Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-04-18


heaven has never hailed any other world.
think that the windows and the balconies
were throngcd and that the pearly beach
was crowded with those who had come To
see him sail out u the harhor of light into
the ocean beyond. out and ont and out
( and on and on and on and down and down
ana down lie sped, until one night, with
only one To greet him. when he arrived.
his Decentralization 80 unprctcnding, 81
/ quiet. that j. was not known ON earth I'M
I'll the excitement in the cloud gave init
nation to- the Bethlehem rustics that
something grand and glorious had hap
pcncd. Who comes there: From what
port did he sals Why was this the place
of his destination: | question the shep-
herds question tho camel drivers.
question the angels. have found out
lie was an exile But the world had
plenty Of cxicS. Abraham, an exile from
iaran; John. IN exile from Ephcsus; Kos
ciusko. an exile from Poland Mazzini, AN
exile from Rome; Emmett an exile from
Ireland; Victor Hugo. an exile from
/ France. ko~suth, an exile from Hungary.
| But this one Of whom / speak today had
/ such resembling farewell and came into
I such chilling rcccpiion--for not even u
hostlcr went oGt with his lantern to light
him in--that lie is more Ia he celebrated
than my other expa,riatcd exile of earth
ur heaven.
An Imperial Exile.
First. | remark that Christ was an I'M
pcrial exile lie got down off "A throne
He took Oft tiara. He closed palace
gate behind him. His family were princes
and princcSSrS. Nashii was turned out OF
the thrnncrnum by AhasurruS David WAS
dcthroned by AhSalom' : infamy The five
kings were hurled into a cavern by
.Ioshua's courage. Some of the Hcnrys Of
| England and some 81 the Louis OF
France were jostlcd on their thrones by
discontinued subjects. But Christ was
never moro honorrd or more popular, or
more loved than thu day he left heaven.
ENiles have suffered severely. but Christ
/ turned himself uut from ihrnncroom into
sheep pen and down from the top to the
bottom. He was not pushed of. He was
not manaclcd for foreign transportation.
He was not PUT ont because they no more
/ wanted him in celestial domain, hut by
choice departing and descending into an
exile litr times ~ long n that Of Napoleon
AZ IT. Helena and 600 times worse: the
one exile suffering for that he had de-
[ str0yed nations. The other exile suffering
because he came L. save "a world. An i'm
pcrial exile King eternal. blessing and
honor and glory and power he unto him
that sitieth upon the throne.
But - further and tell yuu he was an
exile on barren island. This world Is
one Of the smallest islands Of light in the
ocean Of immcn>ity. Other stellar king
doms are many thousand times larger than
/ this Christ camc To this small patmos of
"a world. when cxilcs are sent ont they
are generally sent Ia regions that are sandy
or cold or hCt-somc Dry Tortugas Of dis
agreeablcncss Christ came rs an exile TO
a world scurchci with heat and bitten
with cold, 10 deserts simeon swept, To "a
/ bowling wilderness. IL was the back door
yard, seemingly, Of the universe Yea,
/ Christ came Ia the poorest part of this
/ barren island Of world-Asia Minor,
with its intense summers, unfit for the
residence of a foreigner and in the rainy
season unfit for the residence of u native.
1 Christ came not Ia such IA land rs Amer
lea, or England. or France, or Germany,
i but 10 u land onc-third of the year drowned,
another third Of tho year burned up and
only une-third of the year just tolcrable.
Oh, IL was the barren island Of world.
Barron enough for Christ, for il gave such
small worship and such inadequate affcc-
ton and such little gratitude. Imperial
exile ON the barren island Of u world
In N Hostile Country.
/ 90 farther and tell you that he was an
exile in "a hostile country. Turkey was
never so much against Russia. Franco was
never - much against Germany, as this
earth was against Christ. 1t took him in
| through the door of stable. IL thrust
/ him out AT the point Of spear. Tho Ro-
man government against him, with every
weapon of it, army, and every decision ~
its courts, and every beak Of is war eagles
/ For years after his arrival the only qucs-
tion was how hest to put him out. Hcrod
hated him. the high priests hated him: the
/ Pharisees hated him; JudaS lScariot hated
/ him; Gestas the dying thief hated him.
/ The whole earth seemingly turned into IA
detective to watch his steps. And yet he
faced this ferucity. Notice that most Of
/ Christ'S wounds were in front Some
scourging on tho shualdcr, but most Of
Christ's wounds in front. He was not on
retreat when he expired. Face To face
with the world's sin. Face to face with
the worlds woe. His eye on the raging
countcnanc,S Of his foaming antagonists
when he expired. When the cavalry officer
rowclcd his stecd so That he might come
nearer up and tho tortured visago of
the suffering exile, Christ saw It, When
the spear WAS thrust at his side, and when
tho hammer was lifted for his feet, and
when tine reed was raised To strike deeper
Gown the spisr> 81 thorn. Christ watched
The whole procedure Wncn his hands
were fastened Ia the cruSS, they were wide
open still with bcnrdciion Mind you.
his head was not fastened lie could look
( To the right. and he could look To the left.
and lie could hook up. AID hc could look
down. lie SAW when The spikes had been
driven home. ana the hard round iron
head, were IN the palms ot his hands. He
SAW Thorn a. plainly rs you ever saw any
thing in the palms II your hands. No
ether no cllOrufurn, no Incrciful anTs-
thctic to duh or Supply; but, wide awake,
he SAW tho olscuraiion Of the heavens, the
hnhAlancing 81 tho rocks, tho counte-
nauccS quiycring with rage and the each
innation dia1olic. Oh, it was the hostile
as we'll as the barren island OF "A world
/ | 20 farther and tell you that this exile
was far from home. II is % 200 600 miles
I from here to the sun and all astronomers
agree IL aging that our solar system Is
/ only one 81 ;hc smaller wheels Of the great
machinery II tho universe turning around
some one great center. The center 80 far
distant il IS beyond all iaaginaiion and
calculation and II. a. so,.r think. tlnt
/ great center in the dist zee Is heaven.
I Christ canr far from home when he came
4 here Have you rvrr thought ~ the home
4 sickness ~ CLsis's some az you know
4 what hun.o-irknr.s is Wlstn you has' been
] onlya ftw weeks absent from the domestic
circle Christ was 30 years away from
+ home. ~urrr NJ you feel homcsickncss
when yau are loo or Loo miles away
I from the deiac-'i" circle Christ was more
million mil,- IS from home than You
I could count II 3" Your life y-u did nothing
l bui count Nuu know what ii Is to be-
+ humc,ick even amid pleasant surround
/ ing-, bat Christ slept in huts. and he was
athir-t, and be- was hungcretl. and he
WIS on the WAY from being born in an
( other mans barn to being buried In
another mans grave
have read how the Swiss when they
arc far away from their native country, NJ
I The sound ~ their national air get So home
/ sick that they fall into melancholy and '
+ sometimes thcy die under the hamcsick /
ness. But. "a. the honc>ickncss Of
/ Christ. Poverty homc>irk for celestial
4 riches. Persecution ho'ncsick for no (
sauna. Mrtrinr-s homcsick for rest
f llou'>ick for angelic ard archangcic |
+ cumwnHinu~hip. Ient'-irk 80 get ont 81
the night ard the storm and the worlds /
cxrcraiion llomceieknc.s will make
week >@ta - long rs a month and II I
sfarti~ fH ~. fiut the fhr,, ,Ieruflpe 80