Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-11-16

and myself. Get ourselves right before
we bother ourselves about getting others
right. o Christ, come hither and master
our case! Here are our sins-pardon
them; our wounds-heal them; our bur-
dcns-lift them; our sorrOws-comfort
them. We want the Christ OF Bartimeus
to open our blind eyes, the Christ of
Martha to help us in our domestic cares,
the Christ Of Olivet to help MS preach our
sermons, the Christ of Lake Galilee to
still our tempests, the Christ of Lazarus
to raise our dead. Not too tired is he to
come, though he has on his whipped
shoulders so long carried the worlds woe
and on his lacerated feet walked this
way to accept our salutation.
waiting For the redeemed.
BY the bloody throes of the mountain
on which Jesus died, and by the sepul-
cher where his mutilated body was in
closed in darkened crypt and by the
Olivet from which he arose, while aston
ished disciples clutched for his robes to
detain him in their companionship, and
by the radiant and omnipotent throne on
which he sits waiting for the coming of
all those whose redemption was settled
in heaven, | implore you bow your head
in immediate and final submission. Once
exercise sorrow for what you have lone
and exercise trust in him for what he is
willing to do. and all is well for both
worlds. Then you can swing out defiance
70 all opposition, human and diabolic. In
conquering his foes he conquered yours.
And have you noticed that passage in
Colossians that represents him having
despoilcd principalities and powers, he
made n show of them, openly triumph
ing" so bringing before MS that over
=, 1,aIyn,- ,,,ta Il ~ a. Da,a.. q
When Pornpey landed at Brindisi, tia
ally, returned from his victories, he dis.
banded the brave men who had fought
under him and sent them rejoicing to
their homes. and, entering Rome, his en-
blazoned chariot was followed by princes
in chains from Kingdoms he had conquer
ed, and flowers such az only grew under
those Italian skies strewed the way, and
he came under arches inscribed with the
names OF battlefelds on which he had
~triumphcd and rode by columns which
told of the | 800 cities he had destroyed
and the II, 000,0 900 people he had con-
quered or slain. Then the banquet was
spread, and out of the chalices filled to
the brim they drank to the health of the
conquerOr. Belisarius, the great soldier.
returned from his military achievements
and was robed in purple, and in the pro-
cession were brought golden thrones and
pillars Of precious stones and the furni-
ture of royal feasts. and amid the SPLEEN
doris of Kingdoms overcome he was hailed
to the hippodrome by shouts such as had
seldom rung through the capital. Then
also came the convivialities. In the year
314 Aurelian made his entrance to Rome
in triumphal car, in which he stood while
a winged figure of &ictory held a wreath
above his head. Xenobia, captive queen
of Palmyra, walked behind his chariot,
her person cncircled with letters Of gold,
under the weight of which she nearly
tainted, but still a captive. And there
were in the procession 200 lions and ii
gers and beasts of many lands and l,600
gladiators excused from the cruel amphi-
theater that they might decorate the day,
and Persian and Arabian and Ethiopian
ambassadors were in the procession and
the long lines Of captives, Egyptians, Syr-
ians, Gauls, Goths and Nandals.
1t was to such scenes that the New
Testament refers when it spoke of Christ
"having despoiled principalities and pow
ers, he made 4 show of them, openly tri-
umphing." But, oh, the difference in
those triumphs. The Roman triumph
represented arrogance, cruelty, oppres-
sion and wrong, but Christ's triumph
meant emancipation and holiness and JOY.
The former was a procession of groans
accompanied by a clank of chains, the
other n procession of hosannas by mil
lions set forever free. The only shackled
ones Of Christ's triumph will be satan
and his cohorts tied to our Lords chariot
wheel. with all the denominations of all
the earth bound for an eternal captivity.
Then will come a feast in which the chal-
ices will be filed with the new wine of
the kingdom" Under arches commemo-
rative of all the battles in which the ban
nered armies of the church militant
through thousands of years of struggle
ave at last won the day Jesus will ride,
Conqueror of earth and hell and heaven,
Those armies, disbanded, will take pal
aces and thrones. And they shall CONF
from the east and the west and the north
and the south and sit down in the king
dom OF God" And may you and |,
through the pardoning and sanctifyinG
grace Of Christ, be guests at that royal
banquet!