The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-04-10


their garments in the way; others cut
down branches from the trees, and strewed
them in the way. And the multitudes
that went before, and that followed,
cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of
David: Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord; Hosanna in the high
est. Matt xxi. s, g.
TIME kindly heart of man is ever
i pleased to observe scene of
joy; and especially to observe such
a scene when it comes in by way of
contrast with the ordinary temper of
life, like a sun-touched cloud lying
above the broad shadows of depart
ing day. After winters silence how
gladly we listen to the merry notes of
the birds walked by the spring sun
shine. How pleasing to our view is
the Joy of the cattle let out from the
pent-up farmyard to the freedom of
the greening hills! How we rejoice
that from the dreariness of March
they pass into the gladness of May!
And thus after severe toll do we hail
the advent of rest and recreation for
the weary; and not more pleasing in
our sight could be the descent of the
fairest angel, clad in robes of golden
light, than is the return of joy to the
sorrowing. Like star in the night
time, or a flower in the desert, is
smile in the midst of great and
long grief. With hushed gladness
we greet it, and pray that it may
linger.
And it is with something of this
feeling that we contemplate the
scene painted to our imagination in
the text, and which the church will
muse over on this Palm Sunday. 1t
is the first scene of exultation in the
history of that little band of lowly
and confiding souls that gathered
around the Son of Man, and followed
him from place to place, kindling at
his words, storing up in memory his
precepts, sharing his sympathy, and
partaking of the ostracism and con-
tempt and peril which he drew upon
himself, being true to his convic-
tions. 1t is their earliest sense of
triumph, their first shout of "Hosan-
na," the prime instance of strewing
palms in the path of the rejected
Nazarene, as if in him they had dis
covered some new claim to honor and
love. On this journey from Galilee
to Jerusalem a more than usual in
terest had been shown; and the group
of his followers. as travelling reti-
nue., became at once larger and more
enthusiastic than usual. Their ap-
proach to the Holy City drew a null
titude out to meet them; and, sym
pathizing with the joy of the hour,
Jesus permitted the journey from
Bethphage, space of couple of
miles, to assume the aspect of hap
ply pilgrimage or triumphal process
sion. He accepted their glad trib-
utes; their ardent joyousness he en-
couraged. AS a mark of honor they
cast their flowing robes and green
palms in his path, and shouted "Ho-
sauna to the Son of David" which
is quite similar to the French, "uice
Ie roll" or to the English, "God save
the queen~ Long and safely live
the Son of David was the spirit of
the acclaim that burst from the null
titude.
A new scene of gladness was this,
rising on that early path of trial and
humiliation! And it is not impossi-
BILE that in this happy shout we must
detect some note of worldly ambi-
ton. The passion for place and pow
or is human, and we know that even
the apostles felt it. Who should be
first in the kingdom, was not an in
different question to the humble
group chosen by the Master; and on
one occasion he had to set little
child before them to reprove their
personal strife for ascendency.
Not yet was their idea of the Messi-
anic reign an eminently spiritual one.
They were looking for one to rule
over Israel, with a sceptre quite like
that of David and Solomon; and
amid this triumphal march from
Bethphage, the idea and the hope
may not have been absent from the
more worldly ones that Jesus might
be on the eve of assuming royalty,
and comforting patronage on his fol-
lowers.
ambition is as a distance. A
goodly prospect, tempting to the
view; the height delights US, and the
mountain top looks beautiful;" and
to that mountain top, crowned by a
throne, theym have Aattered them
selves-a few of them-that Jesus
was marching on, and, in few in
stances, the vigor of the shout may
have been increased by the hope of