Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-09-24

before the state board or county board
Of examiners and have your knowledge
tested. Then, if you pass, your teach
er's certificates will be given you. But
daughter, you cannot teach in any pub
lie school unless you are an authorize.
tive tcacher-unless you have your ere.
dentlals. Without them you cannot
even be n cadet or substitute for q
day." All the 5,775 teachers of Chicago
who faced the 2GS,392 scholars of Cook
county last year were prepared for an
instructors life in this way.
| ask the professor of geology In
some great university what right he
has to occupy teachers chair. 81
have been appointed" he answers, "by
the heads of the university with the
approval of the faculty. have demon.
strated my fitness to teach by the text.
books I have written. l have studied
the strata of the rocks. l have sat at
the feet of the greatest masters of the
science. | hold diplomas from domes.
tic and foreign universities. These arc
my credentials" SO Christ enters the
gospel classroom az teacher, clothed
with authority. The wisdom of the
godhead was given to him. In the
counses of eternity he learned the
mysteries of the divine government
He became man, and by a career that
is the wonder of the ages he has taught
his people how to live. These are his
credentials
An Authorffn Tp1Chcr
Now, my friends rs gospel students,
nre you ready to accept Jesus Christ as
nm authoritative teacher? Arc you
ready to accept him as the Son of God {
A few weeks ago a gentleman wrote to
friend of mine a pathetic letter, which
went something like this: "Oh. why do
the ministers keep on preaching upon
useless and Impractical subjects? Why
do they not preach upon some of the
vital questions of the soul? A short
time ago the doctors told me that with
in six months | must die. What |
want to know is how | can straighter
out wasted life So as to meet my
Cod" Well, my brother, If these words
should ever be seen by your eye or re-
you to take is to accept Jesus as the
Divine Teacher. You are not to &C.
cept him as did Joseph Ernest Renan,
las good man" You must not accept
him as do many, as a religious leader
like Mohammed or Buddha or Zoroas-
ter or Confucius You are not to accept
him rs seer or prophet, a John the
DontiSf Lliog ;,l
are to accept him as did Simon Peter
when he turned and said, Thou art
Christ, the Son of the Living Cod
Are You ready to accept the authorita-
tive Jesus as divine?
oh, the credentials of the teacher
Christ. In the prophecies of Scripture
we can read them. In the miracles
which he performed we can verify
them. In the testimony of John the
Baptist and in the Heavenly Fathers
voice, which sounded over the dripping
locks of the Son of God when Christ
was baptized, we can prove them.
| Christs credentials are of the highest
authority. They must be accepted.
Napoleon was one day riding along
the lines Of the French army. when his
horse SHE'D. Instantly a common sol
dier leapcd forth from the ranks and
saved his commander from being
thrown. Napoleon smiled ut his res
cucr and said, THANK you. captain"
| Quick aS flash the soldier saluted and
asked his chief "Of what regiment,
sire| The delighted emperor replied,
"Of my own guards" He then rode on.
| With that the soldier threw away his
gun ard stepped over to where the
staff officers of the guards were collect
ed. Indignantly those officers ordered
him back to the ranks With that the
new made captain raised his head as he
answered, 81 am no longer a private
soldier; | am n captain of the emper-
ors guards" "Py what authority do
you make such n statcmentY asked the
colonel. Then the soldier pointed to-
ward the retreating form Of his ruler
as he answered, Napoleon said itv'
All, after that there was no further
criticism Napoleon was the authority.
Napoleon was 10 give him his creden-
tialS. SO Christ, as the authoritative
teacher, comes to us with his creden-
tials, The Father, the Heavenly Father,
hath spoken it. Witness the Jordanic
revelation: behold light cloud over
Swallowed them, and behold voice
out of the cloud which said, "This is
my Son in whom l am well pleased.
Hear We him" Authoritatively Christ
always speaks authoritatively.
The gospel classroom, in the next
place, has self sacrificing teacher.
The word self sacrificing" can well be
applied to all true men and women
who follow the noble profession of
| teaching. / care not whether those men
and women are filling conspicuous pro-
fessiOnal chairs, as did William Ora
ham Sumner, and John Russell Bart
Iatt, and julius II. Seeley, and Joseph
Storey, and Theodore w. Dwight, and
Mrs. Mary Somerville, and Elizabeth
Stewart Phelps, and Alice Freeman
Palmer, and Mary Lyon, or whether
they are teaching in humble district
schools; they are all people who sacri-
fee themselves for the good of others
There Is no business or profession on
earth in which there Is more wear and
tear upon the nervous system than up.
on those conscientious men and WON
en- who, week In and week out, spend
their lives eXpounding and explaining
and catechising behind a teachers
desk.
inst think OF the fra ctiOus humo