The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-05-24

some christian object until he feels IL,
a man who In his occupation or profess
sion over-worlSs that he may elucate
his children, a man who on Sunday
night goes home, all his nervous en-
ergy wrung out by active service in
church, or Sabbath-school, or city
evangelization, has initiated Christ and
the strength has gone out of him. A
mother who robs herself of sleep in be-
half Of sick cradle, wife who bears
up cheerfully under domestic misfor-
tune that she may encourage her hus-
band in the combat against disaster,
woman who by hard saving and earnest
prayer and good counsel, wisely given,
and many years devoted to rearing her
family for God and usefulness and
Heaven, and has nothing to show for 1t
but premature gray hairs and profu-
sion Of deep wrinkles, is like Christ, and
strength has gone out of her. That
strength Of virtue may have gone out
through garment she has made for
the home, that strength may have gone
out through the sock you knit for the
barefoot destitute, that strength may
go out through the mantle hung up in
some closet after you are dead. So
crippled child sat every morning on
her fathers front step so that when the
kind Christian teacher passed by to
school she might take hold of her dress
and let the dress slide through her pale
fingers. She said 1t helped her pain so
much and made her so happy all the
day. Aye, have we not in our dwelling
garments of the departed, touch Of
which thrills us through and through,
the life Of those who are gone thrilling
through the life of those who stay ?
But mark you, the principle 1 evolve
from this subject No addition of health
to Others unless there is substraction
Of strength from ourselves. He felt
that strength had gone out of Him.
Notice also in this subject Christ
sensitive TO human touch, We talk
about Christ on vast scale 80 much
we hardly appreciate His accessibility,
God in magnitude rather than God in
minutie, God in the infinite rather
than God In the infnitesimal; but here
in my text we have God arrested by q
suffering touch. When in the sham
trial of Christ they struck Him on the
cheek we can realize how that cheek
tingled with pain. When under the
scourging the rod struck the shoulders
and back of Christ, we can realize how
He must have writhed under the lacer-
atoms. But here there is sick and
nerveless finger that just touches the
long threads of the blue fringe OF His
coat, and He looks around and says:
"Who touched me?"
We talk about sensitive people, but
Christ was the impersonation OF all
sensitiveness. The slightest stroke Of
the smallest finger Of human disability
makes all the nerves of His head and
heart and hand and feet vibrate. 1t II
not stolid Christ, not phlegmati'
Christ, not preoccupied Christ, not
hard Christ, not an iron-cased Christ
but an exquisitely sensitive Christ tina
my text unveils. All the things tina
touch us touch Him, II by the hand o
, prayer we make the connecting lin
between Him and ourselves complete
Mark you, this invalid OF the tex
i, might have walked through that crow
all day and cried about her suffering
and no relief would have come II sh
had not touched Him. When in you
prayer you lay your hand on Christ, yo
: touch all the sympathies of an arden
and glowing and responsive nature.
. You know that in telegraphy ther
4 are two currents of electricity. 5
. when you put out your hand of praye
: TO Christ there are two currents-a cui
: rent of sorrow rolling up from you
a heart TO Christ, and a current of con
miseration rolling from the heart {
q Christ TO you. Two currents o, why d
9 you go unhelpedP Why do you go woi
!. dering about this and wondering abor
a that3 Why do you not touch HimP
/. Are you sickP do mot think you Al
h any worse off than this invalid Of th
r text. Have you had long struggle?
n do not think Il has been more tina
twelve years. Is your case hopelessP S
,. was this Of which my text is the diagn
h sis and prognosis. 90" you say, "thei
is are so many things beween me an
A God" There was a whole mob betwee
"A this invalid and Christ. She pressC
II through and guess you can pre-
le through.
A: Is your trouble home trouble? Chri
ID shows Himself especially sympathet
,e with questions of domesticity, as WHIT
m at the wedding of Cana he alleviated
,e houselkeeper's predieament, as whit
10 tears rushed forth at the broken hon
ID of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. M
r. are sometimes ashamed 10 weep. The
" are men who II the tears start will co
in ceal them. They think IL Is unman
n. TO cry. They do not seem TO understal
or II is manliness and evidence Of gre
a heart. am afraid OF n man who do
n not know how to cry. The Christ
Of tho text was not ashamed to cry ov
Of human misfortune. Look at that de
xt lake OF tears opened by the two wor
ns Of the evangelist: "Jesus weptp' j
or hold Christ ON the only day Of His ear
d. triumph marching on Jerusalem, t
h. Rlittering domes obliterated by I
8 binding rain Of tears in His eyes al
~ on His cheeks; for when He beheld Z
or city He wept over it. o man Of I
n many trials, o woman Of the heal
u. !, break, why do you not touch Him?
1t 10" says some one, "christ dor
ut care for me- Christ is looking the 9th
ed way. Christ has the vast affairs Of |
kingdom TO look after. He has I
at armies Of sin to overthrow, and the