The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-11-25
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THE MASTERS CALL.
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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
80 near and dear to their departed
brother, Jesus, as we believe, had been
q 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 II
Jesus had been there, their brother
had not died. He might have saved
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 1t 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 us. 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" 1t seemed
to say He has not forgotten us, He
has not neglected us, 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 filed 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
see the end, from the beginning could
see that great good might be accom-
plished by His remaining away TIL
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 a
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
we'll 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
tions 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 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
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 como upon us Surely 1t 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,
In our grief, we hear the glad sounds
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, The Master is come and calleth
for thee"
1t was personal call to Mary. Il
is a personal call to you. 1t seemed
to Mary perhaps, for time, as II
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 a 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, 1t Is for some good
and wise purpose, and that it Will
work, in some way, for good, II 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 / will give you rest and, like
Mary, respond quickly. arise and go
unto Him.
THE JOYFUL TRANSPORTATION
Christ's people are a sorrowing pco-
Pile! Chastisement is their badge
great tribulatIon" is their appointed
discipline When they enter the