 
 The first quality of a spiritual gift is its universality. 
 It belongs to all people. ‘The exigencies of time and 
 space may call for a limited reception at first, but the 
 gift is not for a privileged few, but for all men. 
 
 So is it with the good news on which the celebration 
 of Christmas is founded. Coming first to the shepherds 
 in the fields, it was intended for all the people. Coming 
 first to the Jewish nation, it was directed to all the 
 world. ‘God so loved the world,”—the cosmos, the sum 
 total of created things,—“ that he sent his only begotten 
 son.” 
 
 And indeed one of the most characteristic features of 
 the Christmas spirit is the desire to share its celebration 
 as widely as possible. ‘The spirit of generosity is abroad. 
 We cannot bear to hear of any one left out. Every ap- 
 peal for neglected humanity falls on sympathetic ears. 
 The solidarity of the human race is an accepted axiom 
 at this season. 
 
 The next step toward the fulfilment of the Christmas 
 spirit is evident: we must make the attitude of good will 
 a permanent spiritual relation with all men. 
 
 ‘There are many signs to the unjaundiced eye that this 
 movement is begun. May it receive a fresh impetus and 
 an increasing stability in each Christmas season. 
 
 310 
 
PREPARATIONS 
 
 Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make 
 level in the desert a highway for our God.—Isaiah 40: 3. 
 
 No sensible person expects to find a house built or a 
 dinner cooked unless preparations are first made, the 
 materials assembled, and the work done. 
 
 And yet lots of people act as if preparation for spir- 
 itual realizations were totally unnecessary. “They neglect 
 the private and public practices of religion and then feel 
 aggrieved because God seems unreal to them. Some peo- 
 ple hustle off to Church unwillingly, sit through service 
 thinking over a thousand and one extraneous matters, 
 and wonder why Church is so dull. 
 
 Take this matter of celebrating Christmas. Some 
 people are regularly disappointed in it. “They expect 
 some great experience on Christmas Day, but fail to find 
 it. Why? Because they do nothing to prepare their 
 hearts for it. 
 
 Not that the preparation produces the experience. No; 
 but the experience requires that we should be prepared 
 in order to appreciate it. Otherwise, like Bunyan’s 
 Muck Raker, we will not see the angel because our eyes 
 are fixed on the ground. 
 
 ‘There are laws of preparation for enjoying spiritual 
 events just as there are laws of preparation leading up 
 to any other realization you may name. 
 
 Is it not a shame to spend so much time preparing 
 for everything else, while we spend so little time pre- 
 paring ourselves to perceive and appreciate spiritual 
 experiences? 
 
 311 
 
HOSPITALITY 
 
 . . . Because there was no room for them in the inn. 
 
 —Luke 2: 7. 
 
 There is a deep note of human pathos in the simple 
 narrative of the events of the first Christmas—something 
 infinitely affecting that moves the heart far more pro- 
 foundly than resounding and eloquent words. 
 
 The elemental desires and relations of the human soul 
 are touched: the unutterable yearning of the heart for 
 salvation; the simplicity of the greatest events; the meek- 
 ness of mankind at the best; the smallness of beginnings 
 that have the most far-reaching consequences. 
 
 Take this simple fact: the spiritual King of the whole 
 earth was born in the straw amid the oxen and asses. 
 What an emphasis that gives to man’s instinctive desire 
 to show hospitality! 
 
 And when we add to it Jesus’ teaching ‘‘ Inasmuch as 
 ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, 
 ye did it unto me,” the lesson is complete. 
 
 Who can measure the effect of this example on man’s 
 generous but often denied instinct to show hospitality to 
 his fellowmen! 
 
 How many through the centuries have found shelter 
 and care, fire and food, because the Christchild and his 
 mother and the patient Joseph were crowded that first 
 Christmas night out of the inn and lay in the stable! 
 
 “Unbar your heart this evening 
 And keep no stranger out, 
 ‘Take from your soul’s great portal 
 ‘The barrier of doubt. 
 ‘To humble folk and weary 
 Give hearty welcoming, 
 Your breast shall be tomorrow 
 
 The cradle of a king.” 
 
 312 
 
CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART 
 Let us now go even unto Bethlehem.—Luke 2: 15. 
 
 To Bethlehem our hearts, star led 
 From wanderings far and wild, 
 Turn to a lowly cattle-shed 
 And kneel before the Child. 
 
 We come from deserts, pitiless 
 With lonely human pride; 
 
 And from the howling wilderness 
 Where dread and hate abide. 
 
