The Grit-advocate., 1900-04-27
TIMELY DISCOURSE ON RELIC
IOUS DOCTRINES.
HS Would Free Humanity From the
Gravsclothes of Old Ecclesiastlcal Dog
mas - Faith In Christ tho Test of
True Christianity.

and let him CO."
My Bible is at the place Of this text
written all over with lead pencil
marks made at Bethany on the ruins
Of the house of Mary and Martha and
Lazarus. We dismounted from our
horses on the way up from Jordan to
the Dead sea. Bethany was the sum-
mer evening retreat Of Jesus. After
spending the day in the hot city Of
Jerusalem he would come out there al
most every evening to the house Of
his three friends. l think the occu-
pants Of that house were orphans, for
the father and mother are not men
toned. But the son and two daugh-
tiers must have inherited property, for
1t must have been, judging from what
l saw of the foundations and the size
of the rooms, an opulent home. Laza-
rus, the brother, was now at the head
Of the household, and his sisters de-
pended on him and were proud of him,
for he was very popular, and every
body liked him, and these girls were
splendid girls-Martha first rate
housekeeper and Mary a spirituelle,
somewhat dreamy, but affectionate
and as good girl as could be found
in all Palestine. But one day Lazar-
us got sick. The sisters were in con-
sternation. Father gone, and mother
gone, they feel very nervous lest they
lose their brother also. Disease did
its quick work. How the girls hung
over his pillow! not much sleep
about that house-no sleep at all.
From the characteristics otherwise
developed, I judge that Martha pre-
pared the medicines and made tempt
ing dishes of food for the poor appe-
tite Of the sufferer, but Mary prayed
and sobbed. Worse and worse gets
Lazarus until the doctor announces
that he can do no more. The shrek
that went up from that household
when the last breath had been drawn
and the two sisters were being led by
sympathizers into the adjoining room
all those of us can imagine who have
had our own hearts broken. But why
was not Jesus there as he SO often had
been? Far away in the country dis
tricts, preaching, healing other sick,
how unfortunate that this omnipotent
Doctor had not been at that domestic
crisis in Bethany. When at last Jesus
arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been
buried four days and dissolution had
taken place. In that climate the
breathless body disintegrates more
rapidly than in ours. II, Immediately
after decease, the body had been
awakened into life, unbelievers might
have said he was only in a comatose
state or in a sort of trance and by
some vigorous manipulation or power
full stimulant vitality had been re-
newed. No! Four days dead.
- The sspulcher of Christ
At the door Of the sepulcher is a
crowd Of people, but the three most
memorable are Jesus. who was the
family friend, and the two bereft sis
tiers. We went into the traditional
tomb one December day, and it is deep
down and dark. and with torches we
explored it. We found it all quiet that
afternoon OF our visit, but the day
spoken of in the Bible there was pres
ent an excited multitude. l wonder
what Jesus will do? He orders the door
of the grave removed, and then he be-
gins to descend the steps, Mary and
Martha close after him, and the crowd
after them. Deeper down into the
shadows and deeper! The hot tears
Of Jesus roll over his cheeks and
splash upon the back of his hands