,,joy ,,and ,,power      ,three messages
 with ,one meaning    by    ,henry van  
,dyke          #aijc          ,dedicated
 to my friend ,john ,huston ,finley     
,president of the ,college of the ,city 
of ,new ,york          ,,the ,,preface  
,the three messages which are brought   
together in this book were given  not   
far apart in time1 though at some       
distance from one another in  space4    
,the one called ,joy and ,power was     
delivered in ,los ,angeles1             
,california1 at the opening of the      
,presbyterian ,general ,assembly1 ,may  
#ba1  #aijc4 ,the one called ,the       
,battle of ,life was delivered on       
,baccalaureate  ,sunday at ,princeton   
,university1 ,june #g4 ,the one called  
,the ,good ,old ,way  was delivered on  
,baccalaureate ,sunday at ,harvard      
,university1 ,june #ad4 ,at  the time1  
,i was thinking chiefly of the different
 qualities and needs of  the people to  
whom ,i had to speak4 ,this will account
 for some things in  the form of each   

message4 ,but now that they are put     
together ,i can see  that all three of  
them say about the same thing4 ,they    
point in the same  direction1 urge the  
same course of action1 and appeal to the
 same  motive4 ,it is nothing new1--the 
meaning of this threefold message1--but 
it is the best that ,i have learned in  
life4 ,and ,i believe it is  true1--so  
true that we need often to have it      
brought to remembrance4    ,henry van   
,dyke    ,avalon1 ,july #e1 #aijc       
,,contents      i4 ,joy and ,power      
ii4 ,the ,battle of ,life    iii4 ,the  
,good ,old ,way          ,,joy ,,and    
,,power        i,st4 ,john viii4 #ag3   
,if ye know these things1 happy are     
ye if ye do them4_/i    ,i ask you to   
think for a little while about the      
religion of ,christ in  its relation to 
happiness4    ,this is only one point in
 the circle of truth at the centre of   
which  ,jesus stands4 ,but it is an     
important point because it marks one of 
the  lines of power which radiate from  

,him4 ,to look at it clearly and        
steadily is not to disregard other      
truths4 ,the mariner takes the whole    
heavens of astronomy for granted while  
he shapes his course by a single  star4 
,in the wish for happiness all men are  
strangely alike4 ,in their  explanations
 of it and in their ways of seeking it  
they are singularly  different4 ,shall  
we think of this wish as right1 or      
wrong2 as a true  star1 or a            
will-o'-the-wisp8 ,if it is right to    
wish to be happy1 what  are the         
conditions on which the fulfilment of   
this wish depends8 ,these  are the two  
questions with which ,i would come to   
,christ1 seeking  instruction and       
guidance4    ,i4 ,the desire of         
happiness1 beyond all doubt1 is a       
natural desire4 ,it  is the law of life 
itself that every being seeks and       
strives toward the  perfection of its   
kind1 the realization of its own        
specific ideal in  form and function1   
and a true harmony with its environment4

 ,every drop  of sap in the tree flows  
toward foliage and fruit4 ,every drop of
 blood  in the bird beats toward flight 
and song4 ,in a conscious being this    
movement toward perfection must take a  
conscious form4 ,this conscious  form is
 happiness1--the satisfaction of the    
vital impulse1--the rhythm  of the      
inward life1--the melody of a heart that
 has found its keynote4  ,to say that   
all men long for this is simply to      
confess that all men are  human1 and    
that their thoughts and feelings are an 
essential part of  their life4 ,virtue  
means a completed manhood4 ,the joyful  
welfare of the  soul belongs to the     
fulness of that ideal4 ,holiness is     
wholeness4 ,in  striving to realize the 
true aim of our being1 we find the wish 
for  happiness implanted in the very    
heart of our effort4    ,now what does  
,christ say in regard to this natural   
human wish8 ,does ,he  say that it is an
 illusion8 ,does ,he condemn and deny   
it8 ,would ,he have  accepted ,goethe's 

definition3 religion is renunciation8   
,surely such a notion is far from the   
spirit of ,jesus4 ,there is nothing  of 
the hardness of ,stoicism1 the coldness 
of ,buddhism1 in ,christ's  gospel4 ,it 
is humane1 sympathetic1 consoling4      
,unrest and weariness1 the  fever of    
passion and the chill of despair1       
soul-solitude and  heart-trouble1 are   
the very things that ,he comes to cure4 
,he begins ,his  great discourse with a 
series of beatitudes4 ,blessed is the   
word4  ,happy is the meaning4 ,nine     
times ,he rings the changes on that     
word1  like a silver bell sounding from 
,his fair temple on the mountain-side1  
calling all who long for happiness to   
come to ,him and find rest for  their   
souls4    ,christ never asks us to give 
up merely for the sake of giving up1 but
  always in order to win something      
better4 ,he comes not to destroy1 but to
  fulfil1--to fill full1--to replenish  
life with true1 inward1 lasting  riches4
 ,his gospel is a message of            

satisfaction1 of attainment1 of         
felicity4 ,its voice is not a sigh1 but 
a song4 ,its final word is a            
benediction1 a good-saying4 ,these      
things have ,i spoken unto you1 that  my
 joy might remain in you1 and that your 
joy might be full4    ,if we accept ,his
 teaching we must believe that men are  
not wrong in  wishing for happiness1 but
 wrong in their way of seeking it4      
,earthly  happiness1--pleasure that     
belongs to the senses and perishes with 
them1--earthly happiness is a dream and 
a delusion4 ,but happiness on           
earth1--spiritual joy and peace1        
blossoming here1 fruiting               
hereafter1--immortal happiness1 is the  
keynote of life in ,christ4    ,and if  
we come to ,him1 ,he tells us four great
 secrets in regard to it4    i4 ,it is  
inward1 and1 not outward2 and so it does
 not depend on what we  have1 but on    
what we are4    ii4 ,it cannot be found 
by direct seeking1 but by setting our   
faces  toward the things from which it  

flows2 and so we must climb the mount   
if we would see the vision1 we must tune
 the instrument if we would hear  the   
music4    iii4 ,it is not solitary1 but 
social2 and so we can never have it     
without  sharing it with others4    iv4 
,it is the result of ,god's will for us1
 and not of our will for  ourselves2 and
 so we can only find it by giving our   
lives up1 in  submission and obedience1 
to the control of ,god4      ,for this  
is peace1--to lose the lonely note      
,of self in love's celestial ordered    
strain3    ,and this is joy1--to find   
one's self again    ,in ,him whose      
harmonies forever float    ,through all 
the spheres of song1 below1 above1--    
,for ,god is music1 even as ,god is     
love4    ,this is the divine doctrine of
 happiness as ,christ taught it by ,his 
life  and with ,his lips4 ,if we want to
 put it into a single phrase1 ,i know   
not  where we shall find a more perfect 
utterance than in the words which  have 
been taught us in childhood1--words so  

strong1 so noble1 so  cheerful1 that    
they summon the heart of manhood like   
marching-music3  ,man's chief end is to 
glorify ,god and enjoy ,him forever4    
,let us accept without reserve this     
teaching of our ,divine ,lord and       
,master in regard to the possibility and
 the duty of happiness4 ,it is an       
essential element of ,his gospel4 ,the  
atmosphere of the ,new ,testament is    
not gloom1 but gladness2 not            
despondency1 but hope4 ,the man who is  
not  glad to be a ,christian is not the 
right kind of a ,christian4    ,the     
first thing that commended the ,church  
of ,jesus to the weary and  disheartened
 world in the early years of her        
triumph1 was her power to  make her     
children happy1--happy in the midst of  
afflictions1 happy in  the release from 
the burden of guilt1 happy in the sense 
of ,divine  ,fatherhood and human       
brotherhood1 happy in ,christ's victory 
over sin and  death1 happy in the       
assurance of an endless life4 ,at       

midnight in the  prison1 ,paul and      
,silas sang praises1 and the prisoners  
heard them4 ,the  lateral force of      
joy1--that was the power of the ,church4
      ',poor world1' she cried1 'so deep
 accurst1      ,thou runn'st from pole  
to pole    ,to seek a draught to slake  
thy thirst1--      ,go seek it in thy   
soul4'             99       99       99 
99       99      ,tears washed the      
trouble from her face6      ,she changed
 into a child6    ',mid weeds and wrecks
 she stood1--a place      ,of ruin1--but
 she smiled6    ,much has the ,church   
lost of that pristine and powerful joy4 
,the furnace  of civilization has       
withered and hardened her4 ,she has     
become anxious  and troubled about many 
things4 ,she has sought earthly honours1
 earthly  powers4 ,richer she is than   
ever before1 and probably better        
organized1  and perhaps more            
intelligent1 more learned1--but not more
 happy4 ,the one  note that is most     
often missing in ,christian life1 in    

,christian service1  is the note of     
spontaneous joy4    ,christians are not 
as much calmer1 steadier1 stronger1 and 
more cheerful  than other people as they
 ought to be4 ,some ,christians are     
among the  most depressing and worryful 
people in the world1--the most difficult
 to  live with4 ,and some1 indeed1 have 
adopted a theory of spiritual ethics    
which puts a special value upon         
unhappiness4 ,the dark1 morbid spirit   
which mistrusts every joyful feeling1   
and depreciates every cheerful  virtue1 
and looks askance upon every happy life 
as if there must be  something wrong    
about it1 is a departure from the beauty
 of ,christ's  teaching to follow the   
dark-browed philosophy of the ,orient4  
,the religion of ,jesus tells us that   
cheerful piety is the best piety4       
,there is something finer than to do    
right against inclination2 and that  is 
to have an inclination to do right4     
,there is something nobler than         
reluctant obedience2 and that is joyful 

obedience4 ,the rank of virtue is  not  
measured by its disagreeableness1 but by
 its sweetness to the heart  that loves 
it4 ,the real test of character is joy4 
,for what you rejoice  in1 that you     
love4 ,and what you love1 that you are  
like4    ,i confess frankly that ,i have
 no admiration for the phrase           
disinterested benevolence1 to describe  
the main-spring of ,christian  morals4  
,i do not find it in the ,new           
,testament3 neither the words1 nor  the 
thing4 ,interested benevolence is what  
,i find there4 ,to do good to  others is
 to make life interesting and find peace
 for our own souls4 ,to  glorify ,god is
 to enjoy ,him4 ,that was the spirit of 
the first  ,christians4 ,was not ,st4   
,paul a happier man than ,herod8 ,did   
not ,st4 ,peter  have more joy of his   
life than ,nero8 ,it is said of the     
first disciples  that they did eat their
 meat with gladness and singleness of   
heart4  ,not till that pristine gladness
 of life returns will the ,church regain

  her early charm for the souls of men4 
,every great revival of ,christian      
power--like those which came in the     
times of ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi and   
of ,john ,wesley--has been marked and   
heralded by a revival of ,christian     
joy4    ,if we want the ,church to be   
mighty in power to win men1 to be a     
source  of light in the darkness1 a     
fountain of life in the wilderness1 we  
must  remember and renew1 in the spirit 
of ,christ1 the relation of religion to 
human happiness4    ,,ii4 ,what1 then1  
are the conditions upon which true      
happiness depends8  ,christ tells us in 
the text3 ,if ye know these things1     
happy are ye if ye  do them4    ,this is
 the blessing with a double if4 ,if ye  
know1--this is the  knowledge which     
,christ gives to faith4 ,if ye do1--this
 is the  obedience which faith gives to 
,christ4 ,knowing and ,doing1--these are
 the  twin pillars1 ,jachin and ,boaz1  
on which the house of happiness is      
built4  ,the harmony of faith and       

life1--this is the secret of inward joy 
and  power4    ,you remember when these 
words were spoken4 ,christ had knelt to 
wash the  disciples' feet4 ,peter1 in   
penitence and self-reproach1 had        
hesitated to  permit this lowly service 
of ,divine love4 ,but ,christ answered  
by  revealing the meaning of ,his act as
 a symbol of the cleansing of the  soul 
from sin4 ,he reminded the disciples of 
what they knew by  faith1--that ,he was 
their ,saviour and their ,lord4 ,by deed
 and by word ,he  called up before them 
the great spiritual truths which had    
given new  meaning to their life4 ,he   
summoned them to live according to their
  knowledge1 to act upon the truth which
 they believed4    ,i am sure that ,his 
words sweep out beyond that quiet upper 
room1 beyond  that beautiful incident1  
to embrace the whole spiritual life4 ,i 
am sure  that ,he is revealing to us the
 secret of happy living which lies at   
the  very heart of ,his gospel1 when ,he
 says3 ,if ye know these things1 happy  

are ye if ye do them4    i4 ,if ye      
know1--there is1 then1 a certain kind of
 knowledge without  which we can not be 
happy4 ,there are questions arising in  
human nature  which demand an answer4   
,if it is denied we can not help being  
disappointed1 restless1 and sad4 ,this  
is the price we have to pay for  being  
conscious1 rational creatures4 ,if we   
were mere plants or animals  we might go
 on living through our appointed years  
in complete  indifference to the origin 
and meaning of our existence4 ,but      
within us1  as human beings1 there is   
something that cries out and rebels     
against  such a blind life4 ,man is born
 to ask what things mean4 ,he is        
possessed  with the idea that there is a
 significance in the world beyond that  
which meets his senses4    ,john ,fiske 
has brought out this fact very clearly  
in his last book1  ,through ,nature to  
,god4 ,he shows that in the morning     
twilight of  existence the ,human ,soul 
vaguely reached forth toward something  

akin to  itself1 not in the realm of    
fleeting phenomena1 but in the ,eternal 
,presence beyond4 ,he argues by the     
analogy of evolution1 which always      
presupposes a real relation between the 
life and the environment to  which it   
adjusts itself1 that this forth-reaching
 and unfolding of the  soul implies the 
everlasting reality of religion4    ,the
 argument is good4 ,but the point which 
concerns us now is simply  this4 ,the   
forth-reaching1 questioning soul can    
never be satisfied if it  touches only a
 dead wall in the darkness1 if its      
seeking meets with the  reply1 ,you do  
not know1 and you never can know1 and   
you must not try  to know4 ,this is     
agnosticism4 ,it is only another way of 
spelling  unhappiness4    ,since        
,christianity is not true1 wrote ,ernest
 ,renan1 nothing interests  me1 or      
appears worthy my attention4 ,that is   
the logical result of  losing the       
knowledge of spiritual things1--a life  
without real interest1  without deep    

worth1--a life with a broken spring4    
,but suppose ,renan is mistaken4        
,suppose ,christianity is true4 ,then   
the  first thing that makes it precious1
 is that it answers our questions1  and 
tells us the things that we must know in
 order to be happy4    ,christianity is 
a revealing religion1 a teaching        
religion1 a religion  which conveys to  
the inquiring spirit certain great and  
positive  solutions of the problems of  
life4 ,it is not silent1 nor ambiguous1 
nor  incomprehensible in its utterance4 
,it replies to our questions with a     
knowledge which1 though limited1 is     
definite and sufficient4 ,it tells us   
that this order of nature1 which        
constitutes the world's experience1  is 
only one portion of the total universe4 
,that the ruler of both  worlds1 seen   
and unseen1 is ,god1 a ,spirit1 and the 
,father of our  spirits4 ,that ,he is   
not distant from us nor indifferent to  
us1 but that  ,he has given ,his eternal
 ,son ,jesus ,christ to be our ,saviour4

 ,that ,his  ,spirit is ever present    
with us to help us in our conflicts with
 evil1 in  our efforts toward goodness4 
,that ,he is making all things work     
together  for good to those that love   
,him4 ,that through the sacrifice of    
,christ  every one who will may obtain  
the forgiveness of sins and everlasting 
peace4 ,that through the resurrection of
 ,christ all who love ,him and  their   
fellow-men shall obtain the victory over
 death and live forever4    ,now these  
are doctrines4 ,and it is just because  
,christianity contains  such doctrines  
that it satisfies the need of man4      
,the first and the most essential       
condition of true happiness1 writes     
,professor ,carl ,hilty1 the eminent    
,swiss jurist1 is a firm faith in the   
moral order of the world4 ,what is the  
happy life8 ,it is a life of  conscious 
harmony with this ,divine order of the  
world1 a sense1 that is  to say1 of     
,god's companionship4 ,and wherein is   
the profoundest  unhappiness8 ,it is in 

