Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-06-25
Seeking for Christ.

Men go to the four gospels to seek for their
Christ. But the living Christ is not in a
book. In il are the sweet memories of his
life. In it are the grave-clothes, that bear
the impress of his form. The gospels con-
tain at best but the footprints he left along
the Shore upon the sand on which he walked.
Most lives are like the way of ship at sea
they leave no discernible path behind them.
A few leave a wake, that remains a few mo-
ments, or hours at best, after the living that
made it have disappeared behind the hori-
zon. Christ, walking in this erasive sea,
has left upon its waves his footsteps, as in
archaic periods the great creatures of the
past have left their footprints in the rocks.
His footprints will never disappear, never
even grow dim. But Christ's footprints are
not Christ Christ's grave-cothes are not
Christ.
The church is ever going back to the
century, or the centuries preceding, to find
its Christ. 1t looks for him among the
traditions of its elders. A curious quest
this is for a living Christ in dead past !;
and mournful quest, in not one, but many
tombs. He has lived in many hearts, of many
faiths; in the heart of Fenelon, of Thomas
a Kempis, of Augustine, of Luther, of
Calvin, of Cranmer, of Wesley, of Sweden
borg, of Barclay, of Edwards, of Claiming
But it was in their living hearts he dwelt ;
only his sweet memory enshrined in fra
grant spices, only his grave-clothes, or can
be, in their writings. But disciples on a
more sacred quest than any of medieval
saint for Holy Grail, go again and again to
those tombs for the living Christ They
even chide, sometimes gently, sometimes
with fierce upbraiding, those who, having a
living Christ rafucq In no hool- fp rob for
the living among the dead who, having
living Christ, refuse to anoint with spices
the graveclothes.
Christians are ever going back to their
dead experiences for living Christ. They
search for him in their memories. They
look for him in the hopes of yesterday whom
they should look for in hopes of to-day and
of tomorrow. They know not the meaning
of the declaration His mercies are new
every morning. They mourn over the
withered flowers gathered last week instead
of going out to pluck those that have the
dew upon them. They try TO keep the
mama of yesterday and know not that
mama fresh { lien from heaven sparkles on
the ground to-day. Many Cowper seeks
thus the living among the dead, singing,
"What peaceful hours once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory STILL
Sorrowing disciples, why seek We the liv-
ing among the dead ? He is not here. He
is risen. Go into Galilee. Go to your daily
tasks, to your accustomed work He eludes
your seeking he will come when you seek
him not. Rather, he will come when you
seek him in the way in which he has ap-
pointed. Walking on your mission, what,
ever it may be, he shall appear to you, per-
haps unrecognized, save as he makes your
heart burn within you, you know not why.
Offering your humble hospitality to a
stranger, he shall suddenly be revealed to
you in the moment which you give of your
own to another's need After the long night
of seemingly fruitless toll he shall suddenly
reward you by his appearance and his in
vitation, Come and dine.
"He that hath my commandments and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and | will love
him and manifest myself to him."