Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-02-25


universe. God In Christ has, come
into our worldly conditions and has
sYmpathized with ussand has been not
only Father but Brother. So you can
say, IT know Himawhom ! have be-
lieved." And the nextfact is, that If
the finding has been real. 1t has filed
you with gladness. You may not care
to speak Of that blessed train of cir
cumstances that made you a child of
God, even as this Andrew has told
the world nothing of that rapturous
conference when with John he spent
the night with Jesus and talked of
the matters that lay deepest in their
souls-there are supreme religious
experiences about which the r%everent
heart may not love. to speak. But
one thing is certain, if Christ has
brought the good tidings into your
heart, you will desire to tell it
abroad. A real conversion opens a
new world. 1t rolls from the CON
science a load Of guilt: it Gains the
rawlings of remorse; it excites the
purest affections: it ~cleanses the life;
it washes out all stains; it overcomes
all difficulties; it annihilates selfish
ness; it crushes passion. It develops
new faculties; it clothes the soul with
new powers; it awakens new forces,
ever a force which achieves imposi-i
bilities. because it feels with st. Paul
that in Christ we car do all things.
It gives new theories Of life and new
powers for success; it works such a
transformation in heart and in life, in
inward thought and in outward .ac-
ton, that we truly speak of the same
individual as a new creature. All
this comes about because you know
Christ.
But. we are forgetting Simon. Who
is, he?. Simon is just any INT who is
not in Christ. He is the man in the
dark, the man, at a distance. Simon
is a mystery. The very word sug-
gests the pathos of his life. Simon
means the listening one. Think of
the Christless soul Off in the night,
conscious OF his p%erplexfties and
doubts, and listening for any voice.
that can give consolation. There is
this terrible thing about every Simon
he is far from Christ. But there is
also this encouraging thing-some'
brother man stands e Each of us
knows at least n soul listening with
the a of an impassioned spirit, for
some voice to speak peace.
Simon may be your brother, or
your husband, or your partner, or
your fellow clerk, O. your most fpti-
mate friend, or your classmate. If
you have any great joy you must tell
Simon. Simon is so near you. SO dear
to you, such a large part. of your life.
II you read a good book, you lend it,
to him;sn you see a good play, you
tell him about it; II you get new
light on any subject, you talk it over
with him. Joseph finds happiness
and honor in Egypt, but the moment
he has an opportunity he says: .Ye
snail haste and go VI and tell my
father of all my glory in Egypt" So
the woman of Samaria had to go
straight into the village and tell the
people all the things Christ had told
her.
The next thought shall be mi OF
Doundless encouragement. One thing
that Andrew did outweighed q thou
sand times all the other good accom-
plished by his whole life-his hand
eangnt Simon. and brought about+that
change Of name at which all the an
gels In heaven are still rejoicing.
Jesus looked upon him and said:
Thou art Simon. the listener. the
wanderers, the useless. Thou shalt be
called 5Cephas, Peter, the rock. and.
upon this rock / will buildsMy church.
n the gatesyof hell shalI not prevails
against IT. Jesus read the charac-
ter Of Peter by divine wisdom. per-
ceiYtng all his strength and his In
drmity. To Peter there must have
been, In the simple words, something
like lightning and the %thunderboIt.
Tor he recognized one who had put
the finger on the weak spot Of his
nature, and had pointed him to the
method Of securing the one quality he
needed-irmness like the rock. a
lite consistency. -
/ OF the Twelve. Peter stands fore
most However different bodies OF
Christians may be opposed In their
ideas OF Peters dignity, nothing less
can be said OF him than that On Tire
foundation of his faith and courage
the fabric Of Christendom rests, WINE
every believer on earth to-day Is in q
sense his child. But the great fact
is that Christ did not directly draw
Peter. but that Andrew found him
and brought him to Jesus. What a
JOY had Andrew all his life. and what
9 Joy has he to-day, and what a Joy
will he have to all eternity! Christ