 Touched by his hand we find release 
 From heavy griefs and fears: 
 Our hearts are lifted up with peace 
 
 And purified by tears. 
 
 Ah Saviour dear! Thou Holy Child, 
 What power is thine to heal 
 
 Our broken hearts, our wills defiled, 
 When at thy feet we kneel. 
 
 Grant us thy grace no more to roam, 
 But, following thee alway, 
 
 Find Bethlehem in every home, 
 
 _ The whole year Christmas Day. 
 
 313 
 
OBEDIENCE 
 
 Christ who... though he was a Son, yet learned 
 obedience by the things which he suffered; and having 
 been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey 
 him the author of eternal salvation—Hebrews 5: 8, 9. 
 
 The same idea is expressed in other words by other 
 writers in the New Testament, but I have chosen this 
 infrequently quoted form because it emphasizes a much 
 neglected word: obedience,—Christ’s obedience to his 
 Father and the requirement that we obey Christ. 
 
 Obedience is certainly an unpopular idea in the mind 
 of undisciplined age as well as of callow youth. Lots of 
 people love their independence to such a degree that they 
 surrender moral freedom. For moral freedom is not 
 the result of unrestricted self-expression, but of obedience 
 to the will of God: 
 
 “Our wills are ours to make them Thine.” 
 
 ‘That was the way by which Jesus became perfect. 
 Tempted to put his will before God’s he prayed victori- 
 ously: ‘ Not as I will but as Thou wilt.” 
 
 As we look about us on the confused moral situation 
 and the tumultuous world conditions of today, can we 
 not see that they are definitely connected with the com- 
 mon despising of obedience? Men are talking a great 
 deal about Jesus and his teaching. What we all need is 
 to obey him. The thing that will make for salvation as 
 a reality both as regards this world and the life beyond, 
 is obedience to him who though he was a son yet learned 
 obedience, 
 
 314 
 
MEN AND CIVILIZATION 
 
 The city which hath the foundations, whose builder 
 and maker is God.—Hebrews 11: 10. 
 
 A little boy from the country was with me in New 
 York one day, and I was carelessly talking to him in a 
 way I imagined he would find interesting. I told him 
 about tall buildings, and big bridges, and long trains of 
 cars, and huge busses, and gigantic steamers, and all the 
 wonders of a modern city. He listened for a while and 
 then turned with the fearless and direct gaze of a child, 
 and said quite simply: ‘‘ Oh, everything’s big except 
 what’s alive.” Was it not the remark of an observant 
 philosopher ? 
 
 Of course progress, has been made in public health and 
 education, etc., etc. But is it or Is it not true that our 
 material civilization has far outstripped our mental and 
 moral and physical development? ‘To a fresh and un- 
 prejudiced eye, must we not often appear totally insignif- 
 icant alongside of our creations? ‘The maker may be 
 greater than the thing made; but what if the inventions 
 persistently destroy the inventors? “The magnificence and 
 power of our civilization cannot be measured apart from 
 the men in it. For in reality the civilization is only the 
 setting for the men. 
 
 What sort of men are they that live amid the wonders 
 and powers of our age? Do they justify or condemn our 
 civilization? Do we seek to build only the tallest, the 
 biggest, the most magnificent city, regardless of its effect 
 on human beings; or do we seek the city which hath the 
 foundations, whose builder and maker is God? 
 
 315 
 
CONTENTMENT 
 
 I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be 
 content.—Philippians 4: 11. 
 
 Sitting on a rock under a clump of spruces on the 
 Maine sea coast one summer morning, I watched the 
 pleasant panorama of life before me. Overhead in the 
 evergreen branches several warblers were alternately 
 feeding and singing. On the sea beach a plover ran 
 daintily back and forth before the incoming and receding 
 waves to pick up his food. Above the shimmering water 
 darted a tern now and again plunging into the water in 
 pursuit of a fish that ventured near the surface. 
 
 I did not hear the tern bewailing his fate because he 
 could not sing like the warblers. Nor did the plover 
 gaze wistfully at the tern and yearn for his long, graceful 
 wings. Nor did the warblers to my knowledge cry out 
 against the injustice of their unwebbed feet. 
 
 Only man—until he learns the beauty of God’s laws— 
 is querulous, dissatisfied. 
 
 There is, of course, a sense in which discontent is a 
 quality of divinity. But what is there divine about the 
 childish rebellion and futile complaining with which we 
 waste so many precious hours? . 
 
 There are many wrong things which need righting. 
 But not everything that is, is wrong—even among men. 
 
 316 
 
CHEERFUL TRUST 
 Be of good cheer.—John 16: 33. 
 
