The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-05

suddenly arose from his knees and
said, 1T IS accomplished; the church
is free. Victory, victory" Oh. for
the throne of God, so that it may be
said Of us a sit was said Of Luther.
He got what he asked for!" We want
like Daniel, to pray with our face to-
ward the holy city. We want, like
Stephen, TO pray gazing into heaven.
We want, like the publican, to pray
shifting o nthe heart Of conviction. We
want, like Christ, to pray, the Christ
who emptied his heart of all its life
blood and then filled 1t with the sor-
rows. the woes, the agonies of all ma
tons.
Cold mountains and the midnight air
Witnessed the fervor Of his prayer.
TIL SPEIRIT OF HARD WORK
The spirit of Christ, / remark lastly,
was a spirit of hare work. Not one
lazy m in all his life. Whether
he was talking to the fishermen on the
beach OF preaching to the sailors on
the dock or administering to the rus
tics amid the mountains or spending
an evening in Bethany, always busy
for others. Hewfng in the Nazareth
carpenter shop, teaching the lame how
to walk without clutches, curing the
child's fits, providing ratfons for the
hungry host. Busy. busy, busy, The
4 llCh RhO paAlCo NhN 1Sl Jul VI
the sea filed with floundering treas
ures, the shepherds who hunted up
grassy plots for their locks to nibole
at, the shipwrights pounding away in
the drydocks, the winemakers Of Ea-
gedi dipping the juices from the vat
n pouring them into n goatskins,
were not more busy than Christ. Busy,
busy for others. From the he
went out CT the ca~ravansary of Beth
1ehem to the moment when the cross
plunged into the socket on the bloody
mount, busy for others. Does mat re-
mind you of yourself? 1t does not re-
mind me of myself. If we lift a burden
must be popular. II we sit in the pew,
it must be soft. If we move in a
sphere of usefulness, it must be bril-
liant. If We have to take hold of a
load, give US the light end of the log.
In this way to heaven fan us, rock us.
sing US to sleep. Lift us up toward
heaven on the tips of our fingers un-
der a silken sunshade. Stand out of
the way, all you martyrs who breasted
the fire! Stand out of the way ard let
this colony of tender footed modern
Christians come up and get their
crowns!
What has the Lord done to you, o
Christian, that you hould bertay MIN?
Who gave you so mucn riches that you
can afford to despiSe the awards Of
the faithful? At this moment, when
all the armies of heaven n earth and
hell are plunging into the conflict, how
can you desert the standard? Oh,
backsliden Christian, is it not time for
| you to start anew for God and anew
for heaven?
Now, I have shown you that the dis
position Of Christ vas a spirit of gen.
tleness, a spirit Of self sacrifice, a
spirit of humility, a spirit of prayer, a
spirit of hard work-fge points. Will
you remember them? Are you ready
now for the tremend JUS announcement
Of the text? eff any nan have not the
spirit of Christ he is non Of mis-"
| Arc you ready for that statement? Can
we stand up and say, Yes. we hav
the spirit of Christi" Not one of us
can make that answer to the full ques-
tion, yet 1 am to declare to you there
is no encouragement in !his subject
for Christian people. You have the
seeds of this character planted IN your
soul. 1T doth not YET appear what we
shall be-" You might as we'll blame
an acorn for not beng an oak Of q
thousand years as 20 blame yourself
because you are not equal TO Christ.
You have the implantation within you
which will enlarge and develop into the
grandest Christian character, and
there is no Encouragement IN his text
for you to try to low and serve the
Lord Aim high. Sheathe 10: you
sword until you have gained the last
victory. Climb higher and higher until
you reach the celestial hills. Crowns
bright and radiant for all the victors,
but death to every deSerter.
Copyright, 1900, by Louis Kiopsch.)