The Penn's Grove record., 1911-07-14
Types of the
ChristianLife
ByDr. Hugh T. Kerr, Chicago

and Lazarus. Jesus loved them all.
Yet he loved each Of them, Martha
and Mary and Lazarus. Each of them
has a place in his heart. Yet they are
SO different. Jesus does not ask for
m~onotony, 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 Isaac, 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 a 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. 1t 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 E%ndeavor type and the
prayer meeting type. There is the ell
der type and the trustee type. The w.
c. 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 measur of
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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 undefled before God and
the Father is this: to visit the father
less and widows in their affection. 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 it's JOY in service and In conse
Grated activity is apt to be a mora
power. A religion that finds Goo
nearer in moments of sentiment OF
musical ecstasy. instead Of In mo
ments of moral %endeavor, is extreme
ly 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 grear
far beyond. She is like whispering
music singing comfort into troubled
hearts.
In a world of sin and turmoil Mary
sat In the confidence of a beautiful
trust. She was like another beauti
full girl upon whose tombstone hel
friends carved the words: at was
easier to be good when she was will
u.s." That was Mary's tribute. "Wha
interests the world in Mr.. Gladstone
writes John Morley, SIS even more
what he was than what he did," VIVA
interests the world in Jesus is not 81
much his beautiful teaching as hi
more beautiful life.
1t was a hard lesson for Elijah tt
learn. He was the child of the storm
and the tempest. He lived in reforma
tons and revolutions. Behold. thu
Lord passed by, and a great an
strong wind rent the mountains an
brake in pieces the rocks before Je
hovah."
NV DEAF friends, let US not take
away from the boundless power the
love of God. He loved Mary ano
Martha and Lazarus. All with theil
differences. And they all loved him
Mary sits at his feet. Martha hur
ries to supply his wants. And Lazarus
is content to glorify him with his
radiant resurrection glory. With al
our differences and misunderstand
ings and selfshness we love him and
each in turn is loved by MIN.