The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-06-02
THE VIRGINIAN'S WEEKLY SERMON
THE SECRET SIGN
~ the Rev. r. 4. jackson, of Ens,and.

Before Phillip called thee. when
thou vast under the fig tree. | saw
thee" Here is man of whom the
Master said. There is no guile in
him" a sincere man both in his
divine and human relationships;
man not without guilt--what man
4s2-nlt Without erafitneSs- a&I
4.scait;; man honest and OPEN
man who might Dlunder, bu. not
through falseness: 4 man TO trust.
Whence knowest Thou me- he
asked He was not carried of bis
feet by the praise he received, but
he was astonished that he should
be known by one whom hc recognized
as a stranger. His establishment
became Amusement when the an
swer was given Before Philip
called thee. when thou vast under
the fl tree, | saw thee"
We may suppose that the refer
-eace to the hg tree touched some
memory and started some associa-
ton Of ideas OF profound moment,
The fig tree vas a favorite resort
for quiet meditation. as il Is writ
ten:
They shall ST. every man under
his vine and under his fig tree. and
none shall make them afraid
II was there. probably, in Ma
thanael's case. that some experience
OF exceptional importance had been
known. There may have been some
fervent prayer offered. some secret
VOW registered. some sin OF sorrow
buried deep.
Whatever ii was that the man had
lived through there, the moment the
mere place Of resort was mentioned
he was startled out of his doubt
and reticence and said, Rabbi. Thou
art the Son of God Thou art the
King of Israel" And from that
hour Nathaniel followed his Lord
He was TO see greater things
than these" I1he was to see heaven
and +lse-aAEais of Cod ascend
ing and descending upon the Son
of Man But that one fash of self
revelation attached him irrevoeably
to Christ.
In the course Of our reading. or
IA listening TO speaker. nothing so
arrests our attention, awakes our
wonder. or wins our consent. as 10
have some vital and secret personal
experience laid bare. We all have
our fig tree-our spiritual trysting-
place. our unforgettable experience,
our undeclared habit of thought. |
To touch which is TO touch the most /
sensitive nerve OF our nature. Only
one who thoroughly understands and
Hx{- =, Hsyr han
il Ia done we know we are akin. Our
fayorite authors, like our truest
friends, are they who reyerently and
tenderly reveal to us our Utmost
selves. And in doing this our Lord
Is supreme Before Philip called
thee"--be forseq any thought OF allie
glance 10 Me had entered thy heart
when thou vast under the fig tree
| saw thee"
Here, then, is q man given to
much quiet though. something of a
reciuse. reticent and undemonstra- ,
tive He was a man or independent
mind who thought things out for
himself. and drew his own CON
illusions; man of straightforward
conduct without duplieity and with
out fear; modest man who could
receive q high tribute without
vanity or self-consciousness. And
vithaI a cautious man. Can
any good thing come out OF Nazar-
eth?@ 4 man whose reserve may
have been mistaken for GOODNESS.
But cold he was not. as the sequel
shows Such men are not cold at
heart. There Is fire in flint. but
there is 40 fire in potato,
So 1t was that he who came 10
seek and save all sorts and condi-
tons Of men won that particular
kind of man; and he who had
ministry for John. Peter, a Paul.
had ministry for Nathaniel.
He gathered together the outcasts
Of Israel and some were gathered
who were not outcasts. Of whom this
man was one. There was room in
his Kingdom for a man OF modest
nature, aaileless character, and medi+;
tass@e. critical mind Nathaniel
needed redemption as did the most
abandoned; also he was wanted not
less than they.
All must enter the Kingdom
through the door OF divine grace,
but not all who enter have been vile
or vicious or deceitful. One went
through that day in whom there was
infinite need, but in whom there vas
no quite --------''''"---''--
II is NOT 10 any particular type
of man that the Lord appeals; it is
10 every creature