Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-04-28

MSsNe29sSIssyAI absent himself. He
!; !: E: :: :: :: :: :: e:
put out from one hemisphere to an
other hemisphere many of us have
done that. But he was to sail from
world to world, the spaces UNEMPLOYED
and the immensities untraveled. No
world has ever hailed heaven, and
heaven has never hailed any other
world. l think that the windows and
the balconies were thronged, and that
the pearly beach was crowded with
those who had come to see him sail out
of the harbor of light into the ocean be-
y'ond Out and out and out, and on
and on and on, and down and down and
down he SPED, until one night, with only
one to greet him, when he arrived, his
Decentralization SO unpretending, so
quiet, that ii was not known on earth
until the excitement in the cloud gave
fntimation to the Bethlehem rustics that
something grand and glorious had
happened. Who comes there? From
what port did he sail? Why was this
the place of his destination? question
the shepherds. l question the camel
drivers. l question the angels. l have
found out. He was an exile. But the
world had plenty of exiles. Abraham,
an exile from Haran; John. an exile
from Ephesus; Kosciusko, an exile
from Poland; MaZzini, an exile from
Rome; Emmett, an exile from Ireland;
Victor Hugo, an exile from France;
Kossuth, an exile from Hungary. But
this One of whom l speak to-day had
such resembling farewell and came into
such chilling reception-for not even a
hostler went out with his lantern to
light him in-that he is more to be
celebrated than any other expatriated
exile Of earth or heaven.
First, l remark that Christ was an
imperial exile. He got dawn off a throne.
He took off tiara. He closed palace
gate behind him. His family were
princes and princesses. Vashti was
turned out of the throne-room by Aha
suerus. David was dethroned by Abb
salom's infamy. The five kings were
hurled into a cavern by Joshua's cour-
age. Some of the Henrys of England
and some of the Louises of France were
jostled on their thrones by discontent-
ed subjects. But Christ was never more
honored, or more popular, or more loved
than the day he left heaven. Exiles
have suffered severely, but Christ
turned himself out from throne-room
into sheep-pen, and down from the top
to the bottom. He was not pushed off,
He was not manacled for foreign trans
portation. He was not put out because
they no more wanted him in celestial
domain, but by choice departing and
descending into an exile five times as
long as that Of Napoleon at st. Helena,
and a thousand times worse; the one
exile suffering for that he had destroyed
nations, the other exile suffering be-
cause he came to save world. An i'm
perial exile. King eternal. blessing
and honor and glory and power be unto
him that stitch upon the throne"
But go further. and tell you he was
an exile on barren island. This world
is one of the smallest islands of light
in tho ocean of immensely. Other stellar
Kingdoms are many thousand times
larger than this. Christ came to this
small Patmos of a world. When exiles
are sent out they are generally sent to
regions that are sandy or cold, or hot
some Dry Tortugas of disagreeable-
ness. Christ came as an exile to a
world scorched with heat and bitten
with cold, to deserts simoon-swept, to
a bowling wilderness. 1t was the back
door yard, seemingly, of the universe.
Yea, Christ came TO the poorest part
of this barren island of a world-Asia
Minor, with its intense summers, unfit
for the residence of foreigner, and in
the rainy season unfit for the residence
of native. Christ came not to such
land as America, or England, or France,
or Germany, but to land one-third Of
the year drowned, another third of the
year burned up, and only one-third of
the year just toierable. OH it was the
barren island of world Barren
enough for Christ, for gave such
small worship and such inadequate af-
lection, and such little gratitude. I'm
perial exile on the barren island of
world.
/ go further, and tell you that he was
an exile in hostile country. Turkey
was never so much against Russia,
France was never so much against Ger
many, as this earth was against Christ.
1t took him in through the door of a
stable. 1t thrust him out at the point
of spear. The Roman government
against him with every weapon of its
army, and every decision Of its courts,
and every beak of it's war eagles. For
years after his arrival, the only ques-
ton was how best to put him out.
Herod hated him; the high-priests hated
him, the Pharasees hated him. Judas
Iscariot hated him; Gestas, the dying
thief, hated him. The whole earth
seemingly turned into detective to
watch his steps. And yet he faced this
ferocity. Notice that most OF Christ's
wounds were in front. Some scou-ging
on the shoulders, but most of Christ's
wounds in front He was not on retreat
when he expired Face to face with the