Middletown transcript., 1900-03-10


for each other. and Rachel voice sang
on in tho slums and dark places OF de-
spair and sin and drew lost souls back
to God and heaven cnce more.
He saw President Marsh Of the col
lege using his great learning and his
great influence to purify the city, to
ennoble its patriotism. to inspire the
young men and women who loved as
well as admired him to live lives OF
Christian service, always teaching them
that education means great responsible
ity for the weak and the ignorant. He
saw Alexander Powers meeting with
sore trials in his family life, with
constant sorrow in the estrangement OF
wife and friends, but still going his
way in all honor, seeing and living IN
all his strength the Master, whom he
had obeyed even unto loss Of social dis
tinction and wealth.
He saw Milton Wright, the merchant,
meeting with great reverses, thrown
upon the future by a combination OF
circumstances, with vast business IN
terests involved in ruin, through no
fault Of his own, but coming out of all
his reverses with clean Christian honor,
to begin and work up to position
where he could again be to hundreds of
young men an example Of what Jesus
would be in business
He saw Edward Norman, editor of
The News, by means of the money CIV
en- by Virginia, creating force in jour
nalism that in time came to be recog-
nized as one of the real factors of the
nation, to mold its principles and actu-
ally shape its policy, daily illustra-
tion Of the might Of q Christian press
and the first of a series of such papers
begun and carried on by other disciples
who had also taken the pledge.
He saw Jasper Chase, who had denied
his Master, growing into cold, cynical
formal life, writing novels that were
social successes, but each one with a
sting in it, the reminder of his denial,
the bitter remorse that, do what he
would, no social success could remove
He saw Rose Sterling, dependent for
some years upon her aunt and Felicia,
finally married to a man far older than
herself, accepting the burden of rela-
tion that had no love in it on her part
because Of her desire to be the wife OF
rich man and enjoy the physical lux
uries that were all of life to her. Over
this life also the vision cast certain
dark and awful shadows, but they were
not shown to him in detail
He saw Felicia and Stephen Clyde
happily married, living beautiful life
together, enthusiastic, joyful in suffer
ing, pouring out their great, strong,
fragrant service into the dull, dark,
terrible places of the great city and re-
deeming souls through the personal
touch of their home, dedicated to thu
human homesickness all about them.
He saw DR.. Bruce and the bishop go
ing on with the settlement work. He
seemed to see the great blazing motto
over the door enlarged, "What Would
Jesus Dot" and the daily answer to
that question was redeeming the city
in its greatest need.
He saw Burns AMI his companion
and great company Of men like them
redeemed and going in turn to others,
conquering their passions by the Divine
grace and proving by their daily lives
the reality of the new birth, even in the
lowest and most abandoned.
And now the vision was troubled. Il
seemed to him that as he kneeled he be-
gan to pray, and the vision was more
of q longing for future than reality
in the future. The church of Jesus in
the city and throughout the country
would it follow Jesus3 Was the move
ment begun in Raymond to srend itself
in few churches like Nazareth Avenue
and the one where he had preached to-
day and then die away as a local move
ment, stirring on the surface, but not
to extend deep and far? He felt with
agony after the vision again. He
thought he saw the church of Jesus in
America open its heart to the moving
Of the Spirit and rise to the sacrifice Of
its ease and self satisfaction in the
name of Jesus. He thought he saw the
motto, "What Would Jesus Dor" in
scribed over every church door and
written on every church members
heart. The vision vanished. 1t came
back clearer than before, and he saw
the Endeavor societies all over the
world carrying in their great process
sions at some mighty convention ban
ner on which was inscribed, "What
Would Jesus Dor" and he thought in
the faces of the young men and women
he saw future joy of suffering, loss,
self denial, martyrdom, and when this
part of the vision slowly faded he saw
the figure Of the Son of God beckoning
to him and to all the other actors in his
life history. An angel choir somewhere
was singing. There was sound as Of
many voices and shout as of a great
victory, and the figure Of Jesus grew
more and more splendid. He stood at
the end of a long flight of steps. "Yesl
Yes o my Master, has not the time
come for this dawn of the millennium
Of Christian history? Oh. break upon
the Christendom of this age with the
light and the truth Help us to follow
thee all the wayi'
He rose at last with the awe Of one
who has looked at heavenly things. He
felt the human forces and the human
sins of the world as never before, and
with hope that walks hand in hand
with faith and love, Henry Maxwell
disciple of Jesus, laid him down to sleep
and dreamed of the regeneration of
Christendom and saw in his dream !
church of Jesus "without spot or wrin-
kle or any such thing" following him
all the way, walking obediently in his
steps
THE END.
THE PAST. y.