Arizona republican., 1911-06-05

Yuma -..-....58 Clear simple and direct. which has come
 down through all the ages t0 those
 who would be His disciples. to those who would know the truth that comes
 from God. Believe me. my friends. we can never attain to the knowledge of
 the simplest facts that govern the moral universe. of the principles which
 underlie the meaning of our ordinary
 life, unless We study the principles of Christs life, His words and His works and seek in some way to make His life
 and example our own.
 But how and in what way are we to follow Christ? We recognize the sue cess of His life in the truest and nobl-
 est sense of the word which is un- paralleled in all history. Talk of mira cles. of the wonderful and mysterious events that we are expected 10 accept as a part of the Christian revelation, What miracle can compare with the simple fact of Christs own life. which has been sufficient through all the cen turies to draw all hearts unto himself. 10 make men glad and willing to suf- fer and die for Him? What wonder in all the universe can compare with the establishment of the greatest in stitution the world has ever seen, the church of God the commonwealth founded on peace principles alone. which have brought countless millions, separated by time. by race and nation ality. and by custom and habit, to the service of this man, untaught m human learning, a Galilean peasant who died upon the cross. From that man and his teaching have come all our Chris tian civilization and philanthropy, far reaching diverse, which we erjoy to- day. From this story, not of human but divine achievement we can turn only to declare with Nathaniel of old, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" No other explanation will satify either our reason, our imagina
 tion or our heart.
 But let us see some of the ways in which we can follow Christ ard so get letter of the meaning of His life and our own as well.
 First. we are to follow Him in the road of remuneration and self-sacrifice. This is the secret of the life Of Jesus Christ. This is the secret of any mans life who is successful. You know how impossible it is for any man to sue ceed in this world who does rot learn how to give up. It runs through every department and occupation Of life. It is an eternal law of this world, that everything good costs self-denial, and the man who discovers this, learns that even his time, all his days and nights are no longer his, but they belong to others. and more than this, they belong to God. But what sacrifice that we can make is comparable wi'h that of the Son of God. who gave up the splendor and honor of his heavenly home, who emptied himself of all his rich herit- age that He might make himself the servant of us all. and by His example reveal the true conception of Gods fatherhood, of mans sonship, and or the great human brOthernood that binds us to each other by golden bands of eternal love The service of your fellow man is the service Of God. Thls is what the life of Jesus Christ teaches. How can d man love God whom he hath not seen. if he love not his brother whom he hath seen? Service is lovings Faith is work and prayer IS acton. But your renunciation is not to be in your own behalf, in order that you may get money. reputation, honor, enjoyment for yourself. There is no Christian sac rifice and can be none when you give Ep one thing for another. If these come while sou are doing the task that God gives you to do, it is all right, but if no earthly reward comes, if con tempt and persecution and misunder- standing and even deah be the end in the straight forward path in which you walk of serving the world, then this, too. is all right, and your service and your sacrifice is like that of the Mas ter who became the sovereign servant of us all. whose throne was the cross of Calvary. The heroic annals of the past and of our present history have their record of noble martyrs, Ing and who have consecrated them selves to the service of others and to the unfolding of Gods mighty truths. who. in all reverence be it said. have died for their brethren and carried the sins of others.
 Second, we are to follow Christ in the path of toll and hardship. How busy was the short life of that man who went about doing good. With his own hands he worked at the carpen ter's bench in the early formative years, in Nazareth. Labor and manual work were thus hOnored by Him for all time. That ancient edict, Tn the sweat of thy face. shalt thou eat bread" which was given in the begin ming of mans history, was never re- called by him. He is our leader here