Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-06
Totsrna1'S
Saturday
Sermon

Christ changed Simon's name when he
changed Simons character. A new name
described new nature and marked en-
trance on a new world.
Diamonds and charcoal. chemists tell US
to our utter amazement, are identical in
substance. The only difference between
them is the arrangement of the crystals.
Charcoal dust is comparatively worth
less; diamonds are precious. the brightest
Of earth's gems and the favorite jewels for
a monarch's crown. Neither chemists nor
jewelers. know how to employ FORCES by
which black dust may be transformed into
the flashing facets of the diamond 1t is
one of Gods secrets. r~
Another of Gods secrets is the process
by which a bad man becomes good
man. Christ understands At; he is COM
petent to transmute and glorify human
dust and make It a partaker Of the divine
nature. Peters history is a convincing IL
lustration of this fact. Simon, the sinner,
who was black dust by nature, became
Cephas the saint and Peter the apostle;
Simon the son of Jonah became Peter the
son of God. Wonderful transformation.
Read the gospels and you will see how
Peter was a most unpromising specimen OF
manhood when Christ first met him. All
the Saviour could say of him was simply
this Thou art Simon the son of Jonah"
Brief biograph that; not much to be
proud of; not much to excite lofty am
lnudIuS nope OF ullliB any AdA
place in the world or doing much for man
kind. How small and worthless was this
Simon. What was he at best? Only this,
1.-The son of his father" But who was
his father; king, judge, general, priest,
sage, or statesman? Not at all. He was
social nobody" a sinner by nature, GER
tainly an humble peasant in station, a
fisherman by calling, ignorant and poor.
Simon was content to be the son of his
father and nothing more. So far as we
can discover he had no unsatisfied yearn-
ings, but was willing to continue in his
fathers sphere and calling, fisherman
and the son of a fisherman till death.
Personally, as well as by parentage, ST.
mon was not much to admire, In DISPOSE
ton he was quick-tempered and forward,
loving his friends, but bitter and vindic-
tive toward his enemies, ready always to
devote them to fire and sword. Physical
| ly brave, he was morally coward; brow
beating and overbearing toward his equals
or interiors but obsequious and cringing
in the presence of his superiors in rank
| and power Fond Of speaking, he was
easily tempted to lying and profanity.
Processing loyalty to his religious leader
he sought to influence him toward wrong
| courses, and then denied him in a most
critical hour. Estimate this Simon frank
ly but fairly; sum up all that is in him;
| give him all the credit due his natural
qualifications and then tell me the out
| look.
Good points he had, OF course, but they
were few and afford slight encouragement
/ as we try to forecast his future. What
were they? One is the fact that Peter
| longed sometimes for a better self. 1t
seems probable that he looked for the
| coming of the Messiah At all events his
brother, Andrew, cherished this expecta-
ton and so made the great discovery and
/ led Simon to Him. Another was his
| teachableness; his name means "hearer."
/ 1t was prophetic of that openness of mind
to truth and duty which characterized
the Galilean fisherman. A nearer he was
and so not beyond hope of salvation. Be-
cause he longed sometimes for renewal
within and because he was an attentive
nearer of salvation from fits beneficent
| Author he rose by the power of Gods
spirit in his dead self as stepping stone
| to nobler things. LQA
Pesslmism has no place in the breast Of
a Christly spirit. Despise nothing. Old
rags can be whitened into pearl writing
paper for a queens library; the sands
beneath your feet may be transformed in
| to cathedral glass to mellow the light
| for happy worshippers. The rough gran
| lite of the mountains, under the chisel Of
| Thornaldsen, becomes the embodiment of
a lofty patriotism and speaks to your no
blest emotions as the Lion of Lucerne."
| Despise not the rude, rough souls all
about us. What though they give prom
Use of little good? Within them is a
.God-given nature of unspeakable posi-
! bilities. Christ can take them and. by his
| grace and mercy, purify and beautify
| them till they appear as polished stones
| In the temple of God.
Let us not despise~ou ourselves. Naturally
| you and 1 are not much. When we were
| converted we were not much but in that
Il l.
those OF our spiritual kindred who went
before us. From the group Of lowly fish
erman, from the ranks of despised pub
leans, from frenzied demoniacs and out
cast lepers and women that were sinners
/ Christ has saved what was lost and form
| ed them into a combination of beauty
/ and usefulness. Though the members of
| his redeemed family may be far from
/ perfect they are daily growing into Christ
| likeness. Simon dies In conversion and
| Cephas or Peter is born: Simon. the hear
/ er, becomes Cephas or Peter the rock. -
i It is a change resembling resurrection
/ from the dead; 1t is a change not like
that of snake which sheds its skin and
/ yet remains a reptile still. It is rather
the changed, the caterpillar when il dies,
/ and it's crawling life ceases. From its
dissolving body there rises the butterfly,
| new animal with new nature living in
/ a new world of brightness, fragrance and
| beauty.
Peter was a monument to Christ's trans
| forming power. What a rock he became,
| as strong as Gibraltar and as tall as the
Matterhorn. Whenever the list of the
| apostles is enumerated Peters name
stands at the top. While never pope,
| he was foremost among equals. John, it
/ is true, wrote more and better of his
Lord; James was more wise and prudent;
| Paul was ahead of him as theologian, Or
| ganizer and missionary. Nevertheless
/ Peter in certain essential particulars was,
and was because he deserved to be. the
| foundation stone of the early church. 1t
| was Peter who first saw the real nature
of the Savior and declared, Thou art the
| Christ. the son of the living God" 1t was
! Peter who stood close to Christ when the
| crowd was deserving him., saying: Lord,
to whom else shall we go? Thou hast the
| words of eternal life" 1t was Peter who
first entered the deserted sepulchre on the
I GET MAD