Lesson 4: Four Things Necessary to a Good Life: (4) Co-Operation with Others
By G.R. Balleine
By G.R. Balleine
[Warning: Balleine was writing in the 1920s and 1930s, and his views and language reflect many at that time. However, as a time capsule of the prevailing beliefs, this can be very useful for the historians of that period.]
[Transcribers Note: I have retained Balleine's comments about Islam as it reflects a prevailing view in the 1920s and 1930s]
PASSAGE TO BE READ : Numbers x. 1-7.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " If we walk in the light . .. we have fellowship one with another " (1 St. John. i. 7).
HYMNS : " Through the night of doubt and sorrow " and " The Church's one Foundation."
COLLECTS for St. Simon and St. Jude and All Saints.
AIM: To make the children realize the value of their Church membership.
I. CO-OPERATION IN NATURE.
(a) There was once a King who wanted to overcome his enemies. He sent to a wise woman for advice. She answered not a word, but took a faggot or bundle of sticks and tried in vain to break it. Then she snipped the cord that bound it, and broke the sticks one by one. The messenger reported what had happened, and the King understood. He found means to disunite his enemies, and destroyed them one by one. Union is strength. United we stand, divided we fall.
(b) Even insects teach us this. Have you ever learnt how bees live ? No bee ever lived alone. A great swarm of several thousands always live together ; and every bee has his own special task. There is the Queen whose duty it is to lay the eggs from which the young ones come. There are the builders who build the cells with wax from their own bodies. There are the honey-gatherers, who visit the clover, and the lime-blossom, and the heather, and bring back the honey. There are the ventilators, who fan the air into the hive with their wings. There are the sentries who guard the hive-door against robbers. Wasps, moths, earwigs, beetles, sometimes even mice and snails, come to try to steal the honey, and have to be driven away. There are repairers, who fetch gum from horse-chestnut trees to stop up draughty cracks. There are nurses who look after the babies. There are scavengers who clean out the hive. There is no confusion. No one works for himself alone, but every one for the hive. It is a beautiful example of co-operation, which means " working together."
(c) Through all nature the animals that abound are those that have learnt to work together. Some animals (lions, bears, hyenas) are unsociable, live alone, bite and tear their fellows, but the number of those that survive is comparatively small. The animals which prosper in the struggle for existence are those that live in herds (deer, wild goats, rabbits, mice, seals, squirrels). Apes are unsociable and rare. Monkeys are sociable and multiply.
II. CO-OPERATION IN HISTORY.
(a) Man has won most of his triumphs by learning to work with others. Have you seen pictures of the prehistoric monsters who used to inhabit the earth ? The Dinosaurus was sixty feet long, and weighed many tons. Man was a feeble little creature without claws, without tusks, without great speed, and in those days without any metal weapons. Yet man survived, and the Dinosaurus died out. Why ? Because men learned to club together for mutual help. The monster lived only by and for itself.
(b) Savages almost always work in clans. When the European races moved down from their original homes in the heart of Asia to take possession of their present lands, they came, not in twos and threes, but in great migrations a hundred thousand strong. Creaking ox-wagons held the women and children and household goods. Every one helped everyone else, and thus all difficulties were overcome, and the new-comers proved irresistible.
(c) On the other hand, the. greatest Empires have fallen through internal divisions. While Rome was united, she ruled the world. When she became divided, she fell. “A house divided against itself cannot stand."
III. CO-OPERATION IN THE BIBLE.
(a) This was one of the lessons that Moses had to impress on the Israelites. In their slavery in Egypt they had lost something of the clan esprit de corps. He had to change a mob into a disciplined army. He insisted on each tribe keeping its allotted place in the camp and on the march. The Levites camped nearest the Tabernacle. They were its guards and its carriers. To each group within the tribe was given its special task.
