Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-11-03

mid-life. But very few men do anything
before thirty three years of age, and ye
| that was the point at which Christ's lif
terminated. The first fifteen you take il
nursery and school. Then it will take you
at least six years to get into your occupa
tion or profession. That will bring you tc
twenty one years. Then it will take yor
ten years, at least, to get established ir
your life-work, correcting the mistakes yor
have made. If any man at thirty-three
years of age gets fully established in his
life-work he is the exception. Yet that is
the point at which Christ's life terminated.
Men in military life have done their most
wonderful deeds before thirty-three years
Of age. There may be exceptions to it, but the
NEST wonderful exploits in military PROV.
ess have occurred before thirty-three years
of age. But as legislator-no man be-
comes eminent as a legislator until he has
had long years of experience. And yet the
gray bearded scribes were expected to bow
down in silence before this young legislator,
who arraigned sanhedrims and accused
governments.
Aristotle was old; Lycurgus was old:
Seneca was old. The great legislators OF
the world have been old. Christ was young.
All this was against Him. If a child, twelve
years of age, should get up in your presence
to discuss great questions of metaphysics,
or ethics, or politics, or government, you
would not be more contemptuous than these
gray bearded scribes in tie presence of this
young Christ.
Popular opinion declared in those days:
"Blessed is the merchant who has a castle
down on the banks of Lake Tiberias. -
This young man said: 'sBlessed are the
poor" Popular opinion said in those days:
"Blessed are those who live amid statuary,
and fountains, and gardens and congratula-
tions, and all kinds of festivity." This
young man responded: "Blessed are they
that mourn" Public opinion in those days
said: "Blessed is the Roman eagle, the flap
of whose wing startles nations, and the
plunge of whose iron beak inf1icts cruelty
upon it's enemies" This young man re-
ponded: "Blessed are the merciful." Pop
ular opinion said: "An eye for an eye, a
tooth for TOOTH" In other words, if a
man breaks your tooth, break his. Retort
irony; persecution for prosecutions; wound
for wonnd. Christ said: "Pray for them
that despitefully use you"
They looked at His eyes; it was like any
other mans eyes, except, perhaps, more
speaking. They felt His hand, made of
bone and muscle, aud nerves and flesh, Just
like any other hand. Yet what bold treat
ment Of subjects, what supernatural de-
mands, what strange doctrine! They felt
the solid earth under them, and yet Christ
said: 81 bear up the pillars of this world"
They looked at the moon; He said; II will
turn it into blood" They looked at the
sea; He said: 81 will hush it." They look
ed at the stars; He said: 81 will shake them
down like untimely figs" Did ever one so
young say things SO bold? It was all
against Him.
After the battle of Antietam when gen.
eral rode along the lines, although the SOL
diers we're lying down exhausted they rose
with great enthusiasm and huzzaed. AS
Napoleon returned from his captivity his
first step ON the wharf shook all the king
doms, and two hundred and fifty thousand
men focked to his standard! 1t took three
thousand troops to watch him in his exile.
So there have been men of wonderful mag
netism of person. But hear me while tell
you of poor young man who came up
from Nazareth to produce thrill which
has never been excited by any other
Napoleon had around him the memories of
Marengo, and Austerlitz, and Jena; but
here was man who had fought no battles,
who wore no epaulettes, who brandished
no sword. He had probably never seen a
prince or shaken hands with nobleman.
The only extraordinary person we know of
as being in his company was his own moth
er, and she was so poor that in the most
delicate and solemn hour that ever comes
to woman's soul she was obliged to lie
down, camel drivers grooming the beasts of
burden.
imagine Christ one day standing in the
streets Of Jerusalem A man descended
from high lineage is standing beside Him
and says: "My father was a merchant
prince; he had castle on the beach in Gal
lice. Who was your father?" Christ an
swers: "Joseph, the carpenter" A man
from Athens is standing there unrolling his
parchment of graduation, and says to
Christ: "Where did you go to school?"
Christ answers: 'T never graduated" Aha!
the idea of such an unheralded young man
attempting to command the attention Of
the world! AS we'll some little fishing vii
lage on Long Island shore attempt to ar
raign New York. Yet no sooner does He
set His foot in the towns or cities of Judea
than everything is in commotion. The
people go out on picnic, taking only food
enough for day, yet are so fascinated
with Christ that, at the risk of starving,
they follow Him out iuto the wilderness.
A nobleman falls down fiat before Him and
says: "My daughter is dead" A beggar
tries to rub the dimness from his eyes, and
says, lord, that my eyes may be opened. !"
A poor, sick, painting woman presses
through the crowd, and says: 81 must touch
the hem of His garment" Children who
love their mother better than any one else
-. L. .,,ko 70, lie
His cheek and to run their fingess through
in love with the little ones that there is
hardly nursery in Chrstendom from
which He does not take one, saying: 81
must have them. I will fill heaven with
these; for every cedar that I plant in hea-
ven l will have fifty white lilies In the
hour when I was poor man in Judea they
were not ashamed of Me, and now that I
have came to a throne I do net despise
them. Hold it not back, oh weeping
mother; lay it on my warm heart. Otsuch
is the kingdom of heaven"
Again, 1 remark, there was no organisa-
ton in His behalf, and that was against
Him. When men propose any great work
they band together, they write letters OF
agreement, they take oaths of fealty; and
the more and complete the organisation the
more and complete the success. Here was
One who went forth without any organisa-
tion and alone. If men had mind to join
in His company, all right; if they had a
mind not to join in His company, all well.
If they came they were greeted with nc
loud salutation; if they went away they
were sent with no bitter anathema Peter
departed, and CHI ist turned and looked at
him. That was all!
All this was against Him. Did any one
ever undertake such an enterprise amidst
such infinite e,nbarrassments and by such
modes? And yet am here to say it ended
in a complete triumph. Notwithstanding
His worldly occupation, His poverty, His
plain face, His unpretending garb, the fac
that He was schoelless, the fact that FL
had a brief life, the fact that He was no
accc ccmpanisd by any visible organisation
notwithstanding all that, in an exhilaratiol
which shall be prolonged in everlasting cho
rails: Il have finished the work Thou caves
me to do"
See Him victorious over the forces Of ma
ture. The SEA is crystal sepulchre. ]
swallowed the Central America, the Pres
dent, and the Spanish Armada as easily a
any fly that ever floated on it. The inlan