Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-05-31


lem from all eternity, and yet lie went on.
When He ate the Passover and spoke OF
the one who shonld betray Him. lie knew
what was coming. and still He went on.
When Plate Knocked Him He knew It was
but the forshadowing OF the sufferlngs OF
the cross. but still He went on. When He
endured the pain of the scourging lie knew
that this was but the beginning of agony
with which the pain OF the cross was not
to be compared because Il was so great.
and yet He went on. The world has never
seen such a conqueror as the Son OF God,
who died that we might live"
ii. HIS FACE IN THE DUST.
Matt. XVI 36-39-"Then cometh Jesus
with them unto place called Gethsemane.
and saith unto the disciples, Sit We here,
while go and pray yonder. And He took
with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebe
dee, and began to be sorrcwful and very
heavy. Then saith He unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death;
tarry We here and watch With Me. And
He went a little farther. and fell on His
face and prayed, saying: Oh, My Father,
il il be possible, let his cup pass from Me;
nevertheless, not as l will, but as Thou
wilt"
In the thirtieth verse we read that when
they had sang an hymn they went out.
How simple, and yet how profound the
meaning.
There never had been such going-out
before; there never has been such going
out since. From the supper He made His
way with the faithful few to Gethsemane.
where the agony was so great that Gethse-
name has stood for suffering ever since.
..'oh, My Father, if It be possible. let
the cry. $50 Some one has said it was be.
cause He was about to be branded 4
sinner, treated as n sinner. put to death as
4 sinner and il was His horror OF sin that
wrung the cry from His soul. Yet we have
trihed with it, and sin has always been
the same, Is to-day, and shall be till the
end of time.
DIR. Gregg tells OF a story in Fox's Book
of Martyrs. where a Christian was to die a
most horrible death-being placed in a
sack filed almost with venomous reptiles
As he looked at it he said:
Il can stand this for Jesus sake.
Yet when they put him in the sack end
he felt the first touch of the reptiles upon
his face he gave a shrek of agony tina.
could not be described
1t is said that no one has ever really
known what prayer is until he has learned
of the Spirit to put into practice this one
offered in Gethsemane. 1t is not the kind
that is offered to the congregation, or that
is said at the bedside before we close our
eyes in sleep: it is the kind that is
crushed out of US. 1t is the cry OF the
Syrophenoecian woman, MY daughter is
cry OF Jesus in Gethsemane, My Father
let this cup pass from Me"
You say. What. His Father and all
His suffering"
Yes, His Father, still. and yours. also
In the midst of an agony that may have
almost broken your heart, you might have
cried: MY Father" When there was not
hA, IN. s.xl,t ,,.i,,.
pered, My Father" And if the cry had
come from the heart you would have cot
ten as quick response:
"Bc still, and know that am God"
III. HIS FACE SPIT UPON.
But there is still another picture of His
face in the New Testament Matthew
XVI: 62-6s-"And the high priest arose,
and said unto Him, Answerest Thou moth
ing; What Is it which these witness
against Thee! But Jesus held His peace
And the high priest answered and said
God that Thou tell US whether Thou be
the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith
unto him, Thou has said; nevertheless l
say unto You, hereafter shall We see the
Son OF Man sitting on the right hand OF
power, and coming in the clouds OF heaven.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, say.
ing, He hath spoken blasphemy; what fur.
now We have heard His blasphemy. What
think We: They answered and said, He is
guilty OF death. Then they did spit in His
face and buffeted Him. and others smote
Him with the palms of their hands, say.
ing. Prophesy unto us, Thou Christ, whc
lie he that smote Thee?"
Have you noticed how quiet He was in
all the moclsings and the scourgings: It
must have been because of the Gethsemane
experience. There are scene in our lives
that make talk a sacrilege. When YOU
came back from following your child 70
the grave, or reached your home after
being at the new-made grave of your moth
err, not word was spoken; the house was
as still as the tomb where they rested. A
night with God would have the same eff.
feet. They may spit upon Him and strike
Him, but He feels it not. for while He
walks the earth He lives in heaven Paul
found this out: 81 knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago whether in the
body / cannot tell, or whether out of the
body, | cannot tell; God knowethl such
an one caught up to the third heaven. And
/ knew such man whether in the body.
or out of the body. / cannot tell: God
knoweth) how that he was caught up into
paradise, and heard unspeakable words
which it is not lawful for a man to utter"
2 Cor. xii: "a. And yet in point of fact
Paul was lying at the gate of Lystra. PEG
ing. His whole body was bruised 1t il
a possible thing for us t. be TRANSPORTED
by the power OF God. and become insensi.
BILE to every earthly experience. just az
when the hell-hounds were let loose against
jesus Himself, and they smote Him and
spit upon Him. they never touched Him
". HIS FACE HEREAFTER
We have hints as to what lie Is to be
like in the hereafter For God, who
the light to shine ont OF dark
ness. hath shined in our hearts. to give
the light OF the knowledge of the glory Of
God in the face of Jesus Christ - Cor
": g.
We are told how He viii appear to the
sinner: For the great day Of His wrath
is come; and who shall be able TO stand?'
-(Rev. vi: ID There was time when
as they smote Him they covered His face:
And some began to spit on Him. and to
cover His face, and to buffet Him. and say
unto Him, Prophesy: and the servants did
strike Him with the palms OF their hands.
Marx xiv: 6J.) But not nov. His eyes
pierce His beh0lders through and through.
and their Gnforgiven sins in awful process
sion pass by The cry OF the lost soul is
Mountains and rocks, fail upon US. and
hide US from His face" And | saw a
great white throne. and Him that sat on
1t. from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them tRev. Xxx: IL This pas
sage gives another touch To. the picture.
and what a change there is, Once there
was in that ia C that which brought little
children to Him, and made women love
Him; and now the very earth and the
heavens have fled away from Him. For
the ewes of the Lord are over the righteous.
aud His ears are open unto their prayers: