Lesson 13: Control of our love of Ease.
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.]
LESSON FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT.
PASSAGE TO BE READ : St. Matthew viii. 18-20.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul " (St. Matt. xvi. 26).
HYMNS: “Jesus calls us o'er the tumult " and " 0 Jesus, I have promised."
COLLECTS for Second Sunday in Lent and St. Matthew.
AIM : To save your class from becoming soft, flabby, pleasure-loving, easy-going mollycoddles.
I. THE CHOICE.
(a) Pope Benedict XIV decreed that no one could be canonized, that is to say, officially given the title of Saint, unless his life showed in a marked way four great virtues—Courage, Justice, Prudence and Self-control. We shall think of the first three virtues later. During Lent we are thinking about Self-control,
(b) The Greeks had a well-known legend of the Choice of Hercules. They said that when he was a big boy he went for a walk to think out what he should do with his future life. Two girls met him. One had bold staring eyes, and was dressed in gaudy colours. " If you will take me for a friend," she said, " you shall have a jolly time. You shall eat and drink and sleep and dance, and never do any work or take any trouble." " What is your name ? " he asked. " My friends call me Pleasure," she said, " but my enemies call me Vice." The other girl was modest and graceful and dressed all in white. " I want you to be my friend," she said, " but I will not deceive you with promises of an easy time. God gives nothing excellent without care and labour. If you wish to be loved, you must serve. If you want to be honoured by your country, you must work for it. If you want to have a strong body, you must train it by toil and exercise." Here Vice interrupted the second maiden, whose name was Virtue, saying : " Don't you see, Hercules, how wearisome a road this girl will make you travel Mine is a short and easy path to perpetual merriment." " Shameless liar," replied Virtue, "you destroy all those who follow you. My friends have the only true enjoyment, which comes as the reward of labour. No honourable deed is ever done without me." We know which maiden Hercules chose, for his twelve labours made him famous, and he became a mighty hero.
(c) The Old Testament tells the story of the Choice of Moses. The daughter of the King of Egypt, when she went to bathe, found the baby Moses floating in a, basket in the Nile. The baby was " exceeding fair," and, when he began to cry, she took pity on him and adopted him as her son. Moses was brought up like a prince in the royal palace, dressed in the richest clothes, fed on the daintiest foods, waited on by an army of slaves. He was " instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," and became " mighty in words and in deeds." Josephus says that he became commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army, and that Pharaoh intended to make him heir to the throne. Whether that is true or not, by the time he was forty he was a prosperous and important person, enjoying the luxury, and the culture, and the enjoyments of the Court. But one day something reminded him that he was an Israelite. He determined to visit his own people. " He went out unto his brethren, and looked upon their burdens." He found them poor, ignorant and dirty, digging clay out of muddy pits, kneading it with feet and hands, and shaping it into bricks, while Egyptian overseers with long whips refused to let them rest. Then this daintily brought-up Prince made an amazing choice : he determined to throw up his position in the palace, and to throw in his lot with these downtrodden slaves. " When he was grown up he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season " (Heb. xi. 24). His decision was a fine one, but his next step was foolish. He murdered one of the Egyptian overseers, and then as he had no plans ready for a revolt of the slaves, he had to fly into the Wilderness, and work there for years as a shepherd, waiting for a chance of doing something to deliver his people. If he had chosen the soft path his name might have been known to-day to a few scholars as one of the minor characters of Egyptian history. But because he chose the hard path, his name is known to everybody as one of the greatest figures in the world's history.
(d) The New Testament gives us the story of the Choice of Jesus. When our Lord left the carpenter's shop to take up His public work, He had to think out what plan He should follow. There arose before His mind a vision of " all the Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them," and the thought stole into His brain, " Why should I not be a King ? " At this time the whole known world was ruled by one man, the Roman Emperor, and this post was not confined to any one family. The most capable man in the Empire could be Emperor. The Empire contained no one so wise and powerful, if He cared to use His powers, as Jesus Christ. Why should He not rule the world as Emperor ? But He saw that this could only be done by lowering His ideals, by bowing the knee to Satan. He thrust the thought away with the words, " Get thee hence, Satan " ; and He chose the way of poverty ; He became a wandering preacher without a shelter for His Head ; He chose the road that ended in arrest and the cross. And, because He did so, half the world recognizes Him as its greatest Hero.
II THE SLACK LIFE.
(a) A slack self-indulgent life is bad for everyone. An Indian Rajah said to his vizier, " Why am I so often ill ? I don't go out in the rain. My clothes are warm. My food is good. Yet I am always catching colds." " Overmuch care," replied the vizier, " is worse than none at all. Let us walk in the fields." They met a poor shepherd. His cloak was torn. He was always exposed to dew and frost and heat. He slept in a draughty but made of plaited branches. " Do you ever suffer from cold ? " asked the Prince. " No," said he, " I have never been ill in my life." But the Prince said to the vizier, " This man proves nothing. He is probably so strong that nothing could make him ill." " Let us see," said the vizier. They took the shepherd to live in the palace. He was sheltered from cold and heat, And fed on dainty food. One day he stepped on a damp floor that had just been cleaned, caught cold, and died.
