The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-12-30
The JOY of Christ

mere is prevalent miScOnceDtion
concerning the daily life and experi-
ence of the Lord Jesus when He was
with us. We think of Him as the
man of Sorrows" and rightly. HE
carried our sorrows" the burden of
our guilt was upon Him. He was so
In sympathy with men that their bur-
dens and sorrows became His. The
fncompleteness of character. the hy-
pocrisy and deceit which met Him
everywhere, the thousand forms of in
iquity which filled the world, our
guilt laid upon His soul. did indeed
NIL Him with sorrow; there was no
sorrow like His
1t was deep undercurrent that
became greater as He approached tho
end. Even when all would seem to
be far removed from this, when the
multitudes were about Him seeking
HIS blessing, we hear Him say: my
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even un-
to DEATH
full of joy. There was sorrow but
there was no sadness; there was a
burden, but there was no disappoint-
ment; there was the keen sense of
the guilt of sin and of the agony of
buI lutlt WAS ITO ncSl-
tation. We see the tumult. but He
speaks of "My peace" His own pecul-
lar peace; we see the suffering, but
His highest wish for His disciples was
that MY Joy might remain in YOU
and that your Joy might be fully"
Suffering and happiness are not in
compatible; sorrow and joy are NOT
so antagonistic that they may not
dwell in the same heart. There is a.
grace which rises above the suffering.
and makes it minister to Joy. 1t is
one of the wonderful things of grace
that 1t SO lifts us up out OF our sur
roundings, and out of ourselves, that
there is perfect peace even when the
sunering Is greatest. We have seen
the victim of disease racked with
pain whose face beamed with Joy and
whose words were songs of praise.
The martyrs sang as they burned. So
with Jesus; at the very time when
His cup was filled to the overlooking.
He talked with His disciples out of
a heart perfectly at rest.
There was to Jesus the joy of His
sinless nature. We cannot measure
that, but we may sometimes have a
foretaste OF 1t; there may be such a
sense OF pardon and of Divine love
tnat we are as in the presence of God,
put our highest short experience Is
lar below the blessedness which was
perpetual in the soul of Jesus. To
Him there was the Joy of infinite
love. He gave Himself for others.
and in their salvation His 10y was
above all suffering. The PRAYER of
the penitent thief was to Him the ioy
OF love prevailing, even over the
thorns and the nails.
There was the consciousness of His
Fathers love and support. He dwelt
on that love. Even with the cross be.
fore Him, in the communion of the
holy fellowship His very garments
shone with the glory of God. He was
Knocked and scorned, but all the time
He saw His work prevailing. The
lame man walking. the one dumb
man singing the praises of God. the
dead coming back to life, were typical
or greater work of love in the SAL
Vation or men. He thought OF the
man whose sins were forgiven as one
saved, and not simply healed. How
great the Joy of that hour rs He
prayed, Holy Father, keep those
whom Thou hast given Me!'
We can know but little of that
higher world in which Jesus lived.
Tor 1t is the world of perfect holiness
and infinite love, but we see some
thing or 1t; we have something in
common with Him, so that we can
enter into His Joy sufficiently to
know that 1t crowned all labor and
sweetened all sorrow. The man of
sorrows" let Him ever be to US, but
also we should open our hearts to re-
ceive the infiowing of His eyer-pres-
ent. unbounded joy.-United Presby-
terian.