A MAN AND A MAN’S JOB 
 
 ROBERT WATSOIN 
 M.A., Ph.D., D.D. 
 

A iVlan and Man’s Job 
 
 A SERMON 
 
 Oelivered in the 
 Scotch Presbyterian Church 
 New York City 
 January 2Sth, 1QI7 
 
 Bjr the Paetor, th* 
 
 REV. ROBERT WATSON 
 
 Ph.D., D.O. 
 
 Printe*i from a Stenographic Report 
 
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A Man and a Man’s Job 
 
 By Dr. Robert W.<tson 
 
 ^4/^‘^OME and see” — “Where” not “W'hom” wa.s 
 ^ j their inquiry. “Master where dwellest 
 thou?” Yet John’s statement was — “Behold 
 the Lamb of God." “Why?” “Who taketh away the sin 
 of the world!” “For the Son of Man came to seek 
 and to save the lost.” “The Son of Man came not to 
 be ministered unto but to minister.” “Let this mind 
 be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” “Who 
 gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all 
 iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people 
 zealous of good works.” 
 
 These texts outline both The Man and His Job. 
 •\ peculiar people. Then all the work of the Son of 
 Man was to produce a peculiar people. The world is 
 full of peculiar people, but there are many varieties of 
 peculiarities. Every Christian is a peculiar person 
 but every peculiar person is not a Christian. Every 
 leader of a peculiar people is not a minister of the 
 Gospel, but every minister of the Gospel is the leader 
 of a peculiar people and the peculiarities are marked, 
 they cannot be missed. Nevertheless, it takes a 
 Christian to understand the peculiarities that are the 
 characteristics of a Christian. Our Lord was never, 
 and has never been understood by the world nor can 
 his consistant followers expect to be understood. 
 
 What things constitute a Christian's peculiarity? 
 
1. He is a creature of dual birth. He has been 
 bom once of the flesh and then of the spirit. Except 
 a man be born anew — from above — he cannot be a 
 Christian, no matter how bright he is, brave he is, 
 good he is, cultured he is, capable he is, conscientious 
 he is. Unless he has been twice born he is outside 
 the family of God. VVe may look on him and love him 
 and recognize he is not far from being at home in 
 God, but at the best he is still outside the door, nor 
 can he enter here until he is born again. Our Lord 
 made this very clear to Nicodemus yet there are 
 many who continue to stumble just like the ruler of 
 old. To the Greeks foolishness and to the Jews a 
 stumbling block. 
 
 A Christian is a child of God not by creation but by 
 regeneration. Spiritually he is born into this relation- 
 ship and legally he is adopted so that he has a right to 
 all the privileges of a son of God. “As many as re- 
 ceived Him to them gave he the authority to become the 
 Children of God.” Hence they are heirs of God and 
 joint heirs with Christ to the incorruptible inheritance. 
 
 2. The Christian lives in a very real and very try- 
 ing sense a double life. Yet he is not a hypocrite. 
 “When I would do good, evil is present with me.” 
 “That which I would not, that 1 do and that which I 
 would, I do not.” The double life grows out of his 
 dual birth. The spirit striveth against the flesh and 
 the flesh lusteth against the spirit. It is a terrible 
 combat. The Christian is seeking to put off the old 
 man with his lusts and to put on the new man which 
 
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is after Christ in righteousness and holiness. This is 
 all a great mysteiy to the man of the world who imag- 
 ines that a Christian professes to be so good that he 
 never does anything wrong. Vet the Chri.stian con- 
 stantly confesses his wrong-doing and affirms his ina- 
 bility to do right apart from God. 'fhe transformation 
 into the likeness of the image of the perfect man is 
 slow and laborious. 
 
 3. The Christian is peculiar because he is not his 
 own master, lie knows this to be a fact, constantly 
 acknowledges the same and rejoices in consequence. 
 He was bought with a price. He was redeemed with 
 precious blood from all iniquity and purified from the 
 effects of his former servitude, now to serve another. 
 The old ser\'ice was debasing, galling, sad; this new 
 service — uplifting, free, (willing), glad. “My yoke is 
 easy and my burden is light.” The Christian doesn’t 
 even live his own life. He is possessed by another and 
 the other lives in him. “I live yet not I but Christ 
 liveth in me.” When a knock comes to the door and 
 he is asked, “Who lives here?” he can reply like 
 Martin Luther, “I used to live here but now Jesus 
 Christ lives here. Consequently Stephen Girard’s 
 clerk could work for him any time, day or night, ex- 
 cept on Sunday for his master had commanded. “In 
 it thou shaft not do any work.” 
 
