Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-10-12

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will do what you say. Now, the Lord
Jesus Christ says: You are il need OF
pardon and life and heaven, you can
have them if you come and get thcln:'''
You say: II can't come and ask first.
lam afraid you won't give it to me. y
Then you are unbelieving. But you
say: II will come and ask. know,
Lord Jesus, thou art in earnest about
this matter. | como asking for par
don. Thou hast promised to give it to
me- thou wilt give it to ME, thou hast
given it to me- That is faith. Do you
sec it YETI "Oh," says some. one, 81
can't understand it" No man ever
did, without divine help. Faith is the
gift of God. You say: "That throws
the responsibility off my shoulders. >
No. Faith is the gift of God, but d
comes in-answer to prayer.
All over glorious is my Lord.
lie must be loved and yet ndored;
q His worth If all the nations knew,
Sure Ehsghole ssEth would seSs Him. t9s
LOOKING TO JESUS. y
remark again, that we must look
to Jesus as an example Now, u mere
copyist, you know, is always failure.
If a painter go to a portfolio or gal
lery of art, however exquisite, to get
his idea of the natural world from
these pictures, he will not succeed as
well rs the artist who starts out and
dashes the dew from the grass and
sees the morning just us God built it
in the clouds, or poured il upon the
mountain, or kindlcd it upon the sea.
People wondered why Turner, the ia
nous English painter, succeeded so
well in sketching storm upon the
ocean. 1t remained wonder until ii
was found out that several times lie
had been lashed 10 the deck in the
midst OF a tempest and then looked
out upon the wrath Of the sea, and
coming home 10 his studio, he pic
tured the tempest. 1t is not the copy
list who succeeds, but the man who
confronts the natural world. So if a
man III literary composition resolves
that he will initiate the smootlness Of
Addison, or the rugged vigor OF Car
lyle. or the wcirlncss Of Spenser or
the cpigrmmatic style OF Ralph
Waldo Emerson, lie will not succeed
as well as that man who cultures his
own natural style. What is true in
this respect is true in respect to char
acter. There were men who were fas-
cinated with Lord Byron. BE was
lame and wore very large collar
Then there were tens of thousands Of
men who resolved that they would be
just like Lord Byron: and they limpcd
and wore large collars, but they did
not have any of his genius. You cam
not successfully copy man whether
lie is bad or good. You may take the
very lest man that ever lived and Try
and live like him, and you will make
failure. There never was better
man than Edward Payson. Many
have read his biography, not under.
standing that he was sick man, and
they thought they were growing in
grace because they we're growing like
him in depression of spirit. There
were men to copy Cowper, the poet,
glorious man, but sometimes atflict-
ed with melancholy almost to insan
ity. The copyists got Cowper's faults
but none OF lis virtues.
There never was but one Being fit
to copy. A few centuries ago he
came out through humble surround
ings, and with a gait and manner and
behavior different from anything the
world had seen. Among all classes
OF people he was perfect model.
Among fishermen, he showed how
fisherman should act. Among tax
gathers, he showed how taXgathers
Should act Among lawyers, he
showed how lawyers Should act.
Among farmers, he showed how far
mcrs Should act. Among rulers, he
showed how rulers should act. Critics
tried to find III his conversation or
sermons something unwise or unkind
OF inaccurate; but they never found
it. They watched him, oh how they
watched him! He never went into a
house but they knew it, and they
knew how long he stayed, and when
he came out, and whether he had
wine for dinner. Slandcr twisted her
Whips and waggcd her poisoned
tongue and set Der traps, but could
not catch him. Little children rushed
out to get from him Il kiss, and old
men tottercd out to the street corner
to sec him pass.
Do you want an Illustration of Gle.
votion, behold him whole nights in
prayer. Do you want an example Of
suffering, see his path across Palestine
tracked with blood. Doyou want an ex-
ample OF patience, see him abused and
never giving one sharp retort. Doyou
want mi example Of industry, see him
without one idle moment. Do you
want q specimen of sacrifice, look at
his lifcof self denial, his death of igno-
miny, hissepulcher Of humiliation. Oh
what an example! His feet wounded,
yet he submitted to the journey. Ills
back lacelAted, and yet he carried the
cross. Struck, he never struck back
again. Condemned, yet lie rose high
er than his calumniators, and with
wounds III his hands and wounds in
his feet and wounds on his brow and
wounds in. lis side, he calculated:
..Fatllcr forgive them, they know not
what they do. All, my brethren,
that is the pole by which to. set your
compass, that is the headland by
which to steer, that is the light by
which to l1indle your lamps, that is the
example that we ought all to follow.
How il would smooth out the rough
ness in our disposition, and the world
would be impressed by the transforma-
lion and would say: Il know what is
the matter with that mam, he.llas been
with Jesus and has learned of him.
Alexander was going along with his
army in Persia and the snow and ice
were 50 great that the army halted and
said: We can't march any further.