The Kohathites upon their shoulders bare
The holy vessels covered with all care (Num. iv. 15). The Gershonites receive an easier charge,
Two wagons full of cords and curtains large (iv. 25). Merari's sons four ponderous wagons load
Judah marched on the east of the Tabernacle, flanked by Issachar and Zebulun ; Reuben, flanked by Simeon and Gad, on the south ; on the west Ephraim with Manasseh and Benjamin ; on the north Dan, Asher and Naphtali (Num. ii.). No section of the camp might move till the silver trumpets gave the order. Read Passage.
(b) Our Lord had the same idea when He formed the Church. His followers must not be an undisciplined mob, but an army, with trained officers (the Apostles), with a fixed rite of admission (Baptism), with a real union of which feeding on the same Bread and drinking from the same Cup was the outward sign. We were made members of that Church on the day we were christened. Are we good members or drones?
IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH.
(a) Why did Christ found His Church ? To-day, if anyone wants to carry out a large and difficult piece of work, what does he do ? He founds a Society. Single-handed effort can accomplish little. Combined efforts are always necessary to attain big results. Hence our Missionary Societies, etc. In the eighteenth century two wonderful mission preachers were at work in England—Wesley and Whitefield. They preached in churches, and also held great open-air services in all parts of the country. The whole nation was deeply stirred. Of the two, Whitefield was the more eloquent ; Whitefield drew the larger crowds. Yet Whitefield left no lasting results behind him, while Wesley's influence survives to the present day. Why ? Because Whitefield trusted only to personal influence, but Wesley founded a Society. Our Lord with His knowledge of human nature chose Wesley's way, not Whitefield's. He has " knit together His elect in one communion and fellowship."
(b) What work did He give that Society ? One piece of work was to fight against the world's sin. The Prayer Book calls it " Christ's Church Militant here upon earth." And " militant " means " fighting "—" Christ's fighting Church." In olden days, when the Roman Empire ruled all the lands around the Mediterranean, Arabia was full of Arabs. But they were no danger to the Empire, for they had never learnt to unite.. Little raids by twenty or thirty were easily repelled. But then came Mohammed and his false religion. The Arabs all believed in him. Though their religion was false, they believed that it was true, and it bound them all together. Then these tens of thousands of desert horsemen swept down upon the Empire, and nothing could resist them. They conquered Palestine. They conquered Egypt. They conquered all North Africa. They even conquered Spain. And what Mohammed's false religion did for the Arabs, Christ's true religion was meant to do for all who hate sin : to bind them together in a fighting force which nothing could resist.
(c) Another piece of work was to teach the world the truth. We saw a fortnight ago that everyone needs teaching, and the Church was meant to be the greatest educational force in existence. By being banded together we can provide Sunday Schools in every parish, Bible Classes and Meetings for adults everywhere, Sermons and Lectures in the universities, in the country villages, in the slums. We can send missionaries to the heathen, and support them. All this would be impossible if each Christian worked independently. When Pearson's Weekly was started, the proprietor could not afford to advertise, but the day the first number appeared he travelled round the Underground Railway getting out at every station, asking for a copy of the paper, and expressing great surprise that they did not keep it. By the next train Mrs. Pearson followed, doing the same thing. The next train brought their little maid-servant, doing the same thing. When each had finished their 'first round, they changed their clothes, made themselves look different, and went round again. This went on all day. By evening the manager of every bookstall had reported to his head office that Pearson's Weekly was evidently a most important paper for which there was a tremendous demand, and asking that a large stock might be sent to him. If only three people could make this impression by persistently saying the same thing, think what an impression could be made on the world if all the millions of Church members would unite to say the same things clearly.
(d) We shall speak of other duties of the Church in later lessons, but remember it is no use shouting I believe in the Holy Catholic Church," unless we are trying to make ourselves good and useful members of what we say we believe in. The reason why the Church is weak to-day is because so many of its members have not learnt the lesson of co-operation. And we ourselves miss one of the greatest helps in our own Christian lives if we keep apart from our fellow-Christians. There is safety in numbers. The poor man who had such a bad time in the Parable of the Good Samaritan was an easy prey for robbers, because he was travelling alone. On that dangerous road travellers usually travelled in companies : then they travelled in safety.
