Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-11-30
CHRTsTs GIFrs.

BY Rev. Charles F. Aked, ID.
Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones,
Judging the twelve tribes Of Israel
Matthew XIX, e.
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
kingship and no less difficult continued
answering faithfulness. He was born
In a stable. He belonged to the labor
Ing classes. He worked at a trade.
When He entered upon His Messiantc
ministry He offended the wealthy, ruI-
Ing and educated classes by His con-
tempt for their conventions and shib-
boleths, all that makes life "respecta-
BILE" and proper. He failed to hold
the popular element By His deep dis
dain OF their patriotism His refu-
sal 30 lend Himself to their revolution
airy schemes and His dependence on the
silent omnipoent forces of love and
Triumphant suffering.
Frankly. now, do you find it SO easy
to stand by the side Of man misun-
derstood, slandered, about whom men
lie with unexplained and Inexplicable
bitterness, who can say in panied won
der, as He said: ''They mated me
without cause?" Do you find this
so easy that you see nothing wonder
ful In the faith of the disciples? Do
You find 1t 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, the dislnherited in the face Of a
frivolous and worldly society; to
preach peace when all your world goes
mad for war?
Ii you think 1t light matter try it.
The situation is open. Try 1t tomor-
row at your club or In the cars when
the talk runs on some great social or
political question of the hour. Then,
IL you will live in this spirit, live al
ways in this spirit and maintain
righteous but unpopular cause through
the crisis of half century, you will
understand the value which Christ sets
upon uncalculating loyalty to Himself.
He rewards it with thrones and king
doms.
Let as 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 prophet
who recognizes prophet when he sees
one--is sure of prophets reward, and
he who gives q 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 its picturesqueness
But these are not men to De Knocked
And tell you In sober earnestness,
though the phrase seems extravagant,
that II this Is the spirit in which you
live. then here and now you may walk
this earth with more resounding step
and carry your head nearer to the stars
We own our 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 1t from
you: You saw the truth when dull
eyes saw nothing In the darkness; you
followed 1t when your best friends
thought 1t a will-o'-the-wisp 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, SOOTHING and abuse,
when every prudent person asked,
"Have any OF the leaders of The people
believedf' 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 1t bravely when
you had nothing to gain by 1t and
everything to lose, and that knowledge
is q kingdom to you forever. These
are the things by which men live.
THE TRUE PARADISE.