The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-05-13

For the first year and a half OF
Christ's public life and ministry he
was the most popular man in Galilee.
He had gained many disciples and at
tracted universal attention by His
teachings and miracles. The country
side was wild over Him. The multi
tudes thronged Him wherever He ap
peared. To all human appearance the
kingdom of God was at hand, and the
dream of the Jewish nation was about
to be realized.
The Ebb Tide.
Then 1t was that the food tide |
reached its height. tossed with fdll |
bounds for brief period and then, |
surely and steadily begun TO ebb. The |
KING had come to the inevitable re
action. His old enemies the Scribe
and Pharisees, conscious that they
were losing their grip on the mul.i. |
tudes rallied their forces for another
desperate assault upon him, and be
gan to challenge His speech, SOW the
seeds Of discord among the common
people, and stir up strife around Him
in every direction. They stood in tho
crowd to sneer at His remarks. They i
attacked Him for violating the Sab
bath day. They boldly charged that
He performed His works of heaii'
through the agency of the prince OF
the devils, and they insulted Him by
clamoring for still greater signs and
wonders.
And they succeeded in their scheme.
For the tickle multitude turned againsl
Him, and the cities of Galilee which
had given Him a patient hearing and
an inquiring attention, lapsed bl'N
into their old ways of thinking and
openly and derisively rejected His
claims. At length His lips are open 20
pronounce the stern words of judg
ment and of doom, declaring that
their opportunities and privileges are
likely to end in irremediable ruin.
History of All Reform.
Such is the universal history o. re-
form. How many man since Chris
day has died of broken heart be-
cause of the scorn and contumely
heaped upon him by his fellow men.
How many a revolution has died a.
borning. How many have had their
| hopes and expectations raised up TO
heaven, only to be cast down to h II.
| The trees of blessing are covered with
! beautiful blossoms, fragrance fills the
! air. and we say, I'VE are going TO
have a bountiful crop of luscious
! fruit" and then there comes, in toe
most unexpected moment killing
| Nd bud 10 a
the whole harvest is lost. That is the
reason why some men who start out
to revolutionize the world, and bring
in a reign of righteousness. grow heart
sick at the fickleness of the crowd,
get disgusted with the shilly-shallyr
backing and filling of those for whom
they labor, and finally throw up tie
whole matter in disgust.
The fact is in every attempt to in
prove the world Old Adam must al
ways be reckoned with Man may
have been created upright, but he is
certainly very much twisted now. He
chooses darkness rather than light
he compromises, wriggles, evades, dou-
bles and turns instead of going
straight forward. He is carried about
by every wind of doctrine. Dema
gogues and fanatics stampede him
The same crowd that cries, Hosanna
to-day, shrieks, cruelty Him! Cruelty
Him, tomorrow. Christ did His ut
most to win the people, and gather
around Him a multitude whom HC
could depend upon, but He failed
and was compelled at last TO utter the
almost despairing cry, when the Sol
of Man cometh will He find faith OF
the earth?'
In this lesson the truth is empha
sized that those who would put thei
hand to the plough must not even lool
back; that men must expect to en-
dure hardness as good soldiers; tina
disappointment is certain to come t.
those who depend upon the arm o
E flesh. 1t is no holiday task to win thi
e world for righteousness. Those VIII
Z go about it must reckon upon bearing
h their cross after Him.
4 Crises in History
= Prescott In his conquest of Per
y says that Pizarro at one time came Z
a the place in his advance when his 70
e lowers shrank back and were about t
y desert him. Drawing his sword. h
[ traced line with it from east
k west. Then turning toward the Sout
n he said, Friends and comrades, o
n that side are toll, hunger, nakednesi
I, the drenching storm, desertion en
: death: on this side ease and pleasur,
d There lies Peru with all its riches
l. here Panama and its poverty. Choos
d each man, as becomes brave Ca
(. tilian. For my part | go to ii
r. South" So saying he stepped acro'
the line. His soldiers hesitated but
moment, and then, one after anothe
they followed their great leader. Thi
was the crisis of Pizarro's fate. A
70 Prescott moralizes, There are m
u ments in the lives of men which, |
y they are seized or neglected, deciC
u their future destiny"
L.