Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-25

~ ~. Wv ~ iot' Vut NC Iisheu no eOCiai DO.
sltlon IN doing that. II is always safe to
wealth or social position IN FOLLOWING
Christ, but took a position IN 1 tree 4,
LOOK down as He passed NIcodemus.
wealthy Nicodemus, risked nothing OF so'
clal position In following Christ, for he
skulked by night to find Him.
All this was against Christ SO the fact
tnat lie was not regularly graduated was
against Him, IL man comes With the
diplomas OF colleges and schools and the
ological semlnarles, and he has been
through foreign travel, the world is dis.
posed To listen. There was a man who
had graduated at no college; had not in
any academy by ordinary means learned
the alphabet of the language he spoke,
aud yet he proposed to talk, to instruct
In subjects which had COMPOUNDED
THE MIGHrIEsr INTKLIECTs.
John says: "The Jews marveied, SAYING,
how hath this man letters, having never
learned?n
We in our day have found out that a
man without diploma may know as
much as man with one, and that a col
lege cannot transform sluggard into a
philosopher, or a theological seminary
teach fool to preach. An empty head
after the laying on of hands OF the pres
bytery is empty still. But 1t shocked all
existing pfejudlces in those olden times
for man with no scholastic pretension
and no graduation from n learned insti-
tuition, 10 set himself up for teacher. IL
was oil against him.
Sc also the brevitY of His life was
against Him. He hadlnot come to what
we call mid-life. But very few men do
anything before thirty three years of age,
and yet that was the point at which
Christs life terminated. The first fifteen
you take in nursery and school. Then it
will take you at least six years to get into
your occupation or profession. That will
bring you TO twenty-one years. Then it
will take you ten years at least to get es-
tabllshed Ia your life work, correcting
the mistakes you. have made. II 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 1t, but the most wonderful exploits In
military prowess have occurred before
thlrty-three years of age. But as a legls.
lator, no man becomes eminent as legis.
lator until he has had long years of ex-
perience. And yet the gray-behrded
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.
II child twelve years of age
should get up In your presence
to discuss great questions OF
metaphysics, or ethics, or politics, OF
government, you would not be more CON
temptuous than these gray.bearded
scribes In the presence of this young
Christ.
Popular opinion declared in those days
BLESSED is the merchant who has a cas-
tie down on the banks of Lake Tiberias."
This young man said; "Blessed are the
poor" Popular opinion said in those
days: "Blessed are those who live amid
statuary, and fountains, and gardens, and
congratulations, and all kinds of festiv-
lty." 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 inficts cruelty upon its enc
mics" This young man responded:
"Blessed are the merciful" Popular
opinion said: "An eye for an eye, a tooth
for tooth.n In other words, IL a man
knocks your eye out, knock his out. II d
man breaks your tooth, break his. Re
tort for retort; sarcasm for sarcasm
irony for irony; persecution for persecu-
ton; wound for wound. Christ said
"Pray for them that despitefully use
you"
They looked at his eye, 1t was like any
other mans eye, except perhaps more
speaking. They felt his hand, made OF
bones and muscle, and nerves and flesh
Just like any other hand. Yet what bold
treatment Of subjects, what supernatural
demands, what strange doctrinel They
felt the solid earth under them, and yet
Christ said ~ bear up the pillars of thit
world" They looked at the moon, he
J said ~ will turn IL into blood" They
looked at the sea, he said; ~ will hust
, IT." They looked at the stars, he said
~ will shake them down like untimely
figs" Did ever one so young say things
so boldp 1t was all against Him.
; After the battle of Antietam, when {
general rode along the lines, although tn,
soldiers were lying down exhausted, they
ROSE WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM
and huzzaed. AS Napoleon returned from
J his captivity, his first step on the whar
shook all the Kingdoms, and 100000 me.
, fiocked to his standard. 1t took 300t
troops to watch him In his exile. 81
/ there have been men OF wonderful mag
| netism of person. But hear me while
tell you Of poor young man who cam'
J up from Nazareth to produce thrill
/ which has never been excited by AM
other. Napoleon had around him tai
! memories of Marengo, and Austerlitz
I and Jena; but here was a man who haC
| fought no battles, who wore mol epAul
/ cites, who brandished no sword. He had
! probably, never seen prince, or shaker
/ hands with noblemah. The only ex
! traordinary person we know as being il
his company was his own mother, ant
/ she was so poor, that in the most deli
] cate and solemn hour that ever comes 4
a woman's soul, she was obliged TO III
I down, camel-driyers grooming the beasts