The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-10-23

80
prayer. f
All oyer glorious ID my Lord. ~ht leA
He must be loved and vet adored;
His worth II all the nations knew,
Sure that the whole earth would love Him, ~
I remark again, that we must look to
Jesus as an example. ;. Now, mere
copyist, you know, is always failure.
If painter go to a portfolio or a gal
lery Of art, however exquisite, to get
his idea of the natural world from these
pictures, he will not succeed as we'll as the
artist who starts out and dashes the dew
from the grass and sees the morning
Just as God built it in the clouds, or
poured it upon the mountain, or kin
died it upon the sea. People wondered
why Turner, the famous English paint
err, succeeded SO well in sketching Q
storm upon the ocean. 1t remained q
wonder until it was found out that sew
eral times he had been dashed to the deck
in the midst of tempest and then
looked out upon the wrath Of the sea,
and coming home to his studio, he pict-
ured the tempest. 1t is not the copyist
who succeeds, but the man who confronts
the natural world. So If a man
in literary composition resolves that
he will initiate the smoothness of Addi-
son, or the rugged vigor of Carlyle, or
the wierdness of Spenser, or the cpl
grammatic style of Ralph Waldo Emer-
son, he will not succeed as we'll as that
man who cultures his own natural style.
What is true in this respect is true in
respect to character. There were men
who were fascinated with Lord Byron.
He was lame and wore a very large col
lar. Then there were tens of thousands
of men who resolved that they would be
just like Lord Byron, and they limped
and wore large collars, but they did not
have, any of his genius Yon can not
successfully copy "a man whether he is
bad or good. You may take the very
best man that ever lived and try and
live like him, and you will make fail
ure. There never was better man than
Edward Payson. Many have read his
biography, not understanding that he
was asick man, and they thought they
were growing in gracebecause they were
growing like him in depression of spirit.
There were men to copy Cowper, the
poet, a glorious man, but sometimes af-
flicted with melancholy almost to in
sanity. The copyists got Cowper's faults,
but, nonepf his virtues. bgS, r..
=. There never was but one being fit to
copy. A few centuries ago he came out
through humble surroundings, and with
gait and manner and behavior differ
ent from any thing the world had seen.
Among all classes of people he was a
perfect model Among fishermen he
showed how 1, fishermen should act.
AmoAg tax-gatherers he showed how
tax-gatherers shouldact. Among lawyers
he showed how lawyers should act
Among farmers he showed how farmers
should act. Among rulers he showed
how rulers should act. Critics tried to
find in his conversation or sermons
something unwise or unkind or inaccur-
ate; but they never found 1t. They
watched him, 0 howithey watched him!
He never went into house but they
knew it, and they knew how long he stay
ed, and when he came Out.and whether he
had wine for dinner. Slander twisted
her whips and wagged her poisoned
tongue and set her traps, but could not
catch him. Little children rushed out
to get from him kiss, and old men tot
tered out to the street corner to see him
pass. .H #rt5 .su VI
Do you want an illustration, Of devo-
ton, behold Him whole nights in prayer.
Do you want an example of suffering,
see His path across Palestine tracked
with blood. Do you want an example
of patience, see Him abused and never
giving one sharp retort. Do you want
an example of industry, see Him with
out one idle moment. Do you want a
specimen of sacrifice, look at His life of
self denial, His death of ignomy, His
sepulcher of humiliation. o. what an
example! His feet wounded, yet He
submitted to the journey. His back
lacerated. and yet He carried the cross.
Struck, He never struck back again.
Condemned, yet He rose higher than His
calum niators, and with wounds in His
hands and wounds in His feet and wounds
on His brow, and wounds in His side. He
calculated: "Father, forgive them, they
know not what they do" All, my breth-
rem, 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 kindle your lamps, that is the exam
pie that we ought all to follow. How
it would smooth out the roughness in
our disposition, and the world would be
impressed by the transformation and
would say: 81 know what is the mat
ter with that man; he has been with
Jesus and has learned of Him."
Alexander was going along with his
army in Persia and the snow and ice
were so great that the army halted and
said: ''We can't march any further.
Then Alexander dismounted from his
horse, took pickaxe, went ahead of his
army and struck into the ice and snow
The soldiers said: 'If he can do that
we can do ii" and they took their picks
and soon the way was cleared and the
army marched on. So our Lord dis
mounted from His glory, and through all
icy obstacles news path for Himself and
path for us, saying: Follow me!
do not ask you to go through any suffer
ing, or fight any battles where l do moi
lead the way! Follow mew
Again remark, that we are to lool
to Christ as sympathizer. Is there
any body in the house to-day who doe.
not want sympathy? do not know how
any body can live without sympathy
There are those, however, who have gone
through very rough paths in life wht
had no divine,ar to lean ON. How they
got along do not exactly know. Theil
| fortunes took wings in some unfortunate
investment and few away. The banl
failed, and they buttoned up pennies!
pocket. Ruthless spectators carried Of
the fragments of an estate they were
twenty-five years in getting with hart
work. How did they stand itwithou
Christ? Death came into the nurser,
and there was an empty crib. One voice
less in the household. One fountain
less. of joy and laughter. Two hand
less, busy all day long in sport. Tw,
| feet less to go bounding and rompin.
| through the hall. Two eyes less t.