The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-01-11

mission had been revealed TO him al
the Jordanic baptism. We would
speak about the parallels which Christ
uttered. but which We're not written
down, and Of the miracles he did OF
which there is no record given, and of
the gentle words of love and sympathy
which he uttered to those about him
of which there Is no mention Oh,
what volumes of spiritual truths there
would be If we could only have them
at hand! | wonder if some time in the
. dim future the records of some of these
unrevealed wondrous deeds of Jesus
will not yet be eXhumed from some of
the eastern tombs for man to ponder
over and to study and to translate in
his human life.
Mr.. Beecher thus bewails the loss of
the unrevealed words and deeds Of
Chrst's life: when | see how much
has been written of those who have
lived. how the Greeks preserved every
saving of Plato's, how Boswell fol
lowed Johnson, gathering up every leaf
that fell from that rugged old oak and
pasted it away, | almost regret that
one of the disciples had not been a re-
cording angel, to preserve the odor and
richness of every word of Christ
When John says, And there are also
many other things which Jesus did, the
which, if they should be written every
one, l suppose that even the world it.
self could not contain the books that
should be written it affects me more
profoundly than when | think of the
destruction of the AleXandrian library
or the perishing of the Grecian art in
Athens or Byzantium. The creations
of Phidias were cold stones overlaid by
warm thought, but Christ described his
own creation when he said, The words
that | speak unto you, they are life
The leaving out of these things from
the New Testament, though divinely
wise, seems to my yearning not so
much the Accomplishment of noble
things us the destruction Of great treas
ures which had already had oral life,
but failed of incarnation in literature"
But though these unrevealed deeds and
sayings of Jesus Christ did not have
their incarnation in literature were
their lives purely evanescent? Like
the dewdrOps tumbling upon the finger
of leaf were they soon to pass away?
Nay. The unwritten words and deeds
of Jesus found their incarnation in the
lives Of the men and the women and
the children by whom he was sur
rounded. These people to whom he
spoke not only heard, but they also be-
lieved, and they lived his teachings.
Not Spoken In vain.
Take that night which Jesus spent in
Jericho, in the house Of Zacchaeus, the
publican. There is not word written
about his evening conversation. From
the gospel of Luke we know that Jesus
called Zacchaeus down from the syca-
more tree and went to the home of the
publican. But not one word is written
about what happened when he was at
that house. After the multitudes had
gone to their homes and Jesus sat
down to meat wtEBZacchaeus and his
wife and his children, what do you sup
pose he did? Do you suppose Christ
quickly in silence ate his supper and
then turned and said, "Zacchaeus,
am tired and want to go to bed" Then
do you suppose he took his lamp and
went off and shut his bedroom door
and went to sleep, or do you suppose
that Jesus acted in that home like a
true, warm hearted friend? At first, I
think, the family We're a little shy.
Then the ice of bashful reserve gradu- |
ally wore away. Then as soon as the |
supper was ended think Jesus took |
couple of the youngest children upon |
his knee and stroked their hair and .
told them some sweet stories. Yes, | /
think | can hear Jesus telling these
children some simple parallels like that
Of the sheep that was lost up in the
Mountains or story like the prodigal
son. You see the children's eyes grow
bigger and bigger! They are so inter
ested that the youngest little girl, who
had been sucking her thumb for an
hour, has not once wanted to sOuirm
1ut of his lap. The two boys, leaning
On his knee, have not once attempted
70 pull each others hair Then, as
Christ talks on, | think he brings the
spiritual lessons so near home that
ears are rolling down the fathers and
Mothers cheeks Then the little fam
ly knelt for the good night prayer, and
he family altar was started. Were
III those words of Jesus lost words?
We're all those sentences which he
poke only short lived sentences and
nh IL, 10;
hink thus then you must say that all
he prayers which the visiting pastor
ltters by the sickbed, all the quiet
alks the Christian mother has with
Ter boy after the rest of the family
ave gone to bed. all the words Of adj
7ice the Sunday school teacher gives
o her scholars are ephemeral words
md short lived words. No. The I'M
written words and deeds of Jesus live.
They never died. They lived and they
to live in the lives of the men
ind the women and the children to
whom he spake.
Turn to the gospel of John and read
here the account of the conversation
esus had with the woman of Samaria
" Jacobs well. Christ was a-wearied.
lie sat down to rest by this famous
veil while his disciples went into Sy- I.
har to buy bread. This well is about +,
wo miles from Sychar, as remember ,
Alright. Now, while Christ was there >
woman of Samaria. a social outcast, ;
anne to draw water While she was :
4 &c, H.
lords. that whole conversation as re- '
Orded in John did not occupy over six t
linuses. Yet the disciples must have e
cen away from Jesus at least an hour. I
10 you not believe Jesus talked to [