Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-10-16
SATURDAY,n'NIGHT
SERMONS ~
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THREE POINTS OF cHRIST'S SERMON

straight line one circle may be drawn
says Euclid. Rejection, revelation. rest.
warning, revelation and invitation, is
the Nazarene's sermon to the Galile-
ans and their cities. Christ raises the
curtain for a moment and they see
their future-long since fulfilled. Fair.
proud cities of Galilee, exalted unto
heaven because Of grace and oppor-
tunity, dragged to hades by rejection.
What fateI Better off Sodom with
its not ten righteous, its vilest and in
describable loathesomeness. its aboini-
nation of wickedness and immortality
O Lamb Of God. how fearful the jndg
ments Of rejection.
Ruin of Rejection.
To be God forsaken cities what a
drear prospect for Chorazin. Beth,
saida and Capernaum. Grass growing
In their market places, centers OF trade
and seats of learning to be r,linous
heaps. inhabited only by cormorant
and bittern, marked only by lines of CON
fusion and stones of emptiness. To be
in roll call with hundred gated Thehes
in Egypt; Tadmore in the desert: Baal
Bee. City Of the Sun, in Syria. Per
sepoIis, with hungry leopard crawling
over marble steps; Babylon and Nine
veh. Pompen and Herculaneum. Ere
long to stand with Heliopolis and Kar.
nae. Gorgeous palaces and cloud
capped towers to be no more, only the
low murmur of desert winds that echo
the words. 1.-THE doors shall be Shut
in the streets-the pitcher broken at
the fountain-the wheel at the cistern'
Lights to go out. House Of nlirth IN
Vanity Fair to be silent Great cities
once full Of people to sit solitary
Drear prospect, indeed! But America,
MY country" "sweet land of lib
erty." Land Of Bunker Hill. Valley
Forge, Yorktown. Thy cities--New
York. Chicago, New Orleans San Fran
cisco. Do they reject the Christ? DO
they sit corrupt and contentedT
Gang" graft" "red light" riot
are these modern spellings Of ancient
sins? Do we forget the Judgment
days of the reformation, French revo
luton the civil war; Do we forget
God? Will the curse be upon US? Coo
save the state!
Richness Of Revelation.
Gray bearded scribe shakes his head
at Christ's strange prophecies. The
young rabbi is anarchistic! The mn
swer comes flashing back. These
things are hidden from the wise ana
revealed unto babes" Babes are with
out pride, prejudice and persistence i'll
sin. Babes are teachable. The worlds
mysteries are learned only by the
teachable. To the childlike in faith
comes the richness of revelation. The
spirit world is very near to childhood
Nothing is SO real as angels. Heaven
lies about us in our infancy" Not to
the scribes and Pharisees but to rough
fishermen; not to the professor Of exc
gesis In the theological seminary. but
to a shoemaker In the town. come
glorious visions Of Christ's kingdom
AS a class the educated men of any
time are not the active believers. but
the passive skeptics of the day The
Nazarene praises, therefore. not ig
norance. but humility and teachnhle
ness; not power or high reach. bGt
ability to stoop low. To comprehend
Gods infinite wisdom man must re
nounce finite wisdom. They must come
as fools to be taught by the all wise
What God wants are men great enough
to be small enough to he used
Reward of Rest.
''Whoa!" calls Jonas Ezrael to his
oxen. They stop. painting. 1T the top |
Of the hill. Jonas wipes the sweat |
from his brow as he adjusts the yoke |
ON the off OK. They are at tbs edge OF |
the crowd. The Nazarene is locking |
his way. Jonas catches family. Come
unto me all We that labor" Ere long |
he is listening with open mouth It's
as interesting as travellers tale
What other teacher thinks of humanity |
that way? Not Confucius. not Ruddha
not Mohammed. Here stands one
dressed in carpenters garments His
hands are calloused His clothing |
smells Of cedar and pine shavings
Come" he calls. It's the great |
WOIu Ol LIE OH DOOA. NOlDD. bP- |
gins with it. ends with it. 1t has the
great heart of the infinite thrilling
through it. Patriarch. prophet priest
apostle, angel. God and man all say
Come" II will rest you" Human
Ity's cry is for rest. Where can rest be
found? In wealth-that brings frantic. |
feverish restlessess Pleasure seeking? |
Pleasure is always In the future Poll
tics? Pennsylvania avenue Is the via
sorrows. Society? Dinners tc poodle
dogs Is the answer. The primrose path I
to sin? 'eThe wicked are like the I
troubled sea that cannot rest How
then? The carpenters answer Is, Rest
in me- How In him? By q yoke
Take my yoke upon you" Strange
paradox To relieve poverty, drudgery.
burdens. take yoke upon you! Pre-
cisely! The rabbi is teaching that rest
lessness and WEAKNESS are from within
from ourselves-not external circum-
stances. They work from the center