Christ’s Appropriation of the Secular
“His Sun, whom He hath appointed heir of all things.”
Hebrews i. 2.
IF I become a Christian, must I give up the things of the world? The writer to the Hebrews says, No. He says that becoming a Christian is not an abandonment, but a transference of man’s state. I do not give up the things of the world, but I make a new will; I make Christ heir to them. If I gave them up, I should leave Christ heir to nothing. There is a great difference between abandoning a thing and giving it to Christ; it is the difference between annihilating and transferring. I knew a lady who, when she became seriou«^, sold her piano — an instrument in which she was proficient. She should have made Christ the heir to her piano. It is too bad to burn all the fine pictures in the house before you hand it over. I am told to cast all my cares upon Christ — to make Him the heir to my cares; and it is well. But is Christ to have nothing but my cares; is He not to have my advantages too! Shall I give Him only my thorn and keep back my rose! Shall I yield Him only my tares and withhold my wheat! Shall I offer Him only my tears, and withhold from Him the sight of my smile! Shall I let the flower wither before presenting it! Shall I impoverish my life before surrendering it! Shall I mutilate my spirit before committing it into His hands! Nay, my Lord, I will not do that! I am making Thee the heir to my estate, and I will not give Thee only the barren soil. Thou art coming into my ancestral dwelling, and I will not dismantle it beforehand. Rather will I beautify it for Thy coming. I will light wami fires within it. I will spread a rich carpet for Thy feet as they did at Jerusalem long ago. I will repair the old furniture. I will enlarge the rooms. I will paint the walls. I will adorn and fructify the grounds. I will say of my house what Thou hast said of Thine — ‘’ I go to prepare a place for Thee,” All that is in my house shall he Thine. I will not divide llic rooms into secular and sacred; they will all he sacred. Every ro(^m will he a private chapel — a place for the worship of Thcc. Not by speaking of Thee will I serve Thee, but by diffusing Thy spirit. I will try to put Thy spirit, not only into my sorrows, but into my joys. I will make Thee heir to my gifts by using the gifts for others. Men call the Church Thy service; I will make the World Thy service too. I will try how many my joys can gladden, how many my gifts can cheer, hov many my wealth can succour, how many my influence can shelter. I will make Thy spirit heir to all my pleasures, for I shall have no pleasure unshared by human hearts. All my bread will be Communion bread; all my wine will be Sacramental wnne. Thou shalt be the accompaniment to all my music, the guide of all my travels, the companion of all my excursions, the aim of all my ambitions, the joy of all my entertainments, the counsellor of all my transactions. I shall be a better man of the world when I have made Thee heir of all things!