the sense of remoteness from ,god1      
issuing into  incurable restlessness of 
heart1 and finally into incapacity to   
make  one's life fruitful or effective4 
,what shall we say1 then1 of the        
proposal to adapt ,christianity to the  
needs of the world to-day by eliminating
 or ignoring its characteristic         
doctrines8 ,you might as well propose to
 fit a ship for service by taking  out  
its compass and its charts and cutting  
off its rudder4 ,make  ,christianity    
silent in regard to these great         
questions of spiritual  existence1 and  
you destroy its power to satisfy the    
heart4    ,what would the life of       
,christ mean if these deep truths on    
which ,he  rested and from which ,he    
drew ,his strength1 were uncertain or   
illusory8  ,it would be the most        
pathetic1 mournful1 heartbreaking of all
 phantoms4    ,what consoling1 cheering 
power would be left in the words of     
,jesus if  ,his doctrine were blotted   
out and ,his precept left to stand      

alone8 ,try  the experiment1 if it may  
be done without irreverence3 read ,his  
familiar  discourses in the shadow of   
agnosticism4    ',blessed are the poor  
in spirit1 for theirs is a hopeless     
poverty4  ,blessed are the pure in      
heart1 for they know not whether they   
shall see  ,god4 ,blessed are ye when   
men shall revile you and persecute you1 
for ye  have no promise of a heavenly   
reward4    ',enter into thy closet and  
when thou hast shut the door1 keep      
silence1  for thou canst not tell       
whether there is ,one to hear thy voice 
in  secret4 ,take no thought for the    
morrow1 for thou knowest not whether    
there is a ,father who careth for thee4 
',god is unknown1 and they that worship 
,him must worship ,him in ignorance  and
 doubt4 ,no man hath ascended up into   
heaven1 neither hath any man  come down 
from heaven1 for the ,son of ,man hath  
never been in heaven4  ,that which is   
born of the flesh is flesh1 and that    
which is born of the  spirit is a dream4

 ,man shall not live by bread alone1    
neither shall he  listen for any word   
from the mouth of ,god4 ,i proceeded    
forth and came  from darkness1 ,i came  
of myself1 ,i know not who sent me4 ,my 
sheep hear  my voice1 and ,i know them1 
and they follow me1 but ,i can not give 
unto  them eternal life1 for they shall 
perish and death shall pluck them out   
of my hand4 ,let not your heart be      
troubled2 ye believe not in ,god1 ye    
need not believe in me4 ,keep my        
commandments1 and ,i will not pray for  
you1 and ye shall abide without a       
,comforter4 ,in the world ye shall have 
tribulation1 but be of good cheer1 for  
ye know not whether there is a  world to
 come4 ,i came forth from darkness into 
the world1 and again ,i  leave the world
 and return to darkness4 ,peace ,i leave
 with you4 ,if ye  loved me ye would    
rejoice because ,i said1 ,i go into     
darkness1 and where  ,i am there shall  
ye be also4'    ,is it conceivable that 
any suffering1 sorrowing human soul     

should be  comforted and strengthened by
 such a message as this8 ,could it      
possibly  be called a gospel1 glad      
tidings of great joy to all people8     
,and yet what has been omitted here from
 the words of ,christ8 ,nothing but     
what men call doctrines3 the personality
 of ,god1 the divinity of ,christ1  the 
,atonement1 the presence and power of   
the ,holy ,spirit1 the  sovereignty of  
the ,heavenly ,father1 the truth of the 
divine revelation1  the reality of the  
heavenly world1 the assurance of        
immortal life4 ,but  it is just from    
these doctrines that the teaching of    
,jesus draws its  peculiar power to     
comfort and inspire4 ,they are the rays 
of light which  disperse the gloom of   
uncertainty4 ,they are the tones of     
celestial music  which fill the heart of
 man with good cheer4    ,let us never  
imagine that we can strengthen          
,christianity by leaving out  the great 
doctrines which have given it life and  
power4 ,faith is not a  mere matter of  

feeling4 ,it is the acceptance of truth1
 positive1  unchanging1 revealed truth1 
in regard to ,god and the world1 ,christ
 and  the soul1 duty and immortality4   
,the first appeal to faith lies in the  
clearness and vividness1 the simplicity 
and joy1 with which this truth  is      
presented4    ,there has not been too   
much preaching of doctrine in this age4 
,there has  been too little4 ,and what  
there has been1 has been too dull and   
cold and  formal1 too vague and misty1  
too wavering and uncertain4    ,what the
 world wants and waits for to-day is a  
strong1 true1 vital  preaching of       
doctrine4 ,the ,church must realize anew
 the precious value  of the truths which
 ,christ has given her4 ,she must not   
conceal them or  cast them away2 she    
must bring them out into the light1     
press them home  upon the minds and     
hearts of men4 ,she must simplify her   
statement of  them1 so that men can     
understand what they mean4 ,she must not
 be content  with repeating them in the 

language of past centuries4 ,she must   
translate them into the language of     
to-day4 ,first century texts will  never
 wear out because they are inspired4    
,but seventeenth century  sermons grow  
obsolete because they are not inspired4 
,texts from the ,word  of ,god1         
preaching in the words of living        
men1--that is what we need4    ,we must 
think about the doctrines of            
,christianity more earnestly and        
profoundly4 ,we must renew our          
,christian evidences1 as an army fits   
itself with new weapons4 ,the           
old-fashioned form of the argument from 
design in nature has gone out with the  
old-fashioned books of science  which it
 used4 ,but there is a new and more     
wonderful proof of ,god's  presence in  
the world1--the argument from moral ends
 in evolution4 ,every  real advance of  
science makes the intelligent order of  
the universe more  sublimely clear4     
,every century of human experience      
confirms the ,divine  claims and adds to

 the ,divine triumphs of ,jesus ,christ4
 ,social progress  has followed to a    
hair's breadth the lines of ,his gospel2
 and ,he lays  ,his hand to-day with    
heavenly wisdom on the social wants that
 still  trouble us1 the social lies that
 warp us from the living truth4         
,christ's view of life and the world is 
as full of sweet reasonableness  now as 
it was in the first century4 ,every     
moral step that man has taken  upward   
has brought a wider1 clearer vision of  
his need of such a  religion as that    
which ,christ teaches4    ,let not the  
,church falter and blush for her        
doctrines4 ,let her not turn  and go    
down the hill of knowledge to defend her
 position in the valley  of ignorance4  
,let her go up the hill1 welcoming every
 wider outlook1  rejoicing in every new 
discovery1 gathering fresh evidences of 
the  truths which man must believe      
concerning ,god and new motives to the  
duties which ,god requires of man4      
,but in doing this we must put the      

emphasis of our preaching to-day where  
it belongs1 where ,christ puts it1 on   
the doctrines that are most  important  
to human life and happiness4 ,we can    
afford to let the fine  metaphysical    
distinctions of theology rest for a     
while1 and throw all  our force on the  
central1 fundamental truths which give  
steadiness and  courage and cheer to the
 heart of man4 ,i will not admit that it
 makes no  difference to a man of this  
age whether or not he believes in the   
personal ,god and the ,divine ,christ4  
,if he really believes1 it makes all    
the difference between spiritual        
strength and spiritual weakness1        
between optimism and pessimism4 ,i will 
not admit that it makes no  difference  
to a learned scholar or a simple        
labourer to-day whether he  accepts or  
ignores the doctrine of the atonement1  
the doctrine of  personal immortality4  
,if he knows that ,christ died for him1 
that there  is a future beyond the      
grave1 it makes all the difference      

between  despair and hope1 between      
misery and consolation1 between the     
helpless  frailty of a being that is    
puffed out like a candle1 and the joyful
  power of an endless life4    ,my      
brethren1 we must work and pray for a   
true revival of ,christian  doctrine in 
our age4 ,we must deepen our own hold   
upon the truths which  ,christ has      
taught us4 ,we must preach them more    
simply1 more  confidently1 more         
reasonably1 more earnestly4 ,we must    
draw from them the  happiness and the   
help1 the comfort and the inspiration1  
that they have  to give to the souls of 
men4 ,but most of all1 we must keep them
 in close  and living touch with the    
problems of daily duty and experience4  
,for no  doctrine1 however high1 however
 true1 can make men happy until it is   
translated into life4    ii4 ,here is   
the second if1 on which the power of    
religion to confer  happiness depends3  
,if ye know1 happy are ye if ye do these
 things4    ,between the knowing and the

