Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

! 1891.
at last he makes the great discovery. It Il
an endeavor to End Christ.
The only efectual way to find Christ II
Andrews way. Follow the one best truth
you know Be the disciple of the best
teacher you can find. And when q higher
truth reveals itself, follow that And when
Q better teacher comes in sight, follow him.
First, the rabbi of Bethsal1a; then, John
the Baptist; and then, Jesus Christ. Every
new truth that we can learn brings us just
30 much nearer to Christ. Every good
thought that We can think takes US Just so
much closer, to Christ. Every mean, un-
worthy thought puts great distance be-
tween N and Him.
Where to Look for the Master.
We make mistake If We think Of Christ
q belonging to the past only, or to the
future only. We make . mistake If We
think Of the coming of Christ as an event
that happened long ago across the sea In
Syria, or as an event away off in unknown
tracts of time, when he will appear in the
clouds Of heaven at the Day Of Judgment.
The most important coming Of Christ for US
to think about is His coming now. Jesus
Christ lives here to-day in Pittsburg. He
wherever two or three of US should be
gathered in His name He warned US that
He would come In every opportunity of
daily life. Everybody that we have
chance to help, to comfort, to uplift, or to
make happy, even though he be the least,
the obscurest of our brother men, il the
Lord Christ Himself
Whoever comes often enough with desire
and devotion into the company Of the
Lords people. into the service of the Lords
house, is pretty sure to find Christ some
time. Everybody who stays away loses
that chance of finding Christ. Whoever
tries every day to be more helpful than he
was the day before; to minister in every
kindest and wisest way to the necessities Of
men, to make all those who know him bet
ter and happier because they look into his
face and hear his voice; whoever goes about
doing good, as Jesus did, will find Him
some time.
Seeking the Holy Grail
One Of the notable things about the
legend Of the Holy Grail Is its absolute dis
regard for all geography. The knight who
sought the Holy Grail rode out into the
world, north. south, east, west. whichever
way he chose to 60. It was not said to him
that along such and such road, turning
here to left and there to right, he would
come at last to the hiding place of the Holy
Grail. His work was not to go in certain
direction, but to live in q certain way. He
must fight bravely, and defend the right,
and help the helpless, and beat down every
opposition of evil and oppression, and
never run away, and be not only q brave
knight, but a good knight, and make vail
ant war on foes spiritual as we'll as physical,
and win the victory over himself; and then
somewhere it mattered not where when he
should at last have become worthy to be-
hold 1t, there would shine out before him
the blessed vision Of his sea rch.
That is a parable Of the finding Of the real
Christ Yet tho finding OF Christ, as An
Is only the beginning of the Christian life.
eve have found the MessiahW Yes; we
have come to recognize Jesus as the Christ.
We have ielt little of the influence of that
holy life. We have resolved to set Christ in
the place of all our other teachers, and to
make Him the master Of all our living and
believing. But that is only the beginning.
Finding Is Only the Beginning.
Andrew. as yet, had found" tho Messiah,
only as we make a new acquaintance. He
had met Him; he had spent two or three
hours in His society; he had been greatly
by Him. He had become con-
vinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the
great saint and hero Of the Hebrew people.
He had only begun to find Christ By and
+,
the Lake Of Galflee, Jesus came and. stand
Ing on the shore, called Andrew. And An
drew left his nets and followed Him. So
Andrew came to live with Jesus Christ He
saw His works of love and mercy; he heard
His words of wisdom; he felt the inspiration
Of His presence. ana the help OF His ex-
ample. He began to learn the spirit. of
Christ He began, in some vague, blunder.
ing way, to know Christ, to find Christ
Presently, Jesus sent Andrew away to
preach in the little villages Of Galflee. And
Andrew came back and told the story of his
successes and failures, what he had said and |
what he had done; and Jesus listened. and |
pointed out where Andrew had been right |
and where he bad been wrong, and gave |
him comfort and correction and suggestion. |
And Andrew found Christ, moro and more.
Andrew and the Crucinxion.
And then came the week Of tho crucidx-
on. And Andrew followed Jesus into
Jerusalem, saw the opposition Of the author- |
ties, was present in the upper room at the |
ast supper; went out with Jesus into the |
hight, oyer the bridge of Kedron, and under |
;he olive trees of Gethsemane; slept there, |
With the other disciples, while the Master |
prayed In agony OF soul; swoke to sec the
Iervants and soldiers, and the kiss OF Judas; |
md then forsook Christ. as ali the others |
lid, and fed. And, afsr OF, ne watched the
of his Master. and looked |
lpon Him as he hung upon the cross on
calvary hill but dared not stand beside Him,
Jared not speak to Him. He was q coward
Ike the others.
Oh, what a lesson that was! Sometimes.
wen the devil, persuading man into some
SIN, teaches him more about his
'wn weakness and worthlessness; moro
bout his need of Christ and emphasizes in |
he reaction the mans real love for Christ,
more than all the sermons in the world. |
andrew loved Him that Good Friday night
more than he had ever loved Him. Out Of
q fr..f frin ARA. /
rembling and afar on, looked into the face
+ Christ, and found Christ anew.
After the Savior Had Risen.
And then came the rising from tho dead,
nd the 40 days Of revelation, and the ascen-
ion into heaven. 1t must have seemed to
.ndrew that he had never before that really
ecognized the Lord Christ at all. He had
we'd with Him. and gone on day after day
ever out Of His sight and hearing, and yet
ad only begun to know Him. Only on the
[ount of the Ascension did Andrew really
nd the Messiah.
The discovery of Christ Is only the begin
ing OF the Christian life. When Andrew
lid 1--WE have found the Messiah" )" that was
yidence only OF Andrews conversion. Con-
ersion Is TIL act of a mans will by which |
8 determines that the worthiest service in
le whole world is the service OF the Lord
esus Christ, and that from this day on He
i'll be the servant OF that Master, and O; no
theT. Whoever makes up his mind to that
as found Christ, as Andrew found Him in |
le beginning. But conversion is only the |
Year after year the Chris
an grows in the Christian life, ever finding |
hrist more and more. Christ comes to us
; He came to Andrew.in all the experiences
life. Every opportunity to do d helpful
eed or to speak q kindly word is call OF |
hrist, as real as Christ's call to Andrew
mid the fishing nets.
Progression in Religion.
The story OF the gospel makes 1t possible
II US to-day, If we will study it, to live with