file which includes the original        
illustration4       ,see #bbada-;h4htm  
or #bbada-;h4zip3                       
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/
b_/a_/d_/bbada_/bbada-;h_/#bbada-;h4htm7
       or                               
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/
b_/a_/d_/bbada_/bbada-;h4zip7      ,,joy
 ,,in ,,service4  ,,forgetting1 ,,and   
,,pressing ,,onward4  ,,until ,,the     
,,day ,,dawn4  ,,rev4 ,,george ,t4      
,,purves1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4  ,the        
,teacher and ,pastor4  ,prest4 ,f4 ,l4  
,patton1 ,d4,d41 ,ll4,d4                
,illustration3 ,copyright #aijj ,by ,f4 
,gutekunst4  ,hand written signature3   
,george ,t4 ,purves    ,american ,tract 
,society #aej ,nassau ,street1 ,new     
,york  ,copyright1 #aija1 by ,american  
,tract ,society4     ,,contents         
,,page  ,,joy ,,in ,,service1           
#g    ,jesus saith unto them1 ,my meat  
is to do the will of him that   sent me1
 and to finish his work4  ,,forgetting1 
,,and ,,pressing ,,onward1              

#de    ,forgetting these things which   
are behind1 and reaching forth   to     
those things which are before1 ,i press 
towards the mark for   the prize of the 
high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 
,,until ,,the ,,day ,,dawn1             
#hc    ,the things which are not seen   
are eternal4                      99    
99      99      99      99  ,,the       
,,teacher ,,and ,,pastor1               
#hg    ,address of ,dr4 ,f4 ,l4 ,patton1
 at the funeral of ,dr4 ,purves4        
,,joy ,,in ,,service4   ,jesus saith    
unto them1 ,my meat is to do the will of
 him that sent me1 and to finish his    
work4--,,john #d3cd4      ,,joy ,,in    
,,service4   ,this is one of the        
sentences that dropped from the lips of 
,christ1 which let us into his personal 
spiritual life and in some measure lay  
bare his mind4 ,to be permitted thus to 
share his confidence is one of our      
greatest privileges4 ,viewing him from a
 distance1 we may admire his character2 
viewing him in history1 we may confess  

his incomparable power2 viewing him when
 convincing us of our own sin1 we may   
adore him as our ,saviour2 but we       
desire1 and may have1 a still more      
intimate acquaintance4 ,he tells us     
about himself4 ,he describes here and   
there his personal inner life4 ,he      
permits us to share his secrets1 and all
 that we otherwise feel of reverence1   
admiration1 and gratitude gives new     
value to these disclosures of the       
spiritual life of the ,god in man4      
,now1 in the words before us1 ,christ   
describes his joy in the service of the 
,father4 ,they reveal a devotion so     
complete as to entirely control his     
mind4 ,they reveal a soul so absorbed in
 doing the ,divine will as to be        
insensible for the time to ordinary     
physical needs4 ,they reveal a          
self-consecration which is absolute1 and
 yet which is so spontaneous and glad as
 to be self-sustaining2 so that ,christ 
needed no other support in serving the  
,father than simply the opportunity of  

such service4 ,we1 on the contrary1     
require support to enable us to serve4  
,we must be rewarded for our work1 must 
be encouraged by sympathy1 must be fed  
with promises and spiritual gifts1 in   
order to be strong enough to do our     
duty4 ,christ found duty its own reward1
 service itself joy1 obedience a source 
of renewed strength4 ,his will was one  
with the ,father's2 and thus he         
discloses the1 to us1 marvelous         
spectacle of one who could truly say1   
,not my desire or my duty1 or my purpose
 is1 but my meat--my food--my source    
itself of life and strength--is to do   
the will of ,god1 and to finish his     
work4  ,and yet our ,lord ,jesus was a  
very genuine man4 ,he did not impress   
observers with the common insignia of   
holiness4 ,it was the ,pharisees1 not   
,christ1 who stood at the corners of the
 streets to make long prayers1 who      
enlarged the borders of their           
phylacteries and chose the chief seats  
in the synagogues4 ,it was the ,baptist1

 not ,jesus1 who clothed himself in a   
garment of camel's hair and ate locusts 
and wild honey4 ,jesus1 on the contrary1
 lived the outward life of other men1   
consorted with them in their usual      
places of resort1 dressed and spake as  
they did2 so that1 in outward manner1 it
 was impossible to distinguish him from 
the common mass in which he moved4 ,all 
the more precious1 therefore1 is this   
revelation of his inner life4 ,what a   
soul was his6 ,the thought uppermost in 
his mind was devotion to the ,father's  
will4 ,the joy which most gladdened his 
lonely life was the joy of unknown1 but 
sublime and perfect1 obedience4 ,he had 
been pointing a ,samaritan woman1       
sitting by the wellside1 to the         
salvation of ,god2 and though she was   
but one1 and that to human eyes an      
unworthy subject1--though she was a     
,samaritan and an open sinner1--his soul
 found such intense pleasure in bringing
 her--as the ,father had sent him to    
bring men anywhere--to the knowledge of 

the truth1 that fatigue and hunger were 
forgotten1 and all his energies were    
absorbed in the delight of the task4 ,in
 this ,i think ,christ appears simply   
,divine4 ,no later fame or success1 no  
gaudy robes of human praise1 no gilded  
crown of human admiration1 are needed to
 adorn him4 ,he discloses the very ideal
 of a godly life4 ,all our poor efforts 
at obedience1 all our faint aspirations 
after the knowledge and love of ,god1   
all our unfulfilled prayers1 and falling
 flights1 and unredeemed promises and   
sin-stained attempts to serve1 confess  
the ideal perfectness of him who could  
truthfully say1 ,my meat is to do the   
will of him that sent me1 and to finish 
his work4  ,i4 ,let us first1 then1 draw
 a little closer to this peerless soul1 
in which there was such perfect sense of
 the worth of infinite things1 and let  
us note more particularly1 and          
appreciate as far as we are able1 this  
phase of the character of the ,son of   
,man4  ,i have said that ,christ was a  

very natural man4 ,but he was more than 
that4 ,i am sure that none can study his
 character without admitting and        
admiring the perfect proportion in which
 truth evidently lay in his mind4 ,this 
is one of the rarest beauties of        
character4 ,most of us are very         
one-sided4 ,we can grasp but a part of  
truth2 and in order to grasp that part  
firmly1 we have to absolutely let other 
truth go4 ,in order to be devoted to    
duty as we see it1 we commonly have to  
leave other duties untouched4 ,our      
spiritual growth ought to take just this
 direction of including broader views of
 truth and duty1 of obtaining a         
conception of life in which the various 
elements shall be held in their proper  
relations and proportions2 no one       
allowed to eclipse the others1 but each 
modified to a proper extent by the      
presence and influence of the rest4 ,i  
say this is a rare achievement4 ,no one 
but ,christ has ever achieved it        
perfectly4 ,it is easy to see that even 

the apostles1 inspired as they were1 did
 not equally appreciate all sides of    
revelation4 ,they have their            
distinguishing doctrines and points of  
view4  ,it is still easier to see that  
,christian churches and theologians     
differ for this same reason1 and to a   
much greater extent4 ,no creed1 no      
church1 no theology1 that builds on the 
,word of ,god1 can be wholly wrong4 ,its
 difference from others must lie in its 
partial appreciation of the truth1 in   
its inability to take in all truths in  
their relative proportion4 ,and so in   
literature and science and philosophy   
some men are impressed with material    
evidences1 others with moral4 ,some men 
are poets1 others are logicians2 some   
critical1 others dogmatic4 ,the hope of 
the future for the ,church and for      
humanity is in the slow approximation   
and combination of these partial views1 
until at last1 in the unity of the faith
 and of the knowledge of the ,son of    
,god1 we shall come unto a perfect man1 

