St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-04-28
Christ and the Poor.

y. IL.
There is nothing in the character OF
Christ that shines brighter than his re-
gard for the poor. If anything proves
his divinity, it is his love foI the poor.
He appealed to it himself, or to the fact
that he preached to the poor, us an
evidence that he was the Messiah. Matt.
XII. 80. Our Gospel is of God because
it embraces the poor. 1t is especially
tor them, and Christ promised especial
blessings upon them. Christ himself is
closely related to the poor because he
was poor himself .He became poor, $
= Cor. viii. .. lie WAS really poor. He
WAS poor, not as compared with his
position in heaven, but as compared
with the poor on earth. He would have
been poor if he had been the greatest
of eaIth's kings. But he WAS not IL
king. He would have been poor with
the richest estate. But he had no es-
tate. He seems to have had nothin.
but the plain clothes he wore. He was
il humble ''son of toll" without Il home,
and doubtless often without shelter,
for he evidently meant more than he
said when he said 1.-the Son of man
hath not where to lay his head" These
reflections are valuable to us not only
in eXalting him in our affections and
esteem, but also in teaching us his re-
latiOns to the poor and his love for
them. He was more closely related to
the poor than he was to the rich, and
he chose to he SO. He bcramc poor
that he might be more closely related
to them. He became Il son of toll that
he might he Il brother to the SONS of
toll. 1t was Il divine feeling that drew
him to the poor, and it is Il divine inn
pulse that draws us to the poor. the
diNlncst that ever acts upon the human
heart. There IL no man 50 near Christ
as he who loves the poor as he loves
the rich, and us he loves himself. The
fact that Christ assumed such Il relation
to the poor gives Il SacredneSs and dig
nifty to poverty. There must be some
great Significance in the fact that there
is so much poverty in the world. God
must have some good purpose in it. 1t
must he that he is working ont some
glorious results through it. The fact of
ChriSt's blessing the poor shows that
poverty Is not curse. Besides this.
there are more eXcellencics hid away
from the world among the poor than
those who are not intimate with them
are aware Of There is more integrity,
more manlincsS, more unSeltiShneSs, and
more true heroiSm among the poor than
there is AMONG the rich. There seems
to he nothing in the world that gives
such Il sturdy manhood us poverty. If
Christ thus associated himself with the
poor. it teaches us how We ought to
esteem them. He WAS brother to the
poor, and we ought to make the brother
hood between ourselves and them aS
perfect rs possible. If the ponr were
worthy of his regard and of his love,
they are worthy of our regard and of
our love. If they are worthy of his
fellowship, they are worthy of our fell
lowship. The closer we bring ourselves
To them the closer we bring ourselves
to Christ. The more perfect we make
our fellowship with them the more per
feet will he our fellowship with Him.
The more nearly we bring ourselves to
feel towards them as he felt towards
them the more we shall make ourselves
like him.
| think it will I've easily understood
that we are not asking for them that
narrow charity which consists merely in
aims and benevolences, but that broader
and deeper charity which means love,
regard, and esteem such as we give the
rich, or greater, and that makes us feel
in presenting our gifts to them more as
Zaccheus felt.