The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-27

ger In your mind some act of disobedience or some dutiful act that you neglected to do? Tell me, do you not suppose there were some people just tactless enough to remind Peter of his three denials? "Yes,' they sarcastically said: "If I were you, Peter, I would cry good deal about Jesus death. You always pretended you loved him so much. Oh, yes. you were always going to be faithful! And yet you failed him when the test came. Peter, I believe you are a hypocrite, and you would deny him again if you had the chance" And can hear Peter say: "Yes. perhaps l would. O Christ, why have been false to thee?"
 Then the next grief tugging at Peters heart was the awful thought that all Christ suffered for and lived for and died for seemed to have gone for naught Ho felt that Christ's kingdom which He was to establish upon earth had now become a lost cause. Was not Jesus dead? Was not His little band of followers scattered? Was not the hated sanhedrln triumphant in its mcrciless work? So Peter felt that Christ's blood was sacrificed In vain. He felt that Chrlsts death had sealed the fate of His kingdom.
 How Christ Appeared.
 Then upon the summit of these griefs came the failure of hls present effort lloul dllOl llodI lllOst liSleliiltil "tit dragging at their nets. No fish, no food nothing to appease the hunger of their dear ones. Yet in the early dawn of the morning Christ appeared unto Peter upon the shores of Gailee. 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 4.. A trial or trouble Christ will appear as He appeared to those disciples on the crystal shore of Lake Gennesaret.
 In personal life l have had a most dramatic illustration of this pregnant truth My fathers life was drawing toward it's close. Thick and fast came a succession of terrific troubles The in- penetrable darkness seemed to be every where. First came the confagration which in a few minutes swept away his great tabernacle, where so many of his gospel trimuphs had been won. Every one of its stones had been mortared by years of self-sacrifce and work. Then came the death of my beloved mother, who to a great extent was the cause of his won derful success. Then came his removal from Brooklyn to Washington and hls selling of the old homestead where he had passed the greater part of his active ministerial life. That home to him was the dearest place on earth. He never felt at home anywhere else. He was too old a tree to transplant and take root again, as you would be if you had to leave the home of your children and the home from which you had burded your dead. It was at this time that he prepared his ser mon entitled, "Cumulating Troubles" It was from I Chronicles 11th chapter and 22d verse "Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lion- like men of Moab; also he went down and slew lion in a pit In snowy day"
 The whole purpose of that sermon was to prove that every man, like Benaiah, had three troubles to fght--first, a lion; second. a dark cavern: third, a snowy day. A short time after this my father came on to preach in my pulpit. He brought this sermon along. He arose and gave out the text. Then suddenly his tongue became thick and his speech heavy. He was threatened with an apo plectic stroke His llfe's work from that moment rapidly drew to its close Ah yes. he had his accommodating troubles" Church gone Old homestead gone. Health gone. Three troubles like Benalahr-a Hon. a pit and a 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 as he revealed himself to his children of old. Christ appeared to Peter, walk ing upon the crystal pavements 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 moment
 Are we willing to open our eyes now and see Christ face to face? Christ did not appear unto the repentant apostle most wildly on great occasion. but while he was at his humble duties, in the common walks of life When Jesus ap- pears most wildly to us he will in all probability reveal himself not so much in church as on the street car; not so much at communion service as when we as physicians. are lowing over the sickbeds of our patients. or when we, as farmers. are laboring in the fields, or when we, as housewives, are working about the kitchen stoves And Christ will noc appear unto us so wildly when we are alone as when. like Peter, in the darkness of the night. with Nathaniel and Iaruea and John. VIC are being toRaed