unto the measure of the stature of the  
fullness of ,christ4 ,meanwhile1 at the 
beginning of our ,christian history1    
,christ stands perfect4 ,to see this is 
to appreciate his authority4 ,as ,paul  
said1 ,he is the corner stone of the    
spiritual temple which the ,divine      
,spirit is building4  ,i do not mean    
that he taught explicitly all the truth 
which later times have discovered1 or   
which after him apostles taught4 ,but he
 laid the living germs of all later     
religious truth1 and he held them in    
such perfect proportion that when the   
long course of history shall be         
finished1 when that which is in part    
shall have been done away1 and that     
which is perfect shall have come1 the   
result will be but the reproduction on a
 large scale of the already perfect     
stature of ,christ4  ,and this is       
particularly manifested in ,christ's    
views of life4 ,his peerless            
spirituality did not make him an        
ascetic4 ,his clear vision of the future

 did not lead him to despise the        
present4 ,his love of ,god did not      
destroy his love of nature or of man4   
,his hatred of sin did not cause him to 
shun the sinner4 ,hence1 though our     
,lord was the model of a religious man1 
he was no enthusiast1 still less a      
fanatic4 ,the enthusiast is a man who   
sees but part of truth and magnifies it 
out of its proportion2 and the fanatic  
is one who1 in addition to this1 hates  
what he cannot understand4 ,according to
 ,isaac ,taylor1 ,fanaticism is         
enthusiasm inflamed by hatred4 ,but     
,christ exaggerated nothing and hated no
 man4 ,he hated sin1 but no sinner4 ,his
 boundless1 tender love itself prevented
 such moral distortion4 ,and1 therefore1
 he is the ideal or model of human life4
 ,we do not feel that in striving to    
imitate even his most spiritual         
qualities we shall become impractical or
 unnatural4 ,we do not feel this in the 
case of most other holy men4 ,they      
become examples of one virtue by        

exaggerating it4 ,but ,christ never did 
this4 ,lofty as the view of life was    
which he discloses in our text1 sublime 
as was its spiritual consecration1 it   
existed in him in harmony with the life 
which by its thoroughly human and       
practical features proves that we too1  
in at least some measure1 can make even 
his highest traits our exemplars4 ,look1
 therefore1 at this text which discloses
 his mind1 and mark its principal       
elements4      #a4 ,there is first      
disclosed the strong and constant       
consciousness     that he had a distinct
 errand in the world4 ,he knew that he  
had     been born for a purpose1 that a 
divine aim was in his coming1 and       
that a positive result would follow his 
life4 ,this sense of a     definite     
errand was expressed by him on numerous 
occasions2 in some     of them quite    
incidentally1 and in others more        
directly4 ,you     remember how1 as a   
boy in the temple1 he said to his       
mother1 ,wist     ye not that ,i must be

 about my ,father's business8 ,you      
remember     how1 at the marriage in    
,cana1 he said to her again1 ,my hour is
 not     yet come4 ,so with that        
precious phrase which on several        
occasions     fell from his lips1 ,the  
,son of ,man is come to seek and to save
     that which is lost4 ,he regarded   
himself as one sent from ,god2 and      
when his life was about over he lifted  
up his eyes to heaven and     said1     
,father1 the hour is come2 ,i have      
glorified thee on the     earth2 ,i have
 finished the work which thou gavest me 
to do4      ,so in our text1 ,my meat is
 to do the will of him that sent me1 and
     to finish his work4 ,he was here on
 a special errand1 and that     errand  
was always before his mind4 ,earth was  
but a place of     appointed work4 ,life
 was to him an office1 a stewardship4   
,he had     this consciousness1 even    
when he seemed to be accomplishing      
nothing4 ,it gave unity to all his acts 
and words4 ,to ,galilean     peasants   

and to ,jewish scribes he could speak   
with equal assurance1     because his   
errand was to both4 ,yet he knew its    
limitations4 ,he     said to the        
,syro-,phoenician woman1 ,i am not sent 
save to the     lost sheep of the house 
of ,israel4 ,he had come do a special   
work     among the ,jews1 and in that a 
work for all mankind4 ,he had not come  
to be glorified4 ,he had not come to be 
ministered unto1 but to     minister4   
,but he had come on a distinct errand2  
and whatever be     your doctrine of    
,christ's person1 you must confess that 
he     considered himself no accident of
 history2 that he did not regard     his
 life work as originating in his own    
choice2 that his sense of a     mission 
did not come as an afterthought to him1 
or grow clear as he     advanced in     
life4 ,he felt his special errand from  
the start4 ,it was     always before his
 mind1 so that life was to him the      
performance of     a given task and the 
fulfillment of an assigned duty4        

#b4 ,but furthermore1 our text discloses
 that1 to ,christ's mind1 this          
errand of his in the world derived its  
sanctity from the fact that     it was  
the will or wish of his ,father4 ,every 
man is governed by     some controlling 
motive or class of motives4 ,the lowest 
of all is     the motive of personal    
gain and pleasure1 and the sorrows and  
sins     of men chiefly spring from the 
tyranny of this degraded passion4       
,higher than it is the motive of pity   
and compassion1 which may lead     us to
 do good for the sake of benefiting     
others4 ,this is the spring     of much 
charity and philanthropy1 and1 so far as
 it goes1 it is of     course to be     
commended4 ,but there is a higher motive
 than even it1     and ,christ reveals  
it to us here4 ,it is the wish to do    
,god's will4     ,such was his motive4  
,to him the will of the ,father was the 
perfect     good4 ,he knew of nothing   
nobler than it1 so that the whole energy
     of his character consisted in the  

force of obedience4      ,this phrase   
may carry us back to that time in the   
counsels of the     ,godhead when1 as we
 conceive such matters1 the ,father     
determined to     save the world that   
had rebelled against him4 ,the question 
was1     where to find a ,saviour2 and  
the spirit of the ,divine ,son was      
manifested in his self-dedication to the
 work4 ,he1 too1 loved man1     but that
 was not his main motive4 ,he loved the 
,father4 ,he     appreciated the        
,father's wish to save4 ,he gave himself
 to carry out     that wish4 ,lo1 ,i    
come1 said he1 to do thy will1 ,o ,god4 
,thus we     may perceive1 ,i think1 the
 deep reality in the ,divine ,sonship of
     ,christ2 and certainly on earth    
this was his controlling motive4 ,he    
was obedient even unto death4 ,to obey  
to the very least particular     the    
,father's will was the principle of his 
being4 ,to him the     ,father's will   
was not hard1 stern law1 as we with our 
rebellious     instincts so often regard

 it2 it was the ,father's wish4 ,when   
love     exists between two persons1 the
 will of one it is the other's joy      
to do1 if possible4 ,love impels to its 
accomplishment4 ,love     rejoices in   
being of service1 in giving the loved   
one pleasure1 in     carrying out the   
other's desire4 ,so the will of ,god    
was1 to ,christ1     his ,father's wish4
 ,obedience was the mainspring of his   
soul's life1     and his errand in the  
world derived its sanctity and its      
glory--in     spite of man's antagonism 
and in spite of apparent                
fruitlessness--from the fact that it was
 the will of ,god4 ,in this     ,christ 
discloses the very highest spiritual    
life which it is     possible to        
conceive4 ,how marvelous was this6 ,he  
who has won the     greatest influence  
over the race1 he before whom the head  
bows in     adoration1 he who has       
changed already the course of history1  
and     will change it until every knee 
has bowed to him1 was one whose         

supreme wish was to be an obedient ,son4
 ,instead of conquering by              
selfishness he conquered by             
self-abnegation4 ,instead of doing his  
own work1 he gave himself up to doing   
his ,father's4 ,here is at once     a   
miracle of history and a model of life  
of which man would never     have       
dreamed4      #c4 ,as a consequence of  
all this we can perceive in the language
 of     the text ,christ's joy in the   
discovery of a special opportunity of   
carrying out the highest purpose of the 
,father's will4 ,it would     seem that 
his meeting with the ,samaritan woman   
awakened almost a     state of          
excitement in his mind4 ,it lifted him  
above the reach of     physical desires4
 ,this ,i suppose was because he        
recognized in that     meeting an       
opportunity of doing what he knew was   
dearest to his     ,father's heart4 ,his
 errand was to ultimately save the      
world1 and     now he was engaged in    
saving at least one soul4 ,no doubt his 