 doing there is a deep gulf4 ,into that 
abyss  the happiness of many a man      
slips1 and is lost4 ,there is no peace1 
no  real and lasting felicity for a     
human life until the gulf is closed1 and
  the continent of conduct meets the    
continent of creed1 edge to edge1 lip   
to lip1 firmly joined forever4    ,it is
 not a blessing to know the things that 
,christ teaches1 and then go  on living 
as if they were false or doubtful4 ,it  
is a trouble1 a torment1  a secret      
misery4 ,to know that ,god is our       
,father1 and yet to withhold  our love  
and service from ,him2 to know that     
,christ died for us1 and yet  to deny   
,him and refuse to follow ,him2 to know 
that there is an immortal  life1 and yet
 to waste and lose our souls in the     
pursuit of sensual  pleasure and such   
small portion of the world as we may    
hope to  gain1--surely that is the      
deepest of all unhappiness4    ,but the 
right kind of knowing carries in its    
heart the doing of the  truth4 ,and the 

right kind of doing leads to a fuller   
and happier  knowing4 ,if any man will  
do ,god's will1 declares ,christ1 he    
shall  know of the doctrine4    ,let a  
man take the truth of the ,divine       
,fatherhood and begin to conform  his   
life to its meaning4 ,let him give up   
his anxious worryings1 his  murmurings1 
his complainings1 and trust himself     
completely to his  ,father's care4 ,let 
him do his work from day to day as well 
as he can and  leave the results to     
,god4 ,let him come to his ,father every
 day and  confess his faults and ask for
 help and guidance4 ,let him try to obey
  and please ,god for love's sake4 ,let 
him take refuge from the trials and     
confusions and misunderstandings of the 
world1 from the wrath of men and  the   
strife of tongues1 in the secret of his 
,father's presence4 ,surely if  he      
learns the truth thus1 by doing it1 he  
will find happiness4    ,or take the    
truth of immortality4 ,let a man live   
now in the light of the  knowledge that 

he is to live forever4 ,how it will     
deepen and strengthen  the meaning of   
his existence1 lift him above petty     
cares and ambitions1  and make the      
things that are worth while precious to 
his heart6 ,let him  really set his     
affections on the spiritual side of     
life1 let him endure  afflictions       
patiently because he knows that they are
 but for a moment1  let him think more  
of the soul than of the body1 let him do
 good to his  fellow-men in order to    
make them sharers of his immortal hope1 
let him  purify his love and friendship 
that they may be fit for the heavenly   
life4 ,surely the man who does these    
things will be happy4 ,it will be  with 
him as with ,lazarus1 in ,robert        
,browning's poem1 ,the ,epistle of      
,karshish4 ,others will look at him with
 wonder and say3      ,whence has the   
man the balm that brightens all8        
,this grown man eyes the world now like 
a child4    ,yes1 my brethren1 this is  
the sure result of following out the    

doctrines  of ,christ in action1 of     
living the truths that ,he teaches1--a  
simple  life1 a childlike life1 a happy 
life4 ,and this also the ,church needs  
to-day1 as well as a true revival of    
doctrine4    ,a revival of simplicity1 a
 revival of sincerity1 a revival of     
work3 this  will restore unto us the joy
 of salvation4 ,and with the joy of     
salvation  will come a renewal and      
expansion of power4    ,the             
inconsistency of ,christians is the     
stronghold of unbelief4 ,the lack  of   
vital joy in the ,church is the chief   
cause of indifference in the  world4    
,the feeble energy1 the faltering and   
reluctant spirit1 the  weariness in     
well-doing with which too many believers
 impoverish and  sadden their own       
hearts1 make other men question the     
reality and value  of religion and turn 
away from it in cool neglect4    ,what1 
then1 is the duty of the ,church8 ,what 
must she do to win the  confidence of   
the world8 ,what is the best way for her

 to prove her  doctrine all divine8     
,first1 she must increase her labours in
 the love of men3 second1 she  must     
practice the simple life1 deepening her 
trust in ,god4    ,suppose that a fresh 
flood of energy1 brave1 cheerful1 joyous
 energy1  should be poured into all the 
forms of ,christian work4 ,suppose that 
,foreign ,missions and ,home ,missions  
should no longer have to plead and  beg 
for support1 but that plenty of money   
should come flowing in to send  out     
every missionary that wants to go1 and  
that plenty of the strongest  and best  
young men should dedicate their lives to
 the ministry of  ,christ1 and that     
every household where ,his gospel is    
believed should  find its highest honour
 and its greatest joy in helping to     
extend ,his  kingdom4    ,and then      
suppose that the ,christian life1 in its
 daily manifestation1  should come to be
 marked and known by simplicity and     
happiness4 ,suppose  that the followers 
of ,jesus should really escape from     

bondage to the  evil spirits of avarice 
and luxury which infect and torment so  
much of  our complicated1 tangled1      
artificial1 modern life4 ,suppose that  
instead  of increasing their wants and  
their desires1 instead of loading       
themselves down on life's journey with  
so many bags and parcels and  boxes of  
superfluous luggage and bric-a-brac that
 they are forced to sit  down by the    
roadside and gasp for breath1 instead of
 wearing themselves  out in the dusty   
ways of ostentation and vain show or    
embittering their  hearts because they  
can not succeed in getting into the     
weary race of  wealth and               
fashion1--suppose instead of all this1  
they should turn to  quiet ways1 lowly  
pleasures1 pure and simple joys1 plain  
living and  high thinking4 ,suppose they
 should truly find and show their       
happiness  in the knowledge that ,god   
loves them and ,christ died for them and
 heaven  is sure1 and so set their      
hearts free to rejoice in life's common 

mercies1 the light of the sun1 the blue 
of the sky1 the splendour of the  sea1  
the peace of the everlasting hills1 the 
song of birds1 the  sweetness of        
flowers1 the wholesome savour of good   
food1 the delights of  action and       
motion1 the refreshment of sleep1 the   
charm of music1 the  blessings of human 
love and friendship1--rejoice in all    
these without  fear or misgiving1       
because they come from ,god and because 
,christ has  sanctified them all by ,his
 presence and touch4    ,suppose1 ,i    
say1 that such a revival of the joy of  
living in ,christ and  working for      
,christ should silently sweep over the  
,church in the  ,twentieth ,century4    
,what would happen8 ,great would be the 
peace of her  children4 ,greater still  
would be their power4    ,this is the   
message which ,i have to bring to you1  
my brethren1 in this  ,general ,assembly
 of the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,you may 
wonder that it is  not more distinctive1
 more ecclesiastical1 more specially    

adapted to the  peculiarities of our own
 denomination4 ,you may think that it is
 a  message which could just as well be 
brought to any other ,church on any     
other occasion4 ,with all my heart ,i   
hope that is true4 ,the things that ,i  
care for most in our ,church are not    
those which divide us from other        
,christians but those which unite us to 
them4 ,the things that ,i love most  in 
,christianity are those which give it   
power to save and satisfy1 to  console  
and cheer1 to inspire and bless human   
hearts and lives4 ,the  thing that ,i   
desire most for ,presbyterianism is that
 it should prove its  mission and extend
 its influence in the world by making   
men happy in the  knowing and the doing 
of the things which ,christ teaches4    
,the ,church that the ,twentieth        
,century will hear most gladly and      
honour  most sincerely will have two    
marks4 ,it will be the ,church that     
teaches  most clearly and strongly the  
truths that ,jesus taught4 ,it will be  

the  ,church that finds most happiness  
in living the simple life and doing     
good in the world4          ,,the       
,,battle ,,of ,,life        i,romans    
vii4 #ba3 ,overcome evil with good4_/i  
,the ,battle of ,life is an ancient     
phrase consecrated by use in            
,commencement ,orations without number4 
,two modern expressions have taken      
their place beside it in our own day3   
the ,strenuous ,life1 and the ,simple   
,life4    ,each of these phrases has its
 own significance and value4 ,it is when
  they are overemphasized and driven to 
extremes that they lose their  truth and
 become catch-words of folly4 ,the      
simple life which blandly  ignores all  
care and conflict1 soon becomes flabby  
and invertebrate1  sentimental and      
gelatinous4 ,the strenuous life which   
does everything  with set jaws and      
clenched fists and fierce effort1 soon  
becomes  strained and violent1 a        
prolonged nervous spasm4    ,somewhere  
between these two extremes must lie the 

golden mean3 a life  that has strength  
and simplicity1 courage and calm1 power 
and peace4 ,but  how can we find this   
golden line and live along it8 ,some    
truth there  must be in the old phrase  
which speaks of life as a battle4 ,no   
conflict1  no character4 ,without       
strife1 a weak life4 ,but what is the   
real meaning  of the battle8 ,what is   
the vital issue at stake8 ,what are the 
things  worth fighting for8 ,in what    
spirit1 with what weapons1 are we to    
take  our part in the warfare8    ,there
 is an answer to these questions in the 
text3 i,overcome evil with  good4_/i    
,the man who knows this text by heart1  
knows the secret of a life  that is both
 strenuous and simple4 ,for here we find
 the three things  that we need most3 a 
call to the real battle of life2 a plan 
for the  right campaign2 and a promise  
of final victory4    ,i4 ,every man1    
like the knight in the old legend1 is   
born on a field of  battle4 ,but the    
warfare is not carnal1 it is spiritual4 

