The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-17

death shall be ours, the loss or good
name. the sun setting behind the
clouds. the averted face-if 1t be Gods
will that we endure all this and more.
il we say that we abide in Him we
Ought also so to walk even as He
walked"-patiently, uncomplainingly.
reslgnedly. THY will. o God, not mine
be DONE" The disciple is not to be
above his master.
But let us in the second place imi-
tate Jesus, walk as He walked, in His
giving Himself for the good Of His fell
lowmen. Now says the Apostle, Let
this mind be IN you which was also in
Christ Jesus" initiate Him. walk in
His footsteps: live not for yourselves;
live for others. He laid down His life
for us and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.
The dark spot on the worlds history
is self-love. The underlying cause of
all that is hideous and forbidding as
we turn over page after page of the
past. back, back. to that gate, guarded
by the messenger of God with the
flaming sword, is self-love. Those
bright. red spots are blood marks, the
insignia of self-love. All the plottings
and contemplating, the intriguing.
the crimes. the wars. the desolations
that have swept across the earth plains
leaNlHS rum III liieil pain Wefe III
spired by self-love. All the poisonous
plants breathing forth disease and
death found their root in self-love.
All that has been noble, uplifting,
grand, heroic, purifying, saving in the
worlds history has been the outcome of
self-sacrifice for the good of the race.
Heaven is heaven because of Christ's
surrender of Himself. Earth will be-
come heaven when He is perfectly fol-
lowed. and self-offering becomes the
law of life. While this principle finds
it's brightest illustration in the death
of Christ 1t at the same time finds its
illustration in His life. Think Of the
kinds and forms of sorrow ever ap-
pealing to His large heart. 1t is no
wonder tradition says He never
laughed. Think how much there was
utterly distasteful to Him, how much
that was shocking how much that was
repulsive. Think of what He came to
do, and then of His reception of the
manifest ingratitude-Iiis rejection,
His persecution.
LIFE A SELF-SACRIFICE.
The life of self-sacrifice is no attrac-
tive life looked at from the low stand
point of natural preference. 1t means
q constant struggle with all that Is
disheartening. Deepest rooted in every
soul Is self-interest, Is selfish interest.
TIE field is q battle field. There the
fight is fiercest and all victories are
after hand to hand conflicts and only
conquests inch by inch. And because
the struggle is so intense and the
ground of the heart SO hotly contested,
and the march of the right SO stOutly
resisted. therefore is it that every tri-
umph is greeted with the huzzas Of the
advancing truth. Do we know what it
is to suffer loss for the good of others?
willingly suffer loss? That character
iZed the life of Christ, and our lives
are thus far Christlike. DO we know
what it is to sacrifice for those who
are unappreciative? Christ knew what
that meant. Are we called upon to
labor for the unthankful? Christ did
that. Does duty call us where We
shrink from going? Christ gave Him
self to such work. / said moment
ago, looked at from the lower stand
point, the life of self-denial was unat
tractive: looked at from the highest
standpoint il is the ideal life, for the
purest joy is found i'm self-denial. The
unpleasantest duties of life. where the
motive and ruling passion are others.
good pay the largest dividends of sat
isfaction or that when the end of life
comes, like Matthew Hale. the noble
young American patriot, who died re-
GREETING that he had but one life to
give to his country, we die regretting
that we have one life only to give our
fellowmen.
LET rs INITIATE CHRIST.
Lastly and briefly, let us initiate
Christ in His possession, manifest pos
session of unadulterated love. This is
which rests all we discover in the life
and death of Christ, its inspiration, its
source. its impelling power. The rea-
son why He did the Fathers will, the
reason why He gave Himself for the
good of the race was because of His
boundless love-"who loved US and
gave HIMSELF for u.s." The reason why
He uttered those touching sweet words.
Come unto me all ye that labor and
are heavy laden and | will give you
rest" was because His grand heart
was moved as He saw the toiling,
struggling. burdened. hard-bestead
world grasping at every straw of hope,
only to be disappointed. was because
He wanted to take upon Himself the
burdens of life and carry them for
every poor. tired, weary, crushed, de-
sparng human soul. Oh, how He
loved this world! How grandly He has
manifested that love-"giving His life
a ransom for it,
The banner under which He marches
is the banner of love. The spirit that
breathes through His gospel is the
spirit of love; the potency Of the good
news" has been the power of love: the
hand He ever holds out Is the hand of
love: the chalice He offers Is the chal-
ice of love; the scourge in His hand is
the scourge of love; His threats and
warnings and invitations and promises
are all knit together with the gold and
silver threads of love. 1t is Gods love,
Gods infinite, ineXhaustible. boundless
love that shines resplendently through
the Lord Jesus QAyist.
LISTENS But HEARS NOT.
The world listens. but hears not;
"rhere is no Jesus" say the spectical.
"Ye are my Witnesses" says Christ to
His church," "Ye are the light of the
world" and the church witnesses for
Christ. The church lights up the world.
the church attracts to the cross, when
and only when. and in that proportion
i'm which 1t is possessed by the spirit
Of Christ. The spirit of Christ Is the
spirit of love: we reveal Christ when
we are loving. If a man say Il love
God" and hates his brother, he Is a
liar. for HE that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen. how can he love
God whom he hath not SEEN"
Are we walking in the footsteps Of
Him who "when He was reviled, re-
viled not again, who. when He suf-
fered. threatened not: in the steps Of
Him who said, Father. forgive them.
for they know not what they do" In
the steps of Him who said. Love your
enemies; do good to them that hate
you; pray for them that despitefully
use you
oh, for more of His spirit! Oh. for
that love that will make all crosses
crowns that will impel us in the path
of duty. with the one thrilling. ringing.
eXultant cry: "The love of Christ the
love of Christ constraineth us. because