The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-11-05

morn lie Grove the IeVer from the SICK one
in Peters home, and mayhap ere the day
is done He will whisper the hone OF pure
and holy life to the harsot at the well.
We have not too much thought of the
works of Jesus as the acts of ore fellow
man toward others. When viewed accord
ing to this standard they are seen to be
the highest realization of mans highest
ideal Christ was wise when lie said, Be
hold NV works" for according to the ind
ings of the best thought Of all the ages no
works are more beautiful or higher God.
The mere force. beauty and holiness OF
His acts prove His kinship with the divine.
But this was not enough to satisfy Jew.
The Christ they were looking for was to
demonstrate His divine power by the
might and conquest of arms. They had it
all cut and dried just what the Christ
should be and do. He was suddenly to APP
pear out of the heavens or out OF some Sc
questered way of life, attended by great
wonders. With the sword He was quickly
to overrun the world and set up in ,leru-
salem, power that would rule all nations.
Any love or philanthropy that could be
worked in would be all right, but before
all else Messiah must be the messenger OF
Gods wrath against the nations, visiting
them with defeat and disaster, that the
Jew might rule supreme.
Thus it was that to the questioners of
His day Jesus proved to be stumbling
human power? Yes, they conceded that
they did. AS they saw Him restore the
emacated body of the leper, or infuse new
life into the pa sled form or open the eyes
OF the blind, or raise the dead from the
grave, they were bound to recognize more
than human power Ine gross and mali
cious said this power is OF the devil, but
the more intelligent said, as they saw the
nrselishness. the love and tenderness of
His acts, eve have never seen 1t done on
this wise beforei" "No man could do
these works except God be with him!"
"Sureiy this must be the Christi" The
answer of Jesus to the ouestioners of His
day given in the terms OF love, an answer
which they would not or could not under
stand, is that which satisfies the heart and
reason OF the inquirer CT to-day. 1t is as
though Jesus said. ''You ask if | am really
the Christ of God and in Him You look
for divine power. Look at My works, are
they not of the highest type! Aye, more,
they are fraught with the power OF God
and prove. not only that / am the Christ,
but that the nature Of God is better than
the thought of man he's made him. He is
a God of tenderness, OF love" Blessed an
swer, for it teaches that character is SUI
preme, and that the highest life is one of
simple ministry to the needs OF others.
To the INQUIRER Of to-day the, answer OF
Jesus should be convincing. Since it is
ours to look from the mountain peak OF
many centuries we may however, see still
other proofs and find still other answers
to the all important question. WAS Jesus
the Christi" History gives a twofold an.
swer, first rs seen in the preparation OF
the world for the coming of tie Messiah
and then IN the development of the worlds
thought since the days of Jesus. Paul de-
CARES that when the fitness OF time was
come. God sent forth His Son" into the
world. BY the fulness of time he must
have meant the period that " to e,apse,
according to the wisdom of Cod, before
His Son, the Christ should come. Now, If
Jesus was the Christ, we may eyDect to
find the circumstances of the time in
which He lived peculiarly fitted for His
coming What were these circumstances?
The vast Roman empire afforded broad
and accessible field for the spread of
new religion. The sceptre of Roman pow
er ruled the world. Radiatng from Rome
as 4 centre were splendid military roads
which extended to the remotest boundaries
of the empire. Because of these and the
opening of ocean routes travel was easy
as compared with preceding centuries.
People Travelled more. Thus facilities for
disseminating. new truth were better
than ever before in the worlds history.
But the most notable preparation was
that OF the Jewish peopie. They had long
striven with their desire to worship idols.
At last their vision was clarified in this re-
gard, and the way was open FOR a further
revelation. Moreover. the discerning
among them, from reading the annals OF
their fathers, had come to long for the
promised Messiah until that longing was
kindled to fervent heat All these things
peculiarly fitted the time in which Jesus
lived for the reception and spread of great
religious truths.
Nor is history since that time less re-
markable. He died a death OF shame; none
RI no
more ignominious or disgraceful. His
friends apparently were few. That He
would soon - forgotten would seem nat
ural. But it was not so. His followers
multiplied with marvellous rapidity. Per-
secutions began and thousands of them
were burned, roasted, speared and given
over to wild beasts. Notwithstanding all
this. within 300 years one-twentieth part
OF the empire were protested Christians,
the Emperor himself among the number.
From that time until the present Chris
tianity and civilization have gone hand in
hand. Manv of the great upheavals OF
the worlds life is the story of Christianity
asserting herself against the powers that
would stay her triumphant march. 1t was
so IN the time OF Charlemagne, of Luther,
of Cromwell and of Plymouth Rock. The
lines OF history converge toward Jesus
Christ. In all things truly He has pre-
eminence. Surely, this must be The Christ.
from the point Oh view was he
not more than man? His works and the
voice of history declare Jesus to be the
Goldman.
If there still be lingering doubt in the
mind of any that Jesus is the Christ, 1.-THE
Kings Son." let him study the human heart
and its deepest needs and his doubts will
fly. Sin like sombre cloud casts dark
ened shadow across every life Man has
ever found himself gripped in the relent-
less grasp of an evil nature. None is ex-
empt. All alike are tarred with the one
black stick. If man tells you he has not
a sinful nature get little closer and you
will detect the odor of the tar so familiar
to yourself. Congratulate ourselves as we
may upon our goodness, it is still fact
that we are by nature sinful But while
this is true, it is also true that man feels
stirring within him higher and holier ma
ture. He feels within a purpose to be
other and better than he is. Before him
he sees the ideal of a holy character, a ma
ture wholly free from sin. and that nature
he feels to be akin to God
Now look at Jesus in the light of these
facts. His days are one long sequence of
holy thoughts and perfect deeds In Him
you look for sinfulness in vain. In Him
there is no fault, not the shadow of a
thought that man can brand as sinful.
This at once differentates Him from all