them the lineage of service that morning.
These are the generations of true service. A sight of Jesus begets love, a
tender, gentle, strong, passionate thing of rarest beauty that is
immortal, but must have the constant sight of its father's face for
vigorous life. And love at once begets obedience, which grows strong and
stout and skilled, as long as it stays in its father's presence. And
obedience begets service, untiring, glad, patient service.

There are some outsiders that have come into this family, but they do not
have the fine traits of blood-kin. "Duty" is one of these. It serves
because it must. And at times it renders fine, high service. But its
service comes out of the will, rather than out of the heart. It is ruled
more by a sense of propriety, never by a passion of the heart.

"Privilege" is near of kin to duty, and it is a high-born, fine-grained
thing. It serves because it is an honour to do so. It is enjoyable to be
so highly connected. But it constantly needs proper recognition and
appreciation of its work and skill. But these are really outsiders. They
have married in, and do not have the real family traits. The one word, and
the only one, that may properly be used for true service is that fine
word, "passion." True service is a thing of love, a thing of the heart, a
flame that pervades and permeates and envelops the whole life within and
without, a fire that consumes and controls.

The Lord Jesus, His presence, His plan, His authoritative leadership,
their obedience, love thrice asked and given, service because of
love,--these are the finger-posts for these perplexed men. They can be put
into very simple shape for our guidance. Three finger-posts hung up will
include all of them,--_clear vision, a spirit of obedience, a heart of
tender love_. These are the three great essentials of all true, full
following. And there will not be, there cannot be, true full following
without all three of these. There may be much earnest, honest service,
much faithful plodding, and hard work, and much good done. But there's
always less than the best. There is less than should be. The best results
are not being got for the effort expended, except where these three are
blended.

A clear vision means simply a clear understanding of things as they are,
and of what needs to be done, with all the facts in that belong in. A
spirit of obedience means not only an obedience in spirit, a spirited
obedience, but an obedience t