Connecticut western news., 1900-05-31


 our day, have found out that q man without diploma may know as much as a man with one and that q college cannot transform n sluggard into a philosopher or a theological seminary teach a fool to preach. An empty head, after the laying on of hands of the presbytery, Is empty still. But 1t F shocked all existing prejudices in those olden times for man with no scholas-
 tic pretensions and no graduation from a learned institution to set himself up for teacher. It was against him. So also the brevity of his life was against him. He had not come to what we call midlife. But very few men do
 anything before B years of age, and yet that was the point at which Christ's life terminated. The first 15 years you
 take in nursery and school; then 1t will take you six years to get into your oc- cupation or profession. That will bring
 you to 21 years. Then it will take you
 ten years at least to get established in your life work, correcting the mistakes
 you have made. If any man at 33 years of age gets fully established in his life work, he is the exception. Yet that Is the point at which Christ's life termi- mated.
 Men in military life have done their most wonderful deeds before 33 years of age. There may be exceptions to 1t, l but the most wonderful exploits in
 military prowess have occurred before
 B years of age. But as legislator no cl for.
 until he has had long years of expert
 ence. And yet the gray bearded scribes
 were expected to bow down in silence before this young legislator, who ar
 raigned sanhedrins and accused gov
 ernments. Aristotle was old; Lycurgus was old; Seneca was old. The great legislators of the modern world have been old. Christ was young. All this was against him. If a child 12 years of age should get up in your presence to discuss great questions of meta | physics or ethics or politics or govern ment, you would be as contemptuous as these gray bearded scribes in the | presence of this young Christ.
 All Against Him.
 Popular opinion declared in those days, Blessed Is the merchant who has a castle down on the banks of Lake Ti- berias." This young man said, "Bless- ed are the poor" Popular opinion said | i'll those days, Blessed are those who | live amid statuary and fountains and gardens and congratulations and all \ kinds of festivity." This young man | responded Blessed are they that mourn" Public opinion in those days l said, Blessed Is the Roman eagle, the | flap of whose wing startles nations and l the plunge of whose iron beak inflicts | cruelty upon its enemies" This young | man responded, Blessed are the mer- ciful." Popular opinion said, "An eye | for an eye, tooth for a tooth." In I other words, If man knocks your eye | out knock his out; if a man breaks l your tooth, break his. Retort for re- I tort; sarcasm for sarcasm; irony for ! irony; persecution for persecution; wound for wound. Christ said, "Pray | for them that despitefully use you" They looked at his eye. It was like l any other mans eye, except, perhaps, more speaking. They felt his hand, made of bone and muscle and nerves | | Yet what bold treatment of subjects, what supernatural demands, what strange doctrine! They felt the solid earth under them, and yet Christ said, II bear up the pillars of this world" | They looked at the moon. He said, "I | will turn 1t into blood" They looked l at the sea. He said, T will hush it." | They looked at the stars. He said, "l \ will shake them down like untimely | figs" Did ever one so young say things | so bold? It was all against him.
 | After the battle of Antietam, when 3 | general rode along the lines, although the soldiers were lying down exhaust | ed they rose with great enthusiasm | and huzzaed. AS Napoleon returned | from his captivity his first step on the | wharf shook all the kingdoms, and | 250,000 men fiocked to his standard. It | took 5000 troops to watch him in his 1 exile. So there have been men of won- derful magnetism of person. But hear me while I tell you of a poor young man who came up from Nazareth to | produce a thrill which has never been
 excited by any other. Napoleon had
 around him the memories of Marengo
 and Austerlitz and Jena, but here was
 a man who had fought no battles, who
 wore no epaulets, who brandished no
 sword. He had probably never seen a l prince or shaken hands with noble
 man. The only extraordinary person
 we know of as being in his company | was his own mother, and she was so
 poor that, In the most delicate and sol | emn hour that comes to a woman's
 soul, she was obliged to lie down
 among drivers grooming the beasts of
 burden.
 | Complete Triumph.
 1 imagine Christ one day standing in
 the streets of Jerusalem. A man de-
 scended from high lineage is standing
 beside him and says: My father was
 merchant prince. He had a castle on
 the beach in Galilee. Who was your
 father?" Christ answers, Joseph, the
 carpenter" A man from Athens is
 standing there. unrolling his parch-
 ment of graduation, and says to Christ
 Where did you go to school?' Christ
 answers, T never graduated" Anal
 The idea of such an unheralded young
 man attempting to command the atten-
 tion of the world! As we'll some little
 fishing village on Long Island shore at
 tempt to arraign New York. Yet no
 sooner does he set his foot in the
 towns or cities of Judaa than every
 thing is in commotion. The people go
 out on picnic, taking only food enough
 for a day, yet are so fascinated with
 Christ that, at the risk of starving,
 they follow him out into the wilder
 ness. A nobleman falls down fiat be-
 fore him and says, My daughter is
 dead" A beggar tries to rub the dim-
 ness from his eyes and says, Lord,
 that my eyes may be opened" poor,