The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-06-16

I HCuSiN IEG divine E4Qe Oh his CndEdCAEAs
/ is certain. all unconsciously, to impart
I to his very appearance the beauty of
( holiness. Tt is no accident that COM
/ pany of Christian people-lihe, say. the
! great student Volunteer Convention at
/ Nashville a few months ago-is a come
4 lier and more attractive company than
the ordinary convention of miscellan-
eOus people. When the Spirit of God
has his home in human hearts he writes
over human faces the sign of his pres
ence.
When Two Worlds Touch.
Only inadequate sympathy came to
the Man of Sorrows as, during the week
that hao gone, he opened his heart with
its burden of the coming passion, to his
disciples. They could not realize all
that he meant and their fellowship was
very crude and laundering, even at the
best. To heaven it was reserved to give
fullness of communion and comfort.
Earth hath no sorrow which heaven
cannot heal"
On the mountain top of communion,
Jesus held fellowship with two visitants
from the other world and there, in per-
feet accord an in congeniaI unity OF
/ spirit Moses and Elijah and Jesus-rep-
resenting the law, the prophets and the
gospel-spake of the deeease which
Jesus was about to make at Jerusalem.
All three were great sufferers; like
understands like. All three had been
prosecuted for righteousness sake; all
three had borne on their hearts the
burden Of a people who would not
turn to God. All had experienced in
life that loneliness Of spirit, which is
the heaviest sorrow of a great soul. In
all heaven there were none so well
fitted to comfort the Saviour who was
about to sacrifice himself, as these two
representatives of the Old Testament
dispensations.
The only really congenfa1 sympathy
is heavens sympathy. The paradox Of
the Christian life is that the man or
woman who walks closest to our side
can not be to US the friend and com
forter that the invisible Man Of Sorrows
may be. For he who was himself COM
forted on Hermon's mount is still the
great comforter of humanity Wise
are all needy who, Following his ex-
ample, link their lives with the celes-
tai; who turn aside from man to see
what God will do for them.
A Great Interviews Topic.
What King Edward and the ezar and
the German emperor talk about when
they meet, is the subject of endless
speculation. Great interviews general
" have great subjects. It is notice
able that this one on the mountain top
dealt with the approaching death of
Jesus. The disciples might minimize
it and fail to grasp its meaning, and
the world might be utterly blind to its
Importance and significance; but in the
heavenly realm it was subject OF
overwhelming Importance. Well may
we imagine how the heavenly hosts
stiIled their praises that night that they
might listen to this momentOuS CONVEX
sation upon the theme which engrOss-
ed the thought of God and his redeem
ed ones.
If the subject of the crucifxion of
Christ was Of sufficient moment to call
from the clouds of heaven the two
greatest earthly figures who dwelt
therein, surely it cannot be a matter
of Indifference to the whole wide
world. The crucifxion was no mere
incident or close of Jesus life and
mission; it was the elimination of all
his thirty-three years: it was the key
which unlocks the mystery of the in
oarnation.
The Things We Miss.
Philadelphia Quaker meeting this
year reported that some of the mem
| bers in the monthly meetings had been
tempted to drOwsiness. They have
| conspicuous examples for sleep-head-
edness. The three apostles, Peter,
James and john who were chosen for
the high privilege Of sharing the
TRANSPORTATION with Jesus. were over
come with desire to sleep. They
missed the full vision OF the great
scene, and they either saw what fol-
lowed dimly or else they were aWak-
ened in spite of their sleepiness by the
glory that shone round about them.
brain is responsible for Peters remark
about building three booths. He knew
not what he said. He was confused,
I embarrassed, and incoherent The re-
mark was that of man suddenly
! awakened from sleep.
/ Peters proposition was that three
/ tabernacles or booths be built, one for
! Moses and one for Elijah and one for
/ Jesus, and that the disciples might re-
I main on the mountain top. OF course
lei fcfr Gil ,a1 q
normal. Life cannot be spent on it's
mountain tops. The valley is the place
where people dwell. The place on the
mountain top is to inspire life on the
plain Down below, waiting for the
Master and his disciples, were needy
men and sore affiiction, together with
/ the blight of Satan's presence. It is
/ common for people TO wish that they
might live in an atmosphere of re-
] HgI0uS NEE ingS, and there is a tVDe
( Of character which expresses Its re-
ligion less by practical deeds of service
/ than by resOrting. upon every possible
occasion, to scenes Of special religious
interest.
Jesus knew that his mission could not
be fulfilled on Mount Hermon. That
experience was for the comfort of him
self and of his friends and for the
! Strengthening of their faith in the later
rare and occasional; duty IS daily pres
ent.
The Things That Last.
! While Peter was making his biunder-
ing speeeh-and if Christ's commenua-
ton of him as a rock. carries with it
infalhbuity, surely he was making an
extraordinary succession Of blunders.
for only few days previously Jesus
had aecosted him as Satan.-a second
wonderful manifestation occurred A
bright cloud out Of heaven came down
and enveloped them, and they fell pros
trate on their faces. out Of the cloud
came the voice that they had heard
on Jordans banks. This is my Son
my chosen: hear We him" The attes-
tation Of the vision to the divinity OF
Christ was reinforced by the attesta-
ton Of the voice. The disciples were
also reminded that greater than Moses
or Elijah was he who stood by them
for he was none other than the very
Son of God