Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-15
Christian Endeavor Hour

| ~AA4 4ASSAS$44 AAAASs~S\ v VI - 4S~A
| Conducted by Grace Livingston HilfLutz.
| For Sunday, September 16, 1906.
Topic ''Christs Life. IN How Christ Met His
Enemies and How We Should Meet Ours. ="
Luke iv:2s-3O; xi:3744; xiii :33. "a.
Luke iv:2S.-And all they in the synagogue
when they heard these things, were filed
| with wrath.
2-And rose up. and thrust him out Of
the city and led him unto the brow Of the
hill wherein their city was built, that they
| might cast him Gown headlong.
3O-But He passing through the midst Of
them went His way.
Luke xi37-And as He spake, q certain
Pharisee besought Him to dine with him;
and He went in and sat down to meat.
SS-And when the Pharisee saw 1t, he mar
veled that he had not first washed before
dinner.
Sg-And the Lord said unto him, Now do
| We rharisees make clean the outside Of the
cup ana the platter; but your inward part
is full OF rayenng and Welcomes cdr .,o.
| which Is without make that which Is within
] also?
41-But rather give aims of such things as
We have; and, behold, all things are clean
| unto you.
42But woe unto you. Pharisees! for We
| 1.-THE mint and rue and all manner OF herbs,
and pass over Judgment and the love Of
| God: these ought ye to have done, and not
| to leave the other undOne.
| 4S-Woe unto you, Pharisees! for We love
| the uppermost seats in the synagogues and
| greetings in the markets
! 4-Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
| hypocrites! for We are as graves which APP
| pear not, and the men that walk over them
| are not aware Of them.
| Luke xiii 3S-And when they were come
to the place, which is called Calvary, there
they crucifed Him. and the malefactors.
one on the right hand and the other on the
| left.
34-Then said Jesus, Father. forgive them;
for they know not what they do. And they
parted His raiment and cast lots.
There are times in all our lives when 1t is
most difficult for us to decide what we
! ought to do. At no time is this the case
| more SO than when some friend or ac-
! quaintance does or says some outra geous
| thing which rouseS our anger to white heat.
Probably most of US have experienced this,
| for every one, whether with quick temper or
| calm, has sense Of right and rights
which is sometimes overstepped. The ma
| 1ority of us have quick tempers, and
| good many get angry easily and stay SO a
! long time. There is nothing which has done
more to harm the church life In most
| churches than the breaking up of friend
| ships and the making OF enemies between
fellow church members.
| But He, passing through the midst of
| them went His way"
| 1t is given to us, too His children TODAY
| this strange mysterious power to pass
through the midst and go our ways"
when others anger us and would tear US in
pieces with their words. Even though tenn
per and tongue culver with fury and re-
| venge, If We will but grasp hold of His
| mighty forbearance 1t is possible for US
to walk through the midst of the angrest
| mob, to face tantaliZing friend or foe and
| to gently give the soft answer. or to keen
a quiet tongue and pass on until the anger
| is cooled. This was the first way that Christ
met His enemies-the gentle way, the wise
! ND "a oil hn of ,icrl,f
| buke, for he who can hold his tongue
against the battering of angry words can
| do more than he who holds the weakest
| fortress in the world against a mighty foe
| This grace of meeting ones enemies and
| passing through their anger may be ours
for the taking. 1t is one of Christs graces
to which we become heir when we become
His children. But the trouble is we do not
make use of our riches. We prefer to 60
| in the old worldly way and answer back,
| and resist and argue.
1t is often our desire to get the better of
| our enemies, to prove to them that we
were right and they wrong, to go further
and have revenge upon them, that keeps
US from being willing to slip away without
the singing reply which only makes things
| worse We are taking to ourselves God s
part, the part of having vengeance.
Yet there were times when Jesus told His
enemies the truth about themselves and
II may be that righteous Indignation de-
mands of us sometimes, too that we should
speak out and show our enemies how wrong
they are. Yet this lesson is more for the
quiet and shrinking, the ones who dread
public opinion too much to speak boldly
against wrong and for the right, than for
the hasty of tongue who rather delight in
telling their enemies what they think of
them than otherwise. Notice that the first
| instance given in our topic of how Jesus
dealt with His enemies was a way of peace,
and of saying nothing, but slipping quiet
ly on His way doing good and allowing the
evil to beat itself out upon nothing. This
Is Inc hnl hntyl6 hr
| remembered when we come 10 deal with
| public evils such as the liquor traffic, i'm
purity, oppression, etc.
The third and most wonderful way in
which Jesus dealt with His enemies was
by forgiving them. That is perhaps the
hardest to do. Many and many soul lets
the sun go down upon his wrath night after
night just because he cannot get the con-
sent of himself to forgive his enemy. Little
things that are as nothing beside what
was done to Jesus We hold and hold and
cannot forgive. We excuse ourselves by say
ing that our enemies have not asked to be
forgiven nor shown proper repentance That
is true. Probably they do not Neither did
the thieves on the cross, nor the soldiers
who spit in His face, nor the people who
| derided Him. yet He said: Father forsiye
them. for they know not what they do -
| And after all the most of them know not
what they do when they anger US. They
have sold themselves to Satan for a little
while and he Is making them feel they are
doing God service sometimes when they
oppose US. They do not realize that In hurt
ing US, their fellow beings, they are hurt
ing the Son of God Do we always realize
that when We are speaking angry words to
others We are hurting the Son of God?
Applied Truth.
Dirk Willemzoon was a poor Protestan,
prosecuted during the reign of terror. H,
was condemned to death for his opinions
When he made his escape and fed he was
I a6 hy nfHa ~ ,cft h.