The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-01

spoke eloquently of the Christ-life be-
hind the face. That council as it stead
lastly beheld Stephen saw his face
as it had been the face of an angel"
Certainly there is nothing in these
words to make us believe that they
were conscious of the beautiful face
into which they were gazing. 1t was
something back of all that. They for
got about Stephen and thought Of an
angel. The men of this council were
the very men before whom Jesus had
been brought and condemned to death.
Perhaps the gentleness, the earnest
sweetness of Stephen, the light that
lowered over his face and Illuminated
it, brought back forcibly to their minds
the attitude and bearing of the Christ.
There was a something here Of which
they had been conscious when Christ
was before them. Christ shining
through Stephen! Is it not a wonder
full and blessed thought? The witness
Christ. What is the witness of your
face?
g LII THAT sat in the council, fas-
n tening their eyes on him, saw"
Stephen was the observed of all OBJ
servers. Upon him were focused the
multitude of eyes of that large and dig
nified and learned company. They were
searching for the sign of fear. confu-
sion, trouble, doubt, retreat. but in
stead, they saw the lights of HEAVIER
playing over his features and making
it glow with a supernatural radiance.
And as hat council searched the face
of Stephen, so is the world searching
the c~ountenances of the followers OF
Christ. What does it see there? Does
it see the light which reminds of Christ
and Heaven? or does it behold the
shadow cross the countenance, does 1t
see the frown knit the brow. does 1t
witness the angry flash, or the disa-
greeable, unkindly sheer; what is II
the world sees? What witness is your
face bearing for the Master? 1t is not
pleasant to be looked at, as was
Stephen, but the scrutiny OF the world
is upon the Christian even as that OF
the council was upon Stephen. The
Christian cannot escape it. Because
the Christian makes professions which
place him in a class distinct and sep
arate from the world, the world Is
eager to watch and see if there is any
real difference. 1t watches the face,
for through the face 1t largely reads
the character, and may guess the con-
duct from the lines and expressions
which mark the face. What think you
is the judgment of the world when 1t
sees a gloomy Christian? VIII such
visage attract and be a good indorse-
ment of the religion which the indivld-
ual behind the face processes? Will
it make the world long for the same
kind of religion? Nay, verify, the
world will turn from such with the
sheer of disgust and say: eff religion
| stamps the face in that way, none OF
it for me-"
A ND in contrast to the gloomy
"A Christian there is the careless,
frivolous Christian, the Christian who
is glad to feel safe in Jesus and yet
who thinks only of having a good time
generally; perhaps not indulglng in
any positive sins, but nevertheless
only seeking and caring for the super
fatalities of life, living on the surface.
The character of such a person is writ
ten upon the face. The expression OF
the eye; the selfish, sensual. weak
lines about the mouth; and the curl
of the lips which are ever busy franz
ing careless, light speech and new
know the wholesomeness of grave and
reverent conversation; all these things
in the face betray the person behind
the face. And when the world sees
such a face, what is it's verdict? Is that
face witnessing for the Lord 1t pro-
fesses to love and serve? Is the world
able to read there the Christ express
sion? Is it made to think of angels
and Heavenly things? All, Christian,
with perishing souls all about you,
with sin performing it's awful work of
death on every hand, how dare you
bear such witness with the face which
should shine for your Lord? Let God
work a deep work in your heart and
your face will begin to light up with
mat TdUlduCc WHICH, CoAAOo AN
ing Jesus and having Him as an in
dwelling presence in your heart.
THE face of the Christian should be
a benediction, a sermon to those
who look thereon. 1 remember hear
ing a man who was net a Christians
say of a certain person whom he
passed frequently upon the street in
his n~eighborhood: 81 knew she was a
Christian by the expression upon her
face" In Longfellow's Evangeline the
poet pictures her in the closing years
of her life, after the tragedy Of her
young womanhood and her long. fruit
less search for the loved n from
whose side she had beer torn, as giving
her life in sweet, Christ-like service to
others, and then goes on to tell how
THE dying
Looked up into her face, and thought, in
deed, to behold there
| Cleans of celestial light e~ncircle her fore
head with splendor,
Such as the artist paints DER the hrows of
saints and apostles,
Or such as hangs by night DER a city seen
at a distance.
Unto their eyes it seemed the lamps of the
city celestial,
| Into whose shining gates ere long their spir-
its would enter"
Thus should the Christians face
speak Of it's Lord, and Of the joy and
.orofor+ - uoaunp The wit-