The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-16

Now grand ideas are not capable OF
enobling the person who possess them.
Sppo Sc a king should grant dukedom
to the felon. Would that patent OF nobiii-
ty enoble the felon? SO to see man
IN POSSESSION OF GRAND IDEAS
does not change our stimate of him un-
til we see what he does with them. There
are many persons who know this great
ness of Christian life and yet are silent,
inactive and unready toward God. This
robe OF Christ's spirit, like the mantle OF
Elijah falling on the younger prophet,
has come to them ready TO bless. What
Will they do with it?
The grist OF the matter Is that IL God
has given a man q generous spirit the
man must not act as IL that generous
spirit were credit to himself. III God
has clothed woman with beauty, 1t Is
not her beauty, it is glory for God from
God. 1t is Christly garment. To gam
BILE with it--can she do so beneath the
cross? Whatever is In any man is there
because God opened the chanuel to let it
come in; God furnished the material,
made the mind to receive it, gave it life
to use it; IL therefore 1t is like a garment
of Jesus use it, l pray you, reverently,
In Jesus name The capacity with which
the Lord urnished you may be ordinary,
as the garments OF Jesus may perhaps
have been somewhat worn. What then?
derives its value TO you from the fact that
II came from the hand of God. Use 1t
reverently; begin every action with q
prayer. Say to the Lord that this thing
you have from Him you propose to use
in His name; by His permission for the
glory of His love and the diffusion of
His ideas.
These garments of the Savior were the
legal perquisites of the soldiers who cru
cified Him, just as we enjoy certain legal
rights today that are the results OF
Christ's death. For doubt not the anne
liorating influence of His thought has
penetrated all law and society. What
then? These advantages we legally enjoy.
But, IL these soldiers had kneeled pray
ing TO be forgiven; II they bad asked His
blessing upon the garments they kept in
His name, how much their value would
have been enahnced! Consider the daily
influence on that man who should wear
the tunic of Jesus, ana should recognize
the glory of that One who formerly own
ed it,
Things are worth value to US according
as we have open eyes. Shut your eyes be-
fore a jeweled crown and its diamonds
might all be quartz crystal. These men
who took the Christly garments-did
they suppose that nineteen. centuries
after the event millions OF people would
be willing To give each one fortune to
possess those garments? There are those
III lnlS congregation Wuo
WOULD GIVE ALL THEY HAVE
for that tunic could they know it was
the verita ble robe of Jesus. For charac-
ter, when il is recognized, is valued
even in this world above all other things.
The Queen would barter her richest crown
for that robe; poor people would dispense
with comforts for lifetime to be privi-
legged to kiss it. 1t remains an histori-
al hat m Ia
passed lives in quest of the Holy Grail, and
multitudes perisbed in the attempt to re-
cover to Christendom the Holy Sepulcher.
Do we say that ambition, a rowing spirit,
the hope of spoil animated many OF the
Crusaders? All! doubt not that there was
also in that great number many humble
unnamed soul that went in singleness of
heart hearing yet the angels tender
word, "Come see the place where the
Lord laidio
A veriiable tear of Jesus Christ, shed
over Lazarus-w what could price it? The
nations wealth would compete for it.
Millions of hearts would yearn for it, for
the spiritual stimulus that look upon it
would give. lf we could but really touch
the border of His garment-not to speak
of wearing 1t.
But warm, sweet tender even yet
A present help is He
We touch Him in L ife's throng and press
And we are well again.
/ will not, in futile inaction, grasp after
the past which will be eclipsed by a
sublime future. l Will not in my own
day live without owning everywhere the
trasforming agency of His spirit on the
life of today. On every church ! will
carve Christ's church. On every bridge l
will inscribe, "Erected for Jesus Sake";
before every change of penny from my
hand into another | Will whisper, sin
the name of Jesus" / will carve the
Ia a., sr n
business block cathedral; every ship
laden with silks with the stuffs of the
Orient or the manufactures of the Occi-
dent, every ship, every fishing smack,
aye, every coal barge, shall sail in the
name of Jesus. Can you, can you, date
your business letters 1896 and not thank
God for the atonement; can you read Mil
ton and not give Christ the glory for furn-
ishing the poet, and every poet with a
theme SO noble as the Nativity. Can you
gaze on the high accomplishments of art
and not be filed with praise that some
thing great was furnished the imagina-
tion OF the painter to redeem art from
rapidity, from licentiousness? Can you
pass an ambulance without thinking OF
those lips that said, "Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy"
Can you lift in your arms smiling bat
without leaping heart.
THAT REM EMBERs HIM WHO LOVED,
protected and redeemed childhood? Can
you? You cannot; or il you can you can
wear the garments of Christ and gamble
un der the cross.
And ii is against faithlessness toward
this untiring love that ] protest. / pro-
test against the ligbtness of some politi-
clans who lift up hands to heaven in
dramatic style that the people may believe
their life; / protest against trade in
prayerbooks by swearing salesman;
against dealing in grain without remem-
bering Who in his poverty rubbed Ii out
between His fingers; against the manu-
facture Of golden crosses without pure
hands and praying lips; against engaging
in any occupation or profession without
a devout spirit. purpose of good toward
men, a recognition that we are all clothed
in the garments of Jesus, and hence must
work the works of Jesus.
/ ask you is it right to share the bene-
fits of the Lords death, and resurrection,
without obedience TO the Lords COM
mands. j ask, shall conscience permit
me to enjoy the purity, the high tone of
the family life that Christ made com