The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-07-18

| returned on Sunday to that city after
+ having spent the past ten days with his
parents, Mr. and Mrs T. l.. Hanway, of
this town. VIRGINIA.
Winsomeness-or the Power of Appealing to
the Best in Man.
have heard that the diamond fields of
South Africa were discovered in this way.
a lonely traveller entered the valley one
dav and drew near a settlers cabin. In
front of the door little child was anus
ing himself by throwing stones. One of
these stones fell near the travellers feet.
He stopped to pick it up and was about
to playtully toss it back-when some
thing suddenly flashed from it that stop
ped his hand and made his heart beat
fast-it was large diamond. Theignor-
ant child was playing with it as a conf
mon pebble. The peasants foot had
spurned it. The cart wheel had crushed
il i'll the mire-till a wise one came and
discovered the enormous treasure. And
So a human life WAS a most common
thing till Christ came-a publican's life
sunk in the mud and Inire of iniquity-
why Pharisee would not soil the tips OF
his fingers to find it-let alone encourage
it to live and grow. But Jesus came and
discovered the imperishable treasure and
| took it to his bosom and wore it upon his
| loving heart. Christ saw something in
man the world had never seen before.
He looked through the rough, sinful
exterior and beheld with a throbbing
heart the blurred indistiuct image of his
God. All! there is something awful and
majestic and Godlkc in man. That soul
has not yet lived who has ever dreamed
of all the infinite eternal possibilities of
man.
But Christ saw that out of the ruins of
that sublime temple God had erected i'll
Eden there was enough material lett to |
rebuild the shattered walls in new TEN. |
pie of tar greater splendor than ever had |
arisen on earthly soil. True indeed it is
that the uruS and vases may be shattered |
and broken but the scent OF the flowers
will cling to them still, and man lie YER got
down SO low but that Jesus saw in him
the fair traces of the lost Paradise Man
fell, | know, but he fell from throne.
He went out into the dark night of sin l
know, but he closed palace gate behind
him. No wasted, broken life ever stoodin
the presence of my Lord but that He saw
from the magnifcence of the ruins that
the building was once stately and fair
=
most touching things in all this world to
Inc is the winsome way of Jesus Christ i'll
rescuing and transforming human char
acters. oinstance-look at the publican
Iacchaeus. He belonged, you know, to
that despised and disreputable class-the
Roman tax gatherer. The taxes were
Harmed out by the Roman Government
% the highest bidder, who took good
care not only to collect all the government
required but a good deal more with which
they enriched themselves. Every kind of
fraud and eXtortion was practiccd, and |
do not wonder that they were despised
and degraded i'll the eyes of their country
men. Now it is this abandoned man that
Iusus wants to win and save. How does
he do it? Why by that heavenly and
nasterlul way that perhaps had never
been attempted before. He did it by APP
pealing to the one good quality i'll the
mans soul-geuerosity Let us see the
beautiful picture. great multitude is
on its way to Jericho. Zacchaeus, the
publican of Jericho, wants to see this
great miracle worker, never dreaming, OF
course, that this great one oflsrael would
,leign to notice such as he only perhaps
by glance of scorn. The multitude APP
pr0aches Yonder comes the great Being
who is filling all the land with wonder.
Xacchaeus climbs up into a tree to get
good view. And behold! Just as the
Son of God is passing by that tree he de.
lberately stops and looks up at this man.
There must have been a volume of kind
ness and sympathy in that look. His
great heart was yearning for this brand
cd outcast, downtrodden publican. He
reads him at glance, and amid all the
multitude of his faults and sins he sees
away down deep in his soul his one trait
of goodneSs-pcrhaps that was all he had,
and Jesus wields the power of his love
and sympathy upon that one little bit of
goodness and most delicately and tact
fully invites himself to the hospitality of
this ostracized mans house. And quick
as thought the magic power of His love
and kindness did its heavenly work, and
he humble, grateful, rejoicing Zacchaeus
was by his Master side. Oh think of it
Our Lord trusted this despised renegade.
Now suppose instead of that He had
preached at him and arraigned him as an
cxtortioner, and told him unless he re-
peutcd of his frauds he would go to hell ?
How hard anu defiant his face would
have become How at last he would have
lost ali faith in himself and been driven to
recklessness and despair.
But no. This loving, surprising, cleo
trio appeal to his better self transformed
him. Christ, this holy One trusted-had
filth in him-made him feel that even
Il poor outcast publican such as he,
might at last become good, and that
loving trust saved him suddenly, com
pletely, forever. With a heart over
whemned with penitence and JOY he cried:
"Oh Master, the half of my goods | will
give to the poor, and i'll have taken any
thing from any man by false accusation,
restore him fourfold."
We have heard very much about our
trusting Christ, but Christ trusts us. He
has such winsome way of making us
feel that He has confidence in US and that
lie is expecting of us better and nobler
things, and the greatest JOY of our life be-
comes to see to it that we do not betray
that loving trust, but with all the powers
of our awakened hearts to measure up to
the great things He is SO hopefully look
ing tor in us. Christ trusted men. Let
us trust them more, and the good i'll them
will come forth and grow strong. Who
can ever forget the overwhelming power
of Nelson's signal to the British fleet
England expects every man to do his
duty" That thrilling sentence OF trust
floated from the masthead OF the flagship
INSPIRED every seaman Will d llcW HlS
and boundless Joy to prove worthy OF
the great confidence his country rcposed
in him. Some time ago an incident oc-
Cured which is an apt illustration of how
this loving confidence and appeal to the
better nature awakens the slunbering
powers of good in man. Afriend want
cd to buy a horse. He went to a horse
dealer and described the kind of animal
he wanted 80 YES" said the quick, !
shrcwd dealer, 81 can get you the very
horse you're looking for. 1t will cost
you 5000" Very WELL" said the friend,
bringing out his check-book and proceed
ing to write a check for $20o-''here is
the money, send me the horse as soon as
YOU can" The horse dealer actually
rasped. He looked utterly bewildcred.
1t last he stammered But-you
have never seen the horse. 30 well, said
the friend, what of that" Il know
nothing of horses, you know everything.