The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-09-08

There was one thing, however, that I
could 90, and that was to fee from
the scenes Of my sorrow and, to
great extent, from association with
my fellow-men. T therefore turned
my face southwark and went down
into the rocky Businesses OF Judea.
where ! found cave or grotto in an
isolated spot which looked as If the
loot Of man had never pressed it In
the cave made my den, I cannot
call It home, and in its neighSor-
hood rarely, if ever, met a fellow
man. Thus / knew little OF nothing
OF the wonderful events that were
transpiring In the little country of
Palestine at that time and heard on
ly vague stories OF the miracles
Wnlch were being wrought by the
man whom they called Jesus of
Nazareth. That he had healed men
far gone in leprosy was one OF the
stories which came to me; but I did
not want 70 be healed ] longed to
Die and thus end the intolerable mis-
! cry OF mind and body under which I
suffered.
And now, gentlemen, comes the
strangest OF all the events in this sad
history. 1t was a night in mid-sum-
mer and intensely warm. The moon
was full and shone with such brilli-
: ancy that objects were almost as
plainly visible in her rays as in the
light OF day. I lay just outside the
mouth Of my cave, asleep in the shad-
ow Of the rocks above me, when
was awakened by the sound or a hui
man voice. 1t was a voice raised in
supplication and pleading, and the
tones were agonized and distressed.
Looking up | saw on rock above
me, with his face bathed in the full
rays OF the moon, man in the atti-
tude of prayer and with such an ex-
preston OF anguish on his face as /
hope never to see again on the count
enance Of human being. | had
thought my own sorrows surpassed
those OF most mortals, but here was
a man whose anguish, il / could read
his face Alright, was tenfold greater
than my own. Involuntarily a cry
of pity burst from my lips 1t was
followed by wonderful transforma-
ton in the appearance of the strange
being who had thus come within my
vision. His form became majestic
and His features not only lost their
look of unmeasured anguish, but be
came wonderfully sympathetic and
benignant, fairly radfating pity for
me, the poor helpless leper. And in
that moment, gentlemen, recogniz-
ed in this strange being the lad
whom I had met on the streets of
Jerusalem. For a moment we gazed
at each other in silence, | looking up
to Him in wonder, and then He spoke.
Nathaniel He said, L am Jesus
Of Nazareth. What wilt thou that l
shall do unto thee Wilt thou be
made whole?'
ITO this | replied: Lord, | crave
but one thing: the death that shall
take me to my loved ones
Then He said, Nathaniel, thou
hast seen My anguish, but | cannot
tell thee. its cause. But because
thou hast pitied Me, sad as is thine
own condition, ! will that thy wish
shall be fulfilled. But this I will
say unto thee, thou shalt live again,
not first in the final resurrection, but
in far on centuries when men shall
have done much to disclose to them
the hidden mysteries and forces OF
nature and subdued them to their
own service. And in that life thou
shalt have again the wife of thy
young manhood and the children
which blessed thy union
AS He spoke strange and delic-
ious languor stole upon me. / felt as
II my form were floating in the air.
His form and features grew misty and
indistinct; celestial music fell upon
my ears and then sound and sight
faded away and | knew nothing more
until awakened memory recalled, in
my home in London, The first scenes
OF my conscious childhood in Chora-
Yin.
do you wonder, gentlemen, that
II count Jesus OF Nazareth a divine
being and believe in His resurrection
from the dead and His ascension into
heaven, from which He shall come
again to receive His OWN?
But" asked Johns, how do you
account for His having knelt in pray
er above your cave without knowl-
edge OF your presence, Il He possess
ed divine omniscience.'
That, sir, is question not easily
answered" replied tOppenthaler ~
have a theory concerning il, which
seems to be logical and satisfactory.
Jesus was both divine and human
and / believe it was In His power to
suspend His divine functions and re
sumo them at his will That it was
as human being that He approach
ed the Father in prayer and did many
OF the acts OF His ministry, but that
His divine power was invoked when
ever He performed a miracle or ut
tered word OF doctrine BY His di-
vine power He decreed my return to
an earthlife after the centuries which
passed to me as dreamless sleep
and seemed no longer than a single
night; for I remember nothing what
ever OF that long period
To this statement, Johns, who was
the only one OF the four auditors of
the stranger who interrupted his
narrative with a question asked:
IF you believe in Immortality how
do you account for this absence of
all knowledge Of existence during the
long period between your death and
your second birth?'
ITO that question, gentlemen, said
Oppenthaler, II have no definite
answer, though again | have theory
that seems to me to be both logical
and reasonable. I believe it was the
purpose Of Jesus to give me only
knowledge of physical life until my
final departure from that form of ex-
istence and that, by His divine pow
*, re kept my soul inert and with
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