 4. The Christian is f>eculiar because of his business. 
 .\11 Christians have the same busincs. By trade or 
 profession the Christian may be the same as the man 
 of the world and he will always do the work or fill the 
 
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position better than the average. He is diligent and 
 faithful and fervent. He is all this and more as a 
 Christian for his is the business of the King. Like 
 William Cary he may earn his living by cobbling shoes 
 but he lives to bring in the Kingdom of God. Soon 
 after the outbreak of the present European war Pre- 
 mier Asquith entertained Lord Kitchener at dinner. 
 At the close of the meal Kitcheuer abruptly inquired 
 of his host, “Who is that woman that sat by me?” 
 He replied, “She is my wife’s companion and closest 
 friend.” “What do you know of her?” “A good deal 
 but I will send for Lady Asquith and she can tell you 
 everything you want to know.” After some perfunc- 
 tory inquiries of Lady Asquith, Kitchener said, “You 
 must search this woman’s room.” “Oh, that is im- 
 possible,” was the reply, “ I cannot search her rooms, 
 she is my dearest friend and trusted companion.’’ 
 “Then I will search them myself” responded Kitch- 
 ener. 'I'o prevent this the rooms were searched by the 
 family and it was discovered that “the dearest friend” 
 was a valued agent of the German Government. She 
 was earning a handsome salary as a “companion” but 
 she was serving the Kaiser. F.very Christian is earn- 
 ing a living in the world but he is serving the King of 
 Kings. 
 
 They serve in many ways. It was only a little later 
 that another exposure occured in London. One of the 
 clo.sest friends, not only of the aristocracy but of roy- 
 alty who had lived in England for twenty-five years 
 ana had attended, faithfully during that time, all great 
 
social and civic functions was found, also, to be an 
 employee of the Kaiser. Diligently he had kept him- 
 self in touch with all the affairs of state that he might 
 thereby inform his master and serve his interests. So 
 the Lord Jesus Christ calls upon his servants in this 
 world to be as loyal to his interest as the men of the 
 world are to Kings and Kaisers. The Kings of this 
 world expect the best from their serv’ants. Our Lord 
 can ask for nothing less. 
 
 A number of years ago, as some of you will remem- 
 ber, an English Admiral was shot for not doing his 
 utmost. He was a man of ability, he was not a traitor 
 but no matter what his other qualifications, he was 
 considered not only unfit to longer command, but un- 
 fit to live because in a trying hour he had not done his 
 utmost. So the Christian, to enjoy his privileges, 
 needs to always be and do his best. 
 
 5. The Christian is peculiar because of his interests. 
 They begin in himself and they reach to God and em- 
 brace all the world. Everything that touches and 
 blesses or curses humanity is of intesest to the Christ- 
 ian. He is alive on the subject of Prohibition, child 
 labor, shorter working hours, sufficient wage, proper 
 homes, hospitals, hotels, prisons, penitentaries, schools, 
 colleges. Home and Foreign Missions, Immigrants, 
 Indians, Negros, Hottentots, Turks, Germans, French, 
 English, Asiatics, Mexicans and Americans, as well as 
 an his own home and family, his own Church and 
 brethren in the Lord. The man of the world may 
 have many excuses for not supporting the church, for 
 
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not being interested in Social Service, for not giving 
 to Foreign Missions but the Christian must include 
 one and all of these things. His interests are uni- 
 versal. 
 
 6. The Christian is peculiar because of his other 
 worldliness. He lives in this world but does not be- 
 long here. He is criticised for living with “his head 
 in the clouds” although his feet are on the earrh. It 
 is fortunate that his feet remain on the earth for there 
 by he brings blessings to all. “How beautiful upon 
 the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good 
 tidings that publisheth peace.” The Christian could 
 not render the earthly ministries did he fail to keep 
 his head in the clouds. “Let this mind be in you 
 which was also in Christ Jesus.” “Set your affections 
 upon the things that are above where Christ sitteth at 
 the right hand of God.” These are the Christian’s 
 definite instructions. He cannot settle down here, 
 therefore, he looks for a better country even a heav- 
 enly. He goes about doing good. 
 
