The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-09-03

will be the local conditions of the future
life--these are all relatively uniinportalt
questions. What is the meaning of to-
dayY How shall wo live in the communion
and peace of God nowy How shall we
master the secret of holy living herei
These are questions which Christ answers,
though we are dull learners of his teach
ing. What Jesus meant when he said to
Peter: "What do thou knowest not now;
but thou shalt know hereafter" was sim.
ply this: The real significance of this
act which you have seen me perform
you do not now understand; but
you shall understand by and by,
for you will learn to perform the same.
To us the act interprets the words, If we
have learned rightly to estimate the act.
Christ foretold larger knowledge into
which Peter should come through enlarg.
ing experience of Divine grace. This is
the best knowledge. Paul hints 1t when
he says: Though 1 have the gift of pro-
phecy, and understand all mysteries, and
ell knowledge. .and have not love, an
nothing" Il is a greater attainment to
have learned TO do Christ.like deed than
1t is to have foreseen the fortunes Of a
nation, or to have calculated the date OF
the final catastrophe. Men attach great
value TO a knowledge of the future; Christ
emphasized the importance Of the present
moment. He makes little account OF the
future as mere object of knowledge. To
him truth has no past or future. 1t simply
is; an. to know 1t rightly is to be it, that
is, to transmute it into quality of life.
There are always higher truths for man TO
know, because there is always a higher
something for man to become. When
man is like God he will read the secret OF
God with open eye and comprehending
soul. AT one time, speaking of the king
dom Of God, Christ told His disciples;
"Men will say, lol here; lol there; but
heed them not, the kingdom of God is
within you"
There are mysteries in life which we
long to solve. Pain is a mystery. Sor.
row isOa mystery. Death is a mystery.
Like children we are continually meeting
the vicissitudes of life with the persistent
question, Why is it? what does 1t meant
That the deep mysteries Of life will he
solved, VIC must believe or sink in despair.
But the teaching of Scripture is that these
mysteries will be solved only through
such growth and discipline and purifica.
tion of character that the solvent Of mys.
terry will be in us. When we have become
in motive and purpose as Christ was we
shall see into 'the heart Of things" as He
saw. "The secret Of the Lord is with
them that fear Him, and He will show
them His convenant" Learning OF the
highest sort Is thus not so much process
Of mental acquisition as process of spir-
itual becoming. Goodness is the clue to
the labyrinth of life. The persistent les.
son Of Gods word Is: Trust and obey
Christ, and you shall become Christ-like
and, becoming Christ-like, you shall un.
derstand with the unerring insight Of the
Son Of God. Let us now fix our attention
upon the act which, when it was per-
formed, lay so far above the comprehen.
sion Of the disciples, but which Christ
meant that they and we should under
stand.
Tho language Of the evangelist Is full Of
interpretative hints. "Jesus knowing that
the Father had given all things into His
hands, and that He was CONS from God,
and went to God," washed the disciples
feet. He, their Lord, stoops to serve them
in the humblest fashion. We shall miss
the finest meaning Of this act II we say:
"Though'He was Lord, He did dithis." 1t is
because He is Lord that He does it, that,
indeed, He is capable Of doing It. He but
illustrates His own words: "He that is
greatest among you, let him be your serv-
ant" and again, "the Son of man came not
TO be ministered unto, but to minister, and
to give His life ransom for many"
That Christ meant His act to be an ex.
ample and inspiration to His disciples is
evident; for He says: "If your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also
ought to wash one another's feet. For 1
have given you an example, thatye should
do as / have done to you" The emphasis
does not rest upon the particular thing
done, but on the doing of such things. A
narrow liberalism is always limiting con-
duct to specific act, or course Of action,
and turning what was meant TO be a sig
nihcant symbol into an inHexible pattern;
so that Christians instead of entering into
the wide liberty Of Christ, sink into dull
copyists OF acts that lose their meaning
because petrified into form.
Let me return moment to the thought
already mentioned, which many en-
tertain Of this act of Christ,s the
thought that it's chief meaning is lustral,
that Christ meant to typify moral cleans
ing. The idea of cleansing is Of course
involved, for Christ's entire ministry to
US Is, from one point Of view, a ministry
Of publication. But the prominent idea is
that of service. The lesson is a lesson in
real and practical loving. The truth set
forth Is truth Of conduct and Of ofcharacter.
An ideal is brought before us which we as
disciples of Christ are progressively to
realize. As there is never thing without
a thought as its cause and reason, so there
is never rational act without its princi.
pie. Righteousness as deed Is the realiza.
tion OF righteousness as truth.
What is the principle which underlies
Christ's act and finds body in itf
1t is, first, the truth that real great.
ness Is proportional 10 real service. It is
common idea Of the world that greatness
is that quality which commands service
and which assumes an inherent right to
service. The ideal Of the world is an ideal
Of rulership.
All human life is infected by selfishness.
Each man socks to get services from 9th.