nce.
Now, I suppose those half brothers of Jephthah's down in Israel, those
fellows who had scorned him in his childhood, those fellows who had
robbed him of his share in the estate,--I suppose they did some loud
talking about the general being a kinsman of theirs. Oh, they are very
much like we are. We seldom boast of our relationship to an outcast,
but if we are one hundred and first cousin to somebody who is prominent
we are mighty apt to go about telling it.

Jephthah heard their request and promised to help them. I think that
was fine of him. It would have been so easy for him to have said, "Oh,
yes, you kicked me out when I was a little helpless waif. When I
needed help you would not give it. When I needed help you laughed at
my childish tears. Now you need help, I will laugh at you." But there
was nothing of revenge in him. Wronged as he had been, he would not
nurse his wrongs. He would not allow his bitter treatment to make him
bitter.

I wish we all were so wise. You were injured years ago by somebody.
That somebody perchance was in the church. And so you have never had
any use for the church since. You have never had any use much for
anybody since. You have been snarling and snapping. Do you remember
Miss Harrisham in "Great Expectations"? She was to be married. All
arrangements were made. The wedding cake was on the table. But at
twenty minutes to nine a cruel note came telling her that the groom was
not coming. Therefore, the clocks were all stopped at twenty minutes
to nine. The cake stood upon the table till it rotted. The blinds
remained drawn and no sunlight was ever allowed in the house again.
And life for her stopped at twenty minutes to nine. One disappointment
wrecked her, embittered her, made her throw her life away. But
Jephthah refused to be embittered.

He consented to go. But before he undertook the campaign he stood
beside the altar of God. This man had lived for years among heathens,
but they had not heathenized him. He still stood true by the altar.
Circumstances were against him, but religion is not simply for the easy
situations in which we find ourselves. Your test, as one has said, is
not how good you can be if you have a devoted saint on either side of
you down at the office. Your test is what your religion can do for you
in the midst of a godless crowd. Daniel's God was tested not in the
pleasant situations of his early home life. The test was among his