Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-11-26
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THE MASTERS CALL.

| by 1eV. leo. L.. smith.
/ THE Master is come and calleth for
John 1928.
What joy must have thrilled the
heart of Mary when this announce
ment was made to her by her sister
Martha.
The sisters were in deep sorrow.
Their brother, Lazarus, whom they
fondly loved, was dead. This sorrow
was probably greatly intensified, too,
by the absence of their Friend, who
had become very dear to them, and
30 near and dear to their departed
brother, Jesus, as we believe, had been
very frequent and very welcome
guest at their Bethany home, but
when their brother had been stricken
down by a severe sickness, He was
not there. They had sent for Him
while he was still living, but He had
not come. And now their brother was
dead. Lazarus was no more. There
must have been feelings of very great
sadness as the sisters felt that if
Jesus had been there, their brother
his life. And then, how natural that
with the feeling Of regret for His alb
sence, there should have come also
the fear that their Friend did not
really love them as they had so fondly
thought He had. They had Informed
Him that their brother was sick, and
yet He had not come to them. How
natural it would have been to have
said within themselves, Jesus surely
did not love us as we supposed He
] did. When He was away from us, He
forgot u.s. He found other friends,
and we are no more thought of. How
greatly do such thoughts intensity
our sufferings. How welcome, then,
must have been the declaration of the
sister as she said, THE Master is
come and calleth for thee" It seemed
to say, He has not forgotten us, He
has not neglected u.s. He is come, He
calleth for thee.
How this dispelled the clouds! How
1t let the sunshine in! What peace
and comfort; what joy and gladness,
must have flied the heart when this
glad announcement was made. THE
Master Is come, and calleth for thee"
! At once there would be suggested to
her mind what she afterwards found
was true, that He had good reasons
for not coming to them before. 1t was
! not for lack of interest in them nor
for lack Of love for them but He could
| tho
see that great good might be accom-
| plished by His remaining away till
| Lazarus should breathe his last.
Doubtless He could see that it would
be for their highest good and for the
good Of multitudes beside them that
He should not come sooner to them.
| And we can now see how much would
| have been missed which has been
great benefit to thousands who have
| lived and are now gone, and to other
thousands who are still living. How
much the world would have lost, as
well as those afflicted sisters, if the
! Saviour had not wept with Martha and
Mary
! The effect of those words did not
stop with the thrilling of Marys heart
at that time, but coming down through
the ages, they have awakened emo
lions of JOY and gladness in the hearts
! of vast multitudes who have been
comforted and helped by these mani
festations of our Saviour's faithfulness
| to His loved ones.
How many are there in this world
like Martha and Mary, deeply afflicted
with a sorrow that the world cannot
remove; and sometimes when they feel
most deeply the need of some help
| more than the world can give, it seems
to them, perhaps, that the Saviour to
whom they try to look has forgotten
them. They do not seem to see His
| face. Everything about them seemed
dark and dismal, and the Saviour far
away. How delightful, then, to think
| that for some good end which we can
not see, He is permitting this sorrow
| to come upon us. Surely it must be for
some good. He has not forgotten us,
nor been unmindful Of our cries. And
then how the heart leaps with joy as,
| of words spoken, it may be, by human
| lips, or whispered by the blessed Holy
| Spirit, saying Come unto Me,
will give you rest" The very echo,
1t would seem, of Martha's message to
| Mary, 1.-The Master is come and calIeth
! for thee"
1t was a personal call to Mary. 1t
is a personal call to you 1t seemed
! to Mary, perhaps, for a time, as If
Jesus had forgotten them, but He had
not He had them all the while in
kind and loving remembrance, and He
was allowing this which seemed to her
like such sad calamity, to come up
on them for a good end. And so we
may believe that if He allows sorrows
| to come upon us, it is for some good
and wise purpose, and that it will
work, in some way, for good, if we
| properly receive it. And all the while
we should be listening to the voice that
is calling to US and saying, Come unto
Me and l will give you rest and, like
Mary, respond quickly, arise and 20
unto Him.
THE JOYFUL TRANSFORMATIO
Christ's people are sorrowing peo-
ple, ChaStiSement is their badge