Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-03-02

stove In the old farmhouse. Or was 1t your
mothers face? A good mothers face Is never
homely to her boys and girls. II Is MA
donna in the pl6snre gallery oil the memory
What sympathetic face it was Did you
ever have 10Y and that face did not respond
toit? Did you ever have a grief and no tears
trickle down tha. eternal cheekP Did you
ever do bad thing and shadow did not
cross il? oh, it was a sweet face The spec
tacles with large, round glasses through
which she locked at you, how sacredly they
have been kept in bureau or closet Your
mothers face, your mothers smile, your
mothers tears What an oyerpowerng
memoryI Though you have come on to MID
life or old age, how you would like Just once
more to bury your face in her lap and have a
good cry!
But | can tell YOU OF a moro sympathetic
and more tender and more loving face than
any OF the faces have mentioned. mo, you
cannot" saws some one. l can, and l will.
II is the face of Jesus Christ as He was on
earth and is now in heaven. When prepar-
ING my life OF Christ, entitled From Man
GER to Throne" | ransacked the art CALLER
les and portfolios of the world to find pie
ure OF our Saviour's face that might be most
expressive. and saw il as Francesca trancia
painted II in the sixteenth century, ana AZ
the emerald intaglio OF the sixth century
presented 1t. and as a frcsc0 IN the catacOmDS
near Rome preserved it. and as Leonardo az
yinci showed il in "The Last Supper and |
looked in the Louvre, and the Luxembourg,
and the Vatican, and tho Dresden. and the
Berlin. and Neapolitan and London galleries
for the most inspiring face OF Christ. and
many of the presentations were wonderful
for pathos and majesty and power and exc
cution. but although L selected that by AIRY
Scheffer as in some respects the most express
sive felt as we all feel-that our Christ has
never vet been presented either in sculpture
or painting, and that we will have to wait
until we rise to tho upper palace, where W.
shall see Him rs He is.
What gentle face It must have been NJ
induce the babes to struggle out OF their
mothers arms into His armsl What an eX-
pressive face IT must have been when one re-
proving look OF it threw staiwart Peter into
n At of teers! What pleading face it must
have been to lead the psalmist in prayer 10
say OF it; "Look upon the face of thine
anolntCdm What a sympathetic face II
must have been 10 encourage the sick woman
who was beyond any help from the doctors
10 touch the hem Of His garment What Il
suffering face it must have been when sus-
pended on the perpendicular and horizontal
pieces Of the wool OF martyrdom, and His
antagonists slapped the pallid cheek with
their rough hands and befouled 1t with the
saliva of their blasphemous lips What a
tremendous face it must have been TO lead
st. John to describe it in the coming Judg-
ment as scattering the universe when he
says, "From whose face the earth and the
heaven fed away
O Christ Once the NaZarene. but now the
celestial Once OF cross, but now Of throne
Onca croUned with singing bramble but
now coroneted with the jewels OF ransomed
empires Turn on Thy pardoning face and
forgive us. Thy sympathetic face and console
us, Thy suffering face and have Thy atone
ment avail for US. Thy omnipotent face and
rescue US. Oh. what face SO SCARED, so
lacerated. so respondent, 50 overwhelming
" glorious that the seraphim put wing TO
wing and with their cOnjoined pinions keep
of some Of the luster that is too mighty even
for eyes cherubic or angelic, and yet this
morning turning upon us with sheathed
splendor like that with which He mp
peared when He said to tho mothers
bashful about presenting their children,
"Sufer them to come" and to the poor
waif OF the street, Neither do ] condemn
thee" and to the eyes OF the blind beggar OF
the wayside. "Be opened. | think my
brother John. the returned foreign mission
airy. dying summer before last at Bound
Brook, car, ht glimpse Of that face OF Christ
when in his dying hour my brother said 81
shall be satisfied when | awaken in His like
ness" And now unto Him that loved us and
washed US from our sins in His own blood
AMI hath made US kings and priests unto God
an His Father. to Him be glory and domin'
ion for ever and ever. Amen and amen
Amen and amen!