The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-05-26

come out of heaven when We we're
with hum In the holy mount. 3
Peter /. is.
II is quite evident that this Epistle
WAS written by the Apostle Peter
hen the shadow Of his own decease
was failing upon him. In verses IL
and : i he says knowing that the
putting on Of my tabernacle cometh
swiftly. even as our Lord Jesus Christ
signifed unto me. eas | viii give
diligence that at every time We may
he able after my deoease 10 call these
thia gs L. remembrance And not only
was the shadow Of his approaching
decease falling upon Peters soul, but
proba b}y the light Of hpostoltt days
WIS growing dim, the light that shone
from the Resurrection morning, and
had irradiated SO many spirits with
It's glow was becoming overcast like
a toe radiant dawn. and, to use again
the apostles own words. they were
3ust then I'm "a dark place tverse
19}--a dizziness which in few cen
turtles became the midnight OF the
Middle Ages but which has been pass
ing away, thank God. since the cock
crow Of the Reformation to the pres
ept hour.
But the apostle looked back 10 ono
radiant hour OF light His life for
the most parg~~its earlier stages-had
been "a very ordinary one He had
been engaged in his craft on the
shores of the lake. Thence he was
summoned ta follow Christ for few
blessed years-for three at most he
was in his company. Then he was
employed in useful service tActs
and 1o1; hut without doubt. most OF
his life, like the life of all men, had
1g
monpiace in 1t. and probably. during
the later years that preceded the
writing of this Epis-le. he had EN-
ployed his time as an ordinary evan
Eclist. pastor and teacher. The 1nt
of the life Of most men is y<utral,
bat he looked back on os6 radiant
hour. Once he had stood with the
TRANSPORTED Christ: once hs had
heard the voice from heaven; once
he had beheld ordinary robes OF
coarse and common texture, shine
with the intense hriiliance OF the eter~
nal world and he could not forget II;
and away down the valley, amid the
neutral tints of ordinary life, with
the shadows OF his own death grow
ing upon him, and with the darkness
Of the world like ii veil upon his soul.
he looked back upon that moment
and said: Once ] lived; once heard: :
once | saw--that voice wo ourselves
heard.
Perhaps he was partly strengthen
sng his own faith. To all OF us there
come hours Of earthquake; questions
are flung into our minds from the
abyss. which challenge the most sa-
cred truths Of our holy religion as
fables or dreams. Probably hut few
have missed that ordeal. Peter lived
amid the perpetual voices OF scepti-
cism and denial. and here We find
him steadying himself catching hold
Of the balustrade, falling back upon
that one experience, and saying to
himself 1T Is not a fable. II Is not a
dream, il is not q cunningly-d devised
Fophistry; il cannot be, since ] my
self heard that voice, which. when
YOU have once heard you can never
forget. my soul trembIed beneath that
sacred hour. | know. l am sure. !
have net been hefooled." The radi~
ance of that moment strengthened
him. But that was not the only rea~
son for which he recalled IL. lie
perhaps cherished it as prophecy, 1t
was as though he said, God never
wouid let me stand upon that mount
of vision. see that glorious sight, and
hear that voice, II He meant me TO
descend and dwell for ever afterwards
IN the darkness of "A dungeon, the key
of which was flung into the abyss
No, that moment was prophecy. q
presage, a premonition. What / was
then shall be. This darkness IN but
she parenthesis. This viii pass: these
dark days VIII close: this pail OF mid
night VIII lift. What ! was / shall
be again. when the day shall dawn
and the day-star shall arise TO herald
the eternal morning"
SEx3 At,.sS ~ @x.lF ri
dertul sentence. fThts voice. we our
selves heard when we were with him
in the holy mount" That voice made q
very ordinary mountain holy. 1t was
quite an ordinary mount; but then
places become holy because of their
association. because OF their memo
Iias There are certain spots in. ouE
world which are ordinary enough u
other men, but they are sacred to you
because the bush burned with fire
just there. There you saw the trans
figured Saviour. -..,..- -.. .-.-.-
J. Every man has some secret
chamber II memory In his heart,
where a bright light shines like a
skekinah.
We all look back TO a holy mount,
a mount " hich became To u.s. at least.
holy.
The holy mount Of childhood--Its
lower slopes are very gentle in their
uudulations. Cowslips prinroses and
wild hyacinths line the paths and deck
ihe woodlands. OH. beautiful mount
of childhood with Its pure heart, its
hope its faith in all men. Its wonder
ful consciousness of the possibility OF
hfe. We have all climbed it. stood
on it's summit, gazing towards the
landscape Of the future, 10 well we
might. The beloved father and moth
Ct. brother and sister. stood by US
there with Jesus Christ himself SO
evident that We almost said, with Pc
ter IT IL good to he here: let US not
here in this blessed fellowship; for
thi- mount is holy
The mount of our first love.--We
loved another better than ourselves;
we looked into the depths OF an
others soul and In that blessed WIS.,
ion there came back TO us the &C.
stacy OF perfect faith. of transparent
truth. of unwaTcrtng loyalty and all
the world became transhgured Conn
naen writing had a new beauty about
II. because ii was the handwriting OF
one We loved. and those Letters and
those gifts, and those memeutoes
seemed 10 shine 10 us with IL trans
figuring beauty.
he holy mount OF gone great re-
ligious pression.---As one reviews
the past, how many mounts Of trans
fguratfon one can recall; SON atimes
when the ecs,acy has been so great
that Gath Nature. herself faded LatoTa
Aa af or nat