devotion to the ,father's will sustained
 him1 even in the darkest     hour4     
,when the will of ,god consigned him to 
the hatred of men1 to     the rejection 
of the people1 to the bitter sorrow of  
the cross1 he     could bow his head in 
humble compliance and say1 ,thy will1   
not     mine1 be done4 ,but he knew well
 that the ,father willed his sorrows    
in order to the world's salvation1 and  
that the object dearest to     the      
,father's heart was the recovery of lost
 souls4 ,he himself has     told us of  
the angels' joy over such4 ,and he has  
described the     whole object of his   
appearing to man by these matchless     
words3 ,god     so loved the world that 
he gave his only begotten ,son1 that    
whosoever believeth in him might not    
perish1 but have everlasting     life4  
,and therefore his love of ,god the     
,father1 no less than his     love of   
man1 made him hail with especial joy    
such an opportunity as     this4 ,we may
 fairly say that ,christ followed the   

lead of     providence4 ,he did himself 
what he requires of us2 he was quick to 
recognize opportunities4 ,he heard in   
them a divine call2 and by all     his  
sense of his mission among men1 by all  
his desire to please the     ,father1   
did he hail the rising faith of that    
,samaritan and rejoice     in bringing  
to her the message of salvation4 ,hence 
,i say his     evident excitement1 if we
 may use the phrase4 ,hence his         
obliviousness to hunger4 ,hence his     
forgetfulness of his former     fatigue4
 ,lift up your eyes1 he cried to his    
disciples1 and look     on the fields1  
for they are white already unto harvest4
 ,the     ,father's will would be       
accomplished1 and in the joy of service 
his     soul found its food4 ,he wanted 
nothing else4 ,such fruitful            
obedience was to him its own reward4  ,i
 say again1 therefore1 what a spiritual 
life was this6 ,praise itself seems     
almost to defile it4 ,it was perfect4   
,it was sublime4 ,thus can we understand

 his sinlessness4 ,we can imagine no    
higher ideal2 and marvelous to say1 here
 was the ideal realized4 ,we cannot     
wonder any longer that over this ,jesus 
of ,nazareth ,god should say1 ,this is  
my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well     
pleased4  ,,ii4 ,and now1 while         
admiring1 we are to ask if it is        
possible for us to imitate in principle 
this spiritual life1 of which the       
,master gave so fine an example4        
,possibly1 you may say1 we may imitate  
some of the least remarkable traits1 but
 scarcely this4 ,and yet this lies at   
the root and soul of the rest3 imitation
 of them is but external and spurious if
 it does not reach this4 ,only by this  
can we have real fellowship with him4   
,we are met at the outset by man's      
natural reluctance to even think of     
regarding the will of ,god as aught but 
repulsive4 ,very often objection is     
openly made to the spiritual view       
expressed by ,christ4 ,god1 it is said1 
must surely want to educate us into the 

love of virtue and truth for their own  
sakes4 ,he does not want merely to      
conquer us1 to break our wills by       
superior power4 ,he wants to lead us to 
share his own spirit and life2 and1     
therefore1 would not ask us to submit   
merely to his will4 ,to train men1      
therefore1 to merely obey is not so     
noble as to train men to reason1 or to  
love truth and righteousness for their  
own sakes4 ,but we reply that we should 
attain to the most exalted love of truth
 and righteousness and every other noble
 thing in no way so well as through     
loyalty to ,god4 ,certainly ,god does   
not want to merely conquer us by force1 
but of all things in the world that is  
the one not exhibited in ,jesus ,christ4
 ,his was the obedience of love4 ,it    
sprang from his admiration of the       
,father's nature4 ,and so must ours4    
,god has laid us under immeasurable     
obligations of gratitude4 ,he has       
condescended to reveal himself to us4   
,he has given proof of his wisdom1 his  

love1 his holiness1 his righteousness4  
,and1 therefore1 the will of ,god is no 
arbitrary commandment4 ,it is the wish  
of our dearest ,friend4 ,it is the      
direction given from the world's ,pilot4
 ,it is the direction of infinite wisdom
 and righteousness and love2 and to be  
devoted to his will is but to be        
confident that all his glorious         
attributes are being expressed for our  
guidance4  ,and then1 what should we say
 of one who seeks after truth and       
righteousness1 and yet does not yield   
obedience to him who is the source of   
all things--the truth1 the              
righteousness8 ,we should probably      
conclude that his search was a fancy1   
his aspiration an illusion4 ,no6 ,what  
we need is to love the ,lord our ,god   
with all our heart1 to feel that he is  
the wisest1 the most lovely--the        
embodiment and the source of all other  
wisdom and goodness2 the ,sun by which  
the other planets shine1 by whose rays  
the world of nature receives its life   

and beauty4 ,we need to love ,god       
supremely2 and if we do1 then the will  
of ,god will seem to us always good1    
even as it did to ,christ4      ,man's  
weakness1 waiting upon ,god1       ,its 
end can never miss2     ,for men on     
earth no work can do       ,more        
angel-like than this4      ,he always   
wins who sides with ,god4       ,to him 
no chance is lost2     ,god's will is   
sweetest to him when       ,it triumphs 
at his cost4      ,ill that he blesses  
is our good1       ,and unblessed good  
our ill2     ,and all is right that     
seems most wrong1       ,if it be his   
sweet will4  ,let man behold1 through   
,christ1 the infinite ,father1 the      
source of all life and blessedness and  
good1 and man will put ,god first1 and  
find his highest glory in acting out the
 prayer1 ,thy will be done on earth as  
it is in heaven4  ,but even so1 we are  
met by the further difficulty that1     
unlike ,christ1 we are not always       
sensible of being sent on any special   

errand into the world4 ,we lose what aim
 we have1 amid the diversities of toil  
to which we are compelled4 ,we lose what
 breadth of view we have1 amid the      
multitude of trifles of which our lives 
are composed4 ,we can imagine ,christ's 
sense of his mission1 and how it could  
absorb him2 but what in our lots can    
correspond8 ,it may indeed be true that1
 unlike ,christ1 you have no clear idea 
of why ,god sent you into the world4    
,few have1 but it would seem to quite   
remove ,god from actual government of   
the world to say that1 therefore1 he had
 no purpose4 ,that glowing picture which
 the apostle paints of the rising temple
 should forbid the doubt4 ,every stone  
has its place and is needed4 ,it may    
need to be broken and hewn1 to be       
polished2 it may be hid in an unseen    
place within the wall2 no man may notice
 it4 ,but the ,builder meant it to be   
there1 and it contributes its share to  
the work before which the ages of       
eternity shall fall in wonder2 that work

 which is to manifest to the            
principalities and powers in the        
heavenly places the manifold wisdom of  
,god4 ,we may dismiss the doubt         
therefore1 since ,god is ,god4 ,we have 
been made and sent here for a purpose4  
,god's will is meaning to use us1 and it
 is our duty and privilege now to carry 
out1 as far as possible1 that will of   
him that sent us1 so far as he has made 
it known4 ,and certainly1 brother man1  
enough of the ,father's will is made    
known to teach us our work4  ,we may    
rejoice to do his will as revealed in   
conscience4 ,he has placed within the   
soul of man a guide which1 within       
certain limits1 and as applied to       
special acts and circumstances1         
infallibly indicates his will4 ,so far  
as it acts1 no man can say he is        
ignorant2 and the true child of ,god    
will give heed and say1 ,this is the    
will of ,god4 ,conscience will itself be
 re-enforced by being so regarded2 and  
it is practically impossible to question

