The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1896-04-17
ssful. John aFrederlck Oberlin al

leviating ignorance and distress; How
ard passing from dungeon to lazaretto
with healing for the body and soul;
Elizabeth Fry going to the profiigacy
of Newgate Prison to shake its obdur-
acy as the angel came TO the prison at
Philippi, driving open the doors and
swapping loose the chain, as well as
the lives of thousands of followers of
Jesus who have devoted themselves to
the temporal and spiritual welfare OF
the race, are monuments OF the Chris
tian religion that shall not crumble
while the world lasts. A man said to
me in the cars: what is religion?
Judging from the character OF many
professors of religion l do not ad-
mire religion" l said: Now sup
pose we went to an artist in the city or
Rome and while in his gallery asked
him, What is the art of painting|
would he take us out in a low alley
and show us a mere daub or q pre-
tender at painting? or would he take
us down into the corridors and show
us the Rubens and the Raphaels and
the Michael Angelos?' When we
asked him, What is the art Of paint
ing he would point to the works of
these great masters and say, That is
painting Now, you propose to find
the mere caricature of religion. to seek
after that which is the mere preten-
sion of holy life. and you call that
religion. l point you to the splendid
men and women whom this gospel has
blessed and lifted and crowned. Look
at the masterpieces of Divine grace If
you want to know what religion u.s."
We learn also from this story Of
Joseph that the result CT persecution
is elevation. Had it not been for his
being sold into Egyptian bondage by
his malicious brothers, and his false
imprisonment, Joseph never would have
become governor. Everybody &C
cepts the promise, BLESSED are they
that are prosecuted for righteousness
sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven" but they do not realize the
fact that this principle applies to world
ly as we'll as spiritual success. 1t is
true in all departments. Men rise to
high official positions through mis-
representation. Public obuse is all that
some of our public men have had to
rely upon for their elevation. 1t has
brought to them what talent and ex-
ecutive force could not have achieved.
Many of those who are making great
effort for place and power will never
succeed, just because they are not of
enough Importance to he abused 1t
is the nature of ren-that is of all
generous and reasonable men-to gath
or about those who are prosecuted and
defend them, and they are apt to for
get the fault of those who are the sub
jects Of attack while attempting to
drive back the sl2nderers. Persecu-
ton is elevation. Helen Stirk, tho
Scotch martyr, standing with her hus-
band at the place Of execution, said:
Husband, let us rejoice today; we have
lived together many happy years; this
is the happiest time of all our life; you
see we are to be happy together for
ever. Be brave now, be brave. l will
not say Good night to you for we shall
soon be in the kingdom Of our Father
together" Persecution shows the he
roes and heroines. l so into another
department and l find that those great
denominations of Christians which
have been most abused have spread the
most rapidly. No good man was ever
more violently maltreated than John
Wesley-belied and carlcatuTed and
slandered until one day ne stood in
pulpit in London, and man arose in
the audience and said: You were
drunk last night" and John Wesley
said: Thank God, the whole cata-
lcgue is now complete. / have been
charged with everything but thatw
His followers were hooted at and ma
ligned and called by every detestable
name that internal ingenuity could in
vent, but the hotter the persecution
the more rapidly they spread, until you
know what a great host they have be-.
come and what a tremendous force for
God and the truth they are welding
all the world over. 1t was persecution
that gave Scotland to Presbyterianism
It was persecution that gave our land
first to civil liberty and aftervard to
religious freedom. Yea, | might go
further back and say it was persecu-
ton that gave the world the great sal
walton Of the Gospel. The ribald mock
cry, the hungering and thrsting, the
unjust charge, the ignominious death,
when all the force of hell's fury was
hurled against the cross, was the in
PRODUCTION of that religion which is yet
to be the earth's deliverance and our
eternal salvation. The state some
times said to the church, Come take
my hand and l will help YOU" What
was the result? The church went
back and it lost its estate of holiness,
and it became ineffective. At other
times the state said to the church, 81
will crush you." What was the result?
After the storms have spent their fury
the church, SO far from having lost any
Of its force, has increased and is worth
infinitely more after the assault than
before. Read all history and you will
find that true. The church Is far more
indebted 70 the opposition of civil gov
n111tN SIv,f 10 IT, Il y.