It is the law in public, political life.  A man entering the President’s cabinet, as a secretary of some department, surrenders any divergent views he may have to those of his chief.  With the largest freedom of thought that must always be where there are strong men, yet there must of necessity be the one dominant will if the administration is to be a powerful one.  It is the law of commercial life.  The man entering the employ of a bank, a manufacturing concern, a corporation of any sort, in whatever capacity, enters to do the will of somebody else.  Always there must be the one dominant will if there is to be power and success.

And then may I hush my voice and speak of the more sacred things very softly and remind you of this.  Surrender is the law of the highest form of life known to us men.  I mean wedded life.  Where the surrender is not by one to the other, but by each to the other.  Two wills, always two wills where there is strong life, yet in effect but one.  Two persons but only one purpose.

And so you see, Jesus, the Master, the greatest of earth’s teachers and philosophers, is striking the keynote of life when here He asks us to surrender freely and wholly to Himself as the autocrat of our lives.  He asks us to bend our strong wills to His, to yield our lives, our plans, our ambitions, our friendships, our gold, absolutely to His control.

Free Surrender.

And if you still do not like the sound of that word surrender.  It has a harsh sound that grates upon your nerves.  Will you please notice the first word of that little sentence—­“Take.”  Jesus does not say in sharp, hard tones, “Come here; bend down; I’ll put this yoke on you.”  Never that.  If you will, of your own glad accord, freely, winsomely take the yoke upon you—­that is what He asks.  In military usage surrender is forced.  Here it must be free.  Nothing else would be acceptable to Jesus.

When our commissioners went a few years ago to Paris to treat with the Spaniards, the latter are said to have desired certain changes in the language of the protocol.  With the polished suavity for which they are noted the Spaniards urged that there be made slight changes in the words:  no real change in the meaning, they said, simply in the verbiage.  And our Judge Day at the head of the American Commissioners, listened politely and patiently until the plea was presented.  And then he quietly said, “The article will be signed as it reads.”  And the Spaniards protested, with much courtesy.  The change asked for was trivial, merely in the language, not in the force of the words.  And our men listened patiently and courteously.  Then Mr. Day is said to have locked his little square jaw and replied very quietly, “The article will be signed as it reads.”  And the article was so signed.  That is military usage.  The surrender was forced.  The strength of the American fleets, the prestige of great victory were back of the quiet man’s demand.