,not the east  against the west1 the    
north against the south1 the ,haves     
against the  ,have-nots2 but the evil   
against the good1--that is the real     
conflict  of life4    ,the attempt to   
deny or ignore this conflict has been   
the stock in trade  of every false      
doctrine that has befogged and          
bewildered the world since  the days of 
,eden4 ,the fairy tale that the old     
serpent told to ,eve is a  poetic symbol
 of the lie fundamental1--the theory    
that sin does not mean  death1 because  
it has no real existence and makes no   
real difference4  ,this ancient         
falsehood has an infinite wardrobe of   
disguises4    ,you will find it pranked 
out in philosophic garb in the doctrines
 of  those who teach that all things are
 linked together by necessity of  nature
 or ,divine will1 and that nothing could
 ever have happened  otherwise than just
 as it has come to pass4 ,such a theory 
of the  universe blots out all          
difference between good and evil except 

in name4  ,it leaves the fence-posts    
standing1 but it takes away the rails1  
and  throws everything into one field of
 the inevitable4    ,you will find the  
same falsehood in a more crude form in  
the popular  teachings of what men call 
the spirit of the age1 the secular      
spirit4  ,according to these doctrines  
the problem of civilization is merely a 
problem of ways and means4 ,if society  
were better organized1 if wealth  were  
more equally distributed1 if laws were  
changed1 or perhaps  abolished1 all     
would be well4 ,if everybody had a full 
dinner-pail1  nobody need care about an 
empty heart4 ,human misery the secular  
spirit  recognizes1 but it absolutely   
ignores the fact that nine-tenths of    
human  misery comes from human sin4     
,you will find the same falsehood       
disguised in sentimental costume in the 
very modern comedy of ,christian        
,science1 which dresses the denial of   
evil in pastoral garb of white frock and
 pink ribbons1 like an innocent         

shepherdess among her lambs4 ,evil is   
nothing1 says this wonderful  ,science4 
,it does not really exist4 ,it is an    
illusion of mortal mind4  ,shut your    
eyes and it will vanish4    ,yes1 but   
open your eyes again and you will see it
 in the same place1 in  the same form1  
doing the same work4 ,a most persistent 
nothing1 a most  powerful nothing6 ,not 
the shadow cast by the good1 but the    
cloud that  hides the sun and casts the 
shadow4 ,not the silence implying sound1
  but the discord breaking the harmony4 
,evil is as real as the fire that  burns
 you1 as the flood that drowns you4     
,evil is as real as the typhoid  germ   
that you can put under a microscope and 
see it squirm and grow4  ,evil is       
negative1--yes1 but it is a real        
negative1--as real as darkness1  as real
 as death4    ,there are two things in  
every human heart which bear witness to 
the  existence and reality of evil3     
first1 our judgments of regret1 and     
second1 our judgments of condemnation4  

,how often we say to ourselves1 ,would  
that this had not come to pass6  ,how   
often we feel in regard to our own      
actions1 ,would that ,i had done        
differently6 ,this is the judgment of   
regret2 and it is a silent witness  of  
the heart to the conviction that some   
things are not inevitable4 ,it  is the  
confession that a battle has been lost  
which might have been won4  ,it is the  
acknowledgment that things which are1   
but are not right1 need  not have been1 
if we and our fellow-men had seen more  
clearly and  followed more faithfully   
the guiding star of the good4    ,and   
then1 out of the judgment of regret1    
springs the deeper judgment of          
condemnation4 ,if the failure in duty   
was not inevitable1 then it was  base4  
,the false word1 the unjust deed1 the   
foul action1 seen as a  surrender to    
evil1 appears hateful and guilty4 ,it   
deserves the  indignation and the shame 
which attach to all treason4 ,and the   
spirit  which lies behind all these     

forms of disloyalty to the good1--the   
spirit  which issues in selfishness and 
sensuality1 cruelty and lust1           
intemperance and covetousness1--this    
animating spirit of evil which  works   
against the ,divine will and mars the   
peace and order of the  universe is the 
great ,adversary against whom we must   
fight for our own  lives and the life of
 the world4    ,all around us lies his  
dark1 secret kingdom1 tempting1         
threatening1  assaulting the soul4 ,to  
ignore it1 is to walk blindfold among   
snares  and pitfalls4 ,try if you will  
to shut it out1 by wrapping your heart  
in  dreams of beauty and joy1 living in 
the fair regions of art or  philosophy1 
reading only the books which speak of   
evil as if it did not  exist or were    
only another form of goodness4 ,soon you
 will be shaken out  of the dream into  
the reality4 ,you will come into contact
 with evil so  close1 so loathsome that 
you can not deny it4 ,you will see that 
it has  its soldiers1 its servants1 its 

emissaries1 as ardent and enthusiastic  
in its cause as if they were serving the
 noblest of masters4 ,it inspires       
literature and supports newspapers2 now 
intelligent and cultured1  drawing the  
arts into its service2 now coarse and   
vulgar1 with pictures  that shock the   
taste as much as they debase the        
conscience4 ,it wins  adherents and     
turns them into advocates4 ,it organizes
 the dealers in  drunkenness and        
debauchery into powerful societies for  
mutual  protection4 ,it creates lobbies 
and controls legislatures4 ,it corrupts 
the government of great cities and rots 
out the social life of small  towns4    
,even when its outward manifestations   
are repressed and its  grosser forms    
resisted1 it steals its way into men's  
hearts1 eating out  the roots of human  
trust and brotherhood and kindness1 and 
filling the  air with gossip and spite1 
envy1 malice and all uncharitableness4  
,i am glad that since we have to live in
 a world where evil exists1 we  have a  

religion which does not bandage our     
eyes4 ,the first thing that we  need to 
have religion do for us is to teach us  
to face the facts4 ,no man  can come    
into touch with the ,divine personality 
of ,jesus ,christ1 no man  can listen to
 ,his teaching1 without feeling that the
 distinction between  good and evil to  
,him is vital and everlasting4 ,the     
choice between them  is to ,him the     
great choice4 ,the conflict between them
 is to ,him the  great conflict4 ,evil  
is the one thing that ,god has never    
willed4 ,good is  the one thing that ,he
 wills forever4 ,evil is first and last 
a rebellion  against ,his will4 ,he is  
altogether on the side of good4 ,much   
that is1  is contrary to ,his will4     
,there is a mighty strife going on1 a   
battle  with eternal issues1 but not an 
eternal battle4 ,the evil that is       
against  ,him shall be cast out and     
shall perish4 ,the good that overcomes  
the evil  shall live forever4 ,and those
 who yield their lives to ,god and      

receive  ,his righteousness in ,christ  
are made partakers of everlasting life4 
,this is the teaching of ,jesus3 and ,i 
thank ,god for the honesty and  virility
 of ,his religion which makes us face   
the facts and calls us to  take a man's 
part in the real battle of life4        
,,ii4 ,but what is the plan of campaign 
which ,christianity sets before us8  ,in
 what spirit and with what weapons are  
we to enter the great conflict  against 
the evil that is in the world8    ,the  
natural feeling of the heart in the     
presence of evil is wrath1 and  the     
natural weapon of wrath is force4 ,to   
punish crime1 to avenge wrong1  to put  
down wickedness with a strong           
hand1--that is the first impulse of     
every one who has the instincts of      
manhood4    ,and as this is natural1 so 
it is1 also1 within a certain sphere    
needful1 and to a certain extent useful4
 ,armies and navies exist1 at  least in 
theory1 to prevent injustice among      
nations4 ,laws are made to  punish      

