The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-09
FOLLOWING JESUS AFFAIR OFF.


giving us life; that He is not driving US away
from Him, but leading us home.
FOLLOWING JESUS AFFAIR OFF.
sermon ut Trinity Church by Rev. John
+. ven Rerrlich.
The Rev. John r. Won Herrlich preached at
Trinity church Sunday morning, at Ballard in
the afternoon, and IT st. Clements in the even
ing. The subject of Mr.. Won Herrlich's vigor-
Gus discourse at Trinity church was: "Follow-
ing Jesus Altar Or" from the text:
Matt. xxvi:22s-"But Peter followed Him afar
of unto the high priests palace, and wet in
and sat with the servants to see the end"
The reverend speaker gave a clear and in
Sstructive analysis of Peters character-im-
pulsive under favorable conditions and eircum-
stances; the zeal to cry out: Though all men
should forsake Thee. yet viii never forsske
Thee" Yet when the crucial test camo that
impulsive, though superficial, zeal weakened.
Mr.. Won Hsrrlich dweit upon the fact that there
are many who sing and shout, who are willing
TO undertake great things under atmospheric
high pressure, put who cool down and feel quite
different when the hight pressure of excitement
not always tell how much we would
do or sacrifice by momsntary i'm
pulse. The matter of feeling or emotion
is often only little more or less of nervous
susceptibility, the result of excitement or i'm
pulse. There are many who will stand up and
sing with all the power of their peculiar and
often discordant vocal accomplishments: "Wers
the whole realm OF nature mine, that were q
tribute far too small" and at the same time be
rumaging through their pockets for . two-cent
piece or q nickel to put in the collection to help
the great work along. But look at the narrative
and learn how that same Peter, after he had
drawn near TO the Divine Christ In spiritual and
moral nearness gave his life for Him. The little
band of Chri,t's followers were hesitating and
wavering. A handful of men with no orgaaiza-
ton, no creed, nothing to hold them together
but their faith and love for Jesus, their now ap-
parently defeated Master! But they still chung
in faith and love to his darkening destiny. But
Peter was in q state of doubt, whatever was the
power his love for Christ inspired, it weakened
at that critical moment. He could not run
up close beside him. There was a subtle fasci-
nation--he felt himself drawn-so che followed
Jesus afar of and entered into the
palace and sat with the servents to see
the end" "And q damsel came unto him
saying thou also vast with Jesus of Galilee, but
he denied Him before them all saying know
not what thou sayest.' That made Peter feel
awfully uncomfortable We all know that Pc
culiar feeling of shame and confusion which
comes over one who has done some mean and
unworthy action; well, Peter felt just that way;
place and went out into the porch, "snd an
other maid saw him there and said unto them
that were there this fellow was also with Jesus
of Nazareth, and again he denied with an oath
saying, ~ do not know the man." He was
right. He did not know the man, only by the
outside, just az 30 many today only know their
Savior by the outside; by creed and dogma; by
painting and history. He knew Christ by form
and appearance, but that knowledge which can
only come through spiritual contact ana spirit
ual oneness he had not Ny friends. is your
Christ the Christ OF Q book or \ creed, or the
Christ of history, or is he q personal loving
Savior2 How much intellectual or spiritual
knowledge would you gain OF any one by simply
reading Of them or seeing steel cut or paint
ing of them2 There are many, alas, who follow
Christ afar of, who do not know the man in
any deep consciousness OF soul and spirit. They
follow the Christ of book, but He is not in the
book. They follow Him in a creed, but He is
not in creeds and dogmas. Christ, your Christ
and my Christ, can only come to US through the
contact of mind and spirit. The reverend
speaker dwelt upon the many ways in which
people "follow Christ afsr or"
There are so many who are following Christ
afar of-lost In . maze of self-made doubts and
speculations. There are 80 many who have
wandered off like the weary, burdened prodigal,
not ute able TO give up the blessed faith of the
dear old home and the loving memories OF their
early childhood, and that sweet, sainted mother
form OF that childhood's Christ, dim and
snowy. They cannot give 10 all up, so, like
Peter of old, they follow afar OFF and sit in the
gloom and chill OF the porch instead OF coming
Oh, my friends, by all the tender memories of
the past; by the faith and love that illumined
the dying brow of your sainted mother; by
real and personal to you. beseech you to give
up the attitude of half-hearted, far Off follower
of Jesus Ny friends, the practical answer to
the ques ton, what Is In TINS Isligion? meets
laden; the sad and restless ones all along the
way of life; the signs and regrets over wasted
hours and sinful rnemoriesl have listened to
many sobs and groans. ! have seen many faces
worn and pallid with trials aud sufferiDgs, but
never have seen any one who regretted having
lived near to Christ in deveut and holy contact!
cry, "Who will show US any good" and
yet they have never tested the glory
and power of the religion of Christ by
an inner personal experience How many there
are who really think they know Christ, but
whose knowledge is no deeper nor higher than
their historical knowledge of Garibaldi or Grant
or Washington. How many names there are on
earthly church registers that are not yet written
In the LAMBS Book of Life, the records OF
heaven. How many there are who are now fol-
lowing Christ afar off who can hardly stir up
their spiritually dead natures to 60 TO the
church of Christ one hour out of q whole week
OF them. How many of them can look back to
the sweet singing days when the name of Christ
sounded sweet in their ears and the Sabbath
day seemed strangely bright and radiant The
power, the beauty and sweetness are all gone,
and they follow the Christ of those earlier,
happier days "afar off," and like Peter OF old,
they practically denied him.
How many of you feel this morning that your
hopes and prayers have grown fewer and weaker
and your faith less joyful and buoyant? How
many of you who felt that Christ was near by
in the midst Of your trials and sorrows, when
your little one was taken away and the angel
seemed gone from the household, or when the
place of some loved one was silent and vacant,
and voice seem to speak out OF the gloom and
stiffness: "Fear not / am with thee?" How
many of you at such times drew near to the
Lord and felt the sweet consciousness of His
near presence? Yet when time alleviated your
grief you removed further and further away,
until like Peter, you followed him afar of, or
by your irreligious and neglectful life you prac-
tically denied him! Oh. how much it some
times takes to bring some souls to God; how
much 1t takes to make some natures realize that
heaven is more important than this earth! The
speaker gave a graphic scene OF something he
had not long ago witnessed. With that worldly
but devoted daughter we stood near the
cried. "Oh, Mr.. Won Herrlich," she cried, "pray
that God will spare my motherP' But the
Lord willed otherwise. We caught the last low
ing glance. We heard the last gasp-ths silver
cord had snapped, and "the pitcher lay broken
at the fountain" Like figure chisled from
stricx en- dumb-dazed! There is a sorrow too
deep for words: there 10 a grief too awful for
utterance. Have you never felt it? / have.
Then she gave one of those dumb, incoherent
sobs which believe move the very sympathies
and tears of Gods lowering angels. She was
beyond the reach of all human confort-the
painful hush was only broken when she cried,
.'Cruel, cruel for God to take my sweet-my
mother from mel" One year afterward-in that
very room, that now sanctified child, drawn
near to God through trial and suffering, said
nMy mother seems SO near at times, or IL may
be am nearer to heaven, for she is there, and
where Our treasure is there will our heart DO
also" Oh, for anything, the erucible or the
furnace, that will bring US nearer 10 Him and
nearer TO heaveni My friends, God is true,
heaven IL real and life is eternal in His king
dom beyond this. We are told OF .
Ia