The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-22


 | in ordinary use at the time.
 'sThe same principle is present under tbe New DIspensation. Our Savior lives inc common life of a village carpenter. when the time draws near for His de- narture from earth He institutes a per- petual memorial of Himself. How does He proceed? He utilizes the simple even- ing meal and raises 1t into a new and heavenly feast. He blesses and breaks the common bread as His body. He takes the common wine in general use | and makes 1t emblematic ofFIis sacrifcial blood. And when He comes to die 1t is on the cross, the common instrument of execution the symbol of shame and deg | radiation. It Is thereby consecrated and | glorifed, radiating henceforth light supernal, light from Him who was the ! light of the world.
 How comforting, how inspiring the truth that in the cross we have the con- servation of common things. By com mon things I mean things which consti- | ute life chiefly, with its manifold duties and occupations; not common in the sense of low or debased as the word is | often used to signify. Far from it, for | the simplest duty of life, the very drudg- cry itself of life, can be made high and | holy if it is filled with the spirit of the | cross.
 Tt Is not so much what we do that we need concern ourselves about chiefly, as | the spirit in which it Is done. The lives | of most of us are made up of very ordi- | nary duties and occupations. They do not call for talent or genius, but they call for something infinitely more pre- cious in our heavenly Fathers sight, and that is faithful service, and that. in turn, | means the conservation of the common in the spirit of the cross
 ' How strengthening, how comforting, | how encouraging this truth is to us. It l tells us that the radiance which streams | from that holy symbol, gloriies common things, whether in business life, or in do- | mestic life. We can find our Savior there | as truly as we can find Him in the most gorgeous Cathedral built by the genius | of man. Indeed, If we do not find Him | there, we will not find Him anywhere. I How needful. therefore, for us all to
 learn the truth expressed in Keble's verse:
 "'The daily round, the common task Will furnish all we ought to ask, Room to deny ourselves, road | To lead us daily nearer God"
 Again. We see in the cross the true lesson of failure. We W.. know how the | world regards failure. It turns its back
 upon the man who fails. It is all smiles
 for the man who succeeds. Nor does it care greatly how he succeeds. Success is the
 main thing. A mans career may be
 stained with many an impure deed, many
 a shameful act, many foul wrong. but if he Is successful the world is quick to forget, or ignores altogether. He may accumulate a vast fortune largely through oppression of the working man,
 or by destroying his rivals in business,
 but if he builds libraries or endows
 schools, 10! his praise is in all the churches, and his name is heralded in
 the newspapers from Dan to Beersheba. |" Nov in the cross we learn the true lesson of failure, the true value and
 meaning of failure. Tn 1t we learn that failure (what man regards as failure), is often the surest foundation for faith full and abiding service to the world.
 do not say foundation for success mark you. The Christians first concern must
 not be success God does not promise
 anything to success All His promises
 are based on faithful service and obe-
 dience. In the cross say we learn the
 true lesson of failure. In our blessed Sa-
 vior, Himself hanging thereon. The heav-
 enly host hovers near in wondering awe
 as He breathes out His spirit and the PO"SAS VI CrAi LII aAC SlidhClts Nhdb d SLu- pendous failure 1t seemed! What a sad waste of life! It was failure. 1t was a
 wasted life from the standpoint of look ers-on. But. how was it a little later ? The Easter morning breaks. That igno- minious death which seemed so terrible a failure Is converted into a triumph
 whose grandeur deepens and widens with
 the on-rush of time. and shall endure
 throughout all eternity. And the life
 which ended in failure, as men count fall ure, has laid hold more and more, not | only upon the admiration. but upon the | affections and wills of mankind. teach ing them the meaning of a personal
 Savior, who demands personal service, and brings to each human being who
 will accept it, personal salvation. "Ah, men and brethren all of us we'll know what failure means in temporal af-
 fairs. We know what 1t Is to have heavy
 hearts. because our toll seems in vain.
 We know what 1t Is to labor for that
 which satisfieth not. We know what 1t Is
 to have the world look coldly upon us.
 But. what does 1t matter? We turn to the
 cross of the Crucihed One. There we learn
 the lessons that failure is meant to
 teach. We learn humbly and prayerful- ly Thus do We lay the foundation of
 faithful service. Thus do we learn that
 in the cross, even failure Is triumphant,
 and the spirit of the cross itself will en-
 ter into our lives blessing our homes, our
 business, our daily occupations. Thus
 shall we, hour by hour, be more fully
 conformed to the likeness of Christ Thus
 shall we drink in more and more of the
 spirit of the cross and understand how
 the common things of life arc consecrat-
 ed, understand how the failures of life
 are turned into faithful service and obe-
 dience, understand how to suffer and be
 strong, strong in the Lord"
 During Lent there will be services each
 week day at p. m. at the Church of the Holy Comforter.