wrong-doers4 ,courts1 police-forces1 and
 prisons are maintained to  suppress    
evil with power4    ,but while we       
recognize this method of dealing with   
evil as useful to a  certain extent and 
necessary within a certain sphere1 we   
must remember  that it has its strict   
limitations4    ,first1 it belongs to   
the state and not to the individual4    
,when the  private man assumes to punish
 evil with force he sanctions lynch-law1
  which is a terror to the innocent as  
well as to the guilty4 ,then we have    
the blood-feud and the vendetta1        
mob-rule and anarchy4    ,second1 the   
suppression of evil by force is only a  
temporary relief1 a  protection for the 
moment4 ,it does not touch the root of  
the matter4 ,you  send the murderer out 
of the world by a regulated flash of    
lightning4  ,but you do not send murder 
out of the world4 ,to do that you must  
reach  and change the heart of ,cain4   
,you put the thief in prison1 but when  
he  comes out he will be ready to steal 

again1 unless you can purify his        
conscience and control his will4 ,you   
assault and overthrow some system  of   
misgovernment1 and turn the rascals out4
 ,but unless you have  something better 
to substitute1 all you have done is to  
make room for a  new set of rascals1--a 
new swarm of mosquitoes with fresh      
appetites and  larger capacities4       
,third1 the method of fighting evil with
 force on its own ground often  has a   
bad effect on those who follow it4      
,wrestle with a chimney-sweep  and you  
will need a bath4 ,throw back the mud   
that is thrown at you1 and  you will    
have dirty hands4 ,answer ,shimei when  
he curses you and you will  echo his    
profanity4 ,many a man has entered a    
crusade against  intemperance and proved
 himself as intemperate in his language 
as other  men are in their potations4   
,many a man has attacked a bad cause    
with  righteous indignation and ended in
 a personal squabble with most          
unrighteous anger4    ,no1 my           

brother-men1 the best way to fight      
against evil is not to meet it  on its  
own ground with its own weapons4 ,there 
is a nobler method of  warfare1 a divine
 plan of campaign given to us in the    
religion of  ,christ4 ,overcome evil    
with good4 ,this is the secret of the   
battle of  life4    ,evil is potent not 
so much because it has command of money 
and the big  battalions1 but because it 
has control of the hearts of men4 ,it   
spreads  because human hearts are lying 
fallow and ready to welcome the seeds of
  all kinds of weeds4 ,it persists      
because too much of what we call virtue 
is negative1 and selfish1 and           
frost-bound1--cold storage virtue1--the 
poor piety which terminates in a        
trembling anxiety to save our own       
souls4    ,the way to counteract and    
conquer evil in the world is to give our
 own  hearts to the dominion of good1   
and work the works of ,god while it is  
day4 ,the strongest of all obstacles to 
the advance of evil is a clean  and     

generous man1 doing his duty from day to
 day1 and winning others1 by  his       
cheerful fidelity1 to serve the same    
,master4 ,diseases are not the  only    
things that are contagious4 ,courage is 
contagious4 ,kindness is  contagious4   
,manly integrity is contagious4 ,all the
 positive virtues1  with red blood in   
their veins1 are contagious4 ,the       
heaviest blow that  you can strike at   
the kingdom of evil is just to follow   
the advice which  the dying ,sir ,walter
 ,scott gave to his son-in-law1         
,lockhart3 ,be a good  man4 ,and if you 
want to know how1 there is but one      
perfect and supreme  example1--the life 
of ,him who not only did no evil but    
went about doing  good4    ,now take    
that thought of fighting evil with good 
and apply it to our  world and to       
ourselves4    ,here are monstrous evils 
and vices in society4 ,let intemperance 
be the  type of them all1 because so    
many of the others are its children4    
,drunkenness ruins more homes and wrecks

 more lives than war4 ,how shall  we    
oppose it8 ,i do not say that we shall  
not pass resolutions and make  laws     
against it4 ,but ,i do say that we can  
never really conquer the evil  in this  
way4 ,i hold with ,phillips ,brooks that
 all prohibitory measures  are negative4
 ,that they have their uses no one can  
doubt4 ,that they have  their limits is 
just as clear4    ,the stronghold of    
intemperance lies in the vacancy and    
despair of men's  minds4 ,the way to    
attack it is to make the sober life     
beautiful and  happy and full of        
interest4 ,teach your boys how to work1 
how to read1  how to play1 you fathers1 
before you send them to college1 if you 
want  to guard them against the         
temptations of strong drink and the many
  shames and sorrows that go with it4   
,make the life of your community        
cheerful and pleasant and interesting1  
you reformers1 provide men with         
recreation which will not harm them1 if 
you want to take away the power  of the 

gilded saloon and the grimy boozing-ken4
 ,parks and play-grounds1  libraries and
 music-rooms1 clean homes and cheerful  
churches1--these  are the efficient foes
 of intemperance4 ,and the same thing is
 true of  gambling and lubricity and all
 the other vices which drag men down by 
the lower side of their nature because  
the higher side has nothing to  cling   
to1 nothing to sustain it and hold it   
up4    ,what are you going to do1 my    
brother-men1 for this higher side of    
human  life8 ,what contribution are you 
going to make of your strength1 your    
time1 your influence1 your money1 your  
self1 to make a cleaner1 fuller1        
happier1 larger1 nobler life possible   
for some of your fellow-men8 ,i do  not 
ask how you are going to do it4 ,you may
 do it in business1 in the  law1 in     
medicine1 in the ministry1 in teaching1 
in literature4 ,but this  is the        
question3 ,what are you going to give   
personally to make the human  life of   
the place where you do your work1 purer1

 stronger1 brighter1  better1 and more  
worth living8 ,that will be your best   
part in the  warfare against vice and   
crime4    ,the positive method is the   
only efficient way to combat            
intellectual  error and spiritual evil4 
,false doctrines are never argued out of
 the  world4 ,they are pushed back by   
the incoming of the truth as the        
darkness  is pushed back by the dawn4   
,phillips ,brooks was right4 ,it is not 
worth  while to cross the street to     
break a man's idol4 ,it is worth while  
to  cross the ocean to tell him about   
,god4 ,the skilful fencer who attacks   
your doubts and drives you from corner  
to corner of unbelief and leaves  you at
 last in doubt whether you doubt or not1
 does you a certain  service4 ,he gives 
you exercise1 takes the conceit out of  
you4 ,but the  man who lays hold of the 
real faith that is hidden underneath    
your  doubt1--the silent longing for    
,god and goodness1 the secret attraction
  that draws your heart toward ,jesus   

,christ as the only one who has the     
words of everlasting life1--the man who 
takes hold of this buried faith  and    
quickens it and makes you dare to try to
 live by it1--ah1 that is  the man who  
helps you indeed4 ,my brothers1 if any  
of you are going to be  preachers       
remember this4 ,what we men need is not 
so much an answer to  our doubts1 as    
more nourishment for our faith4    ,the 
positive method is the only way of      
victory in our struggle with the  evil  
that dwells in our own nature and besets
 our own hearts4 ,the reason  why many  
men fail1 is because they thrust the    
vice out and then forget  to lay hold on
 the virtue4 ,they evict the unclean    
spirit and leave a  vacant house4 ,to   
cease to do evil is important1 but to   
learn to do good  is far more important4
 ,reformation never saved a man4        
,transformation is  the only way4 ,and  
to be transformed1 a man must welcome   
the ,spirit of  ,good1 the ,holy        
,spirit1 into his heart1 and work with  

