St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-03-14

dwelling upon the mountain top, Jesus
went down with His face steadfastly
fixed towards the cross, and instead of
prolonged intercourse with Moses and
Elijah, He descended to the level OF
human need and the lips which had
just left speaking with glorified be-
ings were soon uttering the words
which set the demoniac son free from
the evil spirit which possessed him.
When Jesus talked of His crucifixion
to His disciples, impulsive' Peter pre-
sumed to interpose his thought and
plans for the Christ, and the unex-
pected rebuke of the Divine will came
crushing back upon him, as Jesus ex-
claimed: "Get thee behind Me, Satan;
thou art an offense unto Me; for thou
savorest not the things that be OF God,
but those that be of men," And it
Peter could fall into such error, is 1t
likely that we shall escape? How
often the heart of the Christian, it it
would take time to listen, might hear
the voice of Jesus sounding out the
same rebuke to-day as it purposes
and plans it's Christian work apart
from Gods will. 1t was not what
Peter expected to hear, but it was
what, he did hear.
Again the unexpected happens in the
presence of Jesus in two-fold way.
He unexpectedly asks US to yield to
Him some cherished possession or
plan, and then at the point of COM
plete surrender and when we have bid
good-by to it forever, He unexpected
ly commits it to our hands again for
His use and His honor and glory. Do
YOU know, do not believe Jesus would
have permitted that rich young ruler
to sell everything and scatter 1T
among the poor. He startled the
young ruler by unexpectedly demand
ing that condition, but at the point OF
yielding on his part l believe Jesus
would have recommitted the riches to
his hands to administer to the honor
and glory of God.
While Abraham was dwelling at
Beersheba in joy and contentment,
and when life was running along de-
lightfully smooth, and the young man
Isaac, the son of promise and the JOY
of his old age, was growing into Wig
orous manhood, suddenly and unex-
pectedly, as Abraham sought the pres
ence of God for his daily communion
with Him, God asked of Abraham
strange and hard thing. He must give
back his well-beloved son to God. He
knew he was the son of Gods promise.
He knew that in him were to be full
filled the purposes of God in blessing
all nations. / have no doubt but that
Abraham as he sought God on that
terrible day of testing was filled with
his thoughts and plans for that boy
Isaac. Perhaps he had come to exalt
his own plans for the boy above those
of God, and felt that the responsibility
of mapping out his future career rest
ed upon him. And while he was full
of his own thoughts and plans and
goes to talk them over with God, un-
expectedly the voice of God speaks to
his soul telling him that he mustgive
up his plans and offer Isaac as sacri-
flee to Him. But his faith failed not in
Gods promises. even though those
promises were not to be carried out
as he had thought and planned, "ac-
counting that God was able to raise
him up, even from the dead" And so
Abraham was led to the pointof giving
up Isaac and then God unexpectedly
gave Isaac back to him. Thus do we
see the strange dealings of God with
the human soul. 1t is the unexpected
that happens when Gods will is
wrought out in the human life. In His
presence the wicked devices of man are
unexpectedly defeated. the guilty sin
ner is unexpectedly and tenderly dealt
with. and those beholding the Won
derful methods and matchless grace
of the Divine presence are brought I'M
expectedly to realize that they are able
to compass every human need and sat
isfy the perfect justice of God.
Alone With Jesus.-Those were
cruel and unmerciful hands which
dragged that trembling woman into
the midst of the crowd in the temple
and cast her at Jesus feet, but did you
ever stop to think that it was the best
thing that ever happened to her. Sure
ly here we have an illustration of how
the wrath of man is made to praise
God, and it continues to be so to this
day, blessed be the name of the Lord!
The devil brings many soul to Jesus.
1t is not his intention to do so, but
he does. He has not ceased to try to
entangle the LORD and those who min
lister for Him, and he ruthlessly drags
before Jesus desperate cases of sin
and expects to entrap Him. But Jesus
knows how to deal with every soul.
and no case has ever been too hard for
Him when He got it alone with Him.
self. Why, the "chiefest" of sinners
whom the devil was driving from
Jerusalem to Damascus on his errand
of persecution was not too great a
problem for Jesus. When He met Saul
alone on the road, the devil sneaked
off and the unexpected happened, for
the proud Pharisee was cast into the
dust humble supplicant, asking the
Lord. whose existence he had been
denying, what He would have him do.
Yes, the devil overreached himself
that time, and he often does, and
Jesus puts him to rout every time and
saves the poor sinner. And perhaps
the unfortunate woman of our text
would never have gained the presence
of Jesus had not wicked hands
brought her there. But there she was,
and after her accusers have skunk off in
guilty confusion that dared not look
the Lord in the face. we are told that
"Jesus was left alone and the woman
standing in the midst"