The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-15

count enance light up with smile? Have you ever heard a little child burst forth into a laugh in the midst of fit Of crying-laugh when tear is yet glisten- ing upon tho wet cheek? Well, Christs face though in one sense sad face, a scared face. Is yet an illumined face. It has joy in the eye, joy on the lip, joy in the cheek, joy everywhere, when one of his loved ones has been saved by the sacrifice of his blood. There Is moro joy in that divine face over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repent ance.
 lIumlned by Love.
 If Christs had not been an illumined face the little children would not have loved to run to him. Children are at- tracted by a smile. They are afraid of tears Yet everywhere, as Jesus smil- ing face appears, we can hear the chil- dren calling to one another: come. come! Here Is Jesus! Come, comer' If Jesus face was not an illumined face, he could never have spoken such trium- phant words as those which he spoke to him sick of the palsy. Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee." He could never have spoken such words of commendation as those he spoke in ref erence to the centurion. "Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no. not In Israel" And, o my brother, if our sins are making the Saw tours face such a sad face and If our repentance will make Christ's face such an illumined face, should we not be willing to brighten up our Saviours face since 1t has suffered so much?
 But the sweetest thought to me of all is that Christ's Is face that wants to be loved. Some portraits have an inde- scribable something about them which proves that those faces crave affection. If the closed lips could speak, they would say: 'I live for others In order that others might live for me. l love in order that l can be loved. l suffer in order tha. others can be made happy And, being happy, they can pour out their gratitude upon me-
 I only awoke to the face a few years ago that Christ's face was face that wanted to be loved l used to think that I must love Christ because Christ could and would save me if I asked him. But now I have learned to love him because he loves me and wants me to love him. He loves me with a love that passeth all understanding. But that love Is incom- piete unless l respond to 1t and love as l am loved. MT. Moody told pathetic etory how a short time after his father 8 death his elder brother ran away from home. Then he described how his mother
 
 return of the prodigal, how she would send the children every day down to the postoffiee to find out if there were a let ter from her absent boy. They would hoar her praying at night for the re- turn of her son. that he might give her his love. Well, today Christs face Is a face craving affection.
 Are you ready to satisfy the cravings for affection which are pictured upon Christ's face? Are you willing to have your face stamped upon Christs heart? If you would. you cannot have your face there alone. There are many faces im- printed upon his heart, and yet all these faces, which are stamped upon the ten der living forgiving heart of Christ, make a composite picture. When you graduated from college, the photograph CT made q composite picture of your class He took all the different photo graphs of the members and passed them rapidly before the cameras eye. Then the various photographs were combined In a single picture, and that was called the class portrait So upon Chrsts heart there Is a composite picture. That com posite portrait Is made up of your Chris tian mothers and fathers faces, your Christian wife's and child's faces; 1t Is made from the faces of the Christian men and women who have died in the past and of those who are living today. Will you have your face In thls. composite pie fure. which is ineffaceably stamped up- on the great heart of Christ?
 Divine Love Not Blind.
 But, sad to relate, after Ill Christ has suffered and done for us his face may be a condemnng face. The divine love may be great enough to surpass all human understanding, yet the divine love Is not blind. The spirit of God will not always strive with man. In Ezekiel we read My face will I turn also from them" Oh, the awful moment when Christ's face