,him every day1  doing the will of ,god4
    ,there are two ways of fighting     
fever4 ,one is to dose the sick people  
with quinine and keep the fever down4   
,the other is to drain the marshes1  and
 purify the water1 and cleanse the      
houses1 and drive the fever out4  ,try  
negative1 repressive religion1 and you  
may live1 but you will be an  invalid4  
,try positive1 vital religion1 and you  
will be well4    ,there is an absorption
 of good that guards the soul against   
the  infection of evil4 ,there is a life
 of fellowship with ,christ that can    
pass through the furnace of the world   
without the smell of fire on its        
garments1--a life that is full of       
interest as ,his was1 being ever about  
,his ,father's business2 a life that is 
free and generous and blessed1 as  ,his 
was1 being spent in doing good1 and     
refreshed by the sense of ,god's        
presence and approval4    ,last summer1 
,i saw two streams emptying into the    
sea4 ,one was a  sluggish1 niggardly    

rivulet1 in a wide1 fat1 muddy bed2 and 
every day  the tide came in and drowned 
out that poor little stream1 and filled 
it  with bitter brine4 ,the other was a 
vigorous1 joyful1 brimming              
mountain-river1 fed from unfailing      
springs among the hills2 and all the    
time it swept the salt water back before
 it and kept itself pure and  sweet2 and
 when the tide came in1 it only made the
 fresh water rise  higher and gather new
 strength by the delay2 and ever the    
living stream  poured forth into the    
ocean its tribute of living water1--the 
symbol of  that influence which keeps   
the ocean of life from turning into a   
,dead  ,sea of wickedness4    ,my       
brother-men1 will you take that living  
stream as a type of your life  in the   
world8 ,the question for you is not what
 you are going to get out  of the world1
 but what you are going to give to the  
world4 ,the only way  to meet and       
overcome the inflowing tide of evil is  
to roll against it  the outflowing river

 of good4    ,my prayer for you is that 
you may receive from ,christ not only   
the  watchword of this nobler life1 but 
also the power to fulfil it4            
,,the ,,good ,,old ,,way                
i,jeremiah vi4 #af4 ,stand ye in the    
ways and see2 and ask      for the old  
paths1 where is the good way2 and walk  
therein1 and ye shall find rest for your
 souls4_/i    ,this advice was given to 
people who were in peril and perplexity4
 ,the  kingdom of ,judah was threatened 
with destruction1 which could be averted
  only by wise and prompt action4 ,but  
the trouble was to decide in which      
direction that action should be taken4  
,the nation was divided into loud       
parties1 and these parties into noisy   
wings4 ,every man had a theory of  his  
own1 or a variation of some other man's 
theory4    ,some favoured an alliance   
with the ,east2 some preferred the      
friendship  of the ,west2 others1 a     
course of diplomatic dalliance2 a few   
stood out  for honest independence4     

,some said that what the country needed 
was an  increase of wealth2 some held   
that a splendid and luxurious court like
  that of ,pharaoh or ,nebuchadnezzar   
would bring prosperity2 others          
maintained that the troubles of the land
 could be healed only by a  return to   
simpler manners1 purer laws4 ,among the 
nobility and their  followers all kinds 
of novelties in the worship of idols    
were in fashion  and new gods were      
imported every season4 ,the philosophers
 cultivated a  discreet indifference to 
all religious questions4 ,the prophets  
taught  that the only salvation for the 
nation lay in the putting away of       
idolatry and the revival of faith in the
 living and true ,god4    ,judah was    
like a man standing at the cross-roads1 
on a stormy night1  with all the        
guide-posts blown down4 ,meantime the   
,babylonian foe was  closing in around  
,jerusalem1 and it was necessary to do  
something1 or  die4    ,the liberty of  
choice was an embarrassment4 ,the minds 

of men alternated  between that rash    
haste which is ready to follow any      
leader who makes  noise enough1 and that
 skeptical spirit which doubts whether  
any line of  action can be right because
 so many lines are open4 ,into this     
atmosphere  of fever and fog came the   
word of the prophet4 ,let us consider   
what it  means4    ,stand ye in the ways
 and see3 that means deliberation4 ,when
 you are at a  junction it is no time to
 shut your eyes and run at full speed4  
,where  there are so many ways some of  
them are likely to be wrong4 ,a         
turning-point is the place for prudence 
and forethought4    ,ask for the old    
paths1 what is the good way3 that means 
guidance4 ,no man  is forced to face the
 problems of life alone4 ,other men have
 tried the  different ways4 ,peace1     
prosperity1 victory have been won by the
 nation  in former times4 ,inquire of   
the past how these blessings were       
secured4  ,look for the path which has  
already led to safety and happiness4    

,let  history teach you which among all 
these crossing ways is the best to      
follow4    ,and walk therein3 that means
 action4 ,when you have deliberated1    
when you  have seen the guiding light   
upon the way of security and peace1 then
 go  ahead4 ,prudence is worthless      
unless you put it into practice4 ,when  
in  doubt do nothing2 but as long as you
 do nothing you will be in doubt4       
,never man or nation was saved by       
inaction4 ,the only way out of danger is
  the way into work4 ,gird up your      
loins1 trembling ,judah1 and push along 
your chosen path1 steadily1 bravely1    
strenuously1 until you come to your     
promised rest4    ,now ,i am sure this  
was good counsel that the prophet gave  
to his people  in the days of           
perplexity4 ,it would have been well for
 them if they had  followed it ,i am    
sure it is also good counsel for us1 a  
word of ,god to  steady us and stimulate
 us amid life's confusions4 ,let me make
 it a  personal message to you4         

,stand in the ways3 ,ask for the good   
way3 ,walk therein3--,deliberation1     
,guidance1 ,action1--,will you take     
these words with you1 and try to make   
them a vital influence in your life8    
,i4 ,first1 ,i ask you to stand in the  
ways and see4 ,i do not mean to say     
that you have not already been doing    
this to a certain extent4 ,the great    
world is crossed by human footsteps     
which make paths leading in all         
directions4 ,men travel through on      
different ways2 and ,i suppose some of  
you have noticed the fact1 and thought a
 little about it4    ,there is the way  
of sensuality4 ,those who walk in it    
take appetite as  their guide4 ,their   
main object in life is to gratify their 
physical  desires4 ,some of them are    
delicate1 and some of them are coarse4  
,that is  a matter of temperament4 ,but 
all of them are hungry4 ,that is a      
matter of  principle4 ,whether they grub
 in the mire for their food like swine1 
or  browse daintily upon the tree-tops  

like the giraffe1 the question of  life 
for those who follow this way is the    
same4 ,how much can we hold8  ,how can  
we obtain the most pleasure for these   
five senses of ours before  they wear   
out8 ,and the watchword of their journey
 is1 ,let us eat and  drink and be      
merry1 for we do not expect to die      
to-morrow4    ,there is the way of      
avarice4 ,those who follow it make haste
 to be rich4  ,the almighty dollar rolls
 before them along the road1 and they   
chase it4  ,some of them plod patiently 
along the highway of toil4 ,others are  
always leaping fences and trying to find
 short cuts to wealth4 ,but they  are   
alike in this3 whatever they do by way  
of avocation1 the real  vocation of     
their life is to make money4 ,if they   
fail1 they are hard and  bitter2 if they
 succeed they are hard and proud4 ,but  
they all bow down  to the golden calf1  
and their motto is1 ,lay up for         
yourselves treasures  upon earth4       
,there is the way of social ambition4   

,those who walk in it have their  eyes  
fixed on various prizes1 such as titles 
of honour1 public office1  large        
acquaintance with prosperous people1 the
 reputation of leading the  fashion4    
,but the real satisfaction that they get
 out of it all is simply  the feeling of
 notoriety1 the sense of belonging to a 
circle to which  ordinary people are not
 admitted and to whose doings the world1
 just for  this reason1 pays envious    
attention4 ,this way is less like a road
 than  like a ladder4 ,most of the      
people who are on it are climbers4      
,there are other ways1 less clearly     
marked1 more difficult to  trace1--the  
way of moral indifference1 the way of   
intellectual pride1  the way of         
hypocrisy1 the way of indecision4 ,this 
last is not a single  road2 it is a     
net-work of sheep-tracks1 crossing and  
recrossing the  great highways1 leading 
in every direction1 and ending nowhere4 
,the men  who wander in these aimless   
paths go up and down through the world1 

changing their purposes1 following one  
another blindly1 forever  travelling but
 never arriving at the goal of their    
journey4    ,through all this tangle    
there runs another way1--the path of    
faith and  duty4 ,those who walk in it  
believe that life has a meaning1 the    
fulfilment of ,god's will1 and a goal1  
the attainment of perfect harmony  with 
,him4 ,they try to make the best of     
themselves in soul and body by  training
 and discipline4 ,they endeavour to put 
their talents to the  noblest use in the
 service of their fellow-men1 and to    
unfold their  faculties to the highest  
joy and power in the life of the        
,spirit4 ,they  seek an education to fit
 them for work1 and they do their work  
well  because it is a part of their     
education4 ,they respect their          
consciences1  and cherish their ideals4 
,they put forth an honest effort to be  
good and  to do good and to make the    
world better4 ,they often stumble4 ,they
  sometimes fall4 ,but1 take their life 

