Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-05-17

NDeen we'll Clad or the disciples NAV
pave thought Christ's religion was a
religion chiefly for big folks. But Christ
! niade the infantile excitement still
$stvelier by his saying that he liked
!, children better than grown people, de-
caring, Except We become as a little
oI4ild We cannot enter into the kingdom
Cod" Alas! for the people who do
not like children. They had better stay
out Of heaven, for the place is full Of
them. That, think, is one reason why
the vast majority Of the human race
Re in infancy. Christ is so fond of
+ Hildren that he takes them to himself
before the world has time to despoil
and harden them, and so they are now
at the windows Of the palace, and on
the doorsteps. and playing on the
green. Sometimes Matthew. or Mark,
Or Luke tells story Of Christ. and
only one tells it, but Matthew, Mark
and Luke all join in that picture Of
Christ girdled by children, and I know
by what occurred at that time that
Christ had face full geniality.
Not only was Christ altogether lovely
in his countenance, but lovely in his
habits. I know, without being told,
that the Lord who made the rivers, and
lakes, and oceans was clearly In his
appearance. He disliked the disease of
leprosy, not only because it was dis
trcssing, but because it was not clean.
and his curative words We're: II will;
be thou clean" He declared himself
In favor of thorough washing, and OPP
posed to superficial washing, when he
denounced the hypocrites for making
clean only "the outside Of the platter"
h0 mi INV or,i,,
"Now are We clean," and, giving direc-
lions to those who tasted, among other
things he says wash thy face;" and
to Il blind man whom he was doctoring,
$50, wash in the pool of Siloam." And
he himself actually washed the dis
ciple' feet, I suppose not only to DEM
onstrate his own humility, but probably
their feet needed to be washed. The
fact is, the Lord was Il great friend of
water. know that from the fact that
most of the world is water. But when
I find Christ in such commentator Of
water, I know he was personally neat,
although he mingled much among very
rough populations, and took such long
journeys on dusty highways He wore
his hair long, according to the custom
of the land and time. but neither
trouble or old age had thinned or in
| jured his locks, which were never worn
shaggy OF unllempt. Yea. all his habits
of personal appearance were lovely.
Sobriety was also an established habit
of his life. In addition to the water he
q wedding party this beverage gave
| grape juice, but it was as unlike what
/ in
is different from disease. and as calm
| of delirium tremens. There was no
strychnine in that beverage, or log.
wood, or nux vomica. The tipplers
and the sots who now quote the wine.
making in Cana of Galilee as an excuse
for the fiery and damning beverages
of the nineteenth century, forget that
the wine at the New Testament wed.
ding had two characteristics, the one
that the Lord made it, and the other
that it was made out Of water. Buy
all you can of that kind and drink it at
least three times. a day, and send a
barrel of i: around to my cellar. You
cannot make me believe that the
blessed Christ who went up and down
healing the sick. would create for man
that style of drink which is the cause
Of disease more than all other causes
| combined; or that he who Gained the
maniacs into their right mind, would
create that style of drink which does
more than anything else to fill insane
asylums; or that he who was so helpful
to the poor, would make style OF
drink that crowds the earth with pau.
| perism; or that he who came to save
the nations from sin would create q
| liquor that is the source Of most Of the
crime that now stuffs the penitentiaries
A lovely sobriety was written all over
his face, from the hair-line of the fore.
head to the bottom Of the bearded chin
Domesticity was also his habit
Though too poor to have home Of his
| own he went out to spend the night al
Bethany. two or three miles walk from
| Jerusalem, and over Il rough and billy
road that made it equal to six or seven
| ordinary miles. every morning and
night going to and fro. I would rather
walk from here to Central Park, OF
walk from Edinburgh to Artllurs Seat
OF in London clear around Hyde Park
than to walk that road that Christ
| walked twice a day from Jerusalem to
Bethany. But he liked the quietude OF
home life and he was lovely in his do
mesticity.
How he enjoyed handing over the
resurrected boy to his mother and the
resurrected girl to her father and re
| constructing homesteads which disease
or death was breaking up. AS the
song, Home, Sweet Home.'' was writ
ten by man who at that time had nc
home. so 1 think the homelessness OF
Christ added to his appreciation Of do.
mesticity.
Furthermore. he was lovely in his
sympathies. Now, dropsy is a most
distressing complaint. 1t inf1ames and
swells and tortures any limb or physical
| organ it touches. AS soon as Il case of
that kind is submitted to Christ he
| without any use of diaphoretics, com
mands it's cure. And what an eye doc.
tor he was for opening the long closed
gates of sight to the blue of the sky
and the yellow Of the flower and the
emerald Of the grass! What Christ
he was for cooling fevers without so
much as spoonful of febrifuge; and
Strengthening crooked backs without
any pang Of surgery; and standing
whole choirs Of music along the silent
ral1erias Of a deaf nor. md oivinr