The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-10-19

NNAAN y va wa
was a belt r man than Edward Payson.
Many nave read his biography, not UNDER
standing that he was a very sick man, and
they thought they were growing in grace
because they were growing like him in
depression of spirit. There were men to
copy Cowper, the poet, a glorious man,
but Sometimes afflicted with melancholy
almost to insanity. The copyists got
Cowper's faults, but none Of his virtues.
There never was but one Being fit to
COPY. A few centuries ago He came out
through humble surroundings and with a
gait and a manner and behavior different
from any thing the world had seen. Among
all clas ses of people He was a perfect
model. Among tishermen He showed how
fishermen should act. Among taxgather-
ers He showed how taxgatherers should
act. Among lawyers He showed how
lawyers should act. Among farmers He
showed how farmers snoul | act. Among
rulers He showed how rulers should act
Critics tried to find In His conversation
or sermons something unwise or unkind
or inaccurate; but they never found 1t.
They watched Him, oh how they watched
Himt He never went into u house but
they knew IL, and they knew how long He
stayed and when He came out, and
whether He had wine for dinner. Slander
twisted her whips and wagged her poi
soned tongue aud set her traps. but could
not catch Him. Little children rushed
out to get from Him a kiss and old men
tottered out to the street corner to see Him
pass.
Do you want an illustration of devotion,
behold Him whole nights in prayer. Do
you want an example of suffering, see His
path across Palestine tracked with blood.
Do want an example of patience, see Him
abused and never giving one sharp retort.
DO you want an example of industry, see
Him without one idle moment Do you
want a specimen of sacrifice, look at His
life of self denial. His death of ignominy,
His sepulcher of humiliation. o what an
examplel His feet wounded, yet He sub
mitted to the urney. His back lacer-
ated, and yet He carried the cross.
Struck. He never struck pack again.
Condemned, yet He rose higher
than His ca~luminators, and with
wounds in His hands and wounds in His
feet and wounds on his brow and Wounds
in His side, He calculated: ''Father for
give them, they know not what they do"
An, my BRETHREN, that is the pole by which
to set your compass, that Is the headland
by which to steer, that Is the liz h by
which to kindle your lamps, that is the
example that we ought all to follow.
How it would smooth out the roughness
in our disposition, and the world would b.
impressed by the transformation and
would say: ~ know what is the matter
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 ics were
so great that the army halted and said:
"Na can't march anv furthar Tha-
Alexander dismounted from his horse,
took a pickax, went ahead of his army
and struck into the ice and snow. The
soldiers said: "lf he can do that, we can
do it." and they took their picks and soon
the way was cleared and the army
marched on. So our Lord dismounted
from His glory and through all obstacles
hews a path for himself md a path for US.
saying: Follow Mel do not ak you to
go through any battles where / do not
lead the wayl Follow Mel"
Again l remark that we are to look to
Christ as a sympath ger. Is there any
body in the house to-day who does not
want sympathy l do not know how any
body can live without sympathy. There
are those, however. who nave gone
through very rough paths in life who had
no divine arm to lean on. How they got
along l do not exactly know. Their for
tune took wings in some unfortunate in
vestment and few away. The bank failed,
and they buttoned up a penniless pocket.
Ruthless Spectators carried off the frag-
ments of an estate they were twenty-five
years in getting with hard labor. How
did they stand it without CHRISTI Death
e9me into the nursery and there was an
f<Rpty crib. One VIC CO less in the house,
2ttA One fountain less of joy and laugh
tor. Two hands less. busy all day long In
sport. Two feet less to go bounding and
rompinR through the hall. Two eyes less
to beam with love and & a1nesS. Through
all that house shadow after shadow, shad-
ow after shadow, until 1t was midnight.
How did they get through it? / do not
know. They trudged the great Sahara
with no water in the goat skins. They
plunged to the chin in the slough of des-
pond and had no one to lift them. In All
unseaworthy craft they put into a black
Euroclydon.
My brother, my sister, there Is a balm
that cures the worst wound. There is u
light that will kindle up the worst dark
ness. There is a harbor from the toughest
ocean. You need and may have the
Saviour's sympathy. You can not get o.
this way. l see your body Is wearing
YOU Ou's DOuy anu ml0u anu Soul. i cOIl'
on no FOOLS errand to-day. l come with
a balm that can heal any wound. Are
you sick? Je-us was sick. Are you
weary? Jesus was weary? Are you
persecuted? Jesus was persecutedp Are
you bereaved? Did not Jesus weep over
Lazarus? Oh, yes, like a roe on the
mountains OF BetiIer jesus comes bound
ing to your soul to-day. There is one
passage Of Scripture, every word Of
Is a heart throb: "Come unto me,
all ye who are weary IL heavy laden,
and / will give you rest" Then there 10
another passage just as good: Cast thy
burden on the Lord and He will sustain
Oh, there are green pastures
the heavenly shepherd leads the
wounded and sick Of the flock.
The Son of God stands by the tomb of
Lazarus and will gloriously break it pen
at the right time. Gennesaret car not
toss its waves SO high that Christ can not
walk them. The cruise of oil will
multiply into illimitable supply. After
the orchard seems TO have been robbed Of
all it's fruit the Lori has one tree left full
OF golden and ripe supply. The requiem
may wall with gloom and with death, but
there cometh after awhile q song, a chant,
an anthem. a battle march, a Jubilee, a COR
W NO JOu hOb AOol tpO pAoubh VI
Christ's sympathy now, you wounded
ones, you troubled onesi II you do not
l would like to tell you of the chaplain
in the army who was wounded so he could
not walk, lut he heard at a distance
among the dying a man who said, 20
my God" He said to himself, II must
help that man though l can't walk"
So he rolled over and rolled through
his own blood and rolled on over many of
the slain, until he came where this poor
fellow was suffering and he preached to
him the comfort of the Gospel and with
his wound he seemed to soothe that mans
wound. 1t was sympathy going out to-
ward an objec; most necessitious and one
that he could easily understand. And so
il is with Christ; though wounded all over
Himself, He hears the cry of our repent-
ance, the cry Of our bereavement, the cry
of our poverty, the cry of our wretched-
ness, and He says: 81 must go and help
soul" and He rolls over with wounds
in head. wounds In hands, wounds in feet,
us, until he comes just where we
are weltering in our own blood, and He
puts His arm over u5-and l see 1t is a
hand-and as He throws His
arm over us / hear Him say: II have
thee with In everlasting love"
Again, we must look to Christ as our
1nal rescue. We can not with these eyes,
however good our sight may be. catch a
Of the heavenly land for WHICH
our souls long, But I have no more doubt
that beyond the cold river there is a place
Of glory and of rest than we have that
across the Atlantic ocean there is another
continent, But the heavenly land and
land land in mighty contrast,
This is bnrrenness and nat verdura.