The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-08-12

4
mixed bread was ignorant OF what He
meant when He compared the kingdom Of
heaven with leaven or yeast? Suppose you
that the sunburnt fishermen, with fish
scales upon their hands, were listless
when He spoke Of the kingdom OF heaven
as net? We spend three years In college
studying ancient mythology, and three
years In the theological seminary learn
ing how to make sermon, and then we
so out to save the world. and II we can
not do it according to Claude's Sermon
izing," or Blairs Rhetoric" or Kames'
| Criticism" We will let the world 20
to perdition. II we save nothing
else, we will save Claude and
Blair. We see wreck In sight. We
must go out and save the crew and pas
sengers. We wait until We get on our fine
cap and coat and find our shining oars, and
| then We push out methodically and
scientifically, while some plain shoresman,
In rough fishing smack and with broken
| oar lock goes out and gets the crew and
| passengers and brings them ashore in
| safety. We throw down our delicate oars
and say: "What ridiculous thing to save
men in that way! You ought to have done
1t scientifically and beautifully" "Ah,"
says the shoresman, "if those sufferers had
waited until you got out your fine boat
they would have gone to the bottom"
The work OF religious teacher Is to
save men, and though every law OF gram
mar should be snapped in the undertaking,
and there be nothing but awkwarduess and
laundering In the mode, all hail to the
man who saves a soul.
Christ, in His preaching, was plain,
earnest and wonderfully sympathetic. We
cannot dragoon men into heaven. We
cannot drive them in with the butt end OF a
catechism. We waste our time In trying
to catch flies with acids instead Of the
sweet honeycomb OF the gospel. We try
to make crab apples do the work OF pome-
granates.
Again Jesus was wonderful in His sor-
rows. The sun smote Him and the cold
chilled Him, the rain pelted Him, thirst
parched Him and hunger exhausted Him.
Shall compare His sorrow to the sea? No,
for that is something hushed into calm
Shall compare 1t with the night? No, for
that sometimes CLEANS with Orion or kin
dies with Aurora. II one thorn should be
thrust through your temple you would
faint. But here is whole crown made
from the rhamnus or spina Christ-small,
sharp, stinging thorns. The mob make a
cross. They put down the long beam, and
on it they fasten shorter beam. Got Him
at last. Those hands that laye been doing
kindncsses and wiping away tears-hear
the hammer driving the spikes through
them. Those feet that have been going
about on ministrations of mercy-battered
against the cross. Then they lift It up.
Look, look, look! Who will help Him nowp
Come, men Of Jerusalem-ye whose dead
lie brought to life, We whose sick He healed
who will help Him? Who will seize the
weapons OF the soldiers? None to help.
Having carried such q cross for us, shall We
refuse to take our cross for Him?
Shall Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No; there's cross for every one,
And there's a cross for me-
You know the process Of migrating. You
bore a hole into q tree and put in the
branch of another tree. This tree Of the
cross was hard and rough. but into the
holes where the nails went there had been
grated branches of the tree Of life that now
bear fruit for all nations, The original tree
was bitter but the branches migrated were
sweet, and now all the nations pluck the
fruit and live forever.
Again, Christ was wonderful In His VIC
tories.
First, over the forces Of nature. The sea
Is crystal sepulcher. 1t swallowed the
Central America, the President and the
Spanish Armada as easily as any fly that
ever hoated on it. The inland lakes arc
fully as terrible in their wrath. Galilee,
when aroused in storm, is overwhelming,
and yet that sea crouched in His presence
and licked His feet. He knew ali the waves
and winds. When He beckoned. theycame.
When He frowned, they fed The heel Of
His foot made no indentation on the solidi-
fled water. Medical science has wrought
great changes in rheumatic limbs and dis
eased blood, but when muscles are entirely
withered no human power can restore
them, and when a limb is once dead 1t Is
dead. But here is paralytic--his hand
lifeless. Christ says to him, "Stretch forth
thy hand, and he stretches 1t forth
In the eye inflrmary how many diseases
Of that delicate organ have been cured?
But Jesus says to one born blind, "Be
open," and the light OF heaven rushes
through gates that have never before been
opened. The frost or an ax may kill tree,
but Jesus smites one dead with word.
Chemistry can do many wonderful things.
but what chemist, at wedding, when the
gave out, could change pail
Of water into cask of wine?
Behold His victory over the gravel The
hinges OF the family vault become very
rusty because they are never opened except
outside Of the sepulchcr, but none on the
inside. Here comes the conqueror OF death. |
He enters that realm and says, Daughter
Of Jairus, sit up, and she sat up. To Laz-
arus, Come FORTH" and he came forth,
To the widows son He said, sect up from
that bier" and he goes home with his
mother. Then Jesus snatched up the keys
Of death and hung them to His girdle and
cried until all the graveyards of the earth
heard Him: "Oh, death, / will be thy plague!
Oh, grave, I will be thy destructioni'
But Christ's victories have only Just be-
gun. This world Is His, and He must have
t What Is the matter In this conntrv2