The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-01
are one" Before Abraham was am"

Of GsIlee. I'm the early part OF Jesus
ministry when his whole purpose was
the practical one OF reaching peopie
around him and rousing them 20 an IN
tcrest I'm the good news or the khsoonn,
while these fourth Gospel discourses were
delivered to the speculative serbes ana
Pharisees OF Jerusalem when the ne
cessity was upon Christ OF placing pefore
them In ways they could not misunoer-
stand his great Messiah claims
More than this. we say these synopNS
talks were reported by men OF practcai
mind Matthew. the tax collector, the
business man: Luke. the traveller. the mis-
sionary worked with Paul; while these
fourth Gospel discoursss come 10 us
through the heart and mind or the DC
loved disciple. the man who stooo ,ne
closest To Jesus In the near circle OF hiS
disciples. the man who had renowsnp
with him which others did not have, the
man who possessed n knowledge or MN
that o hers did not possess. the man VINO
held communion with him which o. hers
never held. and they came from hiia III
his older days, when the thought OF tns
church and the philosophy or the "o,n
had swept around him and given him
an appreciation OF Jesus profouhuei
thinking he could hardly have had IN the
first generation of his disciples
A BOOK TO STUDY AND TO KNOW
But YOU see this explanation OF how TINS
startling difference came to be oniy
akes more fascinating the facts which
this difference discloses. Is this fourth
Gospel the Gospel OF Jesus inner. deeper
selfp Does IL come to US from the DAYS
Of Jesus last presentation OF himsei u
his own people, from the days ol ms .dsl
struggle with those who were the ruiers
OF the people OF God, and should nave
been the leaders of them TO himself, from
the days whose shadows heightened into
the night Of Calvary? Does II come 10
us through the heart and soul or the ois-
cInle whom Jesus loved? Then what
hook for us TO study and to know what
A book for us 10 lay hold or In our per
sonal thinking and transmute INTO our
personal character and life' lou ASK ine
whv and the answer might seem 10 De
that which | have apparently already
given namely because the thought OF
the age IN which we live has come back
to God and has brought GOD pack 10 the
world But the reason lies deeper thah
this Ii is because this Gospel or Jonn
gives MS. as no other book OF the OLD
or New Testament does, COO, py SNins
us Christ himself.
For remember. dear friends. Christ's
great purpose in his ministry was, not 10
impress men with the miracles he
wrought: not 10 impress them with the
words he uttered Christs great purpose
In his ministry was to impress men with
himself He did not so I'm and out among
his disciples simply TO fill them fun OF his
wonderful discourses, but 10 fill them fuli
of the self which stood behind these dis
courses and gave them all their eignif-
canoe He did not carry on his ministry
from its Baptism In Jordan. through 10
service In Galilee and Judaea. up to Its
pa ssion in Gethsemane, its orucihxion on
calvary, Its resurrection and It's ascen-
IL. ~, vi n r.
velous events but TO impress them with
the devoted and oyermasterinE person
ality which went along with these events
ard made them the charter facts OF his
religion.
DID NOT FORGET ABOUT CHRIST.
So II came that when that dark night
OF Calvary descended on the disciple band
they forgot all about Christs miracles
and all about his discourses, but they did
not forget about Christ himself. See Mary
at the sepulchre that Resurrection morn
ing. Had she not seen Jesus raise the
Widows son at the gates Of Nainr Had
she not been in the Synagogue at Ceper-
naum and heard him tell the enthusiastic
multitude. ~ am the true bread which
came down from Heaven" Had she not,
in all probability just few days before.
stood at the open grave OF Lazarus and
heard Jesus say to the sorrowing sisters,
81 am the Resurrection and the Life"
and then witnessed the marvellous proof
which followed In the return Of that rot
ting body to life? Well, then, could she
not easily understand that II was some
one else with whom she was speaking
than the gardner? How pathetic her cry:
"Sir. II thou hast borne him hence. tell
me where thou hast laid him and I will
take him away" Everything forgotten
save the Master. but he still had hold OF
har oil ha Aad 70
Mary" in the old familiar tone of voice,
and she knew at once who IL was with
whom she was speaking.
STILL LIVED IN THEIR SOULS.
See the disciples on the way to EN-
maus the evening OF that Resurrection
day. To be sure they were not of the
apostles. but they had heard all the
apostles knew about the Master from the
beginning. and they we're also the Mas
ters followers and had seen him I'm his
ministry and heard him speak. They con-
fessed that he was n prophet mighty in
word and deed before God and all the
people, and they also said they had heard
the startling story Of the woman who had
been early at the sepulchre and had found
II empty and seen the vision OF angels
who told them Jesus was alive. Might
they not put all these things together and
realize that their Master had not been
lost to them and TO the Israel that they
lovedf How pitiful their complaint 1--WE
had hoped that IL was he who should
have redeemed Israel" Everything for
gotten save the Master himself. but lie
still lived In their souls. and all he needed
to do was, at the journeys end, 10 break
the bread OF the evening meal In the old
familiar way. and they realized at once
who II was that had made their hearts
burn as he talked with them along the
way.
But II is in this fourth Gospel that
this-i do not say personality but this
personal self. this person OF Jesus, Is dis
closed to us as IL Is I'm no other book
What book then for US To study,
What book then for us TO get within
our life and within our heart
LOVE OF MEN TURNING.
IL is around Jesus himself that the
thinking and the living OF nen is gather
ed today. Ask the reading world what
books interest them the most and they
VIII tell YOU IL Is the books that speak
Ia them pf .Iegpx Aak n, ~, H..