The Penn's Grove record., 1903-06-12

stars of destiny are yelled with a cloud,
when the altar fame Of life burns into
ashes, when the eyes of faith are blinded
with a mist OF tears, and when hope bows
her serene head and hides her radiant face.
Another element of heart failure is Han
ger. There was an element of personal
peril that night which we must not forget
to introduce into our analysis of the i'm
pulses that drove the apostles way from
Christ. In all likelihood the thought of
danger little affected the comrades of
Jesus. With US it is apt to be the over
mastering consideration. The retreating
apostles were not so much afraid Of some
Things as we are. We talk about absolute
monarchy. We rehearse stories of Siberian
atroclty until the blood chills. There is
out one absolute monarch-the car of hui
man opinion. The ukase which he~issues
drags us all into a Siberia of meanness but
family tipyfed by the degradation of
those gloomy mines that burrow into the
Aslatic mountains. The opinion of the
world exiles finest feeling. 1t dungeons
truest manhood. 1t rivets chain and ball
on our loftlest aspirations. 1t vetoes indie
pendence. We dare not be free and manly
and genuine. 1t makes our feet fast in the
stocks Of its whims. We are all the while
asking which way the weather-cock points
and we trim. We are diligent in inuuir-
ing how the current sets. and we veer, in
stead Of asking whittier the needle points
and setting our PROV to the pole star; in
stead OF reading the chart and laughing to
scorn the fret and roar of the pillows. We
serve Christ, by the worlds permissi.n.
Why should we be so deferential to The
worlds opinion? If you slip, will the
world help you up? If YOU have blotted
the fair page of your life. is the world
helping you to whiten it? If yon are sick.
will the world play physician? If you are
struggling with all the energy that is in
your soul to scale SOM starry height Of
purity and Of nobility will the world lend
yom a hand? When your path enters the
valley of the shadow will the world walk
beside You on that lonely and mysterious
way! When your stay here is ended will
the world spend one thought upon you,
keep flowers growing on your grave or tear
the hchens from your tombstone2 There
IS one who loves you, one who. whenever
you slip, has an arm of love ready to catch
you; when you fall has messages Of hope
whlten your soul. He viii grid your weak.
ness. He will school your ignorance. He
will share your sorrow. He viii companion
you as you cross the frontiers of time. He
will introduce you into an unclouded
eternity beyond. Why care very much for
the opinion of the world in which we ara
but a fraction now, and in which to-mor-
row we will be a cipher? Why not very
keenIy care for one whose love e~nvelops
our being as with an atmosphere?
Turn the page and read the later story Of
apostolic loyalty. The sequel is different
from the preface. Call the roll of that
every compass point ring with fidelity to
Jesus. Read how they sowed the earth
with martyr blood from Abyssinia to In
dla. Begin the chronicle with that tradi+
ton of Simon Peter, who was led out to
death in the Roman amphitheatre while
his wife was crowned with martyrdom
before his eyes, to shake if possible the
stanch rock of his bedded faith. And
while she suffered he called her by name
and addressed her in terms of most endear-
ing affection and exhorted her to remem-
Der the love of the blessed Lord and to be
firm until the very end. His turn came
next. He had but a single favor to ask
from God as he stood there in the old
Roman circus face to face with death, and
that was that he might remain firm for
one more hour. He had but a single favor
to ask from man, and that was that he
might be crucified head downward, as it
was too great an honor for one who had
deserted Jesus to suffer IN the same way
Jesus did. The whole company Of the
apostles went sweeping home to their
Master in chariots of fire. They sealed
their allegiance to Him with their blood.
Since the night of panic they had come to
see Jesus under a new aspect. They had
known Him as a friend. He had a place
at their table and a voice in the home talk.
He had a seat at their fresides and a
share in their plans. They had strolled
together up and down the field paths.
They had paced side by side through the
city streets. He had colored their sym
pathies, nodded their character, enriched
their lives; but the bond of friendship
broke in the hour of trial. They had
fascinated by the crystal-clear form Of His
statements. They had thrilled to the
searching and subtle touch of His noun
tain sermon. They had felt the subtle
charm of His parallels, but the spell of His
wisdom did not keep them true on the
night of His betrayal. They had seen~Him
as a miracle worker. They had beheld
mand. They had witnessed leprosy con-
verted into purity at His touch. They had
seen the winter of the sepuleher bloom
into the spring when His sandals touched
the Intel of the tomb, but the power OF
Jesus did not armor them to look upon
the face of fear. But since that hour OF
heart failure they had come to know Him
as their Saviour. They had seen Jesus die
for them. They had felt the touch of love
tlidt QCQtH CO040 " Q0OhAas NJ A0o
been beneath the arms of the cross out
stretched to shelter them. They had caught
the accents of His parting prayer, FEATHER,
forgive" They had heard His triumph
shout, ut is finished" As their Re
deemer Jesus riveted them to Himself with
hooks of steel.
In this day of force worship it is timely
to uplift Christ as the vitalizing energy of
humanity. 1t is pertinent to emphasize
the deathless power that resides In Chris
tianity. 1t is interesting to watch it soar
ing like a phoenix from the ashes OF Jeru-
salem, shifting like a mailed giant the forces
of the Graeco-Reman civilization, sweeping
like a white-winged angel of mercy beyond
the Alps and the Rhine, and scattering
glorious benedictions upon Scandinavian,
Celt and Saxon; to watch it as it carries
the same benefcent potencies to the dark
continents and hermit nations of our W
time, and blessing with its exhaustless
bounty attic and cellar, avenue n alley,
and parlor and schoolroom, and market
place of latter day civilization. In this hour
of culture craze it Is timely to mark the
unique wisdom of the Christ and to note
that through all the ages a train of gifted
minds has brought the treasures of their
life and laid them at the feet of Him who
was Graded in the Bethlehem manager; to
observe the masters of human thought
O0Wlng with wondering homage before the
sweet and the clarity of Christ's insight;
to remark how the boldest of the skeptics
become deferential and unsandal when
they pass within the charmed circle of this
singular personality. But when | see one
who dwelt in the light of the face of God
fastening down into the shadows and mis-
cries of this stricken earth; when / behold
Him stripping Himself of those robes of
divine majesty which He wore before the
world began and appareling Himself with
that sad-hued vesture which we mortals
wear, stained with woe and broidered with
tears; when I behold Him who was the
centre of angelic alteration, in pathetic
loneliness, becoming a target for the scorn
of the world, despised and rejected of all
mcn, spurned by bigots in the tribunal of
His people and buffeted by brutes in the
guardroom of the Roman; when / mark
the bolt of doom that was whistling in its
fight toward my heart bury itself in the
bosom of His love, and all this for me, for
me, a sinner, then / am His. Then, if
ever, the elemental depths of being are
stirred and a loyalty of affection is enkin-
died that knows no swerving.
What can we do to show appreciation of
what He has done? No one can do much.
Each one can do something. All can be
true to Him. We can stand wherever in
Scripture He calls us to stand. We can
stand u-ho~axar IN prori1anra He hoctnna