The Newtown bee., 1906-02-09

THE HOME CIRCLE. A SERMON BY REV J. F. PLUMB. HECTOR OF ST JOHNS CHURCH, NEW
 MILFORD. Text. St John 6 87-8s: ''Then said Jesus unto the twelve-WMl ye also E., awayf Then simon Peter answered hlm. Lord. to wh'm ;ns'! H,s vs so' Thou hast tho words of e'ern"' St Peter was greatly perplexed. He had come face to face with one Of the hardest problems man has to meet: He had found the Christ and followed Him. He had found in Him the only true satisfaction his soul had ever The Words of Christ had gone straight to his heart and his inmOst being had responded to them that this Is the eternal truth. Suddenly this great teacher had taught something that not only had not appealed to him. but which seemed to him impossible. even repugpant. What should he d. ? A mau Of doubt passed over him and threatened to sweep him away. How could these things be? What use t" struggle and to think. Like a drown ing man he throws out his hand des- perately to seize something to cling t", till the wave has passed over him and the light of heaven again shines. ,o
 can hardly believe that there IS one present who does not we'll know what mean. Not one who has not felt the solid earth beneath him quake and open tOSwallOw him up. Not one who has not felt the darkness, yes, the darkness that may be felt, fall up on him. Till all the fair visions of in- nocent childhood are plotted out and he doubts
 EVEN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.
 This feeling one is often afraid t. admit. He thinks perchacce that he iS alone, isolated from his fellnw-men. cast out. The victim of mind sn pe- cultarly constit uted or temperament SO unlike the normal temperament of man that
 CANNOT BELIEVE AND FIND THE PEACE
 AND REST
 that others find in the Religion of Je- sus Christ. do not believe there ev- CT was 8 boy who grew to manhood and who was brought up to believe in the Truths of the Christian creed,
  through or been overwhelmed by this mighty wave of doubt. do not br lleve that there are many Saints of GUd to-day WhO will not in their heart of hearts admit that there are for them periods of great darkness, when all the foundations of their faith and Being Aeem out Of c''urse.
 Surely if this be so, if eveu the most xodly have to akht this battle over and over again. It is nu, for any one to despair; not for any tn count himself an out cast. Did not even Christ Himself SD suff.r, wher in the weakness of His agony He cried, "My God, My God, why hast thou for gotten me?"
 N"! Much as we count that Faith which seeth all things, a faith that never falters. Many time as we have fought this battle and come 1 forth victor, still will it recur. to most men, to be met over and over again this question and answer was Caper- naum, by the Sea of Galilee. The day before, on the farther side of the lake, Jesus had fed the multitude with five barley lOaves and two small fishes. On this day the same multitude thrOnged Him, seeking Him, as Jesus declared, not because of the miracle, but because of the food they received. And then Jesus spoke of the Bread of Life; of eating His flesh, and drinking His blood. The people were perplexed, and well they might be. The twelve were perpiexed.
 They could not understand it at all. It was very different from most of His teaching. It was mystery they could not solve. And it is still unsOlved Many that had followed Jesus hitherto were offended at this saying. Bear in mind that that word "Offended" means, caused to stumble. They had followed thus far, but at this saying they stumbled, and went no farther It is the first time we read of any turn ing back, losing their grasp on Him It was on account of His teaching about the Holy Communion. Perhaps that is the hardest teaching of all Certain it is that these early disciples who went back and walked no more with Him were the first of a great army who have been drawn to the Christ, up to that point, and have stumbled there. Certain it is that when the wave of doubt Overwhelms a man, 1t strikes first at this central teaching of Jesus Christ.
 It was a critical time for the follow. eS of Jesus Christ. Many were giving up and going away. All were per plexed. None could understand. Jesus turned to the twelve--we can almost hear the note of Loneliness in His voice, "Will ye also go away?"
 He does not attempt to explain. He cannot. They could not understand. THERE IS ONLY THE APPEAL OF LOVE He knew how hard it was for them. and yet He would entreat them tu trust Him twill ye also go ava, ?" Ye whom have loved; ye who hay. been with me, have known me, have seen my works, have known my thoughts ye not trust me in this thing, even though 1t seem meaning less, yea, repugnant to you? And the appeal was not in vain. Simon Peter answered Him: ''LDrd. to whom shall we g''? Thou hast the words Of ct ernal life" It Is the answer of a perplexed soul He had evidently been debating the question. He had cast about for Srme other, better teacher, but there was none. And then there came to him the words of Christ that had burnt into His soul as none other words had ever done. This ap- peal of love drew him nightly and he seems to say: Yes, in spite of this which seems so strange, impossib le, for all that Thou hast been to me, for the words that Thou hast spoken that cannot get away from, I will trust Thee. in and through this darkness. St Peter, like drowning man, threw out his hand, and 1t touched a cord, he laid hold on 1t and it drew him safe