Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-06-14

he perspiratiOn gathering on Rls temples ana
notice the fatigue Of his arm, End as he stops
moment to rest l see him painting, his hand
IN his side. from the exhaustion. Now he
roes forth in the morning loaded with nipple
ments Of work heavier than any modern XII
Of tools. Under the tropical sun he swelters.
Lifting, pulling, adjusting, cleSving, splt-
ting, all day long. At nighttall he goes
home to the plain supper provided by ms
mother and sits down too tired to tank. !
Work. work. work. You cannot tell .
Christ anything now about clustered /
hands or aching ankles or bruised fingers or (
stiff joints, or rising in the moHing as urea
as when YOU laid down. While yet boy he /
kne,v if all. he felt it all, he suffered it all.
The how carpenter! The boy wagon maker!
The boy house builderl o Christ, we have seen +
thee when full grown in Pilates police court
room: we have seen thee, when full grown
thou vert assassinated on GOlgotha; but, .
Christ, let all the weary artisans and me-
chanics of the earth see thee, while yet UNI
dersized and arms not yet muscularized, and
with the undeveloped strength Of juvenes-
cence. TRYING to take thy fathers place IN
gaining the livelihood for the family.
CHRIST WITH THE DOCTORS.
Rut having seen Christ the boy Of the
show Won a more marvellous scene, Christ the
smooth proved lad among the long bearded,
white haired, high foreheaded eccleSiastics
NJ the Temple Hundreds Of thousands of
strangers had come to Jerusalem to keep a
great religious festival After the hospitable
homes were crowded with visitors the tents
were spread all around the city to shelter
immense throngs of strangers. 1t was very
easy among the vast throngs coming and
GOING to lose a child. More than two million
peopie have been known to gather at Jerusa-
lem for that national feast You must not
think of those regions as sparsely settled.
The ancient historian Josephus says there
were in Cfalilee two hundred cities, the smallest
Of them containing fifteen thousand people
No wonder that amid the crowds at the time
spoken Of Jesus the boy was lost. His parents,
knowing that he was mature enough and
agile enough TO take care Of himself, are on
cir way home without any anxiety, sup
nosinr that their boy is ooh.,-. ~ sns,,a,,t
the groups. But after a while ~ - a ter
he is lost, and with flushed cheek ana -
rorized look they rush this way and thai,
saving: Have you seen anything Of my boyl
He is twelve years Of age, Of fair complexion,
and has blue eyes and auburn hair. Have
they 70 in hot haste in and out the streets, in
and ont the private houses, and among the
surrounding hills. For three days they search
and inquire, wondering if he has been tram
pied under foot Of some Of the throngs, or
has ventured on the cliffs and fallen off a
precipice. Send through all the streets and
lanes of the city, and among all the surround
ing hills that most dismal sound; "a lost
child A lost childn And lol after three
DAYS they discover him in the great Temple,
seated among the mightiest religionists of
all the world The walls Of no other building
ever looked down on such scene. A child
twelve years old surrounded by septuagena-
rians, he asking his own questions and an
1 swering theirs Let me introduce you &c
1 some of these ecclesiastics: This is the great
/ Rabbin Simeoni This is the venerable Hill
lell This is the famous Shammaii ThesC
are the sons of the distinguished Betirah
What can this twelve year lad teach them OF
what questions can he ask worthy their cogi
tationl All. the first time in all their live,
these religionists have found their match anC
more than their match. Though so young
he knew all about that famous Temple
under whose roof they held that mos
wonderful discussion Of all history, HI
knew the meaning of every altar, of every
sacrifice. of every golden candlestick, o
every embroidered curtain, of every cruml
of shew bread, of every drop Of oil in thai
sacred edifce He knew all about God II,
knew all about man He knew all abOu
heaven, for he came from it He knew al
about this world, for he made it. He knew
all worlds, Tor they were only the sparkling
morning dewdrops on the lawn in front o
his heavenly palace Put these seven Bib
words in a wreath Of emphasis; Both hear
ing them and asking them questions"
WHAT QUESTIONS DID HE ASK?
am not so much interested in the ques
lions they asked him as in the questions b.
asked them. He asked the questions not t
get information from the doctors, for b
knew it already, but to humble them b.
showing them the height and depth AM
length and breadth of their own Ignorance
While the radiant boy thursts these self con
ceited philosophers with the interrogation
point, they put the forehnger Of the RICH
hand to the temple as though to start thel
thoughts into more vigOr, and then the
: look upward and then they would wrinkl
their brows. and then by absolute silence O
in positive words confess their incapacit
to answer the interrOgatory. With an.
one of a hundred questions about the
/ ology, about philosophy, about astronC
nv. about time, about eternity, he ma
have baked them, Disconnected then
flung them fat Behold the boy Christ asl
9 ing questions, and listen when your chill
asks questions. He has the right to ask then
. The more he asks the better. Alas for th
stupidity Of the child without inquisitiveness
II is Christlike to ask questions Answe
them il you can. Do not say; Il can't
bothered now" 1t is your place to bothere
with questions If you are not able to al
swer. surrender aud confess your incapacitl
as have no doubt did Rabbin Simeon an
Hillel and Shammai and the sons OF Betira
when that splendid boy, sitting or standin
. there with a garment reaching from nee
to ankle, and girdled at the waist, pI
them to their wits end. 1t Is no d
+ GRACE to say; 81 don't know" The learne
! doctors who environed Christ that da
l in the Temple did not know or the
would not have asked him any question
; The only being in the universe who new
7 needs to say Il do not know" is the LoI
Il Almighty. The fact that they did not lInO
sent Keppler and Cuvier and Columbus ar
Humboldt and Herschel and Morse and S
William Hamilton and all the other of Il
y worlds mightiest natures into their lifelor
explorations. Telescope and microscope al
re stethoscope and electric battery and all Il
scientific apparatus of all the ages are on
. questions asked at the door Of mystery. B
e hold this Nazarene lad asking questions, gil
i ing everlasting dignity to earnest inter-
cation.
CHILDISH SIMPLICITY WANTED.
" But while see the old theologians standil
J, around the boy Christ l am impressed
=. never before with tine fact that what theolol
=. most wants is more Of childish simplicit
u The world and the church have built up il
e nlense systems of theology Half of them
y to tell what God thought, what God planne
Z, what God did five hundred million years
= fore the small star on which we live was CT
10 tied. have had many a sound sleep und
e sermons about the DEGREES Of God and {
T. eternal generation Of the Son, and discour.
= showing who Melchisedek wasn't and 81
.MaaMHN