 7. The Christian is peculiar because he lives by 
 faith, not by sight. The promise of God is more val- 
 uable to him than a bank account. He asks but only 
 that he may be able to give. He labors not to get 
 but because he already has. He is the strongest yet 
 the weakest of men. “When I am weak, then am I 
 strong.” “He endures as seeing Him who is invis- 
 ible.” He is the happiest man on earth yet is blessed 
 because he mourns daily. He is full of joy not be- 
 cause thinge go his way but because he is going God’s 
 
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way. He is the most contented of all men yet never 
 satisfied. “I have learned in whatsoever state I am 
 herewith to be content.” ”0 wretched man that 1 
 *am, who shall deliver me?" “Not that I have already 
 
 attained Forgetting the things which are behind I 
 
 press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling 
 of God in Christ Jesus.” The Christian never can be 
 satisfied —for he seeks the perfection of God — till he 
 awakes in God’s likeness. “We know that when he 
 shall appear we shall be like him.” The Christian is 
 the most agreeable of all men and yet to many, the 
 most disagreeable. “As far as in him lieth he lives 
 peaceably with all men.” Yet he is always stirring 
 men up to flee from the wrath to come. His very 
 presence is a constant reproach to non-christians. He 
 is sure there is but one way and as he walks in it him- 
 self, he continually is urging others. “This is the way, 
 walk ye in it.” 
 
 The Christian waits and works but he does iK)t 
 worry. He waits not that all things may come to him 
 but because all things are already his. For Christ is 
 his and God is Christ’s, therefore, all are his. He 
 waits on God for heart cleansing, for renewed strength, 
 for confirmed courage, for sufficient grace to spend, 
 to use, to give all that he has and grow thereby. In 
 my first pastorate I had a very peculiar elder who 
 had, by his generosity to all good things and all kinds 
 of men, gone through two fortunes and was then busy 
 spending the third. It seemed a great mystery to us 
 that be should always be provided just as the former 
 
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had been spent. He was a wastrel for God, therefore 
 God saw to it that he should never want. 
 
 The Christian loves because he is already loved. 
 “We love him because he first loved us.” The Christ- 
 ian seeks to love even as Christ loved. “By this shall 
 all men know,” said our Lord, “that ye are my disciples 
 when ye have love one for the other.” The Christian 
 scatters love like autumn leaves for God lives in him 
 and it becomes second nature to love, for “God is 
 love.” Yes, the Christian is a vessel sanctified and 
 meet to contain God, to be used by God, to reveal God 
 and even to lift up God in Christ Jesus that all men 
 may be drawn unto him. 
 
 No wonder the Christian is a mystery and an un- 
 solved problem to the man of the world. His pecu- 
 liarities oft times make the Christian appear to be a 
 fool and so peculiar is he that he glories in being 
 counted a fool for Christ’s sake. Let the man of the 
 world shake his head and exclaim “It’s to much for 
 me. I don’t understand him. I cannot fathom him.” 
 The Christian at least is in the public eye. He can- 
 not be hid. He is watched and, although not under- 
 stood, he is a living Epistle known and read of all 
 men. 
 
 Do these peculiarities appeal to you? Would you 
 like to manifest these characteristics and activities? 
 What manner of men ought ye to be who profess to be 
 Christians ? These peculiarities are not natural to the 
 human family. Very few yet exhibit them in any 
 
 marked degree. But we have seen enough o( 
 
 to 
 
them in the tew to aitsure u^ that to all there is a pos- 
 sibility. “All things are possible with God.’’ "All 
 things are possible to him that believeth.’’ 
 
 In the Spanish-American war, it was claimed that 
 "the man behind the gun’’ explained the easy victory. 
 But is not the man behind the man the real explana- 
 tion? Heredity, inheritance, truth and training made 
 the difference in the gunners. So it is the man behind 
 the Christian that makes the difference. " Behold the 
 mani’’ The Lord Jesus Christ is able to make al 
 grace abound toward us, that we having all sufficiency 
 in all things may abound unto every good work. If 
 each of us is to do a man’s job we must get back to 
 Christ. He finished the work given him by the Father. 
 Now' he continues to wait on us and work in us till we 
 finish our task. Christ is the secret of the Christian’s 
 peculiarities. What a man he is redeemed, and puri- 
 fied and zealous of good works! What a job is his — 
 a co-worker with Christ! Lord make us workmen that 
 need not he ashamed. AMF.N.