The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-10-24
BURNING
HEARTS,. :"
A Sermon Preached at the
Delaware Avenue Bap=
fist Church by the
Pastor.

within us while lie talked with us
by the way, and while he opened un-
to us the Scriptures?' Luke 24:32.
IL was the first day of the first
Easter week. The time was evening
the place on the way to Emmaus,
seven and half miles from Jerusa-
lem. Three times before on this
first Easter day, Jesus has showed
himself alive to those whom he loved
To Mary Magdalene, to the other
women, to Peter, but his appearances
seemed like an idle tale.
Two of his disciples, neither Of
them. ono of the twelve, are walking
in the evening time into the country
The name of one Of them was Cleo.
pas, that Of the other probably Luke
This is believed by many for the
reason that tho description of the
journey and of the meal at Emmaus,
given only IN Luke's gospel, seems
like the description ofun eye witness
too modest to tell his name.
AS they journeyed they debated
and questioned. C'eopas is saying
"What do you think Of tile story Of
the wcmen?' And Luke replies
"Oh it cannot be, the women we're
frightened. They thought they saw
angels-they saw no angels. " And
Luke SAYS "Still there Is Mary. She
declares lie called her by name,
Mary and confess I'm puzzled at
the whole affair. Aud Ceopas makes
answer, "Say Luke could Peter have
been mistaken too:' "Yes even
peter-he certainly made a lot of
mistakes all through hls life This
would simply be one more Of the
same sort. ~ "But' muses. Luke,
'it's strange isn't it, that this is the
third day and he said he would arise
on this day." And thus they reason
as they walk, believing that with his
body gone all hope must be abandon.
ed and they might as we'll give up
everything and 60 back to their occu-
pations.
While they journey, and debate a
stranger draws near. They scarcely
look up, they do not know the
stranger anyhow. and besides he
must be one of the many strangers
who have come that day to the feast.
He engages conversation with
them, learns the source Of their sor.
row, and the burden Of their. COM
munications, rebukes them for Being
SO slow Of heart to believe the
prophets message, and then begin
ming from Moses and the prophets,
expounds to them the Scriptures
concerning the Christ, their Master
and Friend. From Genesis 3:15, the
first reference made to Him, to Nal.
achi Az, he leads them until they
reach the little town of Emmaus,
and the stranger is about to 60 furth.
Ell when they with gentle violence
restrain him to abide with them.
They 60 into the house, the stranger
as II BY right and sweet necessitv,
takes the head Of the table, breaks
bread in an old familiar wav and
when they open their eyes, He is
gone. 1t was the Christ, he had
been with them a full hour and they
did not know Him.
The news Is too good to keep, SO
arising they start Immediately for
Jerusalem to tell the others, say ing
as they 60, "Did not our hearts burn
within us while he talked with MS by
the way and while lie opened to US
the Scrtptures;"
Christ opened their hearts and
then He opened the Scriptures The
Bible Is always closed book to the
closed heart but opens freely its
treasure and it's sweetness to the al
ready opened heart. Christ won his
way to them by tactlul sympathy
and held them BY the Truth 10
which there was common interest.
When he met them they were igno.
rant, unbelleving, perplexed: when
lie left them they dared to CLAIM a
knowledge of the pathway to the
heart of God
IIe opened their hearts by talking
with them. His was no arm S length
sympathy, but close range love
that bid poor hearts come closer.
Sympathy extended from the finger
tips, freezes before it reaches its OBJ.
ject; passed from heart to heart it
tIngles the blood Of honest brother
hood. He talked with them. He
found out the subject they were most
interested in and held them by his
of the same. What a
lesson there is just here for every
worker.
He walked with them. Busy were |
the hours of that entire Post.re,s ur.
rection period, but the risen Master
has an -FOUR to spare for two men
W no make Him the subject Of their
thought.
lie expoundec the Scriptures.
They were the Old Testament
Scriptures, rot the new. blessed be
God. the Christ OF the Old Testa.
mcnt is th: Jesus of the new. Philip
heard the Eunuch. reading IRON
Lhe prophecy OF lsaiah, and with
Isaiah as text, "preachcd unto
him Jesus. That sermon preach.
ed from anv text is which Jesus is
not preached. IA not, cannot be 4
Christian sermon. and might Just
as we'll have text from morn
ing paper. Christ spoke about
Himself 10 Cleopas and Luke. and
The range OF their conversation is
limited only by the truth between
Genesis and Malachi. Blessed
hour spent in His presence. No
wonder their '.hearts burned with
10 them, while he talked with them
BY the wav aud while he Onened to