The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-08
PRISONERS or JESUS CHRIST.
By THEODORE L. cUyLER, D. D.

self servant Of Christ sometimes IAN
apostle, and sometimes IAN ambassa-
dor in chains" One day he wrote a
letter-short ard sweet-to his Colos.
sian friend Philemon about his poor
BROTHER Onesimus. lie looks at the fet-
tiers on his wrist and at the Pretorian
guard besides him and begins his epis-
tie with the brave cheerful words,
Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ" He
is not in bonds as an evil doer. but for
well doing. lie is the ambassador of
King infinitely greater than all Roman
Caesars, and, like John in Patmos, he is
shut up in captivity for the testimony
Of Jesus. Therefore. as a brilliant
preacher has truly said, he wears his
manacles as proudly as a bride might
wear the bracelet which her husband
had clasped on her arm" 1t is only
his SCARED and weather-beaten body
that is bound his imperial soul is free,
and no happier man than he can be
found within the gates of Rome.
Perhaps these lines may be read by
many of God people who are confined
TO their houses by chronic sickness OF
by the infrmities of age. In my own
flock are several devoted Christians,
who have not been able TO enter the
house of God for many years;
some are too old to venture out. and
others are suffering iuvalids. | am ac-
custOmed to call these the prisoners of
Christ. - aud when visit them, it is as
much for the good they do to me as for
any good that can do them. What
eloquent sermons they preach to me on
the beauty of submissive patience and
on the supporting power of the Ever
out of these rooms of sickness, feeling
utterly ashamed of myself that | ever
murmur at anything, or even indulge
many complainings at the provldential
dealings Of loving God One of these
chronic sufferers IS a sweet. refined
and cultured young lady, who for long
years has never had any other outing"
than 10 be removed from one room to
another in her fathers house. But
wherever her bed Of pain is placed, the
blessed Jesus is with her. The Shep-
herd knoweth all his flock and Just
where each one Of them is pastured; he
calleth them all by name. Another of
these prisoners of Christ has been kept
from church for twenty years by intense
rheumatic sufferings; yet the Lord Of
the sanctuary visits her. and feeds her
with the sweetest of his heavenly man
ma. Sometimes when l quote some
bright passage of consolation, or read
some cheering psalm, a happy smile
plays across her face which is distorted
by the agonies of protracted disease.
What are any of my poor sermons in
comparison with her eloquent and ma
ieetic hymn of patience To speak for
Christ or to work for Christ is easy and
pleasant; but TO bear for Christ either
pain or poverty or reproach with
courageous patience is far higher
triumph Of golly achievement.
just rhy the loving Master confines
some Of his choicest and best in rooms
of suffering and cripples others of them
in body and in purse, we cannot always
tell. One thing Is very clear and that
is that he does not mean to cripple their
usefulness. No portion of Paul S won
derful career was productive of more
solid results than the years of his i'm
kingdom of God to those about him I'M
oil there were many converts IN
"Casar's household He wrote seven
out of his thirteen undisputed epistles
while he was the prison chaplain under
the eye of tyrant Neso's jailers-one of
these was the letter 10 Phlllippi
which is the epistle of gratitude
for divine mercies and of exultant
Joy under sharp Affections. If the
cages OF birds are sometimes covered
up in order TO make them slug. then
the old hero was Gagged to furnish to
the world one OF its most melodious
epics of sublime faith in Jesus. Satan
afterward clapped John Bunyan into a
prison aud 10 out of the windows Of
Bedford Jail fioated the transcendent
allegory Of the Pilgrims Progress "
Old John Brown. of Ossawotamie, did
more while an imprisoned Samson in
Virginia to pull down the pillars of the
house Of Negro bondage than if he had
been at the head of an army of emanci-
patton.
The service Of Jesus Christ is not linn
tied by any stress Of circumstances. A
sick chamber has often been made a
chosen spot for clarifying God. The
celebrated HalyburtOn, Of Scotland,
welcomed scores of visitors to that
room in st. Andrew :. where they stood
around bis bedside and listened to
words that seemed TO be inspired by a
glimpse Of Heaven from the land OF
Beulah. None OF his previous sermons
,qualled HE discoursiugs from that
bed CT suffering. THIS is the best pull
PIT, said he, II was ever in. am laid
on this bed for this vefy end that may
commend my Lcsd.' lac called it
shaking hands with the King
OF Terrors. after night Of
agonizing pain hs said to bis wife
Jesus came to me in the third
watch Of the night, walking upon the
waters. aud no ssid unto me, am Alpha
aud Omega. the beginning aud the end {,
and have the keys OF death. He