The Penn's Grove record., 1906-03-23
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. w. S. BAER.
Subject: "Christian Life"

excellent speaker. His subject Sunday
morning was christian Life" His
text was from Psalms cxxii:1-2: Il
will lift up mine eyes unto the hills
from whence cometh my help. My
help cometh from the Lad, who made
heaven and earth" Mr.. Baer said:
1t is from the heights that we gain
our Wides. vision. 1t is from the
heights of human attainment that we
see life most truly. To gain these
heights we need to go where Christ
has climbed. There are certain Incl.
dents in His life which preserve to
us the intimate connection between the
truth of His life and the place where
it was revealed in its fullness. Let
us lift up our eyes unto the hills, from
whence cometh our help.
Up into a mount, with a few chosen
disciples, He went by night to pray.
In the darkness of the night those
who accompanied Him beheld a vision.
Before them was the Son of Man,
TRANSPORTED, with shining face and
garments all aglOw. Then there came
a voice from God, This is my beloved
Son, hear Him."
How often in the days to come must
they have recalled that vision with
joy. How often in the night of their
perplexity. when they questioned what
to do. must they have heard the voice,
This is my Son, hear Him" Their
brethren saw not the vision, heard not
the voice. In the valley below they
slept. They had not been asked to &c
with their Master, and they did right
to rest their wearied frames for the
work of the morrow. But those who
went with Him saw the vision and
heard the voice which declared to
them that whatever other teachers
were, or had taught, the perfect now
was come, and the imperfect was done
away. The glory of the morning stal
is swallowed up in the light of the
sun, which it foretells. So, day by
day, these men saw in Him the trans.
figuration of humanity, the glory of a
life lived with the Father; they heard
the voice of that Father saying, This
is my Son, hear Him." and knew in
Christ the perfection of sonship as
God intended it to be.
Is this a vision of past history? A
page torn from the biography OF
Jesus of Nazareth? Is this a day when
there is no vision, and no prophet; is
this the mount of God far away, and
must Il journey to the Holy Land
to see it? Nay; since He trod the
earth, all lands are holy, and we may
go into the mount. may gain a vision
and hear a voice. For the glory OF
Christ is not dimmed, nor the voice
of God stilled. AS one looks back
through the vista of centuries and
asks for the force which has uplifted
man, there dawns upon him for an
swer the vision of the TRANSPORTED
Christ. AS one seeks for the highes-
inspiration of brush and chisel, again
clearer or DINNER, as he may see, there
stands before him the vision of thu
TRANSPORTED man. AS he gazes a
glorious ~cathedrals, wondering at The
greatness of the work and the beauty
of the art. again the Son of Man ap
pears as the Alpha and Omega, tht
beginning of the inspiration, the enc
of all the faith.
All, yes, and one need not go II
me- -erpieces of art to discern the
TRANSPORTED man. Closer and nearer
is He to is in liIe than in canvas or il
stone. Wherever man kneels down il
prayer, wherever in thought he lifts
up his heart to God, wherever in time
of meditation he goes apart to be witt
the Father. there comes 4 vision o.
TRANSPORTED man, glowing with the
glory of God. The young man lookin!
out into ne world, the old man wait
ing his summons home, each may have
his vision and must have it, if h
would do his work Alright. How sac
u life as Christians would be if al
we did was daily round of duty on thu
treadmill of existence. How long thu
days would be; how j5yless the task
with our song at best q stole chant
How glad when weary work was done
and weary eyes were closed, and wear.
hands were folded on the breast. Blu
that is not the Christian life. It is lif,
and more abundant, with is outlool
and its hope. in study of the Scrip
lures. n musings when the heart is to,
full for speech. in hours of worship
when hearts and voices are upraiset
to God, there may come to us a visiol
of strength, of truth, of the bette
man to be, the answer to all our pant
ing and throbbing desires to come int
the fullness of life. 1t may be din
because Il eyes are dull. But as gu
eyes grow brighter, the indistinctnes
fades away into the glory of tn
TRANSPORTED man Christ Jesus. TIL
vision of man is given to us in Him
We long. too. for knowledge of God
as we creep up 'the great altar stair
which slope through darkness up t
God" far, far above us we see tn
light of the eternal glory. And a WI
draw nearer, the light resolves itsel
into the face of the TRANSPORTED One
"We have the knowledge Of the glor.
of God in the face of Jesus Christ" il
whom God graciously yelled Hi
brightness that our weak eyes nigh
see.
Our fullest vision of God and on
clearest vision of man are had in Him
We may see Him in life of noble ma
and pure woman as we walk through
the streets. We may suddenly b
frightened in the darkness of a HON
of sin by q glimpse of Christ shinin.
through the life of one who lives wit
Him. Let us ever seek for that visioI
of Christ in the life of our fellows, an,
if we seek, we shall find. But let u
remember that it is we'll to take tim
with Him in worship, in family prayer
where two or three are gathered tc
gether, in our own communing wit
the Father, as we go apart in til
mount of prayer, which is the noun
of vision, the mount of glory.
Another vision, not now on mountai'
high, apart from others, with veil o
night drawn down, but in light of da.
on little knoll by side of road wher
throngs from the city pass. Tire
crosses reared black against the sky
and the form of Him in the midst is a
the form of Him who was transfgure
OH the mount. When He came dow
from the mount of TRANSPORTATION FL
met His disciples at the foot of the hi
surrounded by a curious and disputin
crowd. There was a strife of tongues
there was need and sorrow of mar
there was weakness of His follower,
The call YVES made on qim, and th
demon was expelled, sorrow was don
away, the distressed through III
strength was restored to peace. Thi
was the epitome of His life. The
He set His face steadfastly to go t
Jerusalem. From vision to service
from communion with God to servic
of man; from TRANSPORTATION to cruc