Morning journal and courier., 1891-06-01
A STRIKING SERMON.

A STRIKING SERMON.
 The Discourse Delivered by Rev. J. HI. Mason at the First Baptist Church Yesterday Morning.
 At the First Baptist church yesterday morning the pastor, Rev. MT. Mason, preached before large congregation from the words,
 John, xiii, 7: "what I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter
 After introductory remarks the pastor, proceeding, said:
 So the text this morning seems to fall naturally into two parts. One half of it tells us that Jesus is working, often mys- teriously, in the life of his disciples, and that those disciples may fail utterly at the time to understand what Jesus is doing or why he does it. The other half tells us that the explanation is surely coming by and by. So over tho first half you might write tDarkness'' and over the second half you might write 'Iight'-for the first half tells us that we are blind and the second half tells us that we shall see. We can endure the darkness of the night as we toss restless upon the pillow when we think that the world is rolling toward the light. Who minds the darkness that endureth for night if he know that joy cometh in the morninga
 So let this be the first thought for us to fix and to carry away:
 I. It is Jesus who is working in 8 Christians life, though the Christian may often fail to understand the meaning of Jesus work.
 Yes, it is Jesus who is present and who works in the life of the Christian disciple. Jesus was active in this world before the | world ever saw him. turn back to the first chapter of Genesis and I read: "God created the heaven and the earth" I turn forward to the first chapter of Johns | gospel and read: 'In the beginning l was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God" I turn forward to the first chapter of Colessians and read: "By him Gesus) were all things created, all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things and by him all things consist" can believe that God had purpose in the creation of every object that has come from his hand. I can believe that he has a special and en- dearing interest in everything which he has created. But the whole book of his revelation tells me that all of these earthly objects, that which claims Gods chiefest interest and that which has called out the supreme exhibition of his love is man. Again this same book tells me that the man who recognizes Gods love and re- spends to it, the man who loves God be- | cause God first loved him, that man shall have place in Gods thought and Gods man on earth can claim. The promises of God shall bud and blossom in splendor and bring forth fruit in profusion, especi- ally for him. The dying prayer of Jesus was especially for him: 'I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast | given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine and thine are mine; and am glorifed in them. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil"
 Jesus thought while he was living and his thought while he was dying was fol those who loved him here on earth His life was one of long process of sell giving and his death on the cross was kind of fitting continuation to life | which had been pouring itself out for oth CTS from the first moment of his human l consciousness. But never was any mar | misunderstood as Jesus was. His owr mother failed to understand him; his ow1 brethren thought his mind was unbalanced His own disciples, even after years oi training, thought his kingdom was to be earthly. Their imagination delighted it self with the vision of marching legioni and waving banners and shouts of victory Their fancy painted thrones and swung sceptres. They thought they saw them power which they yielded. But ah, how wide they were of the truth. Jesus wal making plans for them, but not such plan as these. Jesus had something for then infinitely better than all this.
 He tried as far as he could to lead then into the thought of these better thing, which were for them. And when he wa going away he told them of better work
 than this and a nobler life; he told then
 that they should live, that life eterna
 should be their portion. More than thi
 place for them; told them that ther
 were many mansions, heavenly mansions
 ahead, and that he would go and be get
 ting them ready. It seems as if he had il
 mind the thought of each one's peculiarity
 each one's taste even, and that the man
 sions were to be fitted up accordingly
 However that may be, he assured then
 that while he was thus engaged he woul
 never lose sight of them, and that by an
 by he would come again and receive then
 unto himself. Where he was, there hi
 disciples were to be. Their highest jo
 should be ill companionship with him, an'
 his joy, perhaps, his highest joy should b
 in companionship with them.
 Does it seem strange to you that whil
 Jesus whole thought was busy for then
 they should fail to understand his thought ! It does not seem strange to me. Notic the difference in situation-his and theirs Jesus knew this creature whom he ha, formed. He knew him through ant through. He knew his strength; he knev his weakness. All history was before hin who was the ever present, everywhere, an, who knew all things, the most hidden g well as the dearest revealed. Not onl,
 was the past before his eye but the futur as well. He not only saw what man hat
 been and was, but he also saw just a
 clearly what man was to be. He saw hin
 innocent; he saw him fallen; he saw hin redeemed. He saw how the plans of Got had shaped themselves from eternit, chiefly in the interest of this same falle1 man. Here he was in the very midst O his work in carrying out those plans, ant yet with all the worlds and the hopes ant the plans of the worlds constantly in hi vision. And in all this tumultuous lift the one thing that was ever the first in hi l UnOuSuUS was Iuo uoluS Iue IaGner s Will II the salvation of lost humanity. The stal of Bethlehem which marched acros the plains and which stood about the man ger-we hear of it no more. But the high purpose which shone through al his life was brighter than the star o1 Bethlehem and it shone brightest of all over Calvary.
 Now, then, get mans point of view and see what different point it is. When you drop from Christ's point to mans, ii seems like coming down out of the pure air and radiant sunshine of mountain summits into the shadow and foulness oi the high-walled narrow alleys of the city. What do the men who go stumbling through the alleys know of the freedom and the splendor of the mountain peaks Their vision is narrow; their thought is contracted yesterday is behind them; to morrow-let it take care of itself to-day I-we'll somehow manage to get through it. That is the exact condition of many men to-day and it is not bad type il seems to me for the race. Because the world over, men at large are living to-day a little narrow life; thinking only ot themselves and chiefly of to-day. Jesus tries to get them up. But it is long way from the city alley to the mountain peak. They tell us that many of the HoI,;1J ro,, 1,,l,o ra 1,ror i,