(b) Lot was Abraham's nephew. In time their flocks grew so large that it was necessary for them to separate. Abraham generously allowed Lot to choose what part of the land he would settle in. Lot saw the Plain of Jordan " that it was well-watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord " ; and there stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, offering a rich market for his butter and cheese, his wool and his meat. " That is the place," he said, " to grow rich easily. That is the place for me." First he " pitched his tent towards Sodom." Then he went to live inside Sodom. Then he became one of the elders of the city and " sat in the gate." But things did not go well with him. The rich city was raided by desert tribes, plundered and sacked, and Lot would have ended his life in slavery if Abraham had not rescued him. Then God wiped out the sinful city by a great volcanic eruption : and Lot ended his life as a penniless refugee, living miserably in a cave. It was Abraham, who chose the hard life on the barren hills, who became great and prosperous.
(c) Legend says that a bird of Paradise rested by a river in which a crane was catching snails. " Where do you come from " asked the crane in amazement. " I come from Heaven," said the beautiful bird. " What is that ? " asked the crane. The other began to describe the glories of the Land of God, but the crane interrupted, " Are there any snails there ? " " No, of course not." " Then you can have your Heaven. I want snails." Abraham chose Heaven. Lot chose the snails. Quote Text.
III. THE STRENUOUS LIFE.
(a) The finest race among the Greeks was the Spartans . Their laws put down all luxury. No houses might be built of anything but logs of wood. The only beds allowed were bundles of reeds from the river. Lest they should feed too daintily, meals of broth and cheese and figs were served at public tables, and no one was allowed to eat at home. But they grew to be the strongest and hardiest race in the ancient world.
(b) But we take as our example, not the Spartans, but Christ. Notice how He spurned all luxury : born in a stable ; working as a carpenter ; a preacher without a home ; sleeping in the open air. Read Passage. He said that the rich man surrounded by luxuries would find it as difficult to be a Christian as a camel would find it to pass through the eye of a needle.
(c) The young Christian must follow the advice which St. Paul gave to Timothy : " Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. ii. 3). Lent calls us to make a special effort to practise this.
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.]
LESSON FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT.
PASSAGE TO BE READ : St. Matthew viii. 18-20.
TEXT TO BE LEARNT : " What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul " (St. Matt. xvi. 26).
HYMNS: “Jesus calls us o'er the tumult " and " 0 Jesus, I have promised."
COLLECTS for Second Sunday in Lent and St. Matthew.
AIM : To save your class from becoming soft, flabby, pleasure-loving, easy-going mollycoddles.
I. THE CHOICE.
(a) Pope Benedict XIV decreed that no one could be canonized, that is to say, officially given the title of Saint, unless his life showed in a marked way four great virtues—Courage, Justice, Prudence and Self-control. We shall think of the first three virtues later. During Lent we are thinking about Self-control,
(b) The Greeks had a well-known legend of the Choice of Hercules. They said that when he was a big boy he went for a walk to think out what he should do with his future life. Two girls met him. One had bold staring eyes, and was dressed in gaudy colours. " If you will take me for a friend," she said, " you shall have a jolly time. You shall eat and drink and sleep and dance, and never do any work or take any trouble." " What is your name ? " he asked. " My friends call me Pleasure," she said, " but my enemies call me Vice." The other girl was modest and graceful and dressed all in white. " I want you to be my friend," she said, " but I will not deceive you with promises of an easy time. God gives nothing excellent without care and labour. If you wish to be loved, you must serve. If you want to be honoured by your country, you must work for it. If you want to have a strong body, you must train it by toil and exercise." Here Vice interrupted the second maiden, whose name was Virtue, saying : " Don't you see, Hercules, how wearisome a road this girl will make you travel Mine is a short and easy path to perpetual merriment." " Shameless liar," replied Virtue, "you destroy all those who follow you. My friends have the only true enjoyment, which comes as the reward of labour. No honourable deed is ever done without me." We know which maiden Hercules chose, for his twelve labours made him famous, and he became a mighty hero.
