09.05 The perfect sense of duty

V. THE PERFECT SENSE OF DUTY

What we need to redeem and perfect the sense of duty is to remember that beyond what any standard of human opinion expects, beyond what “England expects,” remains what God expects; that God can expect nothing less than the union of our mind and will with His; that this expectation can only be met by that entire sacrifice of body, soul and spirit which is after all our reasonable service; that to this Divine expectation we are kept true by the sense of our own unworthiness, which leads us ever to plead the atonement and to accept the grace of Christ our Lord. It is only to him who honestly confesses “we are unprofitable servants; we have only done that which was our duty to do,” that, after long service, is assured the Master’s praise: “Well done, good and faithful servant,” I cannot better sum up the thought given to us by this parable than by quoting the words, adapted from the ancient hymn of Cleanthes, in which a great and typical Englishman, William Stubbs, Bishop of Oxford, a man reserved in speech, almost morbid in his English dislike of emotional display, devoted to the sense of duty, reveals the secret of his humility and of his strength “Lead me, Almighty Father, Spirit, Son, Whither Thou wilt, I follow, no delay, My will is Thine, and even had I none, Grudging obedience still I will obey.

Faint-hearted, fearful, doubtful if I be, Gladly or sadly I will follow Thee.

“Into the land of righteousness I go, The footsteps thither Thine and not my own, Jesu, Thyself the way, alone I know, Thy will be mine, for other have I none.

Unprofitable servant though I be, Gladly or sadly let me follow Thee.”

TAGS: [Parables]