The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-08-23

/ attaches to all the incidents of
| Jesus last journey to Jerusalem.
He had healed the lepers and
blessed the children, and now, al
most under the shadow of His
cross, in point of time only four
weeks removed, comessthis sub
tlest of interviews with the rich
young president of some syna-
gogue.
70 The man was like one thorough
ly incased in armor. Every piece
was burnish with diligence and
disposed for effect. He stood pan
oplied cap-a-pie. But beneath all
this splendid, impregnable, NOV
ing fortress lurked a disquiet
spirit, that felt itself not quite Sc
cure in spite of all, else he would
never have come to the Nazarene
rabbi.
Jesus just condescends to enter
the lists, and tilt and foil with this
knight Of legality on his own
ground and by his own methods.
First of all, He will bring him,
with all his boosted goodness, face
TO face with the absolute goodness
of God. He adroitly puts a signifi-
canoe upon upon the hollow term
Of polite address which the user
of it never dreamed Of. In the
blazing light of Divine perfection
the Wanted armor of self-righte-
BUSINESS is sadly dimmed.
But since the inquirer will be
perfect by his own exertion, Jesus
holds before him the unyielding,
flinty table of the law, and cries,
do and live!" The legalist,
thinking only Of the letter, could
say, Il have kept it." Yet spite
of this vaunted literal obedience,
there is a dread sense of insecure
| ty.
The Master knew all the while
the weak spot in his brave and
glittering armor. He has only
been toying with and testing His
opponent SO far. Now he brings
His lance to rest to make the dead
ly thrust Sell all, and give
all!' "If you really want the
treasure OF heaven, give up the
treasures of earth"
Gossner quantity says, "a man
may pledge and stake his head a
hundred times, but if any one were
to proceed to take it from him, he
would feel for the first time how
it sticks to him" In the dread
conclusion Of Jesus word, the rich
young magistrate realized for the
first time how he was welded TO
his wealth 1t was as much a
part Of him as his head was. He
would have soon have parted with
one as the other.
Jesus was holding up with steady
hand the first table of the law that
required a supreme love of God
which would expel any idol. In
the flashing light of that divinely-
engraven Sinaitic tablet the ruler
discovered that Mammon filled bis
whole heart The revelation was
thorough. Not word needed 10
BE- added Equivocation was i'm
possible. \ heart was revealed
to itself. 1t found itself destitute
essence of religion-supreme love
of God.
Crucial moment that! The
compass-needle of soul wavered
between heaven and hell. Alas!
alas when in moment it came to
rest, it pointed steadily toward
perditiOn. What a loss The
dread unrest, extreme enough to
bring this man OF high rank to the
despised Galilean; and to bring
him, not like Nicodemus, but in
the most public place and manner.
That unrest might have been in
stantly removed by the absolute
assurance of happy immortality.
Riches held by frailest tenure
wealth, the sport of the natural
elements and standing temptation
to human rapacity, were then and
there deliberately preferred to
treasure laid nm ,,-I, era ,,,o+I - !