(c) The Old Testament tells the story of the Choice of Moses. The daughter of the King of Egypt, when she went to bathe, found the baby Moses floating in a, basket in the Nile. The baby was " exceeding fair," and, when he began to cry, she took pity on him and adopted him as her son. Moses was brought up like a prince in the royal palace, dressed in the richest clothes, fed on the daintiest foods, waited on by an army of slaves. He was " instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," and became " mighty in words and in deeds." Josephus says that he became commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army, and that Pharaoh intended to make him heir to the throne. Whether that is true or not, by the time he was forty he was a prosperous and important person, enjoying the luxury, and the culture, and the enjoyments of the Court. But one day something reminded him that he was an Israelite. He determined to visit his own people. " He went out unto his brethren, and looked upon their burdens." He found them poor, ignorant and dirty, digging clay out of muddy pits, kneading it with feet and hands, and shaping it into bricks, while Egyptian overseers with long whips refused to let them rest. Then this daintily brought-up Prince made an amazing choice : he determined to throw up his position in the palace, and to throw in his lot with these downtrodden slaves. " When he was grown up he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season " (Heb. xi. 24). His decision was a fine one, but his next step was foolish. He murdered one of the Egyptian overseers, and then as he had no plans ready for a revolt of the slaves, he had to fly into the Wilderness, and work there for years as a shepherd, waiting for a chance of doing something to deliver his people. If he had chosen the soft path his name might have been known to-day to a few scholars as one of the minor characters of Egyptian history. But because he chose the hard path, his name is known to everybody as one of the greatest figures in the world's history.
(d) The New Testament gives us the story of the Choice of Jesus. When our Lord left the carpenter's shop to take up His public work, He had to think out what plan He should follow. There arose before His mind a vision of " all the Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them," and the thought stole into His brain, " Why should I not be a King ? " At this time the whole known world was ruled by one man, the Roman Emperor, and this post was not confined to any one family. The most capable man in the Empire could be Emperor. The Empire contained no one so wise and powerful, if He cared to use His powers, as Jesus Christ. Why should He not rule the world as Emperor ? But He saw that this could only be done by lowering His ideals, by bowing the knee to Satan. He thrust the thought away with the words, " Get thee hence, Satan " ; and He chose the way of poverty ; He became a wandering preacher without a shelter for His Head ; He chose the road that ended in arrest and the cross. And, because He did so, half the world recognizes Him as its greatest Hero.
II THE SLACK LIFE.
(a) A slack self-indulgent life is bad for everyone. An Indian Rajah said to his vizier, " Why am I so often ill ? I don't go out in the rain. My clothes are warm. My food is good. Yet I am always catching colds." " Overmuch care," replied the vizier, " is worse than none at all. Let us walk in the fields." They met a poor shepherd. His cloak was torn. He was always exposed to dew and frost and heat. He slept in a draughty but made of plaited branches. " Do you ever suffer from cold ? " asked the Prince. " No," said he, " I have never been ill in my life." But the Prince said to the vizier, " This man proves nothing. He is probably so strong that nothing could make him ill." " Let us see," said the vizier. They took the shepherd to live in the palace. He was sheltered from cold and heat, And fed on dainty food. One day he stepped on a damp floor that had just been cleaned, caught cold, and died.
(b) Lot was Abraham's nephew. In time their flocks grew so large that it was necessary for them to separate. Abraham generously allowed Lot to choose what part of the land he would settle in. Lot saw the Plain of Jordan " that it was well-watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord " ; and there stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, offering a rich market for his butter and cheese, his wool and his meat. " That is the place," he said, " to grow rich easily. That is the place for me." First he " pitched his tent towards Sodom." Then he went to live inside Sodom. Then he became one of the elders of the city and " sat in the gate." But things did not go well with him. The rich city was raided by desert tribes, plundered and sacked, and Lot would have ended his life in slavery if Abraham had not rescued him. Then God wiped out the sinful city by a great volcanic eruption : and Lot ended his life as a penniless refugee, living miserably in a cave. It was Abraham, who chose the hard life on the barren hills, who became great and prosperous.
(c) Legend says that a bird of Paradise rested by a river in which a crane was catching snails. " Where do you come from " asked the crane in amazement. " I come from Heaven," said the beautiful bird. " What is that ? " asked the crane. The other began to describe the glories of the Land of God, but the crane interrupted, " Are there any snails there ? " " No, of course not." " Then you can have your Heaven. I want snails." Abraham chose Heaven. Lot chose the snails. Quote Text.
III. THE STRENUOUS LIFE.
(a) The finest race among the Greeks was the Spartans . Their laws put down all luxury. No houses might be built of anything but logs of wood. The only beds allowed were bundles of reeds from the river. Lest they should feed too daintily, meals of broth and cheese and figs were served at public tables, and no one was allowed to eat at home. But they grew to be the strongest and hardiest race in the ancient world.
(b) But we take as our example, not the Spartans, but Christ. Notice how He spurned all luxury : born in a stable ; working as a carpenter ; a preacher without a home ; sleeping in the open air. Read Passage. He said that the rich man surrounded by luxuries would find it as difficult to be a Christian as a camel would find it to pass through the eye of a needle.
(c) The young Christian must follow the advice which St. Paul gave to Timothy : " Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. ii. 3). Lent calls us to make a special effort to practise this.
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