The Penn's Grove record., 1908-06-26

part Of Jesus Christ. She saw his wife
first, and after making known her
errand the husband was summoned,
and this woman said that the very
moment he entered the room she
could not repress the feeling that she
was In the presence of Jesus. His
whole appearance, his whole manner
conveyed the lifelike impression Of
Jesus. And this rot when he was on
exhibition, but when he was sum-
moned from his workshop into the
house, without knowing that anyone
was there or why he came. And the
wife told my hostess that she believed
her husband was absolutely perfect;
that he had so studied the life Of
Jesus: that he had so put his heart
into every part of it; that he had so
striven to perfect himself in playing
the part of Jesus, not only on the
cross, but off the cross. and that he
had, so far as she knew in the init
macy of family life, mastered life and
overcome every temptation. and in IL
earnestness and humility she said she
did not know single thing in all
his life that was not just IS she would
like to have it. Husband, can your
wife say that? 1t shows, dear friends,
the possibility of living so near Christ
that His example and life, not in it's
glorified perfection, but in the pure
ness of heart, shall enable US to put
every sin under our feet. Now,
friends, if it is possible to follow
Jesus example as literally as that,
is it not necessary to rise to it when
so many people are following your
example?
Why did Jesus wash His disciples
feet? Not because it was necessary,
o because it was an Oriental Gus
tom. I think He washed their feet
because He saw that the disciples
were too proud to do it for n an
other. 1t takes a manly character to
do a mental task. 1 fancy that If we
tried to initiate some of Jesus exam
pies, we would find that it would be
better to go apart into a mountain
and pray and come down to the orig
inal channels of life and love
strengthened before We could do the
acts of service that Jesus did. l be-
lieve that He did it because He saw
that His disciples did not vet under
stand or comprehend the ideal that
He came to establish. What is the
law, the ideal, the essential of Gods
kingdom? I know that some would
say that it is love. That is the right
answer if you understand what love
is. 1t is not merely a love that con-
templates and does nothing; that is
well disposed and stops there. If you
think that you are obeying His COM
mandment to love your neighbor
when you do not hate him, you have
not got the ideal of Jesus. Love that
IS love at all finds its expression in
service. The mother tolls late into
the night that her boy may be neatly
dressed and educated. That is the
mothers love. If God only loved US
by only looking on US complacently,
deliver me from that love. But what
wonders hath He not wrought; what
hath He not done for US that we
might have life, joyful lives and use
full lives? If you are going to love,
you must serve, and l venture to COM
mend that definition of service which
says that it is the fundamental rule Of
Gods service. But the disciples did
not catch the idea. Do you wonder
that Jesus said to them, whatsoever
will be great among you, let him be
minister, and ~whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your
servant" In His parallels He taught
the idea of service, but though the
disciples listened they did not seem
to comprehend, and so on that last
night Jesus did something they did
comprehend and clinched all His
teaching by girding Himself and min
istering to them, and said, II have
given you an example"
Let me close by calling your atten-
ton to the last part Of the text: THAT
We should do as 1 have done to you"
Are you doing what Jesus did. or is
it only contemplation? Are you car
rying out His example, or have you
encountered some obstacle that is too
hard to do? In the great galleries the
sit and strive to reproduce the
masterpieces, and so in the gallery Of
life you and 1 are sitting at the feet
of Jesus. Are we reproducing per-
He is the example. Are we
doing as He did?