Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-03-11


her.
The next thought shall be one OF
| boundless encodragement. One thing
| that Andrew did outweighed thou
sand times all the other good accom-
plished by his whole life-his hand
caught 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
wanderer, the useless. Thou shalt be
called Cephas, Peter, the rock. and
upon this rock will build My church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against It, ~ Jesus read the charac-
ter of Peter by divine wisdom, per-
ceiving all his strength and his In
trinity. To Peter. there must have
been, in the simple words, something
like lightning and the thunderbolt.
for 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 ne
needed-firmness like the rock, gran
tie 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 the
foundation of his faith and courage
the fabric of Christendom rests, while
every believer on earth to-day Is in a
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
Joy has he to-day, and what a JOY
will he have to all eternity! Christ
could have secured Peter in thou
sand other ways, but Andrew was
allowed the honor, in part, no doubt,
to encourage all the weak and the
poorly qualified to labor with an
abundant hope.
Often Andrew Is woman. You
remember Monica's prayers and tears
at last drew her mighty son, whom
| the church of all later ages reveres
as st. Augustin, to the Christ she had
herself already found And there
was another woman, keeping a coun.
try tavern in England, believing that
her son possessed the power to be
useful for Christ, and cramping her.
self to send him to classical school
; and then to Pembroke College, Ok.
ford, and at last giving the world the
renowned evangelist, George White
field
Andrew had only to touch one who
sat next him at the family board.
Your hand may have to stretch very
| far to find the man who Is waiting
| for you. At great missionary meet
| ing / met those whom love for Christ
had sent to the heart Of Africa, to the
great cities of China, "to midas coral
strand" Sometimes the arm gathers
strength as 1t stretches and makes
wider and wider sweeps. There was
DIR. Grenfell, the medical student in
London, who became convinced that
his religious life had been humbug.
AS he reached out he found some
ragged, lawless boys in the slums.
Them he brought to the Master. The
arm reached farther and embraced
the deep sea fishermen around the
English coast. Then the arm
stretched all the way across the At.
lantic and took in the seamen and
their families in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Let me add two general counsels.
In leading others to Christ. begin
with those dearest to you. When
Jesus commanded His disciples to go
to all nations, He added, beginning
at Jerusalem" Return to thine own
house and show how great things God
hath done unto thee"
There is one argument you can al
ways use with immense power. Say
to the careless, to the men and the
women who reject the Gospel without
really knowing anything about 1t, say
to them, "Give Christ fair trial. "
To Andrew aud John following Him,
Jesus said, What seek ye?" And
dwellest Thou" He answered, "Come
and see." In that same spirit Of con.
fidence. He meets an iIquiring world
to-day.
He welcomes all who will come.
The honest inquirer who would know
His claims and on what rests the sal.
walton He bestows, Is cordially in.
vited. The Nazarene does not now
travel along dusty roads; He treads
the sapphire pavements, yet still is
He tender and sympathetic toward
the darkened and inquiring spirits as
when He walked on the beach at
Galilee. His cry still is, If any man
thirst, let him come unto Me-"
The Gospel has nothing to conceal:
1t courts investigation; 1t asks for the
most rigid scrutiny. Come and see. .
So the believer to-day says. lone
thing I know, that whereas l was
blind, now | see;" one thing know.
"her ways are ways Of pleasantness.
Jesus Christ has given attraction to
life, elevation to my aims, sweetness
to my experience, peace to my soul.
Come see II He will not be as much
for you. Give the Gospel, man of ex.
periments, fair trial, and see what II
will accomplish.