[Transcribers Note: I have retained Balleine's comments about Islam as it reflects a prevailing view in the 1920s and 1930s]
PASSAGE TO BE READ : Numbers x. 1-7.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " If we walk in the light . .. we have fellowship one with another " (1 St. John. i. 7).
HYMNS : " Through the night of doubt and sorrow " and " The Church's one Foundation."
COLLECTS for St. Simon and St. Jude and All Saints.
AIM: To make the children realize the value of their Church membership.
I. CO-OPERATION IN NATURE.
(a) There was once a King who wanted to overcome his enemies. He sent to a wise woman for advice. She answered not a word, but took a faggot or bundle of sticks and tried in vain to break it. Then she snipped the cord that bound it, and broke the sticks one by one. The messenger reported what had happened, and the King understood. He found means to disunite his enemies, and destroyed them one by one. Union is strength. United we stand, divided we fall.
(b) Even insects teach us this. Have you ever learnt how bees live ? No bee ever lived alone. A great swarm of several thousands always live together ; and every bee has his own special task. There is the Queen whose duty it is to lay the eggs from which the young ones come. There are the builders who build the cells with wax from their own bodies. There are the honey-gatherers, who visit the clover, and the lime-blossom, and the heather, and bring back the honey. There are the ventilators, who fan the air into the hive with their wings. There are the sentries who guard the hive-door against robbers. Wasps, moths, earwigs, beetles, sometimes even mice and snails, come to try to steal the honey, and have to be driven away. There are repairers, who fetch gum from horse-chestnut trees to stop up draughty cracks. There are nurses who look after the babies. There are scavengers who clean out the hive. There is no confusion. No one works for himself alone, but every one for the hive. It is a beautiful example of co-operation, which means " working together."
(c) Through all nature the animals that abound are those that have learnt to work together. Some animals (lions, bears, hyenas) are unsociable, live alone, bite and tear their fellows, but the number of those that survive is comparatively small. The animals which prosper in the struggle for existence are those that live in herds (deer, wild goats, rabbits, mice, seals, squirrels). Apes are unsociable and rare. Monkeys are sociable and multiply.
II. CO-OPERATION IN HISTORY.
(a) Man has won most of his triumphs by learning to work with others. Have you seen pictures of the prehistoric monsters who used to inhabit the earth ? The Dinosaurus was sixty feet long, and weighed many tons. Man was a feeble little creature without claws, without tusks, without great speed, and in those days without any metal weapons. Yet man survived, and the Dinosaurus died out. Why ? Because men learned to club together for mutual help. The monster lived only by and for itself.
(b) Savages almost always work in clans. When the European races moved down from their original homes in the heart of Asia to take possession of their present lands, they came, not in twos and threes, but in great migrations a hundred thousand strong. Creaking ox-wagons held the women and children and household goods. Every one helped everyone else, and thus all difficulties were overcome, and the new-comers proved irresistible.
(c) On the other hand, the. greatest Empires have fallen through internal divisions. While Rome was united, she ruled the world. When she became divided, she fell. “A house divided against itself cannot stand."
III. CO-OPERATION IN THE BIBLE.
(a) This was one of the lessons that Moses had to impress on the Israelites. In their slavery in Egypt they had lost something of the clan esprit de corps. He had to change a mob into a disciplined army. He insisted on each tribe keeping its allotted place in the camp and on the march. The Levites camped nearest the Tabernacle. They were its guards and its carriers. To each group within the tribe was given its special task.
The Kohathites upon their shoulders bare
The holy vessels covered with all care (Num. iv. 15). The Gershonites receive an easier charge,
Two wagons full of cords and curtains large (iv. 25). Merari's sons four ponderous wagons load
Judah marched on the east of the Tabernacle, flanked by Issachar and Zebulun ; Reuben, flanked by Simeon and Gad, on the south ; on the west Ephraim with Manasseh and Benjamin ; on the north Dan, Asher and Naphtali (Num. ii.). No section of the camp might move till the silver trumpets gave the order. Read Passage.