 conscience1 as to most of the practical
 duties of life1 without plainly        
hearing1 ,this is the way4  ,but we may 
further rejoice to do his will as       
revealed in ,scripture4 ,here he has    
gone beyond the starlight of conscience 
and flooded the world with the sunlight 
of his revelation4 ,the ,scriptures     
contain the will of ,god for our        
salvation4 ,they speak in no doubtful   
tone4 ,we may be as certain as ,jesus   
was what the will of the ,father is4    
,paul called himself an apostle by the  
will of ,god2 so may we4 ,this is the   
work of ,god1 that ye believe on him    
whom he hath sent4 ,it is the will of   
,god that we trust him1 that we serve   
him1 that we be holy as he is holy1 that
 we extend his knowledge4 ,these are as 
absolute commands as are those of the   
,decalogue2 and the true child will take
 this revelation for his guidance1 and  
by its light will try to carry out his  
,father's will4  ,but you may say1 ,much
 of this direction is general1 it is not

 specific4 ,what is the specific will of
 ,god for me8 ,i answer therefore1      
finally1 that we may1 like ,christ1     
rejoice to do his will as revealed in   
providence4 ,i have tried to show that  
even ,christ followed where the ,father 
led1 embraced opportunities1 met new    
circumstances1 prepared for the hour4   
,and certainly we are to do so4 ,the    
will of ,god for each one of us is      
unfolded by the events of life4 ,these  
are not causeless4 ,they are not a      
chance medley of good and bad4 ,god     
rules3 not a sparrow falls without him4 
,and therefore1 as providence unrolls   
the will of ,god for us1 the true child 
is to accept and obey4 ,now he brings an
 opportunity2 now he lays a burden4 ,now
 he tries us with prosperity2 now with  
sorrow4 ,now he sends us into battle and
 temptation2 now he lays us on beds of  
pain and idleness4 ,now he wounds1 and  
now he heals2 the way opens under his   
,divine guidance4 ,it may lift us up1 it
 may cast us down4 ,as with ,christ1 ,i 

say1 so with us4 ,it may give us a soul 
to save1 it may cause our plans to be   
rejected1 it may lead to ,gethsemane1 it
 may translate us to glory2 but in all  
it is the will of him that sent us1 the 
work he has for us to do4 ,in all1      
infinite wisdom1 the ,father's goodness1
 and eternal righteousness move4 ,he    
shows the way1 and man's highest        
privilege--yea1 man's strength and      
food--is to do his will1 because we love
 and trust and adore him so entirely    
that what he wishes1 that we are glad to
 do4  ,i hold1 therefore1 before us     
,christ's joy in service as not beyond  
our power to imitate2 and ,i ask if     
conscience and reason do not testify    
that this is the loftiest ideal in life 
which we can have4 ,when we reach       
heaven1 this will be realized4 ,but     
here1 in the desert1 now1 in this world 
of sin1 is the time to begin4 ,i do not 
show you so exalted a ,jesus as to put  
him beyond the reach of imitation4 ,he  
came to make us like himself4 ,and ,i   

ask if any other ideals of life can     
compare with this--if they are not poor 
and mean--if this does not soar above   
them4 ,you claim to seek nobility and   
greatness and victory4 ,here they are4  
,come1 learn from ,jesus the love of    
,god4 ,let it win your heart2 and as at 
his feet you look in that infinite1     
eternal sea of love1 whose depths are   
fathomless and whose billows break on   
the shores of time--that love of ,god to
 man out of which ,christ came to save  
our souls by death--as you gaze on it1  
rise with this resolve3 ,by thy grace1  
,o ,christ1 ,i too will joy to do the   
will of him that sent me1 and to finish 
his work4     ,,forgetting1 ,,and       
,,pressing ,,forward4   ,forgetting     
those things which are behind1 and      
reaching forth unto those things which  
are before1 ,i press toward the mark for
 the prize of the high calling of ,god  
in ,christ ,jesus4--,,philippians #c3ac1
 #ad4     ,,forgetting1 ,,and ,,pressing
 ,,onward4   ,we are not to take the    

first part of this text too literally1  
nor press the apostle's words too       
closely4 ,he certainly did not mean to  
say that he had forgotten all his past  
life and blotted out the memory of all  
that lay behind him4 ,the ,bible must be
 interpreted naturally1 as you would    
interpret the language of ordinary      
writers4 ,if we were to take texts out  
of their connections and press the      
literal meaning of every clause and     
word1 we would soon make the book a     
bundle of contradictions and reduce it  
to an actual absurdity4 ,unfortunately  
this has sometimes been done1 and not a 
few of the differences of opinion which 
believers of the ,bible have among      
themselves arise from such false and    
unreasonable methods of interpretation4 
,so1 as ,i have said1 ,paul did not mean
 that he had really forgotten the things
 that lay behind him4 ,in fact1 he      
refers again and again to his past life 
and experience4 ,in this very chapter he
 relates his pedigree4 ,often he refers 

to his state of mind before he became a 
,christian--to his spiritual unrest and 
vain efforts after peace4 ,still oftener
 does he recount the story of his       
conversion1 and hold himself up to all  
ages as a miracle of grace and a        
monument of ,divine mercy4 ,he was very 
far1 therefore1 from having forgotten   
the way along which he had been led4 ,it
 had been too momentous both for himself
 and others4 ,it had been too full of   
both storm and sunshine not to be worth 
remembering4 ,it had written1 as with a 
pen of steel1 lessons of law and love   
upon the soul of the apostle1 and in    
characters too deep ever to be          
obliterated4  ,what1 then1 did ,paul    
mean when he here describes himself as  
forgetting those things which are behind
 and reaching forth unto those things   
which are before8 ,he meant his language
 to be understood comparatively and     
relatively4 ,he was thinking chiefly of 
the new life which had been opened      
before him by ,jesus ,christ1 and of the

 enthusiasm and devotion with which he  
pursued it4 ,he likens himself to a     
contestant in a foot-race1 whose eye is 
bent on the track before him1 not on    
that behind his back--who is ever       
measuring in thought the distance yet to
 be traveled until the prize is won4 ,he
 meant1 therefore1 that he was so       
absorbed in the new pursuits and duties 
given him by ,jesus ,christ that his    
past life was comparatively forgotten4  
,he did not mourn the honors in the     
,jewish ,church which he had lost by    
becoming a ,christian4 ,he did not dwell
 upon the anger of his ,hebrew friends1 
now that he had the friendship of       
,christ himself4 ,he did not regret the 
sacrifice he had made1 since a better   
reward had been bestowed upon him4 ,he  
did not let past troubles hamper present
 actions1 nor past successes cause him  
to rest upon his laurels1 nor past      
services satisfy him1 nor past losses   
embitter him4 ,he turned resolutely to  
the future4 ,he pushed ahead in his     

divinely appointed way4 ,he let the dead
 past bury its dead1 while he was       
absorbed in the living present and the  
coming future4 ,speaking relatively1 in 
comparison with the absorbing business  
of his life1 he could say1 ,forgetting  
those things which are behind and       
reaching forth unto those things that   
are before1 ,i press toward the mark for
 the prize of the high calling of ,god  
in ,christ ,jesus4  ,thus understood1   
,st4 ,paul's language becomes           
exceedingly suggestive of things that it
 is worth our while to forget1 and the  
way in which we should forget them4     
,like him1 we are not required to blot  
out the remembrance of the past4 ,there 
could be no improvement if we did not   
remember past mistakes and profit by    
them4 ,it is often our sweetest joy and 
highest pride to think of the days that 
are no more1 of the wondrous history of 
mankind1 of our own journey as          
,providence has led us on1 and above all
 things1 of him whom we are to hold in  

everlasting remembrance4 ,but we must   
keep life's balance true4 ,some people  
are always living among the gravestones1
 regretting what is now inevitable1     
mourning over losses that cannot be     
repaired1 thinking the days of old      
better than those which are to be--and  
wasting their energies in sorrowful     
reminiscences and wistful longings for a
 perished past1 instead of using their  
energies in the accomplishment of what  
may be done for the winning of better   
crowns4 ,it is against this practice    
that the apostle's experience warns4    
,this practice makes progress           
impossible4 ,it is a source of misery4  
,it fetters the ,christian mind4 ,it    
does not know that the resurrection has 
taken place4 ,it makes life a threnody  
instead of a hosanna4 ,we are to turn   
from the past that we may obtain the    
better future4 ,let me give you an      
example of the way in which we are to   
forget the things which are behind1 and 
reach forth unto those things that are  

before4  ,i4 ,it is worth our while to  
forget old doubts and questionings1     
through absorption in the practical     
application of the truth brought us by  
,jesus ,christ4 ,most of the doubts and 
questionings which men have on the      
subject of religion are very old4 ,their
 hair is gray with the anxious thought  
of many centuries4 ,they may be         
represented by old men1 with wrinkled   
foreheads and feeble knees1 pretending  
by dress and manner to be young4 ,but   
you would be surprised to find how old  
they are1 these questions that disturb  
your religious faith and hinder you from
 the performance of your whole duty4    
,there1 for instance1 is that weary     
question about the reason why ,god      
allowed sin and misery to enter into his
 world--a question which men are still  
pondering1 under which they are still   
restless and sometimes unhappy4 ,but lo6
 it is as old as human history4 ,the    
ancient ,brahmins wrestled with it4 ,we 
find it echoed in the hymns of ,chaldea 

that date from the days of ,abraham1 in 
the songs of ,greece1 and in the        
literature of the age of ,solomon2 and  
neither philosophy nor science1 neither 
discovery nor accident1 has to this day 
been able to frame a satisfactory       
answer4  ,in like manner the question   
how to harmonize in thought the absolute
 sovereignty of ,god1 who ruleth over   
all and designed the end from the       
beginning1 with the freedom and         
responsibility of man1 is an ancient    
problem which no answer has been found  
able to finally solve4 ,hindoo          
philosophy settled it by fatalism1      
making man nothing and deities all4     
,greek thought vibrated between the two 
extremes2 and from the beginning of     
,christian history the problem has vexed
 the ingenuity and taxed the patience of
 the ,church4 ,it is not peculiar to    
,calvinism4 ,it is a problem which has  
ever risen up before inquiring minds and
 baffled the wisdom of the greatest who 
have grappled with it4  ,and so1 too1   

most of the specific doubts about and   
objections to ,christian doctrine have  
descended to us from remote generations4
 ,modern philosophy turns out to be only
 a careful repetition of speculations   
which were indulged in by the earliest  
thinkers4 ,most of the really important 
objections to the ,bible were raised by 
the shrewd and cultured antagonists whom
 ancient paganism put forward as its    
champions4 ,there can scarcely be a new 
theory devised1 for the human mind has  
long since gone over the whole ground   
with plowshare and rake4 ,nothing is    
more instructive and entertaining to the
 student of ,christianity than to       
recognize in ancient times the faces    
with which he is familiar in our day1   
although they may be dressed in         
different clothes and speak another     
tongue4 ,he will hail them as well-known
 families1 and will return with the     
conviction that1 so far as the religious
 doubts and questionings of the human   
mind are concerned1 there was some truth

 in the declaration of ,solomon1 that   
there is nothing new under the sun4  ,i 
do not mean to say that progress is not 
being made in religious thought as well 
as elsewhere4 ,i think there is4 ,god's 
truth is being better understood4 ,god's
 ,word is being read more intelligently4
 ,light is falling from many a source   
and on many a fact4 ,neither do ,i mean 
to say that these old problems should   
not be considered1 if for no other      
reason than that men may be reminded    
that some of them are insoluble by us1  
and that what we do know concerning them
 may be fairly and wisely stated4 ,but  
,i think it clear that they should not  
be allowed to burden us nor to keep us  
back from the performance of practical  
duty4 ,for1 mark you how progress has   
been made even while these dark         
questionings remained unsolved4 ,jesus  
and the apostles did not attempt to     
answer these philosophical questionings 
which had been and would be raised by   
inquiring minds4 ,they gave us certain  

positive1 practical truths1 and told us 
to test them by actual trial1 and obtain
 the good which they would be sure to   
bring4 ,christianity in later years did 
not triumph by confuting the objections 
raised against it on the part of        
culture4 ,it answered many of them      
indeed1 but its triumph came from the   
practical religion which it introduced1 
and from the effects of faith in ,jesus 
which blessed individuals and society4  
,so1 while the human intellect has been 
wrestling with the giant problem of     
life1 the being of ,god has silently    
been established4 ,overhead has been the
 battle of the elements1 as on earth the
 quiet growth of the seed of truth which
 fell from the ,master's hand4 ,while   
the ,titans have been warring in the    
air1 the power of ,god's love and the   
offer of his ,gospel have been making   
the world better4 ,the laws of ,christ  
have been closely applied to human      
conduct2 the beauty and the majesty of  
,jesus have won their way to the hearts 

of millions4 ,thus progress in          
righteousness1 in the love of ,god1 and 
in the practical application of the     
,gospel1 has gone forward1 while these  
profound problems have remained1 and    
hover like clouds above the fretful     
world4  ,i judge1 therefore1 that in    
view of these facts it is worth our     
while to forget these doubts and        
questionings4 ,history has proved that  
many of them are both hopelessly dark   
and have nothing whatever to do with the
 attainment of happiness and peace of   
mind4 ,that they will ever cease to     
engage the attention of some would be   
too much to believe4 ,every new         
generation will undertake the task of   
settling them4 ,but it will soon be glad
 to leave the task to generations       
following4 ,it is1 therefore1 not       
material for a man to consider them4    
,there are things before him which can  
be done and questionings which can be   
probably solved4 ,his own personal      
,christian duty is as clear as sunlight4

 ,that ,christ is worthy of his         
following is manifest to every          
unperverted mind4 ,that men need to have
 ,christ's teachings taken home to them1
 and that man himself needs to          
practically walk with ,christ and do his
 service1 the clear facts demonstrate4  
,it is worth his while to forget those  
doubts and leave those problems         
unsolved4 ,it is not wise to let them   
burden him or keep him back from        
service4 ,let him leave them behind him1
 and bend his strength to the racetrack 
of acknowledged duty1 and perhaps when  
he has reached the goal he may be in    
fitter condition to deal with them4 ,i  
am certain that then he will thank ,god 
that he did not let them hold him back  
from the glorious prize4  ,,ii4 ,again1 
it is worth our while to forget our     
trials and sorrows1 through absorption  
in the pleasure and gains of ,christian 
work4 ,not everyone by any means can do 
this4 ,not a few dwell on the trials    
they have had1 until they become        

veritable burdens1 invisibly borne on   
weary shoulders4 ,under the palsy of    
regret1 energy for new duties becomes   
enfeebled4 ,some are embittered by      
regret1 fretful under the apparently    
hard ordainments of ,providence1        
carrying within their mind sour thoughts
 of ,god and of those who are more      
fortunate1 so that the world grows dark 
to them1 loses its beauty and           
loveliness1 and life ends in welcome    
death4 ,others simply grieve1 striving  
to be patient and submissive1 but       
knowing not what balm to apply to their 
wounds or where to find consolation4    
,few things are sadder than the         
spectacle of such cherishers of bitter  
memories2 and yet how they nurse their  
regret and attach an almost sacred      
dignity to their sorrows1 and refuse to 
undertake the duties and privileges     
which are before them1 as though        
fettered by the past4  ,on the other    
hand1 it is only fair to remark that    
human nature shows marvelous elasticity 

and capacity to forget4 ,the really     
wonderful thing is that men and women   
are so well able to forget the trials   
and sorrows through which they pass4    
,when we think how heavy these are in   
nearly every life--how bitter the       
partings are as we journey along the    
pathway1 how much disappointment and    
loss there are in the experiences of    
even the more fortunate--the marvel is  
that there are so many happy faces and  
that the sorrows of humanity are so soon
 forgotten in the enjoyment of other    
things4  ,as the vegetation soon springs
 up on the battlefield1 as ruined houses
 are transformed into fertile hillocks1 
and the plain where man and horse rolled
 in awful carnage becomes ere long the  
harvest field of the farmer1 so the     
pains and griefs of human life are      
buried under the new labors and         
pleasures which beckon to themselves the
 human mind4 ,thank ,god it is so4 ,he  
has made us thus elastic and            
self-governing that we may not be cast  

down4 ,otherwise history would stop1 and
 earth become a graveyard2 and the fact 
that this is part of our natural        
constitution indicates that it is wise  
and right to turn from even the keenest 
trial and the most sacred grief to the  
summons which the ,father brings to us  
to further work4 ,for it is impossible  
to suppose that these evil events are   
sent to us for their own sake4 ,that    
would be an outrageous impugnment of the
 goodness and mercy of ,god1 especially 
when he has distinctly declared that he 
does not willingly afflict or grieve the
 child of man4 ,they are meant to       
discipline our souls--to show us truth  
more clearly1 to open to our minds the  
realities of life1 and to guide us into 
the ways of thinking and acting which   
are better than those we followed       
before4 ,and if so1 then they will do   
their work only when they are themselves
 relatively forgotten in the new life to
 which they introduce us4  ,the gardener
 prunes the vine that it may bring forth

 more fruit4 ,he cuts off useless       
branches that others may replace them1  
stronger and fresher2 and the pruning is
 to be forgotten in the ripening        
clusters that are gathered in           
consequence of it4 ,the gold is refined 
that the alloy may be disengaged from   
union with the precious metal2 and when 
the latter is purified1 its worth far   
exceeds the trial through which it had  
to pass4 ,and who of us cannot glean    
from our own lives illustrations of a   
like character8 ,looking back through   
the mist of years1 we can recall the    
failures that at the time nearly broke  
our hearts2 losses that nearly crushed  
us1 but which it now requires a positive
 effort to remember1 so completely have 
they merged into the life for which     
,providence meant them to qualify us4   
,those gloomy days were meant to be     
forgotten4 ,they were meant to merge    
into a nobler life4 ,they were like the 
sharp pain of a surgeon's knife--the    
pain soon passes away1 but the benefit  

of it remains4 ,god never meant them to 
linger as phantoms in our memories1 to  
absorb our thought and claim our sole   
attention4 ,he meant them to make us    
patient1 and stronger for other tasks1  
for the doing of which this discipline  
was required4  ,we should be very       
careful1 however1 to drown our pains and
 sorrows not in selfish work and        
pleasures1 but in ,christian work and in
 the joys of ,christian service4 ,let us
 use no intoxicating cup to cover with  
oblivion our troubles and cares4 ,some  
plunge even into actual dissipation that
 they may kill the sting of memory4     
,others resort to business and social   
pleasures4 ,but then the forgetfulness  
is short-lived and bitter1 and you truly
 add new causes for further regret in   
years to come4 ,it is worth our while to
 forget our trials and sorrows1 if we do
 so by becoming absorbed in better      
living and in ,christian work4 ,go out  
of thyself and serve others4 ,forget    
thyself in thinking of thy fellow-men4  

,reach forth unto the things that are   
before thee4 ,help the unfortunate4     
,raise up the fallen4 ,teach the        
ignorant4 ,keep thy mind busy with      
useful thoughts4 ,give thy brain and    
hand to useful toil4 ,forget thy own    
pains and griefs in ministering to those
 which others have4 ,it will then indeed
 be worth thy while to dismiss them from
 command of thee1 for they will never be
 of so much use as when they thus       
stimulate kind and gentle deeds4 ,it is 
thus that thou wilt find in loss a gain 
to match1 and rise on stepping stones of
 your dead self to higher things4       
,,iii4 ,so1 too1 it is worth our while  
to forget our so-called successes and   
our earthly reverses by absorption in   
those ends of living which ,christ has  
taught us to be really good and great4  
,it was in this sense particularly that 
,st4 ,paul used our text4 ,the things   
which he forgot were his noble ,jewish  
birth1 his upright training1 his        
successes and honors in the eyes of his 

fellow-countrymen4 ,not even a ,roman   
was prouder of his birth than a ,jew was
 of his4 ,before that young ,jew of     
,tarsus high honors rose1 ready almost  
to lay themselves at his feet4 ,he      
attained the highest culture which his  
master ,gamaliel could give him4 ,the   
way was open for him to become a noted  
man in his nation1 a leader in ,church  
and ,state4 ,he valued these things4 ,he
 did not toss them from him without an  
effort1 but he did toss them from him4  
,in the sense in which ,i have explained
 it1 he forgot them3 ,what things were  
gain to me1 these have ,i counted loss  
for ,christ4 ,that he might follow the  
truth and serve the ,lord1 he turned his
 mind away from all the honor and gain  
which the ,jewish world could offer him4
 ,he did so absolutely4 ,he did not let 
his mind dwell on the sacrifice which he
 had made4 ,he did not repine over his  
loss4 ,he cheerfully and joyfully       
pursued his way of ,christian service1  
and never allowed himself to be deterred

 in it for a moment by any thought of   
the sacrifices which he had made1       
rightly thinking that nothing that the  
whole world could give him was worth    
comparison with the prize of the high   
calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4      
,now1 certainly it is harder for us to  
forget the glittering prizes which the  
world offers us than anything else4 ,it 
is hard to persuade ourselves that they 
are really behind us2 that we have left 
them in the rear and gone on by them to 
something greater and better4 ,they     
absorb the energy of most of us1 these  
imaginary piles of glittering dollars   
that we think we see one day ours1 these
 famous honors in professional or public
 life that we hope one day to have4     
,they are the corruptible crowns for    
which the majority of men are striving1 
and which fill the souls of millions    
with selfish and sordid thoughts4 ,but  
let the light in on these earthly       
prizes1 and how apt they are to turn out
 tinsel and brass6 ,finery that is quite

 resplendent by gaslight often appears  
tawdry and poor in the rays of the      
morning sun4 ,so when the realities of  
life are felt by the soul1 when the     
mind's supreme need of truth and of the 
fellowship with ,god are realized1 then 
do the dollars and crowns for which this
 poor world struggles seem mean enough  
to awaken the contempt and even the     
hatred of those who have been deceived  
by them4 ,on the other hand1 the true   
life which ,jesus has revealed will     
stand the test of the most searching    
investigation3 when the blazing light of
 eternity falls on it1 it is still found
 to be real gold4 ,the life which       
follows ,christ in doing good1 which    
forsakes its own pleasure at the call of
 those in need1 which loves and works   
for ,god--the life which is at harmony  
with ,god and at peace with its         
fellow-men--that life appears more and  
more beautiful as we try it1 and its    
reward more and more worthy of our toil4
  ,i say1 therefore1 that these paltry  

things which men call success and honor 
are worth forgetting1 if their place be 
taken by those ends of living which     
,christ has taught us to be really great
 and good4 ,we need not fret if we lose 
them2 we need not care if we never win  
them4 ,seeking greater prizes1 why      
should we repine if the baubles and     
tinsel are not had8 ,i say to you1      
forget them4 ,go higher up4 ,seek wisdom
 and righteousness1 truth and character4
 ,lay up treasures in the heart1 and do 
not be bound and limited by fancied good
 which1 at the longest1 will soon fade  
away4  ,,iv4 ,once more1 and most       
earnestly of all1 do we say that it is  
worth our while to forget our old sins  
and errors1 in the joy of that          
forgiveness which ,god has provided to  
every repentant sinner4 ,forget them8   
,it may be impossible wholly to forget  
them4 ,the memory of them will sting4   
,their effects often remain long after  
they have been forgiven4 ,as ,i have    
said1 ,paul did not literally forget    