 One of the most characteristic of Jesus’ words in his 
 earthly ministry was, ‘‘ Be of good cheer.” It is unfor- 
 tunately not so characteristic of his followers as it was 
 of our Master and his first disciples. Our approach to 
 Christianity is often wrong. We ask ourselves: In view 
 of all we know about life, can we reconcile these things 
 with the Christian position? 
 
 The first disciples being captured by faith and lopalty, 
 came at the issue from the positive side. 
 
 Perhaps that is why they were more joyful and con- 
 sequently more daring and powerful than most of us. 
 
 Of course it is only the fool who is continuously light- 
 hearted. We are wisely told to “ rejoice with them that 
 rejoice and weep with them that weep.” But nothing is 
 more helpful to your friend and yourself than a consistent 
 tone of cheerfulness running through your life. 
 
 There is a sense in which human life is an insoluble 
 riddle. But does it become more desirable or valuable 
 when we lugubriously occupy ourselves with this single 
 aspect? Life is an experience to be enjoyed as well as 
 a problem to be solved. 
 
 Jesus radiated good cheer because he trusted in God’s 
 ability to use men for his holy purpose, rather than in 
 man’s ability to explain and manage the universe. 
 
 Faith in God is the one sure source of cheerfulness. 
 
 317 
 
A QUIET HEART 
 
 Because he knew no quietness within him, 
 He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth. 
 —Job 20: 20. 
 
 This chapter of Job describes ‘‘the portion of a wicked 
 man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by 
 God.” The heart of its truth is found in the brief phrase 
 “no quietness within him.” 
 
 The wicked man cannot obtain quietness within. He 
 is adrift on a sea of calamity. Like an ill-ballasted ship 
 even a favourable wind only serves to buffet him. All 
 the meaning and purpose is gone out of life because the 
 spiritual stability is lacking. “The very things he desires 
 turn to nothing as he obtains them. 
 
 It is all an old and commonplace story; but until it is 
 driven home to the conscience of humanity there will 
 always be an extra supply of sorrow and trouble in the 
 world. 
 
 Every returned Prodigal Son knows it well, and many 
 a man who is still in the riotous living stage begins to 
 perceive it, but still lacks the courage and strength to 
 acknowledge himself wrong and turn in the new direction. 
 
 On the other hand the man who carries in himself the 
 peace of God which passeth understanding may be hard 
 beset by the tempests of life. He may eyen be ship- 
 wrecked as many a gallant vessel has been. But his 
 shall be the glory of going down with his gear intact and 
 himself in the line of duty. 
 
 And even the last struggle shall be waged with joy 
 because there is quietness within. 
 
 318 
 
CHRISTIAN HOPE 
 
 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 
 in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of 
 the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15: 13. 
 
 The Christian doctrine of hope is one of the most im- 
 portant of all doctrines. And yet it is little spoken of 
 and less meditated upon. Why is this? 
 
 Is it not because we erroneously think that hope is 
 simply a weak word for faith? Of course if that were 
 true, we should be quite right in finding hope superseded 
 by faith. But hope in the Christian sense is an entirely 
 different thing. It is not that which may become faith; 
 it is rather the flower of faith, the desire for and the 
 expectation of future good, both for this life and for the 
 life beyond death. Faith in God is the root out of which 
 that hope springs and, apart from it, faith must ever 
 stand in danger of degenerating into a fanatical obsession 
 without meaning for human life. 
 
 Christian hope is not the mere unreasoning resiliency 
 of the human spirit, the toughness of the fibre of life. 
 ‘The Christian does not shut his eyes and declare obsti- 
 nately and stubbornly: “‘ Nevertheless I will hope.” 
 Rather he lifts up his eyes and says: ‘“‘ I believe in God, 
 and therefore will I hope.” 
 
 More than this: the Christian finds justification for 
 hope not only as a conclusion from considering the nature 
 of God, but above all as an experience of the living 
 presence of God with him in every event of life. 
 
 319 
 
INDEX OF IDEAS 
 
 The purpose of this index is to make accessible in alphabeti- 
 
 cal order the main ideas presented in these reflections. 
 
 With 
 
 this end in view all references to the same general idea are 
 grouped under the simplest word or phrase that may represent 
 
 or suggest that idea. 
 
