The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-10-21
9aturday Digit
@aIkc By Rev. F. E. DAWSON
/utNS Rutland, W.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
THE KINGS HERoIsM.
International Bible Lesson for Oct.
20, '1o-(Luke 9:5D.

lb ISQulISu. ht ulCh ohN
women who not only rejoice in doing
their duty for Christ but even re-
joice in overcoming obstacles in doing
1t, are scarce. The piety that is need
ed to-day is the piety that will stand
a pinch; a piety that would rather eat
an honest crust than fare sumptuous-
ly on fraud; a piety that has motive
power enough on board to work up
stream against Niagara current II
necessary; a piety that sets its face
like a flint in the straight narrow
road Of duty.
Example an lncltement.
That is the kind OF piety the king
of men had all through his life, and
more especially toward its close. His
example is a magnificent Indictment
TO us to march unfiinchingly forward
in the path of duty though it calls
for every ounce of heroism we pos
sess. Only let us be certain that the
path we choose is the path of duty.
There is all the difference in the
world between real heroism that
treads the path where duty calls, and
the wilful perversity and stubborn un-
reasonableness that insists on going
over a precipice simply because you
are warned not to do IT. We must not
confound mulishness with conscien-
tious behavior.
Many a person mistakes perverslty
for principle. They will do the most
unreasonable and senseless things,
merely to demonstrate the fact that
they have a back bone. They set
their faces like the Old Man of the
Mountain and pride themselves on
their infexibility, but there is nothing
particularly heroic in conduct which
can go through fire and water to car
ry point, right or wrong
Christ knew that His hour had
come. All along the road of life he
had been marching with steady step
to the fate that awaited Him. Slowly
out of the future had come the con-
sciousness of His tragic death. Lit
tie by little He had come to under
stand the mission of His life, and now
that He was fully conscious of the
cross to which He was destined, He
steadfastly set His face to go to
Jerusalem, for the definite purpose OF
precipitating the collision and wind
ing up the career. He was under the
ban of the Sanhedrin but perfectly
safe as long as He stayed in Galilee.
But the moment He entered the
gates of Jerusalem He was as unsafe
as John Huss long afterwards when
he went to the Council of Constance;
have been in the old days If he had
gone and preached under the walls
Of the Inquisition, what they believed
to be his heresies. There were plen-
ty of hiding places among the Galilean
hills, and the frontier was close at
hand. And yet, He steadfasuy set
His face to go to Jerusalem marching
straight into the lions mouth.
Duty Must Be obeyed.
Why did he do that? Simply be-
cause 1t was duty. He was ready to
suffer, and ready to die, and He de-
liberately set His face to go to Jeru-
salem. The apostle Paul saw the foot
prints of his Master on the soil of
Palestine, and when his friends plead
with him to give up his projected
visit to the holy city, he said, What
mean ye to weep and break my heart,
for am ready, not only to be bound
but to die for the Lord Jesus"
Oliver Cromweu's men just before
a great battle used to look at theii
general and whisper TO each other,
"See, he has on his battle-face."
UVhar1 fhaU VI tho fana ~ In
iron they knew that defeat was i'm
possible. 1t is good thing to have
face that you can set" when neces-
sary. We are too much accustomed
to think of Christ as the embodiment
OF the gentle graces of human nature.
But this text says that He steadfast-
ly set His face TO go TO Jerusalem.
And imagine there came look into
His eye that had not been seen there
before, and tightening of the mus
cles of the mouth that showed His
disciples that the dye was cast. Thus
Pompsy, when hazarding his life on a
tempestuous sea In order TO be at
Rome on an important occasion said.
'Tt is necessary for me to go: II is
not necessary for me 10 live" Thus
Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon
burned the ships upon the shore
which brought his soldiers to land.
that there might be no possibility
OF return.
We had general in the I'm
ion Army who gained certain dis
tnction by his skillful management
OF mastery retreats" But the TO
bellion was not crushed until a silent
little man came out Of the West, who
calmly said, I'VE propose TO fight 1t
out on this line. II It takes all sum-
mer." To be able to set the face as a
flint Is wonderful faculty and an
evidence of rugged piety. There are
plenty OF people who can be brave
when there is no danger, and cour-
ageous when there are no foes to
fight but who flush out when the test
comes. They never can be depended
upon to go forward when going for
ward appears to mean struggle and