The herald., 1893-06-19

And men no doubt said, Simeon ia old,
very old. Soon he must go the way OF
all flesh. Yet Simeon, with a shake OF
the old gray head, said: No God has
promised that shall not see death until
the coming oil his Amounted; and so
Simeon watched and waited year after
year, for the promise could not fail.
And one day a brown-skinned peasant
woman walked the streets OF Jerusalem
TO the temple with a new born babe in
her arms. No doubt the Pharisee as he
brushed by drew aside his robes, fearing
contamination from one who was to him
only one Of the rsbble. Bnt Simeon.
lifting the weary eyes, and taking the
babe in his arms, cried out: snow,
Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart
In peace. Mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation" And Simeon slept with his
fathers.
But 30 years went by and men no
doubt said: Poor old Simeon was1n his
dotaRe. Ii was not q vision. He only
imagined the promise and then strange
rumor came up from the village OF Cali
lee. A poor peasant, a son OF carpen-
ter, preached new doctrine and said
81 am the way" At last. II am the
way" The chasm of death was bridged
of sin and death. The long waiting
was over. The fulness Of Gods time
had come.
4#4
But the Pharlsees, full OF the old ar
rogance OF the Hebrew, said the promise
is the coming OF king. This man has
no throne. The purple Of royalty does
not clothe him. Let him die.
wv
The stone was rolled to the door OF the
tomb. The royal seal and a band OF
soldiers guarded the entrance. Men
said lie is dead, and the cross of the
malifactor was the answer, the Pharisee
gave to the promise.
~
Yes, a strange rumor spread abroad.
Men said he ia not dead. We have seen
him. We have talked with him. He is
risen, and the grave 10 vanquished. The
promise is true. The chasm from man
to God is at last bridged and there 10 a
way.
VIZ
Then came prosecutions, prisons, tor
ture. But from the prison walls went
up new sound, songs OF Joy and glad
ness, and from the curling smoke OF the
martyrs stake aH tender maidens felt the
acorchinR flames wrap them about, rang
out the triumphant cry, "lt ia true.
know that my Redeemer liveth." From
the arena the white haired patriarch
with the teeth OF the lions in his flesh
lifted up hia arms and shouted back to
the bowling mob, ut ia true 0, it is
true, and | see the gates OF heaven open
ing before me"
And the mob, the mob of heather
Rome that mad with blood and slaughter
shrieked and howled over the rail of the
arena the mad shouts die away to a
whisper, and with strange awe they
turn one to another and say, 1--WE have
aeen men die. We have seen the gladi-
ator, strong limbed and not knowing
what fear is-the Goth from the SHOWS
OF the north, the barbarian from the far
shores OF Thrace, the brown man OF
Africa, tanned by the fierce sun of the
deHert--we have seen them fall by the
sword lie, helpless and torn beneath
the claws OF the Numidian lion; tangled
in the folds OF the fatal net and turn
their eyes in vain for the mercy of an
uplifted hand, and then from the pitiless
down-turned thumbs OF all the long
benches, sulenly bend their necks to
the Btroke-but never before have we
seen men die like this. And the awe
spread over the lands, in the city, in
the towns, in the villages of the noun
tains, through the black forests of Ger
many, upon the lone deserts OF Syria.
aiar upon the sea.
The old fear of death was gone. In
city and forest and field, men quailed
not at it's dark embrace, but went down
TO the grave with shout. From the
deck ofthe sinking ship. as the gurgling
waves closed over, rang out the glad
cry, Victory"
~F2
And then came the centuries of back
sliding-the darkness of the middle
ages, the polished sneer of Voltaire, the
coarse Jest of Paine, the ribsld scott of
Ingersoll; and men again said There
is no way" But the heart of the world,
the great toiling, suffering heart of the
world cannot let 60 the sweetness of the
hope. With a heart wisdom that is
! deeper, wiser than all it knows that it ia
true, and is glad with the JOY OF q great
unspeakable gladness.
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