Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-01-02
Behold the World has Gene AT
tor Him." John 1919.
by J L WEBER.

How broad in its application. Ii i'll
cludes all nations, and klndreds. and
tribes, ann tongues Il reaches from
the creation Of intelligent beings to
the day Of hnal Judgement; yea, the
truth these words express extends
through all eternity. While / speak
to you it is resembling throughout
Heaven.
Hear the angles and the redeemed
as they cry; blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and homer
aud might and power be unto our
God forever and ever"
Every man has an influence every
man has his followers. Napoleon at
one time, counted his by the million.
Alexander was followed by multitudes.
Our own Washington, Lincoln and
Grant each had an almost innumerable
host OF followers. but not all the world.
Our text says, Behold all the world
has gone after Him.
Let us see who spoke these words.
About 1900 years ago two men went
up into the temple to pray. One walked
up In the amen corner with slow,
naughty, dlgniGed step. He put on
long face. He was very careful to
have bis long prlestly robe arranged
just right There he stands and
casting his eyes upward he says:
"Lord / thank Thee that I am not
like other men. l give Tithes, l
feed the poor. I make long prayers
on street corners where the people
can see me.
In fact, Lord, 1 am q model man,
and l thank Thee that l am so much
better than that man over there who
Is ashamed TO rise his eyes, but sim.
ply says, Lord be merciful to me a
sinner"
My dear friends what think you
Of prayer like that? All, say you,
that must be the prayer of Pharisee
SO it is, and Pharsee Is the author
OF our text.
In an upper room there is a meet
ing of Pharisees. They are plotting
against the life Of the Savior of the
world. What shall we do with this
man? they say, He is healing the
sick. He is giving sight to the
blind. He is driving out devils. He
commands the storm and the sea be-
comes calm. He feeds five thousand
people with five loaves aud two fish
es. What shall we do? He will
take away our place and our nation
The people are coming to him from
far and near: Behold the world has
gone after HIM.
These are the words of one of
ChrlsPs bitter enemies. What an
acknowledgement it must have been!
How Illuminating! Yet what truth
is contained in this statement.
Has the world gone after Christ in
the ages past? Is it after him now?
Let us look at these two questions
a few moments.
Man is religious being. He
must worship. There has never yet
been found a nation or people but
that had some idea of Supreme
Being, In heather nations there
has always been fear Of some ma
lignant spirits, To these spirits they
offer sacrifices. Xerxes buried
alive nihe young men and nine
young women to obtain favor of the
gods. Aeneas sacrificed eight cap
tives at the funeral at his friend
Pallas The Romans, Greeks, Car
thegeneans, Egyptians and many
other nations offered human sacritic-
es to appease the anger OF their gods.
what docs all this mean2 It simply
means that all the ancient world has
gone out after the true God without
being able to find him. Why does
Demosthenes being his Grafton on the
Grown by praying to ever god and
goddess to assist him? Why is it
that Homer begins his great Ilisd
by "Sing o goddess
Why did Socrates once say to
Cicero: ut may be that God can
forgive wilful sin, but 1 do
not know how he can, for I do not
see why he should! Why did Pytha-
garos $50 years before Christ teach
that virtue was the harmony of the
soul. Why did Raselsr, the Abyss
slnian Prince, say' I have all the