The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-01

dried up beneath and the bra cut
off above; well for us only, if, after
beholding this natural face in q
glass, we desire not st%rajghtway TO
forget what name of men we be-"
| So surely does the face bear the marks
of the life. We cannot escape it. We
may attempt to mask the real self be-
hind a pleasant exterior, but the real
| self flashes out unawareS and betrays
the actor. l have studied faces which
were handsome and which lit up with
an attractive light. But as the first i'm
pressions faded away the real self
| began to stand out upon the face and l
could trace here and there lines which
/ knew meant there was something in
that life and heart which was dishon-
oring to God and harmful to the life.
A little child not having learned to
mask the face and hide behind it the
evil in the heart and life can be clearly
read. How easy 1t is as we gaze into
the face Of a child to read his emo
tons and feelings. His face is a per-
feet index to his life and character.
But as the child grows in years 1t &C
quires that subtle skill of masking it's
face, and covering up that which lies
behind the face. And some people go
even a step farther and try by artifi-
cial means-cosmetics, lotions, mas
sage, etc.-to obliterate the tell-tale
marks Of wrong living and wrong
thinking. The face does reveal and
bear witness of that which is behind
the face. And the face of the natura:
man, of the unregenerate man, at it's
very best, lacks something of that
light and peace and joy which may be
and should be the possession Of the
Christian.
THE face then more or less surely
| witnesses as to the life and char
acter of the person behind the face.
And the Christians face above all 9TH
ers should be in harmony with the pro-
fession. A face lighted up with the
radiance of the indwelling Christ is a
recommendation, an Endorsement, Of
the Gospel which is well-nigh i~rresis-
tible. Saul was among those who be-
held the face of Stephen as it had been
the face of an angel. How much do
you suppose his conversion was due to
the light which he saw radiating from
the face of that brave disciple that
day? Much, l believe. l do not be-
lieve he ever forgot that face. l do not
believe, sleeping or waking, he could
shake off the consciousness that be-
hind that man Stephen was the shin
ing presence of the One he preached as
the Christ, the Saviour of men. That
wonderful face and that startling CHI
max which came when the eyes Of
Stephen penetrated to the very heart
of Heaven and he declared that he saw
1.-The Son of Man standing on the right
hand Of Cod" Saul saw the shining
face, and could not help connecting 1t
with the vision which Stephen had.
Christ in Heaven the source of the
light which shone from his uplifted
face. Day and night, l believe, Saul
pondered over these two things-the
face and the vision-until at last on
that eventful day neal Damascus the
full light of Christ's presence, of which
on Stephens face he had seen a refec-
ton, burst in upon his soul and over-
whelmed him. 1t takes the shining face
to indorse the testimony for Christ. 1t
may not be ~vouchsafed to you and to
me to have the shining face of a Ste
phen. Perhaps if we were dragged be-
fore a Jewish council to be falsely ac-
cused and killed God would light up
our faces with the radiance which
played upon the face of Stephen tina.
day, but you may be sure that the Lord
will adorn our c~ountenances with as
great a radiance as is needed to wit
ness for Him and draw hayward souls
into the light. And we know not, we
never can know, how far-reaching the
power and influence of a face lighted
up with the light and love Of Jesus
may reach. Dur business is to shine
for Him. -
no YOU know l somehow feel that
- Jesus command, Let your light
shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your
Father who is in Heaven" has a deep
er significance and meaning than we
give it. We put all the stress upon
the works, upon the actions and deeds
of the body and the words of the lips,
and forget all about letting the face
shine for Jesus in full and blessed and
reinforcing harmony with the works.
l have seen Christians performing
kindly works of ministry in the name
of the MASTER have done it myself.
again and again, God forgive mel
whose faces had the seven shades Of
gloom stamped upon them. Some people
think to be religious and perform re-
ligious duties m must assume a sad
and sanctimonious expression which
would almost chill a corpse. Letting
our light shine mean than do
ing and speaking, it means an il
Illuminated face-a countenance whose
light and expression tell of the Chris:
for whose sake and in whose name the
deed is wrought or the testimony is
given. "Arise, shine; for thy light is
come, and the glory of Jehovah Is
risen upon thee" Arise! Let no longer
the darkening self shade the face, but
arise and shine for thy light is come!
The witness of the face of the Chris
tian should always be of that light
which has shined into his heart.
China hooouco Jacuc 10 fn tho hparte