Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-01-20

/ And We heheld his glOry.-John lsA
-HAT citizen Of the earth
No some 10 centuries ago. a
SRNk certain Syrian Jew. one Je-
| Oh " sus OF Nazareth. lived life
| SkNS that was n life OF glory, Is
~ the thing that Is here said.
other things are said. but
our matter OF talk is this. I, Is not a
theological vision. but plain record.
The Word was made flesh. and dwelt
among us and we beheld his glory"
Not that to the son OF Zebedee theo-
logical vision was wanting. To him
the historic Jesus OF his generation
was an eternal. inenable something
known as the Word Of God. I'm the
beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God and the Word was
God" and The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us" As speech Is n
revealing. n message from the soul In
visible. so the Christ was a word from
GOO. Further. this Christ was with
John the potent universal Creator.
"All things were made by him and
without him was not made anything
that was made This same Creator
and Word was also Life and Light
in him was life and the life was the
light OF men" There may be exist
ence without light. but existence with
out life there Is not. and that new
thrilling thing. the key OF being. the
light OF the world. and the secret OF
destiny. IL in the Christ. Surely the
Invisible and everabIdlng Jesus shone
zenith high in the eyes OF John and
there was theological vision in plenty.
But II was this vision become flesh
and dwelling among us that was the
immediate concern. One too poor for
where 10 lay his head; barren OF so
cial prestige. without culture Of the
schools. writing no books. showing
scant regard for organism or institu-
lions. setting the sword into its
sheath. beggaring himself deliberately
of every arm OF power in honor with
the ages. and yet so mighty as 20
bend and rock the earth with his
tread. making men suspect him moth
ing less than God was a spectacle I'M
speakable for Galilean fisherman.
Fifty years and more he remembers
what his eyes have seen and only the
greatest words under the sun and
stars are able to tell his tale. And
we beheld his glory"
Christ Supreme.
The glory OF the Christ life may be
seen earliest. possibly. in that IL Is the
only one Of its kind. II was a unique
life. Jesus Christ was one. only be
gotten" In all the ages he has no
fellow. When Napoleon said. mo one
Is like him." be had this vision. II is
of the genius of greatness TO carve a
niche for itself. TO fly in its own or
bit. to eyermore walk lonely. Moses.
Aristotle. Caesar. Shakespeare are
memories OF the forgotten and live
among the dead. So there was never
another like the Son OF Mary. Rev
erence Is born of respect and worship |
of the Christ may well begin by find |
ing him among the solitary few. His |
tory can neither be written nor read |
without mention Of his name. Jesus |
Of Nazareth is even now Jesus Of the |
planet.
But the glory of the Christ Is |
unique. especially In being such a |
glory TO the mind of God. Jesus is |
the only begotten "of the father" A
compliment OF benediction gathers its
music and fragrance from its source.
The great OF earth must read their
glory. always. in a revised version.
The MONDAY light of one generation
fades In another to n smoking taper |
Call no man happy until he is dead"
is an ancient epitaph. Only the judy |
ments OF the immortal stand. That |
the life OF the Christ is a glory with |
the Eternal is at once a patent OF
worth and a call to prayer That wor- |
ship OF the historic Jesus is not rank |
idolatry finds its one reason here: he |
Is In time a veritable manifestation of !
the eternal God. Forevermore the Al |
mighty Father exists In some fashion |
as a Revealer and in this fashion |
never repeats himself I'm the begin |
ming was the Word and the Word was
with God and the Word was God"
The same was in the beginning with
God" Like the shock of earthquake
or the rising OF the sun this divine |
Word breaks into human history rs
Jesus OF Nazareth and passes on. and |
very rightly men tarry in reverence at
hi feet. That human soul which sees
In Christ a unique. solitary. unshar-
able revealing OF God alone may wor-
ship him. He may arise. respect. fol.
low. but 10 bend the knee and say
prayers he must see God. That there
Is none other name under heaven or
given among men: that there is but
one Lord. one faith. one baptism. we
adore the Christ. And We beheld his
glory"
Must Accept Divinity.
This leads me naturally to say that
the glory OF the Christ life is seen
also in its transcendence. II Is a BIZ
ography evermore parting from men
and carried out Of their vision. The
darkness comprehended II not" The
world knew him not" His own re-
ceived him not" Men face the Christ
not only with moral opposition but
with mental collapse. They reject him
as surely that are little as that they
are wicked. Their logic falls in a
heap. They walk by faith or stagser
to the dust. Unless they believe on
his name. receive him. are given right
and power to be sons OF God, are
vertically born again. they never catch
the glory o; the Christ A simply hu.
man Christ. a Christ who Is not tran.
ecendent, turns every Christian