(b) Our Lord had the same idea when He formed the Church. His followers must not be an undisciplined mob, but an army, with trained officers (the Apostles), with a fixed rite of admission (Baptism), with a real union of which feeding on the same Bread and drinking from the same Cup was the outward sign. We were made members of that Church on the day we were christened. Are we good members or drones?
IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH.
(a) Why did Christ found His Church ? To-day, if anyone wants to carry out a large and difficult piece of work, what does he do ? He founds a Society. Single-handed effort can accomplish little. Combined efforts are always necessary to attain big results. Hence our Missionary Societies, etc. In the eighteenth century two wonderful mission preachers were at work in England—Wesley and Whitefield. They preached in churches, and also held great open-air services in all parts of the country. The whole nation was deeply stirred. Of the two, Whitefield was the more eloquent ; Whitefield drew the larger crowds. Yet Whitefield left no lasting results behind him, while Wesley's influence survives to the present day. Why ? Because Whitefield trusted only to personal influence, but Wesley founded a Society. Our Lord with His knowledge of human nature chose Wesley's way, not Whitefield's. He has " knit together His elect in one communion and fellowship."
(b) What work did He give that Society ? One piece of work was to fight against the world's sin. The Prayer Book calls it " Christ's Church Militant here upon earth." And " militant " means " fighting "—" Christ's fighting Church." In olden days, when the Roman Empire ruled all the lands around the Mediterranean, Arabia was full of Arabs. But they were no danger to the Empire, for they had never learnt to unite.. Little raids by twenty or thirty were easily repelled. But then came Mohammed and his false religion. The Arabs all believed in him. Though their religion was false, they believed that it was true, and it bound them all together. Then these tens of thousands of desert horsemen swept down upon the Empire, and nothing could resist them. They conquered Palestine. They conquered Egypt. They conquered all North Africa. They even conquered Spain. And what Mohammed's false religion did for the Arabs, Christ's true religion was meant to do for all who hate sin : to bind them together in a fighting force which nothing could resist.
(c) Another piece of work was to teach the world the truth. We saw a fortnight ago that everyone needs teaching, and the Church was meant to be the greatest educational force in existence. By being banded together we can provide Sunday Schools in every parish, Bible Classes and Meetings for adults everywhere, Sermons and Lectures in the universities, in the country villages, in the slums. We can send missionaries to the heathen, and support them. All this would be impossible if each Christian worked independently. When Pearson's Weekly was started, the proprietor could not afford to advertise, but the day the first number appeared he travelled round the Underground Railway getting out at every station, asking for a copy of the paper, and expressing great surprise that they did not keep it. By the next train Mrs. Pearson followed, doing the same thing. The next train brought their little maid-servant, doing the same thing. When each had finished their 'first round, they changed their clothes, made themselves look different, and went round again. This went on all day. By evening the manager of every bookstall had reported to his head office that Pearson's Weekly was evidently a most important paper for which there was a tremendous demand, and asking that a large stock might be sent to him. If only three people could make this impression by persistently saying the same thing, think what an impression could be made on the world if all the millions of Church members would unite to say the same things clearly.
(d) We shall speak of other duties of the Church in later lessons, but remember it is no use shouting I believe in the Holy Catholic Church," unless we are trying to make ourselves good and useful members of what we say we believe in. The reason why the Church is weak to-day is because so many of its members have not learnt the lesson of co-operation. And we ourselves miss one of the greatest helps in our own Christian lives if we keep apart from our fellow-Christians. There is safety in numbers. The poor man who had such a bad time in the Parable of the Good Samaritan was an easy prey for robbers, because he was travelling alone. On that dangerous road travellers usually travelled in companies : then they travelled in safety.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment