not be afraid, And the later And so, too, it was for Peter after his sorrowful and remorseful ejaculation. Jesus said, "Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." Peter was not fit for that work, but let him Jesus was going to make him fit. history shows how patiently the Master kept at it with this particular disciple till He had made him fit; how He prayed for him that his faith might not fail under Satan's sifting; how He charged him, "after he was converted, to strengthen his brethren "; and how Peter's remembrance of his own sin and its forgiveness made him almost irresistible in pleading with other sinners. These men were unworthy of the office; there was no question about the fact of unworthiness. Their sin did unfit them for the service to which they felt themselves called. But the Lord was offering to make them fit, offering to change this defect into a qualification. So now the practical question was, were they willing to let Him do it? Were they willing to let God separate and cleanse them from their own sin, that they might be fit to serve Him? And so, if the call was coming to any of us to do some Christian work, and we were pleading off on the excuse of unworthiness, saying that we were not good enough, no doubt it is true as a mere statement of fact, but you see it does not really touch the question; it is not at all a valid excuse. For the question comes right back, Are we willing that the Lord who calls us to the service should make That is what any call to His service This Master does not trifle with His us fit for it? really means. servants. Suppose the duty were that which summons all to the confessing our Lord's name, as His people confess it when they come about His table. It is a request that comes from Him to all His friends, to all who love His name, "Do this in remembrance of me." But some decline; and of those who decline to come, how many have given it as a reason that they feel they are not good enough to come. Well, they are not; there is no doubt about that. Indeed, if any felt that they were good enough, one must advise them to stay away. He invites us to come because we are not good enough. A part of the sacrament will be the cup, the emblem of the blood that was shed for us "for the remission of sins"; that is, it is the emblem of penitence and forgiveness. And so what we started to offer as an excuse for staying away from the Lord's table proves to be really a reason for coming, if-but I must confess this is a large if-if we are truly sorry for those faults and willing to be freed from them. The proper prayer for a believer coming to the table of his Lord is: "Just as I am and waiting not To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come." So much, then, for our three excuses; and you may take these as samples of all the varied excuses that men ever offer for not obeying some call of God: The excuse of immaturity, "I cannot speak, for I am a child;" the excuse of natural inability, "I cannot speak, for I am not eloquent; " the excuse of unworthiness, "I cannot speak, for I am a man of unclean lips." True in every case as a bare statement of fact, but in neither case a valid excuse; for whenever the man is willing, we find the Lord changing this apparent defect into a real qualification for the service to which He has chosen him. Oh, why not unlearn and break off altogether this foolish habit of offering excuses to God? Does He not know already more than we can tell Him about our unworthiness, or inability, or immaturity? If, in spite of all, He calls, impressing this deep sense of duty upon our consciences, the proper answer is, never an excuse, but, "Here, Lord, send me." CHAPTER VII PRESSING ON—A NEW YEAR'S MEDITATION 1 WE are considering man's response to God's choice and call. The last chapter gave several instances of men called to some high position of honor and usefulness whose first impulse was to beg off, pleading some excuse why they could not accept. It will be remembered that each of these men after a while overcame that impulse, and became ready to say, in the language of one of them, "Here I am, Lord, send me.” I hope it may not seem necessary that I should attempt the mournful record of any of those who persist in their refusal, and to the end, however the Lord urges His invitation, will not come. Whatever their fate may have to teach, it would not shed much light on the nature of God's election. I would rather turn at once to the example of a man who was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but, having heard a call, immediately, and for the rest of his life, made it his one business to obey it. His steadfast purpose, stated in his own words, 1 Preached in the Brick Church, January 1, 1905. may be found in the epistle to the Philippians, chapter third, verses thirteen and fourteen: "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." There was a great historian who used to say that one thing essential to the doing of his own work was the art of oblivion, that he should know how to forget. The writer of our text seems to hold the same opinion with regard to the doing of his work as an apostle; he must know how to forget. Not to forget everything, of course, in either case; for where would your history be if you should forget everything? And where would your Christianity be? Is not the great sacrament of our faith an act of remembrance? "Bless the Lord, O my soul," cries every grateful worshipper," and forget not all His benefits." This very apostle once wrote to the believers in Corinth, bidding them remember how a year ago they had been very forward to contribute for the poor saints in Jerusalem; and he intimates that they must remember to pay up these old debts of a year ago, else there would be no hope of starting any new year prosperously. We must remember both God's good gifts and also our own duties. And yet no man has learned how to use his memory |