The Washington herald., 1908-04-21

Audiences that taxed the capacity of the
Mount Pleasant Congregational Churcn
were in attendance Easter morning and
again last night. At the Easter service
Rev. NJ. Ross Fishburn pastor, preached
an eloquent sermon. and on behalf of the
church gave the right hand of fellowship
to fftytwo new members.
Last evening the Mems Club of that
church entertained a large audience at
the annual Ladies Night" reception. at
which Vice President Fairbanks delivered
a notable address.
Taking as his subject, "The unrecogniz-
ed Christ and as text. John, xx:14, Mr..
FishbuTn. on Easter morning. said:
Mary's failure to recognize Jesus as
He appeared in the Eastergarden is not
in any sense a unique experience. When
the Master was here among men, there
were not a few whose eyes were holden
so that they did not recognize Him. The
Samaritan woman knew not at first that
II was the Messiah who sat on the we'll
curb beside her and spoke of thirst for
ever quenched by the water Of life.
Blind from His Birth.
The man blind from his birth, whose
eyes flew open at Jesus touch. did not
recognize the Great Physician even when
He looked into his face. The two sad
hearted men who walked with Jesus to
Emmaus toward evening on the resurrec-
ton day did not know Him,
We find, then. that Mary's tardy rec
ognition of Jesus is typical of the OBJ
tuseness Of men and women in all the
centuries.
The world was made by Him, but the
world knew Him not Alas. that this is
also. to some extent, true Of those within
the church. Among Christs confessed
followers there is much spiritual obtuse-
ness
AS His disciples we should be able to
see Him ia nature. An ancient writer
asserted that the heavens declare the
glory of God, and the armament showeth
His handiwork But modern materiaIism
denies the statements. And with pity we
must acknowledge that there are not a
Few dull-eyed seekers who fail to find
in nature His by whom the worlds were
made
world as a Farce.
OF Christ in history the same is true.
Here and there are men who look at the
world as farce even when it becomes. as
tragic as it sometimes does But many
there are who see the signs OF Christ's
working in the rise and fall of nations.
who believe that it was the Prince Of
Peace who spoke at Waterloo and York
town and Appomattox, who believe that
the worlds history is being made by Him
and that to Him we are indebted for all
that is great and good in our civilization.
In literature, TOO. ofttimes unrecog-
nized, the Master may be found and
known by those whose eyes are keen
enough TO read between the lines. Glad
stone declared that at least half the
books in the worlds libraries were di
rectly traceable to the Christian concept.
Tennyson's In Memoriam' is an expOsi-
ton Of Christian life. His King Arthur a
portrait Of the forgiving Saviour. It is none
otner than the majestic Son Of God that
moves across the pages of Robert Brown
ing. Helpful is it to realize that as we
turn the pages of our greatest books. We
are getting lessons from the Master even
though We may not recognize Him as
their author.
Moreover, in the sphere Of st,ciaI and
moral betterment, if we will. We NAV
recognize the stately steppings Of the
Son Of God, who was also the Son of
Man Those who in the darkest lays of