The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-05

Rev. w. b. Dunham's Topic at Taber-
nacle PreshYterinn.

nacIe Presbyterian.
At the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church,
yesterday morning, Rev. w. B. Durham,
associate pastor, preached to a good con-
gregation. Many of the members who have
been away for the summer had returned
and were again in attendance. Rev. Mr..
Durham selected his text from Matt. xviii
!. 2, After six days Jesus taketh Peter,
James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into high mountain apart, and
was TRANSPORTED before them," and spoke
as follows:
The. TRANSPORTATION Of Christ, in so far
as curious questioning, speculation, word
plcturing and even theological inquiry are
concerned, is one of those scenes in the
best for the expositor to pass over in rev
erent silence. There is a mystery here that
p paSsess our comprenensio grandeur that
VINO can find language adequate to describe
that wonderful night scene in the noun
tains. when heaven comes down to earth
for few short moments, when the divine
glory OF Jesus breaks through the taber-
nacle OF clay and shines with celestial
made perfect descend to earth and talk with
Him respecting His deceaSe, and when there
came voice from heaven pronouncing Him
to be Gods well-beloved Son?
1T was upon the subject of His death
that Jesus and His heavenly visitants con-
versed on the mount OF transformation.
His decease so different from their own.
was the theme of their talk, and when they
ceased speaking concerning this they took
the blessed. How long this conversation
lasted we do not know. Not even the three
permitted to hear it. They doubtless talked
about the nature and consequences of that
coming death. No serious man can medi-
tate for any length of time upon this
thought-the consequences of Christ's death
and not be overwhelmed. How worldwide
those consequences, reaching up to the
tn hot has No..
ed upon the most exalted throne of earth;
reaching down to the lowest that has ever
walked in the humblest paths Of lifel How
far-reaching the consequences Of that death
IN time. extending not only through time,
but through all the eternity to comet
Matthew tells us that Jesus 'taketh Pc
ter James, and John his brother, and bring
eth them up into q high mountain apart
The question We are prompted to ask here
perhaps answer this question by saying that
they were the Lords favorite disciples. This
answer does not seem to me to explain. The
lnnermost circle of the twelve consisted of
two pair of brothers, Andrew and Peter
James and John. This was not the only
occasion upon which he chose these three
to witness an extraordinary scene. Why
did he not include the group of four and
include Andrew? Now / believe that we
that these three were his favorites Favor
itlSm, as We use the term to-day, is a very
doubtful motive. There must have been
some more reasonable principle of selec-
ton. 1t was not favoritsm that determined
the choice of these three, but spiritual re-
captivity. Andrew, who belonged to the
others in susceptibility and was therefore
left out. Likeness in spirit TO Christ parts
the two whom flesh and blood unite.
God works upon this principle of selec-
ton in the spiritual life. There are mounts
to be called uD into still. You may not
have realized this, and if not, it is because
of your lack of spiritual receptivity. Lack
of receptive power in the natural world may
not be your fault: may be due to causes
entlrely beyond your control. Not so in the
spiritual life. God will give you all of him
self that you can use If you are limited
and Straitened, it is in yourself and not in
Him. Likeness to Christ still separates
many whom flesh and blood unite and those
who start out together in the spiritual race
get widely apart because of this quality
Christ loved those disciples that He left be-
hind, but It would have been a great mis-
take for Him to have taken them up into
the mount to witness a scene for which they
were not prepared. So still He may not re-
veal himself to you because you cannot re-
Notice as a second practical thought that
Christ took them apart to pray, and 1t was
while in prayer that He was TRANSPORTED
before them. 1t may be that had they wit
messed Him before in prayer, they would
have seen something akin TO what they saw
was not a reflected glory. 1t was a glory
that came from within. There is a hint
here of how material body may be changed
by the energy OF an in-dwelling Christ
There is hint. too, of what the body of
our humiliation will be when changed into
the likeness of the body of His glory. 1t
can be true OF us. sinners though we are,
that by such communion with Him our fea-
lures, too. can be radiant with a heavenly
light;
sus remains. Blessed shall we be If amid
all life's tolls when temporal things crowd
upon us, we can steadfastly look TO Him
shall we be when at last we pass through
deaths brief darkness and we lift up our