The Penn's Grove record., 1911-06-23

SApSIlCuC6 anu aohoACA
ring 1t to ours. 1.-THE cross" meant to
Jesus the sacrifices demanded by the
duties which the will of God laid on
him. Jesus came to earth willingly,
but moi on his own initiative: THE
Father sent the Son to be the Saviour
of the world" And he came with just
one purpose: 81 came not to do mine
W will, but the will Of him that
sent me-" A part of the will was
that he should die, in order that we,
through his death, might have life. He
spoke of himself as the Good Shep-
herd who was to lay down his life for
the sheep. and added: This com
mandment have / received of my
Father Therefore he endured the
cross, despising the shame. When he
speaks to us of the everyday cross,
Jesus can only be referring to ex-
periences in daily life which have for
us the same Significance the cross of
Calvary had for him.
Life is a complicated web of rela-
tionships. Every one of us is the
center of a world. Each individual
life is set in the midst of a maze of
parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, cou-
sins, husband or wife, sons or daugh-
ters, business associates. friends or
enemies. And toward each of the per-
sons composing this world of ours we
have our duties, laid upon vi by the
will of God.
There is not one of these duties
which does not. sooner or later, in
volve sacrifice. Sometimes the duties
of one of these relationships absorb
the whole of life, making it n long
agony of sacrifice, lightened only by
love. Perhaps a mother is an in
valid. Perhaps a father has been I'M
fortunate in business and grown ut
terly discouraged. Sometimes a
brother or sister has gone wrong, or
a child turned out a source of dis
appointment instead of pride. The
whole life Of some healthy and normal
member of the family has to be spent
in caring for, encouraging or seeking
to reclaim the unfortunate one.
Must Bear Own Burden.
Some try to escape 1t. But II we
could, we should only transfer our
burden to somebody else's shoulders.
There is just about SO much Of bur
den and responsibility in the world.
There is just a certain number OF
shoulders among whom these must be
distributed. 1t is a simple problem OF
division. II the diyisor is lessened.
the quotient must increase.
There are some who bear. the cross
brayely, proudly, yet bitterly. That
statement makes one think of Dante.
He loved Florence as few have yer
loved the city of their birth; and yet
for nineteen years before his death in
1921 he was compelled to wander from
one city of Italy to another, and per
haps as far as Paris and Oxford, with
a death sentence registered against
him by the city of his love. Such pride
and scorn as he was capable of, how
ever, have rarely had residence in q
human breast. Rossetti. himself the
son of an italian exile, has given
picture of the wandering poet which
may stand for many a burdened sou.
today, whose cross gals, whose hear
hath no rest, whose spirit has grown
bitter, but who disdains to try t.
escape the cross, unless they a de
so on their own terms.
We have all known such people
They have never recunciled them
selves to their lot. The heart burn:
continually with a sense of the in
Justice of life. Complaint arises ever
against God. The sight of the happi
ness of others gals like vinegar
poured into an ope1 wound. VIZ
have found no experience that sucf
lives have no power to help others
Those we have known have been 6
source of Encouragement rather thar
of inspiration. Here, then, is a cast
for the application of the Golden Rule
If we would seek light and inspiration
from our friends we should give then
the same. One ought to be very care
ful of allowing to grow up In his OWL
heart the spirit which. in others, acts
as a kill-joy and a source OF disheart
-ment to him.
A third class of people try to beal
their cross as Jesus bore his. Wher
he said, Take up the cross daily. anc
follow me-" he meant Follow me II
the bearing of the cross" The ex
p~erience of Jesus In the Garden o.
-Gethesemane is the key to his att
tude toward the cross. The burden O
what was before him seemed heavier
han he could bear; but when his
vision was cleared from the obscurins
clouds of momentary depression ane
horror. and he saw Enthusiastically thai
Calvary was Gods will for him, he
arose and went out to meet it. VIVA
the cross of Calvary was to Jesus the
EVERYDAY cross may be made to us, BY
the simple e~xpedient of taking 1t III
and following Jesus in the bearing O
1t.
The cross was to Jesus the gate o.
glory. Through it he entered into
he resurrection life. The everyday
cross may become a pathway into
glory of character which we coult
never otherwise attain. Fire burns
but it puriies. 1t consumes dross. bu
it refnes gold. The everyday cross
is Gods purifying baptism of fire.