 Achievement, 286 
 Adaptability, 157 
 Adventure, 156 
 Advice, 128, 155 
 Alertness, 306 
 Allegories, 272 
 Amusements, 153 
 Ancestors, 35, 47 
 Aristocracy, 229, 276 
 Authority, 149 
 
 Blame, 147 
 Blessings, 42 
 Busybody, 165, 199 
 
 Calamity-howlers, 187 
 Ceremonies (See: Forms) 
 Character; 146 
 Cheerfulness, 317 
 Childlikeness, 104, 142, 282 
 
 Christ, 84, 85, 86, 96, 98, 140, 
 
 141, 292 
 
 Christmas, 308, 310. 311, 312, 
 
 313 
 Choice, 77 
 Civilization, 315 
 Commands, 148 
 Company, 188 
 Compassion, 139 
 Competence, 8 
 Conceit, 133 
 Concentration, 132 
 Conferences, 17 
 Confidence, 60 
 Conscience, 131 
 Contentment, 316 
 Control, 38, 132 
 Convictions, 120, 129 
 Correction, 128 
 Courage, 125, 130, 151 
 
 Crisis, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 
 220 
 
 Criticism, 123, 124, 128 
 
 Cross, 96, 154, 208, 209 
 
 Death, 213, 220 
 
 Debts, 305 
 
 Decisions, 83 
 
 Defeat, 51 
 
 Difficulties, 40, 117, 135, 
 216, 236, 267, 275 
 
 Discontent, 89 
 
 Diversity, 55 
 
 Dogmatism, 144 
 
 Doubt, 67, 68 
 
 Duty, 90, 108, 222, 231 
 
 Earning and Spending, 81 
 
 Ease, 19 
 
 Education, 78, 79, 154 
 
 Emotion, 48 
 
 Enemies, 33, 34 
 
 Environment, 129, 157 
 
 Equipment, 74, 75 
 
 Eternal Life, 209 
 
 Evil, 72, 73, 119, 273 
 
 Exaggeration, 159 
 
 Excuses, 69 
 
 Expectations, 70 
 
 Experiments, 45 
 
 Facts, 71, 144 
 
 Faith, 9, 57, 58, 59, 67, 68, 151, 
 193 
 
 False witness, 94 
 
 Familiar things, 156 
 
 Feelings, 48 
 
 Forebears, (See Ancestors) 
 
 Forget, 44, 112, 122 
 
 Forgiveness, 302 
 
 Forms, 145, 301 
 
 151, 
 
 320 
 
- Freedom, 214 
 Friends, 128, 217, 293, 294, 295 
 
 Generalities, 296 
 
 Generations, 47, 53, 223, 282 
 
 Generosity, 152, 308 
 
 Genius, 288 
 
 Gentleness, 290 
 
 Glories, 66 
 
 God, 13, 82, 91, 225, 259, 285, 
 
 307, 308 
 
 Gospel, 37, 87, 284 
 
 Gossip, 124 
 
 Gratitude, 287 
 
 Greatness, 290 
 
 Habitations, 10 
 
 Half-baked, 281 
 
 Happiness, 84, 85, 86, 233, 269 
 
 Harshness, 39 
 
 Haste, 38 
 
 Head, 207 
 
 Heart, 76, 178, 318 
 
 Helpfulness, 36 
 
 Heredity, 35 
 
 History, 11 
 
 Hope, 87, 152, 319 
 
 Hospitality, 312 
 
 Hymns (See: Worship) 
 
 Ideals, 24, 109, 232 
 
 Ideas, 21 
 
 Idlers, 20 
 
 Ignorance, 13, 18, 105 
 
 Imagination, 25, 46, 201, 224 
 
 Immortality, 10, 98, 134, 209, 
 283, 306 
 
 Impatience, 24, 158 
 
 Indebtedness, 305 
 
 Individual (See: Soul) 
 
 Infallibility, 49 
 
 Jealousy, 14, 92 
 
 Judging, 123, 230, 264 
 
 Justice, 116, 136, 137, 138, 162, 
 163 
 
 Knowledge, 15, 210 
 
 Late, 32 
 
 Laughter, 31, 317 
 
 Law of God, 285 
 
 Legislation, 23, 146 
 
 Life (richness of), 28, 76, 81, 
 107, 146, 161, 309 
 
 Life-purpose, 30 
 Limitations, 225, 239, 256 
 Living, 161 
 
 Loafers, 20 
 
 Lost, 29 
 
 Love (a5, 225 
 
 Loyalty, 159 
 
 Luck, 26 
 
 Martha, 178 
 
 Means and ends, 194, 204 
 
 Memory, 44, 202, 286 
 
 Men, 205, 228, 230, 261, (See 
 also: People) 
 
 Misinformation, 105 
 
 Misplaced, 279 
 
 Money, 8, 12, 136, 137, 138, 
 195, 218, 243, 253, (See also: 
 Life) 
 
 Moods, 240 
 
 Moral-sense, 186, 221 
 
 Neighbour, (See: Other people 
 etc. 
 