them4 ,he mourned over them to the day  
of his death1 and even thought himself  
the chief of sinners1 because he had    
persecuted the ,church of ,god4 ,but he 
did not allow them to trouble him any   
longer1 heinous though his sins had     
been1 for ,god's forgiveness of the     
repentant sinner is full and complete4  
,he does not receive us on probation4   
,he does not promise forgiveness        
hereafter4 ,he offers it now4 ,though   
your sins be as scarlet1 they shall be  
as white as snow4 ,he welcomes every    
penitent as the father of the prodigal  
did his wandering boy1 stopping his     
confession with the kiss of love and    
saying1 ,this my son was dead1 and is   
alive again4 ,he forgives and forgets4  
,he bears no anger4 ,he keeps no malice4
 ,he blots out the record of our        
misdeeds4 ,he covers it with the merits 
of his blessed ,son4  ,surely1 then1 it 
is worth our while to forget them also4 
,we need not be burdened with them4 ,so 
long as we have not repented of them1 we

 may well be crushed under their load2  
but when we have cast them upon ,god1 we
 are forever free4 ,let them go down    
into the pit of eternal oblivion4 ,let  
there be no phantom rising from the     
grave of buried sins to affright us4    
,looking to the ,christ1 their power is 
all gone4 ,oh1 what a relief this is6   
,see how men are driven by an accusing  
conscience--longing for deliverance from
 themselves1 since in themselves they   
carry the executioner of broken law4    
,hear them crying out for waters of     
,lethe to drown the sting of memory4    
,again see them courting death in the   
vain hope of finding deliverance from   
their shame4 ,but death will bring no   
deliverance to the impenitent4 ,behold  
,dives3 ,son1 remember6 ,there are no   
waters of ,lethe4 ,there is only one way
 of securing peace and                  
forgetfulness--confession1 repentance1  
and faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,then we   
may forget our sins and errors4 ,over   
them is sprinkled the atoning blood4    

,justice is satisfied2 and forgetting   
the things which are behind1 reaching   
forth for the things which are before1  
we may with elastic step and happy      
hearts press toward the mark for the    
prize of the high calling of ,god in    
,christ ,jesus4  ,there are1 then1 some 
things worth forgetting4 ,it is not wise
 nor right to be forever halting under  
the bondage of that which ,jesus ,christ
 came to destroy4 ,in order that we may 
rise to a higher life we must forget the
 lower4 ,why should we be forever       
killing foes that are already dead1     
clinging to the memories of things whose
 purpose has been served1 dallying with 
toys when time has brought greater      
prizes to contend for1 and groaning     
under sins for which ,christ has brought
 redemption8 ,no1 let us believe and go 
forward4 ,the future will be better than
 the past4 ,the way is open2 on to      
attainment6 forward to the victory6     
,make ,jesus ,christ your ,saviour4     
,take him altogether1 and for all he is4

 ,then will the glorious life and joy   
into which he leads us swallow up the   
doubts and fears and sins of former     
days4 ,these will be forgotten in the   
enjoyment of ,god's loving mercy and    
guiding hand4 ,i plead with you to take 
these truths to heart4 ,turn your face  
heavenward4 ,go forward to the ,promised
 ,land4 ,break your fetters and live for
 the new things which ,god hath prepared
 for those that love him4     ,,until   
,,the ,,day ,,dawn4   ,the things which 
are not seen are eternal4--,i           
,,corinthians #d3 #ah4     ,,until ,,the
 ,,day ,,dawn4       ,awake1 my soul6   
,the eternal day is breaking1           
,the darkness of the world is pierced   
with lights1     ,and rays1 prophetic of
 the morn's arising1         ,already   
gleam far up the eastern heights4       
,the day of painless life and tireless  
vigor1         ,the day of widening     
knowledge of the best1     ,the day when
 earth's deceits and adumbrations       
,shall change into the truth in glory   

dressed4      ,o soul of mine1 let not  
dull sleep bewitch thee2         ,let   
not the gilded fantasies of sense       
,cause thee to slumber when heaven's    
light is shining1         ,and ,god's   
dear voice is summoning thee hence4     
,thine earthly life is but a preparation
         ,for grander toil and          
never-ending joys4     ,thou wast not   
meant to find it satisfactory1          
,its keenest sorrows are its broken     
toys4      ,already has thine opening   
eye caught vision         ,of things    
more real1 of gladness more profound1   
,when1 through the rupture of this      
earth's relations1         ,the voice of
 ,god and truth has uttered sound4      
,then bend thy gaze to the predestined  
future1         ,anticipate the life    
that draweth nigh2     ,awake1 my soul1 
and contemplate the portion         ,of 
those whose lot is fixed with ,christ on
 high4      ,think of the seed that     
bloometh into flower2         ,think of 
the thought that shapes itself in deed2 

,think of the chaos ordered into beauty2
         ,think of the ,child that for  
the world did bleed4      ,mark what    
portentous prophecies of power          
,all these suggest as thine intended    
goal1     ,when day1 now breaking1 shall
 at last be entered         ,and the    
grand promise shall itself unroll4      
,soul6 let the voice of ,christ1 thy    
sure ,forerunner1         ,summon thee  
now into the heavenly life4     ,soon   
shall the brightness of the day flow    
o'er thee1         ,soon peace shall end
 thy bitter earthly strife4      ,thine 
are these mansions2 thine the ,father's 
bosom2         ,thine the high paths    
that sinless feet have trod4     ,thine 
is to be the light that faileth never1  
,the endless life of fellowship with    
,god4  ,december #bi1 #ahie4     ,,the  
,,teacher ,,and ,,pastor4  ,from        
,president ,f4 ,l4 ,patton's address at 
the funeral of ,dr4 ,purves4   ,we all  
felt the terrible shock when word came  
to us on ,wednesday morning that ,dr4   

,purves had died suddenly the night     
before4 ,we knew that he was suffering  
under an acute attack and that in recent
 months he had been subject to such     
attacks1 but we did not suppose that his
 illness was of a nature that was likely
 to prove fatal4  ,this congregation1   
the ,first ,presbyterian ,church of     
,princeton1 the ,princeton ,theological 
,seminary1 and ,princeton ,university   
have sustained a great loss4 ,all       
connected with these institutions feel  
that they have suffered a personal      
bereavement1 for ,dr4 ,purves had a     
singular power of laying hold upon the  
affections of those to whom he stood    
related4  ,we admired him as a preacher 
and as a teacher4 ,we were impressed    
with his goodness and with the          
genuineness of his religious life1 but1 
beyond all that1 we loved him as a man4 
,the story of his life is familiar to us
 all4 ,he was born in the city of       
,philadelphia on the #bgth of ,february1
 #aheb4 ,after graduating at the        

