Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-24

Dand or followers scattered! was
not the hated sunhcdrin triumphant
in its mcrciless work; SO Peter ;elt
that Christ's blood was sacrificed in
vain. He felt that Christ's death had
sealed the fate of his kingdom.
How Christ Appeared.
Then upon the summit of these griefs
came the failure of his present effort.
Hour after hour those fishermen were
dragging ut their nets. No fish, no
food. nothing TO appeasc the hunger
of their dear ones. Yet in the early
dawn of the morning Christ appeared
unto Peter upon the shores OF Galilee.
And so, my friend, when the darkest
hours of your night of trouble have
passed Christ will appear to you. Not
In the darkness of your first trouble
will YOU get the blessed peace which
passeth all understanding. not even I'm
the second trouble, but in the third
trial or trouble Christ will appear as
he appeared to those disciples on the
crystal shore of Lake Gennesaret.
In personal life have had most
dramatic illustration Of this pregnant
truth My fathers life was dra wing
toward its close. Thick and fast came
a succession of terrific troubles. The
impenetrable darkness seemed to be
cycryVhere. First came the connagra-
ton which in a few minutes swept
away his great tabernacle, where so
many of his gospel triumphs had been
won. Every one of its stones had
been mortared 10y years Of self sacri-
fee and work. Then came the death Of
my beloved mother. who to Il great
extent was the cause of his wonder
ful success. Then came his removal
from Brooklyn to Washington and his
selling of the old homestead where he
bad passed the greater part OF his ac-
tive ministerial life That home to him
WAS tile dearest place on earth. He
never felt at home anywhere else. He
WAS too old tree TO transplant and
take root again, us YOU would be if
YOU had to leave the home of your
children and the home from which
YOU had buried your dead. 1t was at
this time that he prepared his sermon
entitled formulating Troubles" 1t was
from Chronicles. eleventh chapter and
twenty second verse, "Benaiah, the son
of Jchoiala. the son Of valiant man Of
Kabzeel. who had done many acts; he
slew two lionlle men of Moab; also
he went down and slew a lion in Il pit
in n snowy day"
The whole purpose of that sermon
fn 40
naiah. had three troubles to fight-first.
Il lion; second. Il dark cavern; third. q
snowy day. A short time after this
my father came on to preach in my
pulpit. lie brought this sermon along.
lie arose and gave out the text. Then
suddenly his tongue became thick and
his speech heavy He was threatened
with an apoplectic stroke. His life's
work from that moment rapidly drew
TO its close. All. yes. he had his "ac-
cumulating troubles" Church gone.
Old homestead gone. Health gone.
Three troubles like Renaiah-a lion. n
pit and snowy day. SO, o man. you
shall have three troubles. You are
like Benaiah and Peter. But God will
reveal himself To YOU in Your darkest
troubles MS he revealed himself to his
children of old Christ appeared to
Peter, walking upon the crystal pave
ments of the sea of Galilee. in the
fourth watch of the night. AS the
darkness settles Christ will appear to
you in his glorious love. soon. very
soon. Aye. he will appear to you now.
If you will only love him and trust
him you can see him at this very mo-
ment.
Are we willing to open our eyes now
and see Christ face to face? Christ
apostle most wildly on a great occa-
sion, but while he was at his humble
duties. in the common walks Of life.
When Jesus appears most wildly to
us he will in all probability reveal
himself not 80 much in church as on
the street car; not so much at n com
munion service as when We as ply.
sicians, are bowling over the sick beds
of our patients, or when We, as farm.
ers are laboring in the fields, or when
we, as housewives, are working about
the kitchen stoves And Christ will
not appear unto us so vividly when We
are alone as when. like Peter. in the
darkness of the night. with Nathaniel
and James and John. we are being
tossed about upon the waves of trou
BILE. May God grant that today. side
by side. we may sec the divine face OF
Jesus Christ.
tCopyright 1907. b. Louis Klopsch.i