The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-06-08


travel. the world is disposed to listen.
But here was a man who had gradu-
ated at no college, had not in any acad-
emy by ordinary means learned alpha
bet OF language he spoke, and yet he
proposed to talk, TO instruct in SUB
jects which had confounded the might
lest intellects John says: The Jews
marveled, saying, How hath this man
letters, having never learned?" We,
in our day, have found out that a man
without a diploma may know as much
as a man with one and that a college
cannot transform a sluggard into a
| philosopher or a theological seminary
teach a fool 20 preach. An empty
| head after the laying on Of hand Of
| the presbytery is empty still. But it
| shocked all existing prejudices in
those olden times for a man with no
scholastic pretensions and no gradua-
| ton from learned institution TO set
himself up for a teacher. 1t 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 SO years of
age, and yet that was the point at
which Christ's life terminated. The
first Is years you take in nursery and
school Then it will take you six years
to get into your occupation or profes-
sion. That will bring you to q 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 Christs life terminated
Men in military life have done their
most wonderful deeds before 33 years
of age. There may be exceptions to
hrIr fkn acr
military prowess have occurred be-
fore 33 years of age. But as a legiS-
lator-no man becomes eminent as a
legislator until he has had long years
of experience. And yet the gray beard
ed scribes were expected to bow down
in silence before this young legislator
who arraigned Sanhedrins and accused
governments. Aristotle was old, Ly-
curgus 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 Il
years of age should get up in your
presence to discuss great questions Of
metaphysics or ethics or politics of
government,you would be as contempt
uous as these gray bearded scribes in
the presence of his young Christ.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR"
Popular opinion declared in those
days, Blessed is the merchant who
has a castle down on the banks Of
said, BLESSED are the poor" Popular
opinion said in those days, Blessed
are those who live amid statuary and
fountains and gardens and congratu-
ations and all kinds of festivity." This
young man responded, BLESSED are
| they that mourn" Public opinion in
| those days said, BLESSED is the Roman
eagle, the flap of whose wing startles
| nations and the plunge of whose iron
Tbeak inf1icts cruelty upon it's enemies" 4"
This young man responded, Blessed
are the murciful.'' Popular opinion said
IAN eye for an eye, tooth for a
TOOTH" In other words, if man
knocks your eye out knock his out.
If a man breaks your tooth break his
| Retort for retort, sarcasm for sarcasm,
| irony for irony, persecution for perse-
| cution, wound for wound. Christ
| said, Pray for them that despiteflly
use you" They looked at his eye. 1t
was like any other mans eye, except
perhaps more speaking. They felt his
nerves and flesh, just like any other
hand. Yet what bad treatment of
subjects, what supernatural demands,
what strange doctrine! They felt the
solid earth under them. and yet
Christ said, Il bear up the pillars of
moon. He said, 81 will turn it into
blood" They looked at the sea. He
said, Il will hush it, They looked at
the stars. He said, II 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
a general rode along the lines, al
though the soldiers were lying down
6n ta1
thusiasm and huzzaed. AS Napoleon
returned from his captivity his first
step on the wharf shook all the king
doms. and 250,OO0 men focked to his
standard. 1t took 1900 troops tol
watch him in his exile. So there have
been men of wonderful manetism of
person. But hear me while I tell you
of 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 whoI
had fought no battles, who wore noI
epauets, who brandished no sword. He
had probably never seen a prince or
shaken ha.ds with a nobleman. 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 solemn hour
that comes to woman's soul she was
obliged to lie down among drivers
grooming the beasts of burden.
THE QUESTION OF LINEAGE.
1 imagine Christ one day standing in
the streets of Jerusalem. A man de-
scending from high lineage is standing
beside him and says, MY father was
merchant prince. He mad castle on
the beach in Galilee. Who was your
father?" Christ answers, Joseph, the
carpenter" A man from Athens is
standing there unroling his parch-
ment of graduation and says to Christ,
Where did you go to school?'' Christ
answers, Il never graduated Aha, the
idea of such an unheralded young man
attempting to command the attention
of the world! AS well some little fishing
village on Long Island shore attempt
to arraign New York. Yet no sooner
does he set his foot in the towns or
cities of Judea than everything is in
| commotion. The peope go out on a pic
mic, 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 wilderness. A nobleman
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