,university of ,pennsylvania1 he entered
 ,princeton ,theological ,seminary1     
remaining there after the completion of 
his curriculum for a year of graduate   
study4  ,it was during this year in     
,princeton that he came under the       
quickening influence of his great friend
 and teacher1 the beloved ,dr4 ,caspar  
,wistar ,hodge1 and that he acquired    
that taste for ,new ,testament study    
which he so assiduously cultivated      
during his two pastorates in ,baltimore 
and ,pittsburg1 and which ended in his  
being the unanimous choice of the       
directors of the ,princeton ,theological
 ,seminary as the successor of ,dr4     
,hodge4  ,it was a matter of great doubt
 to him and to his friends whether he   
should give up the pulpit to take the   
professor's chair1 for he had singular  
qualifications for both positions4 ,he  
was an eloquent preacher1 and his       
services were especially acceptable to  
young men1 who came in throngs to hear  
him on ,sunday evenings4  ,he also had  

special qualifications as a teacher4 ,he
 was a ripe scholar1 and what was a very
 important factor in the case1 he knew1 
as few men know1 how to show the bearing
 of accurate1 minute exegetical study of
 the ,bible to the service of the       
pulpit4 ,these facts1 added to his      
warmth of temperament1 gave him great   
facility in dealing with theological    
students4  ,none who had the privilege  
of being his pupil will ever forget his 
hospitality4 ,his house was their home1 
and they were always welcomed to his    
table4 ,many a young minister in the    
service of the church to-day will recall
 his relations to ,dr4 ,purves1 and the 
hospitality of his home1 as the         
brightest memory of his seminary days4  
,it is rare that we find a man equally  
capable to do the work of the pulpit and
 the professor's chair4 ,and while each 
sphere furnishes ample opportunities for
 anyone1 still1 in rare cases1 it is    
perhaps well to allow those who are     
fitted to do so to fill both positions4 

,when1 therefore1 ,dr4 ,purves1 as      
stated supply to the ,first             
,presbyterian ,church of ,princeton1 and
 afterwards its pastor1 added the duties
 of the pulpit to those of his          
professorship1 it was felt to be        
advantageous to the best interests of   
all concerned4  ,during his life in     
,princeton he had frequent invitations  
from prominent churches to become their 
pastor1 but he declined4 ,through all1  
,i believe1 he felt that his heart was  
in the work of his chair1 and that with 
a dual position of pastor and professor1
 he had the widest scope for the        
exercise of his best powers1 and the    
fullest opportunity for the realization 
of his highest ambitions4 ,i think ,i do
 not misrepresent him when ,i say it4   
,but when the pulpit of this church     
became vacant1 the eyes of the          
congregation turned to him4 ,occupying a
 foremost place in the denomination to  
which it belongs1 it called for a strong
 man who could administer with great    

ability its affairs and maintain the    
high standard of spiritual preaching set
 by ,dr4 ,james ,w4 ,alexander1 ,dr4    
,rice1 and ,dr4 ,hall4  ,you made no    
mistake1 my dear friends1 when you felt 
that the one man to fill this vacant    
place in the ,american pulpit1 and to be
 added to his great succession1 was ,dr4
 ,purves4 ,we were loath to have him    
leave ,princeton1 and there were some1  
perhaps1 who were never satisfied       
respecting the wisdom of his decision1  
but most of us thought that the         
interests of the ,church at large       
transcended all local interests1 and    
that they would be best subserved by his
 acceptance of its call4 ,he entered    
upon the duties here with enthusiasm4   
,his heart and his head were enlisted to
 their utmost efforts in the work of    
this church1 and he soon found himself  
absorbed in the many religious and      
philanthropic enterprises that consume  
the time and exhaust the energy of      
ministers of large churches in great    

cities4 ,i do not think he worked harder
 in ,new ,york than he did in           
,princeton1 for ,dr4 ,purves was a man  
who did with all his might what his     
hands found to do4  ,one rarely finds a 
man with such capacity for hard work and
 varied work4 ,when he sustained the    
dual relation of pastor and professor in
 ,princeton1 he never allowed the duties
 of one sphere of labor to be an excuse 
for slighting the other sphere of labor4
 ,he was always up to date in the       
literature of his department1           
notwithstanding the exacting calls of   
his parish4 ,nor did he find an easy    
mode of preparation for the pulpit by   
giving his theological lectures a       
homiletical form4 ,indeed ,i sometimes  
thought it would have been well if he   
had brought some of his ,new ,testament 
studies into the pulpit4 ,this was ,dr4 
,hodge's method1 and his sermons were   
all studies in biblical theology2 but   
,dr4 ,purves1 though always a preacher  
to whom theological students listened   

with delight for hours1 was not         
distinctively a preacher to theological 
students4 ,he was very comprehensive and
 varied in his range of topics for the  
pulpit1 and was equally acceptable to   
the undergraduates of the university and
 to the men and women who constitute the
 congregations of great cities4  ,we    
cannot understand ,dr4 ,purves as a     
preacher or as teacher unless we know   
him as a man4 ,he had a warm heart2 he  
had a keen eye1 a good memory for names 
and faces4 ,he seemed to know more      
people in ,princeton than anyone else4  
,he never loitered or dreamed2 he was   
alert1 active1 energetic1 interested in 
all good work4 ,the movements of his    
mind1 like those of his body1 were      
quick4 ,he was religious without being  
austere1 just as he was companionable   
without being worldly4 ,he touched human
 life at a great many points4 ,as a ,new
 ,testament specialist1 it was his      
business to be familiar with the        
literature and progress of the          

,apostolic period4 ,how much he had made
 himself master of that period his      
,apostolic ,age#a will testify4 ,but he 
had a wider range of thought than that4 
,i have heard him preach ,thanksgiving  
sermons that involved much thought1 the 
result of much reading and clear        
thinking upon political science4 ,while 
he was far from being disposed to allow 
sociology to supersede theology1 yet he 
recognized that the ,gospel had great   
bearing on social questions1 and he was 
deeply interested in all sociological   
movements4        #a ,apostolic ,age4   
,scribner's1 #aijj4  ,but when we judge 
him as a teacher1 we must judge him     
rather by his influence upon the minds  
of his pupils than by the products of   
his pen1 scholarly and creditable as    
they always were4 ,for in a department  
that is so full of activity as that of  
,new ,testament literature1 it is only  
by incessant study that one can do much 
original work4  ,a great teacher cannot 
always be an author1 and a great author 

is not always the best teacher4 ,dr4    
,purves1 as all his students will       
testify1 was a great teacher1 and by    
common consent he held1 and is          
recognized as having held1 a foremost   
place in the ,american pulpit4 ,he was  
not a controversial preacher4 ,he was   
not a theological preacher4 ,he was not 
a literary preacher1 though he had      
command of a finished style4 ,philosophy
 had little place in his sermons1 and he
 made no use of the sensational topics  
of the day4 ,he was eloquent rather than
 brilliant4 ,his sermons were always    
spiritual4 ,they were compactly1        
systematically organized1 with no parade
 of logic4 ,of no one could it be more  
truly said than of him1 that his coming 
among you was not with the wisdom of    
enticing words of man's pleasing1 but in
 demonstration of the ,spirit and of    
power1 and that he determined to know   
nothing among you save ,jesus ,christ   
and him crucified4 ,he was not ashamed  
of the ,gospel of ,christ1 believing it 

to be the power of ,god and the wisdom  
of ,god unto salvation4  ,i have spoken 
of ,dr4 ,purves as ,i knew him4 ,i have 
spoken of him in reference to his wide  
relations1 because ,i believe that he   
belongs to the church at large1 but ,i  
do not forget that the special grief of 
this occasion falls upon this bereaved  
congregation4 ,he was a great preacher1 
but he was more than that1 he was a     
great pastor4 ,how comforting he was to 
the bereaved2 how prompt he was to visit
 the sick2 how uplifting and tender his 
prayers2 how precious the communion     
seasons which you and ,i and others in  
,princeton and elsewhere have enjoyed   
under his ministrations6  ,there are men
 who are great in the pulpit1 but who   
find the obligations of the pulpit are  
such that they leave them no time for   
pastoral visitation4 ,there are men who 
are great in other spheres who give     
their best efforts to the reviews and   
journals1 and give what time is left to 
the pulpit4 ,dr4 ,purves gave his best  

to his congregation--heart and soul and 
spirit he gave to them4  ,and now that  
he is gone1 it is with a full           
consciousness of our loss that we mourn 
him4 ,the loss is ours1 not his4 ,our   
hearts bleed for those who are left     
behind4 ,we raise anxious questions1    
when men like him are called away1 as to
 who shall fill the vacant place4 ,but  
we do not murmur4 ,for him to live was  
,christ and to die was gain4