The Grit-advocate., 1900-06-01
REWARDS OF ENDEAvoR SUM-
DAYS SUBJECT.
FROM the Following Text TT Havs
Finished the Work Which Thou Gavest
He to Do"-John XVII, A-Ths Fruits
Of Well Won Victory.
copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch.l

the completion OF anything we have
undertaken. We lift the capstone with
exultation. while, on the other hand,
there is nothing more Disappointing
than after having toiled in a certain
direction to find that our time is vast
cd and our investment proftless
Christ came to throw up highway on
which the whole world might, II it
chose, mount into heaven. He did it.
The foul mouthed crew who attempted
to tread on him could not extinguish
the sublime satisfaction which he ex-
pressed when he said, 81 have finished
the work which thou gavest me to
do"
Alexander the Great was wounded,
and the doctors could not medicate his
wounds,a he seemed to be dying, and
In his dream the sick man saw plant
ed that that plant was put upon his
wound and that Immediately 1t was
cured. And Alexander, waking from
his dream, told this to the physician,
and the physician wandered out until
he found just the kind of plant which
the sick man had described, brought
it to him, and the wound was healed.
Well, the human race had been hurt
with the ghastliest of all wounds
that of sin. 1t was the business of
Christ to bring balm for that wound
the balm of divine restoration. In
carrying this business to success
full issue the difficulties were stupen-
dous.
The Spiritual UpbCilding.
In many OF our plans We have our
friends to help us; some to draw a
sketch of the plan, others to help us
in the execution. But Christ fought
every inch of his way against bitter
hostility and amid circumstances all
calculated to depress and defeat.
In his fathers shop no more inter-.
course was necessary than is ordinar-
lily necessary in bargaining with men
that have work to do; yet Christ, with
hands hard from use of tools Of trade,
was called forth to become public
speaker, to preach in the face OF mobs,
while some wept and some shook their
fists and some gnashed upon him with
their teeth and many wanted him out
of the way To address orderly and
respectful assemblages is not 80 easy
as it may seem, but 1t requires more
energy and more force and more con-
centration to address an exasperated
mob. The villagers Of Nazareth heard
the pounding Of his hammer but all
the wide reaches Of eternity were to
hear the stroke of his spiritual up
building.
So also the habits of dress and diet
were against him. The mighty men of
Christs time did not appear in appare!
without trinkets and adornments.
None of the Caesars would have ap-
peared in citizens apparel. Yet here
was a man, here was a professed king,
who always wore the same coat. In
deed it was far from shabby, for after
he had worn it long while the gam
blers thought 1t worth rafting about,
but still it was far from being an
imperial robe. 1t was a coat that any
ordinary man might have worn on an
ordinary occasion.
Neither was there any pretension In
his diet. No cupbearer with golden
chalice brought him wine to drink
On the seashore he ate fish, first hav-
ing broiled 1t himself. No one fetched
him water to drink; but, bending over
A.. wall in Samaria he hapgad a