 New Year, 7 
 
 Nothing, 266, 271 
 
 Now is the time, 212, 231 
 
 Nuisance, 227 
 
 Obedience, 314 
 
 Officials, 27 
 
 Old Age, 226 
 
 Onlookers, 224 
 
 Opportunity, 152, 212 
 
 Orders, 148 
 
 Organization, 190 
 
 Other people, 162, 163, 168, 
 267, 268, 269, 270, (See also: 
 Men, People, etc.) 
 
 Parables, 272 
 
 Past, 7, 11, 222, 286 
 
 Peace, 99, 150, 162, 196, 318 
 
 People, 62, 80, 228, 315, (See 
 also: Men, Other peop.) 
 
 Perfectionism, 238 
 
 Perseverance, 232, 244 
 
 Personality (See: Soul) 
 
 Play, 234 
 
 Pleasure, 233 
 
 Praise, 261, 291 
 
 Potentialities, 230 
 
 Prayer, 236, 241, 242 
 
 321 
 
Preaching, 128, 248, 252 
 
 Preparations, 100, 164, 311 
 
 Pride (good and bad), 113, 126, 
 133, 274, 288 
 
 Privileges, 229 
 
 Profiteers (See: Money) 
 
 Programmes, 228 
 
 Progress, 300 
 
 Proof, 176 
 
 Prophets, 27, 182, 184, 187 
 
 Prosperity, 181, 306 
 
 Publicity, 180, 262 
 
 Quarrel, 122 
 
 Quiet, 318 
 
 Race-prejudice, 177 
 
 Religion, 22, 97, 145, 175, 179, 
 183, 191, 193, 197, 200, 203, 
 206 
 
 Remorse, 174 
 
 Repentance and remorse, 64, 
 174 
 
 Resentment, 173 
 
 Reserve power, 82, 172 
 
 Resignation, 91 
 
 Resiliency, 198 
 
 Resolutions, 170 
 
 Resourcefulness, 169 
 
 Respect, 114, 162, 163, 168 
 
 Respectability, 92, 93, 94, 95, 
 167 
 
 Responsibility, 166, 171, 303 
 
 Rest, 196 
 
 Ridiculousness, 246 
 
 Riots, 247 
 
 Routine, 250 
 
 Ruler, 251 
 
 Salvation, 167, 254, 255 
 
 Science, 22, 256 
 
 Secrets, (207 
 
 Seed, 258 
 
 Seeking, 259 
 
 Self, 65, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 
 115, 132, 211227, 236.1252, 
 263 
 
 Sensationalism, 262 
 
 Sentiment and sentimentality, 
 101, 289, 298 
 
 Service, 160, 211, 276, 297 
 
 Servility, 95 
 
 Shortcuts, 299 
 
 Showing off, 274 
 
 Sickness, 219, 275 
 
 Simplicity, 277 
 
 Sin, 92, 93, 94, 95, 266, 268 
 
 Small things, 237, 258, 280 
 
 Soul, 16, 63, 114, 117, 188, 235 
 260, 304 
 
 Specialization, 189 
 
 Speech, 143, 149, 245 
 
 Spending, 81, 107 
 
 Spirit, 121, 127, 198 
 
 Stumbling-block, 263 
 
 Statistics, 118 
 
 Suffering (See: Cross, Diffi- 
 culties) 
 
 Sympathy, 114, 139, 185, 293 
 
 Temptation, (See: Evil) 
 
 Theories, 36, 304 
 
 Things, 192, 265 
 
 Thorns, 40 
 
 Tolerance, 61, 185 
 
 Transformation, 52, 88 
 
 Troubles (See Difficulties, ete.) 
 
 Truth, 41, 120, 249 
 
 Tyranny, 56, 106 
 
 Unfinished, 281 
 
 Unity, 55 
 
 Unseeing eyes, 46 
 
 Vindictiveness, 54 
 
 Virtues, 43, 270 
 
 Volunteers, 50 
 
 Wars, 164 
 
 Waste, 107 
 
 Weakness, 106 
 
 Weeds, 192 
 
 Will, 79, 83, 178 
 
 Winter, 283 
 
 Wives, 116 
 
 Wonder, 104 
 
 Words, 28 
 
 Work, 17, 103 
 
 Worship, 102, 278, 308 
 
 Yoke, 196 
 
 Youth, 47, 53, 223 
 
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