The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-04-12

Jesus Power Over Disease and Death.
There lay Capernaum, project
ing into the blue depths ofTiberias,
its basalt-built houses standing in
relief against a deep-green back
ground, its quays fringed with
shipping. What a hum of art and
traffic! What greed of power,
gain and pleasure! Religion?
There was none, save that of phyl-
acteries and fringes-an ecclesias-
ticism fast losing grip upon its
own, and failing in any considera-
bic extent to command respect of
foreigners. But in this
night of irreligion. in this most
unexpected place, a cereus of faith
bursts i'll radiant bloom. III the
garrison, a proverb of dissipation;
in the commanders quarters, char
acterized by imperial hauteur. is
found a humane, humble, benevo-
lent, believing soul, the moral
beauty Of which causes an ejacula-
ton of surprise and admiration
from Jesus lips. * The
pious spirit of the centurion is
feeling after God, if haply he may
find Him. He is ready to discard
his own WORKOUT religion for a
better faith. He overcomes the
strongest of passion, the racial pre-
JUDGE. He is ready to sit down
with these hook-nosed, oily skin
ned Jews, and scan their musty
scrolls, if only there He may find
the way of life. Increasing
wealth has not made a niggard of
him. He builds these serfs of
his emperor synagogue, the CHS
eled marbles of which. lately un-
covered, prove it one Of the most
beautiful and costly ever erected.
Trained in the cruel school of war,
yet he can not see his slave suffer
without conjunction. So far is
he above the Roman spirit which
esteems a slave a thing rather than
a man. * He displays a
remarkable appreciation of the
character of Jesus. He is not Of
Tended at his humble origin. He
makes no disparaging allusion to
Nazareth. He believes the Mas
ter's power may have an extra
Israelitish display; can be exercis-
ed even upon heathen's drudge.
Overwhelmed with a conscious.
ness OF unworthiness, he prefers his
request by proxy, not in person.
Seeing the Master approach, he
sends another deputation to Him
in haste. Aware of the Hebrew
ideas of ceremonial pollution, he
will not expose the rabbi to such
danger by asking him to enter a
Gentle home, especially as thee
is no need. Jesus, too, is an i'm
perial commander. At His order
disease will depart and health will
come. No wonder Jesus panegy-
rizes such faith. He hastens to
embalm it in his praise. He eulog-
ICES it, Considering its source,
its degree, its environment, it is
unmatched by any descendent of
him who bore the name of "Father
Of the Faithful. " The scene
changes from the city lifted to
heaven i'll privilege to a hamlet
never mentioned before or after
ward in the holy Writ. At sun
down Jesus climbs the flinty path
toward that rustic village in which
death is celebrating an unusual
victory. A youth, manly and
noble, sole support of a widowed
mother, is being carried to his
tomb. Lamentations in this in
stance are not perfunctory. Fur
niture is overturned in token of
desolatiOl. Rocky shelf in tomb
is ready. Funeral director invites
stray travellers to join the process
sion. Women are in van because
first in transgression." Piercing
cries to accompaniment of shrill file
and changing cymbal rise. A voice
eulogize the dead. In wicker bier,
carried on the shoulder of pail