The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-05-30

to be compared because IL was so great,
and yet He went on. The world has never
seen such eonqueror as the Son OF God,
who died that we might live"
III. HIS FACE IN THE DUST.
Matt. XVI. s6-Sa-"Then eometh Jesus
w,:h them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples, Sit We here,
while | 20 and pray yonder. And He took
with HIM Peter and the two sons OF Zebe.
dee, and began 10 be sorrowtul and very
heavy. Then saith He unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:
tarry We here and watch with Me Aud
He went little farther. and fell on His
face and prayed, saving: Oh. Nv Father,
II Il be possible, let this 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 a goingout
before; there never has been such a going
out since From the supper He made His
way with the faithful few 10 Gethsemane,
where the agony was so great that GethSe-
name has stood for suffering ever since
"Oh. Ny Father, II Il be possible. let
this cup pass from Me-" | wonder why
the cry? Some one has said II was lie.
cause he was thnuN 10 h' NANNhNh ~ ~
sinner, treated as sinner, put 10 death as
a sinner. and il was His horror OF sin that
wrung the cry from His soul Yet we have
trhed with il, and sin has always been
the same, is to-day, and shall be till the
end of time.
DR. Gregg tells of story in Fox's Book
of Martyrs. where Christian was 20 die a
most horrible death-being placed in a
sack filed almost with venomous reptiles
As he looked at It he said
II can stand this for Jesus sake
Yet when they put him in the sack and
he felt the first touch of the reptiles upon
his face he gave a shrek OF agony that
could not be described.
IL 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 IL is not the kind
that Is offered 10 the congregation. or that
Is said at the bedside before we close our
ewes in sleep; 1t is the kind that is
crushed out of us. IL Is the cry os the
Syrophenoecian woman, "Mv daughter is
previously vexed of the devil" II is the
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
a hope in your life you might have whls.
pered. MY Father" And II the cry had
come from the heart you would have got
ten as quick a response:
"Be 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, Answercst Thou moth.
ing? What Is II which these witness
against Thee? But Jesus held His peace.
And the high priest answered and said
unto Him, | adJure Thee, by the living
God that Thou tell US whether Thou be
the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith
unto him, Thou has said; nevertheless |
say unto you, hereafter shall ye 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
ther need have we OF witnesses behold, J,
now ye have heard His blasphemy. What
think ye? They answered and said, lie il
guilty of death. Then they did spit in His
face and bufeted Him. and others smote
Him with the palms OF their hands, say.
ing, Prophecy unto w, Thou Christ, who
Is he that smote Thee
Have you noticed how quiet He was in
all the mockin0s and the scourgings? IL
must have been because OF the Gethsemane
experience. There are scenes ~ our lives
that make talk a sacrlege. When you
came back from following your child TO
the grave, or reached your home after
being at the new.made grave of your moth.
er, not word was spoken; the house was
az still as the tomb where they rested. A
night with God would have the same ef.
feet. They may spit upon Him and strike
Him. but He feels IL not, for while He
walks the earth He lives IN heaven. Paul
found this out: Il knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago whether IN the
body ! cannot tell. or whether out Of the
body, / cannot tell; God knoweth) such
an one caught up 90 the third heaven. And
| knew such a 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 il is not lawful for a man 10 utter"
Cor. xii: "a And yet IN point Of fact
Paul was lying al the gate Of Lystra. Peo-
pie though him dead HIS back was bleed
ing. His whole body was bruised N is
a possible thing for US 10 be TRANSPORTED
by the power OF God, and become insensi.
ble 20 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 a. 10 what He is TO be
like in the hereafter For God, who
commanded the light 30 shine out OF dark
ness. hath shIned an our hearts, 20 give
the light OF the knowledge Of the glory OF
God IN the face Of Jesus Christ.'-2 Cor.
iv: g.
We are told how lie will appear to the
sinner. For the great day OF His wrath
is come; and who shall, be able % stand"
--(Rev. Vi: ~ There was time when
as they smote Him they covered HIS face.
And some began 10 spit on Hum, and 20
cover His face. aud % buffet Him, and say
unto Him, Prophesy. and the servants DID
strike HIM with the palms Of their hands
Mark xiv: 65) But not now. llis eyes
pierce His beholdsrs through and through,
and their Gniorgyen sins IA awiui proc,ess.
sion pas by The cry Of the lost soul ~
Mountains and rocks, fall upon US, and
hide us from He face And ] saw a
great white throne, and HIM that Sat on
Il, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fed away: and there was found no
place for them" (Rev. xX ID This pas
sage gives another touch 20 the picture,
and what a change there ~ Once there
was in that IA e that which brought little
children 20 Him. and made women love
Him. and now the very earth and the
heavens have fed away from Him. "FOr
the eyes Of the Lord are over the righteous,
and His ears are open unto their prayers
but the face Of the Lord s against them
that DO evil. II Peter ui. l2l Gods
words arc always true Let him that hath
ears take heed.
V
We have also some hints az % how this
vision shall affect us when We see Him.
John says Il fe,l 40 IL feet as dead -
Rev. Do. H. y is supposed that the vision
was - startling, the face 30 sublime. just
o.. ,,.v ga gbta -rorfF are oreff0worod ha.