The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-26

| " SGG w lltJItl lilG udy 10 VI SliI VI
cloudy, I do not throw up my blinds
and peer eagerly into the east, looking
for the sun, but if I see the objects on
| the ground all bathed in light, / know
| that the great Lord of day Is out in all
! his splendor. We seldom look at the
| sun ITSELF because we cannot gaze on
| it's dazzling light, but we look at the
earthly things that shine beneath the
| smile of its tender rays. So in testing
a mans Christianity, I do not believe
in prying about in his soul to find out
| his opinions on certain dazzling and
| transcendent questions that are sure to
blind us with their mystery; but in
making few observations to discover
his attitude toward his fellow men, for
| if his heart is full of love for the f'a-
| ther in heaven the light will shine on
| the brother on earth. People are al
| ways saying that this life test is an illu
| sive thing, that we ought to have some
creed, and that the lines of separation
| between the church and the world
break down if we adopt such q form of
| judgment as that What a sad testi-
mony to the condition of the church!
The Master gave only one testify
then as if to know his Pharlsaical OPP
ponents that this test was an infallible
one, he almost grows sarcastic with
them and says, DO men gather grapes
of thorns % You cannot tell Christian
by observing his life. That is strange.
Do the farmers down south have to put
sign on the melon patch that reads
"Colored men, take ndaice. These are
melons.' Does the owner of a pear
orchard have to nail board on a tree
by the roadside that says, Stop, small
boys. This way to the pears!' Fruit
needs no tag to mark it; nor does
Christianity. l would as soon think OF
going around the world trying to nail
sign boards on the peach trees, as or
trying to make all men Christians by
getting them to recite the same Creed
The small boy knows the peach tree,
and the world knows the Christian. Ii
the hungry and the dust-stained car
avian of humanity passes man, and
finds him covered with the fruits of
the Spirit, ''love, joy, peace, long-suffer-
ing, gentleness goodness, faith, meek
ness, self control" there is no hesita-
ton in order to consult the musty vol
ever in the history of the world a bunch
of grapes was known to grow on
thistle, but in sublime simplicity men
say THAT is Christian."s
The truest ritual is a deed of kind
ness, and the cup of cold water is
greater than an anthem We love to
build marble temples, with lofty domes,
and fair facades, and dim Transcripts,
and rare chapels where masters OF art
exhaust their skill in trying to make
the earthly home of the infinite a MT
ting place for him to enter; and IN our
zeal we forget that each poor human
soul, longing for a look of pity and a
hand of help, Is temple wherein Goa
loves more to dwell than in any marble
miracle, and that the gift which love
extends to the weak and the lost IS an
offering on an altar whose incense is
more acceptable to heaven than the
smoking sacrifices of a continent. 1t
is the religion which we transmit TO
others that belongs. to us.
Christ called Himself the Son or Man.
1t was the name He seemed to love
most. 1t bound him to the race whose
souls were so dear to Him. And IN an
ages loyalty to Him has given birth to
two enthusiasts; one for Him, because
He loved us so, and one for the poor
souls for whom He made such sacrl-
fees. The two are blurred and blended, |
and in every deed of true Christian self |
sacrifice it is hard to tell which is the |
motive 1t is the old mys- |
ferrous confusion Of which He spake |
Himself. when he said that doing it for |
them was doing it for Him. so the |
which the scientist gives to
the truth, which the merchant gives to |
gold, which the traveller gives to adYen- |
ture, which the inventor gives to fame,
the Christian gives to men. ASK LIN
naeus how he felt, when, while climbing |
the barren mountains just outside the
arctic zone, he suddenly stumbled on
a plant which he had never seen be-
fore. Ask Suffer how heS felt, when,
after founding the settlement of New
Helvetia" in California, he discovered
hat the earth beneath his feet was rich
n nuggets of gold. Ask Fulton how he
felt when the "Clerrnont' that had
been called his folly" steamed away
rom the dock in New York, where the
crowd was standing that had rdiculed
he idea of running a vessel by steam.
Ask Whimper how he felt, when, with
lis five companions, he found that every
peril was passed, and rounding cor
ler they stood forth on the highest
point of the Matterhorn. Then Will you
Know how a true Christian feels when
new soul harkens to the invitation OF
God, and enters the kingdom of Light.
Somewhat over year ago we were