He felt it to be an injustice, and, losing
sight of the Spirit of Jesus, he made a complaint about it, and
the money was returned. But he got lean in his soul. He had
quenched the Spirit. He had broken the law of the Kingdom. He had
not only refused to give his cloak, but had fought for and
secured the return of the coat. He had lost the smile of Jesus,
and his poor heart was sad and heavy within him. He came to me
with anxious inquiry as to what I thought of his action. I had to
admit that the other man had transgressed, and that the money
ought to be returned, but that he should have been more grieved
over the unchristlike spirit of his brother than over the loss of
the five dollars, and that like Sutajeff he should have said,
"Poor fellow! he must be hard up; I will send him five dollars
myself. He has taken my coat, he shall have my cloak too." When I
told him that story, he came to himself very quickly, and was
soon back in the narrow way and rejoicing in the smile of Jesus
once again.
"But will not people walk over us, if we do not stand up for our
rights?" you ask. I do not argue that you are not to stand up for
your rights; but that you are to stand up for your higher rather
than your lower rights, the rights of your heavenly life rather
than your earthly life, and that you are to stand up for your
rights in the way and spirit of Jesus rather than in the way and
spirit of the world.
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