Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-11-29
CERIsT'S GIFTS.


CE1IsT's GIFTS.
By Rev. Charles F. Aked, ID.
We shall sit upon twelve thrones,
Judging the twelve tribes Of Israel
Matthew xix, 2S.
Christ is the speaker. His words tell
His appreciation of the loyalty Of His
followers. His exquisitely sensitive
SOul valued to the full. There
was much in Him to make diff
cult the first open recognition of His
kinsship and no less difficult continued
answering f~aithfulness. He was born
in Il stable. lie belonged to the labor
ing classes. lie worked at a trade.
When He entered upon His Messianic
ministry He offended the wealthy, rul-
ing and educated classes by His con
tempt for their conventions and shib-
Doleths, all hat makes life "reSpecta-
be- and proper. He failed to hold
the popular element by His deep dis
dain Of their "patriotism." His refu-
sal to lend Himself to their revolution
airy schemes and His dependence on the
silent omnipoont forces Of love and
triumphant suffering.
Frankly, nOw, do you find it so easy
to stand by the side Of a man misun-
derstood, %slandered, about whom men
lie with unexplained and ineXDIicable
bitterness, who can say in panied Won
der, as He said: 'They mated ME
without Il cause?' Do you find this
50 Easy that you see nothing wonder
full in the. faith of the disciples? Do
you find it a simple matter to be true
to a great principle When all the noise
Of voices is on the other side; to as
sert the cause of the poor, the wretch
ed, h disinherited in The face of a
frivolous and worldly society; to
preach peace when all your world goes
mad for war?
If you think it a light matter try it.
The situation is open. Try it tomor-
row at your club or in the cars when
the talk runs ON some great social or
political question of the hour. Then,
if o will live in his spirit, live al
ways in his spirit and maintain a
righteous but unpopular cause through
the crisis Of half a century, you will
understand the value which Christ sets
upon uncalculating loyalty to Himself.
He rewards it with thrones and king
doms.
Let US not be afraid Of comparing
small things with great. The child
who appreciates a hurdy-gurdy is of
the same spirit as Beethoven or Wag-
ner. The boy at school who refuses
to bully the weak and truckle to the
strong is made Of the stuff of which he
roes are made. The man who receives
a prophet in the name Of a prophet
who recognizes a prophet when he sees
one-is sure of a prophets reward, and
he who gives a cup of cold water to a
disciple in the disciple spirit must
share of the disciples honor.
After that night of far shining re-
nunciation which Carlyle SO graphically
describes the excited patriots returned,
he says, their sublime heads striking
the stars" We may forgive the gibe
for the sake of it's picturcsqueness.
But these are not men to De Knocked.
And l tell you in sober earnestness,
though the phrase seems extravaganza,
that il this is the spirit in which you
live, then here and now you may walk
this earth with more %resounding t
and carry your head nearer to the stars.
We own Il weakness. We deplore
our faults. We confess that we have
come short of our own ideal Of manly
fortitude. But all the same, there
is this in your life. and the world and
death and hell cannot take it from
You saw the truth when dull
eyes saw nothing in the darkness; you
followed it when our best friends
thought it a will-o-the-wisD@ and the
others said you were a fool. You
owned the right when right was mis-
called wrong and took an unpopular
name amid hatred, scofiing aud abuse,
when every prudent person asked,
"Haye any of the leaders Of the people
believed?', in this or that.
You were faithful and neither coax
ing nor coercion could turn you from
your course, and whether your cause
is lost or crowned you know and God
knows that you took it 1~","oty when
you had nothing to ga:;l j.. it and
everything to lose, and that knowledge
is Il kingdom to you forever. These
are the things by which men live.