from end to end1 it is a faithful       
attempt to walk in the way of           
righteousness1 which is the way of      
peace4    ,such are some of the ways    
that lead through the world4 ,and they  
are all  open to us4 ,we can travel by  
the road that pleases us4 ,heredity     
gives us  our outfit4 ,environment      
supplies our company4 ,but when we come 
to the  cross-roads1 the question is1   
,boy1 which way will you ride8          
,deliberation is necessary1 unless we   
wish to play a fool's part4 ,no  amount 
of energy will take the place of        
thought4 ,a strenuous life1 with  its   
eyes shut1 is a kind of wild insanity4  
,a drifting life1 with its  eyes open1  
is a kind of mild idiocy4    ,the real  
question is1 ,how will you live8 ,after 
what rule and pattern8  ,along what way8
 ,toward what end8    ,will you let     
chance answer that question for you8    
,will you let yourself  be led blindfold
 by the first guide that offers1 or run 
stupidly after  the crowd without asking

 whither they are going8 ,you would not 
act so in  regard to the shortest       
earthly journey4 ,you would not rush    
into the  railway station and jump      
aboard of the first train you saw1      
without  looking at the sign-boards4    
,surely if there is anything in regard  
to  which we need to exercise           
deliberation1 it is the choice of the   
way that  we are to take through the    
world4 ,you have thought a good deal    
about  what business1 what profession   
you are to follow4 ,think more deeply1  
,i  beg you1 about how you are to follow
 it and what you are to follow it  for4 
,stand in the ways1 and see4    ,,ii4   
,second1 ,i earnestly advise you to ask 
for the old paths1 where is  the good   
way4    ,i do not regard this as a mere 
counsel of conservatism1 an unqualified 
commendation of antiquity4 ,true1 it    
implies that the good way will not  be a
 new discovery1 a track that you and ,i 
strike out for ourselves4  ,among the   
paths of conduct1 that which is entirely

 original is likely to  be false1 and   
that which is true is likely to have    
some footprints on  it4 ,when a man     
comes to us with a scheme of life which 
he has made all  by himself1 we may     
safely say to him1 as the old composer  
said to the  young musician who brought 
him a symphony of the future1 ,it is    
both new  and beautiful2 but that which 
is new is not beautiful1 and that which 
is  beautiful is not new4    ,but this  
is by no means the same as saying that  
everything ancient is  therefore        
beautiful and true1 or that all the old 
ways are good4 ,the  very point of the  
text is that we must discriminate among 
antiquities1--a thing as necessary in   
old chairs and old books as in old      
ways4    ,evil is almost1 if not quite1 
as ancient as good4 ,folly and wisdom1  
among men at least1 are twins1 and we   
can not distinguish between them  by the
 grey hairs4 ,adam's way was old enough2
 and so was the way of  ,cain1 and of   
,noah's vile son1 and of ,lot's lewd    

daughters1 and of  ,balaam1 and of      
,jezebel1 and of ,manasseh4 ,judas      
,iscariot was as old as  ,st4 ,john4    
,ananias and ,sapphira were of the same 
age with ,st4 ,peter and  ,st4 ,paul4   
,what we are to ask for is not simply   
the old way1 but that one among the  old
 ways which has been tested and tried   
and proved to be the good way4  ,the    
,spirit of ,wisdom tells us that we are 
not to work this way out by  logarithms1
 or evolve it from our own inner        
consciousness1 but to learn  what it is 
by looking at the lives of other men and
 marking the lessons  which they teach  
us4 ,experience has been compared to the
 stern-light of  a ship which shines    
only on the road that has been          
traversed4 ,but the  stern-light of a   
ship that sails before you is a         
head-light to you4    ,you do not need  
to try everything for yourself in order 
to understand  what it means4 ,the      
writer of ,ecclesiastes tells us that he
 gave his  heart to know madness and    

folly2 and that it was all vanity and   
vexation  of spirit4 ,it will be a wise 
economy for us to accept his lesson     
without  paying his tuition-fee over    
again4    ,it is perfectly safe for a   
man to take it as a fact that fire      
burns1  without putting his hand into   
the flame4 ,he does not need to try     
perilous experiments with his own soul  
in order to make sure that lust         
defiles1 that avarice hardens1 that     
frivolity empties1 that selfishness     
cankers the heart4 ,he may understand   
the end of the way of sensuality by     
looking at any old pleasure-seeker1     
,gray1 and gap-toothed1 and lean as     
death1    mumbling the dainties that he 
can no longer enjoy1 and glowering with 
bleared eyes at the indulgences which   
now mock him even while they tempt  him4
 ,the goal of the path of covetousness  
may be discerned in the face  of any old
 money-worshipper2 keeping guard over   
his piles of wealth1  like a surly      
watch-dog2 or1 if perchance he has      

failed1 haunting the  places where      
fortune has deceived him1 like an       
unquiet ghost4    ,inquire and learn2   
consider and discern4 ,there need be no 
doubt about  the direction of life's    
various ways4    ,which are the nations 
that have been most peaceful and noble  
and truly  prosperous8 ,those that have 
followed pride and luxury and idolatry8 
,or  those that have cherished sobriety 
and justice1 and acknowledged the       
,divine law of righteousness8    ,which 
are the families that have been most    
serene and pure and truly  fortunate8   
,those in which there has been no       
discipline1 no restraint1 no  common    
faith1 no mutual love8 ,or those in     
which sincere religion has  swayed life 
to its stern and gracious laws1 those in
 which parents and  children have walked
 together to the ,house of ,god1 and    
knelt together at  ,his altar1 and      
rejoiced together in ,his service8    ,i
 tell you1 my brother-men1 it has become
 too much the fashion in these  latter  

days to sneer and jeer at the           
old-fashioned ways of the  old-fashioned
 ,american household4 ,something too    
much of iron there may  have been in the
 ,puritan's temper2 something too little
 of sunlight may  have come in through  
the narrow windows of his house4 ,but   
that house had  foundations1 and the    
virile virtues lived in it4 ,there were 
plenty of  red corpuscles in his blood1 
and his heart beat in time with the     
eternal  laws of right1 even though its 
pulsations sometimes seemed a little    
slow  and heavy4 ,it would be well for  
us if we could get back into the old    
way1 which proved itself to be the good 
way1 and maintain1 as our  fathers did1 
the sanctity of the family1 the         
sacredness of the  marriage-vow1 the    
solemnity of the mutual duties binding  
parents and  children together4 ,from   
the households that followed this way   
have come  men that could rule          
themselves as well as their fellows1    
women that  could be trusted as well as 

loved4 ,read the history of such        
families1  and you will understand the  
truth of the poet's words3--            
,self-reverence1 self-knowledge1        
self-control1--    ,these three alone   
lead life to sovereign power4    ,look  
around you in the world and see what way
 it is that has brought  your fellow-men
 to peace and quietness of heart1 to    
security and honour  of life4 ,is it the
 way of unbridled self-indulgence1 of   
unscrupulous  greed1 of aimless         
indolence8 ,or is it the way of         
self-denial1 of  cheerful industry1 of  
fair dealing1 of faithful service8 ,if  
true honour  lies in the respect and    
grateful love of one's fellow-men1 if   
true  success lies in a contented heart 
and a peaceful conscience1 then the  men
 who have reached the highest goal of   
life are those who have  followed most  
closely the way to which ,jesus ,christ 
points us and in  which ,he goes before 
us4    ,,iii4 ,walk therein and ye shall
 find rest for your souls4 ,right action

  brings rest4    ,rest6 ,rest6 ,how    
that word rings like a sweet bell       
through the turmoil  of our age4 ,we are
 rushing to and fro1 destroying rest in 
our search for  it4 ,we drive our       
automobiles from one place to another1  
at furious  speed1 not knowing what we  
shall do when we get there4 ,we make    
haste to  acquire new possessions1 not  
knowing how we shall use them when they 
are  ours4 ,we are in a fever of new    
discoveries and theories1 not knowing   
how  to apply them when they are made4  
,we feed ourselves upon novel           
speculations until our heads swim with  
the vertigo of universal  knowledge     
which changes into the paresis of       
universal doubt4    ,but in the hours of
 silence1 the ,spirit of ,wisdom        
whispers a secret to  our hearts4 ,rest 
depends upon conduct4 ,the result of    
your life depends  upon your choosing   
the good way and walking in it4    ,and 
to you ,i say1 my brother-men1 choose   
,christ1 for ,he is the ,way4 ,all  the 

strength and sweetness of the best      
possible human life are embodied  in    
,him4 ,all the truth that is needed to  
inspire and guide man to noble  action  
and fine character is revealed in ,him4 
,he is the one ,master  altogether      
worthy to be served and followed4 ,take 
,his yoke upon you and  learn of ,him1  
and ye shall find rest unto your souls4