The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1911-07-13
Types Of the
Christian Life


Yet he, loved each OF them. Martha
and Mary and Lazarus. Each Of them
has place in his heart. Yet they are
SO. different. Jesus does not ask for
monotony. but variety in his kingdom.
The kingdom Of grace is like the king
dom OF nature. No two varieties are
alike. In my Fathers house are many
mansions. One family, but many MEM
bers. One home. but many hearts.
That was the revelation Of Gods
character In the Old Testament. He
was the son Of Abraham, OF fsaac, of
Jacob. How different they were..
abraham the faithful, the consecra-
ted, the pathfinder. Isaac the lacka-
daisical, the Indifferent, the father of
an illustrious son, the son of an Illus
trious father Jacob--the Jew crafty
and cunning, yet tender-hearted and
visionary, and God was the father of
each and yet loved them all
The fault with US is we want reli-
gion to level human nature at dead
uniformity, and We think Christians
should all be conformed to our type,
forgetting that Christ is the universal
type so universal that we may all be
unlike each other and yet all be like
him. It is the fault that belongs to
our education. We grind all our chill
dren through the same mill. Black
and white, delicate and robust. bril-
liant and dunderhead, they must all
submit to the same polishing process.
1t is the fault of our church system,
also. We want to level down the whole
congregation to our own miserable
level. We think Christ has conceived
in us the true conception of the saint.
There is the Sunday school type and
the Christian Endeavor type and the
prayer meeting type. There is the ell
der type and the trustee type. The W.
G. T. u type and the Y. M. C. A. type.
The temperance type and the mission
airy type. There is the Presbyterian
and the Methodist and the Baptist
type. The Mary and the Martha and
the Lazarus type But the love Of
God is broader than the measure of
mans mind, and all may be included
in his all embracing love.
Let us remember that Jesus loved
Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Mary
the passive, Martha the active. and
Lazarus the patient. Mary satisfied
to be. Martha to do. Lazarus to
do without. Mary-the waiter. Martha
the worker. Lazarus-the watcher.
Mary content to sit. Martha content
to serve. Lazarus content to suffer.
And Jesus loved each and he loved all.
Jesus loved Martha. That is what
the record says. The active, busy serv-
ing Christian Martha. She is in the
majority today and is greatly in de-
mand. Sometimes she is apt to think
she is the only one whom the Lord
loves. She has much Scripture to
quote IN favor Of her disposition and
she has the authority of great men
who favor the strenuous life. What
doth the Lord require Of thee but
to do justly and to love mercy. Pure
religion and indebted before God and
the Father is this: to visit the father
less and widows in their afiiction. BE
We doors OF the word and not hearers
only
Martha is everywhere respected
and honored today because she does
things. She is the Sunday school, the
prayer meeting, the church services,
the missionary society, the ladies' aid.
She is cooking, praying. sewing, visit
ing, collecting for the Kingdom Of God,
until when night comes she falls
asleep too tired to say her prayers.
And Jesus loved Martha. And we
must love her too "A religion that
finds its joy in service and in conse.
Grated activity Is apt to be moral
power. A religion that finds God
nearer in moments Of sentiment or
musical ecstasy instead Of IN mo-
ments Of moral endeavor, is extreme
" dangerous Jesus loved Martha.
Jesus loved Mary Mary the quiet,
retiring sister who sat at his feet
Mary's claim to recognition came from
being willing to wait upon his words.
She is like the beautiful picture
through which you look into the great
far beyond. She is like whispering
music singing comfort into troubled
hearts.
In world Of sin and turmoil Mary
sat in the confidence of a beautiful
trust. She was like another beauti-
full girl upon whose tombstone her
friends carved the words: 1T was
easier to be good when she was with
US" That was Mary's tribute. What
interests the world In Mr. Gladstone"
writes John Morley, is even more
what he was than what he did, What
interests the world in Jesus is not so
much his beautiful teaching as his
more beautiful life.
1t was a hard lesson for Elijah to
learn. He was the child OF the storm
and the tempest. He lived In reforma-
lions and revolutions. Behold. the
Lord passed by. and great and
strong wind rent the mountains and
brake In pieces the rocks before Je-
hovah."
NY dear friends. let us not take
away from the boundless power the
love Of God He loved Mary and
Martha and Lazarus. All with their
differences. And they all loved him.
Mary sits at his feet Martha hur
ries to supply his wants. And Lazarus
is content to gIorify him with his
radiant resurrection glory. With all
our differences and misunderstand-
ings and selfshness we love him and
each in turn is loved by him.
The Supreme Message.