Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-10-31


the forked lightning in their burn
ing fervor.
These flashes of divine wrath werc
another reason why the common
people heard him gladly. He die
not hesitate to denounce sin in higl
places. He revealed without spar
ing the 'sScribes and Pharisees, by
pocrites," who occupied the highes
positions in society, and he stood W
bravelv for the rights of the common
people, against these, their oppres
sors, who placed burdens upon then
grievous to be borne, which they
themselves would not so much al
touch with one of their fingers.
l cannot but believe that thest
common people were actuated by (
sense of poetic justice, and as they
saw the pride, selfshness, wicked.
ness and tyranny of these their rul
ers, they felt a degree of pleasure
in sometimes seeing them get theil
dues. 1t is not improbable, there
fore, that some of the common peo
pie who had been oppressed, rather
enjoyed that awful burst of indig
nant wrath of the Savior, when turn
ing to the Scribes and Pharisees, ht
exclsimed:-"Woe unto yon hypo
crltes, for We shut up the Kingdom
of Heaven against men, for ye Meth
er 90 in yourselves, neither suffer yt
them that are entering, to go in
Ye deYour widows houses, and fol
a pretense, make long prayers; there
fore, shall you. receive the, greater
damnation. Ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, an6
when he is made, ye make him two
fold more the child of hell thar
yourselves. Ye pay tithes of mini
ani anise and cummin and have
omitted the weghtier matters of the
law-judgment, mercy and faith
Ye are whited sepulchres, which in
deed appear beautiful outwardlyt
but are within, full of dead mems
bones and all uneleanness. Ye ser
pents Ye generation of vipers
How can ye escape the damnstior
of hell" As a specimen of fiery de
deepening and increas.
ing to the end, we look in vain to
the impassioned eloquence of Cicero
and Demoshtenes for anything ap.
preaching it, in the bitterness of re-
proach, and the stern and vigorous
method oe dealing with cool, calcu-
lating hypocracy and selfshness
Perhaps that which attracted the
common people to Christ, more than
else, was his wonderful
sympathy with them. He made
himself one of them. His diciples
were chosen from among them.
Time, toll, anxiety and prayer were
freely offered to do them good, and
lift them up. He was poor himself,
through life. Think of that won
derful text-'The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man hath not where
to lay his head"
When John was sent from prison
to inquire-"Art thou he that should
come?"-The Messiah who is to be
the Savior of the world? Jesus an
swer was:-"The blind receive their
sight, the lame walk, the lepers are
clensed, the dead are raised up, and
the poor have the gospel preached
to them" The closing of the eli
max, shows the appreciation of the
Savior in offering life and salvation
to the poor. "Blessed are the poor
for yours is the Kingdom of Heav-
en-" A fallen woman was forgiven,
and saved, whom her accusers would
have stoned. Another was allowed
to wash his feet with her tears, and
wipe them with the hairs of hei
head. One of the charges brought
against him was that he twas the
friend of Publicans and sinners
to which was added with scorn-"He
eateth with them!" For once thu
charge was true, for even such were
admitted to his kingdom, when they
came with penitence and a new life
Wherever there was a spirit bruised
or bowed down, there was Jesus
found TO lift up and heal. If there
was fathers heart desolated be
cause bereft of beloved daughter
there was Jesus to restore to life
and thrill that fathers heart will
ioy. Broken hearted sisters at the
sudden loss of a brother, found il
him a present friend to weep witt
them and restore that brother, anC
bring light and happiness to a desc
lated home. The poor, the needy
the wretched and the sick seemed t
have the first place in his loving
heart. Opening blind eyes, unstop
ping deaf ears, making the lame t.
walk, casting out devils, feeding thu
hungry, both with earthly bread ant
the bread of heaven, he went abou
doing good.
Another attraction for the multi
tudes who waited on the Savior
preaching, was the important, prac
tical subjects upon which he dis
coursed. The selection of his sub
iects is a matter full of interest
They were far-reaching and went t,
the springs of action. Nothing sen
sational, and little of science was ev
er heard from his lips. He seldom
trenched upon politics, and then on
ly to discuss grand principles. Som
of the subjects of sermons sometime
seen advertised in the papers, woul'
seem ridiculous and ahsurd-almos
profane-if suggested as a them
for the Savior's preaching. God tn
loving father; man and his immorta
destiny; the way of salvation 70
the lost; spirituality of the law
reaching the inteuts of the heart
conservation to a holy God; God
providential oare-its comfort an,
peace, regeneration by the Hol
Spirit; the resurrection and the judg
ment. Above all, he preached him
self as the way, the truth and tn
life. He showed that his follower
were to be humble, full of mercy an
peace-truthful, sincere, charitable
prayerful-in a word, holy. H
shnwnd that rnlininn rnnst work nnl