The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1913-02-14

,;.,,.sl. fasting Of our
=! 1l Saviour in the
wilderness. 1t is
the time in which particular emphasis
is laid in preaching upon the substi-
tutionary obedience and suferings or
our Divine Redeemer, and when IN
thought, we follow him from the temp
tation in the wilderness to the tr1um-
plant issue of the resurrection morn
ing.
In harmony with this, our present
sermon deals with one of the tender
est events of social nature occurring
in the last week of his earthly life.
Then Jesus six days before the
passover came to Bethany" Then he
did it. If you would understand the
significance of the word then" you
must go back to the previous chapter,
which tells us that all the people
were gathering to Jerusalem for the
passover, and all animated more or
less by the thought as to whether he
would come to the feast, for the chief
priests and pharisees had given
commandment that II any man knew
where he were, he should show it,
that they might take him. Then 1T
was that he came. Before this on
different occasions he had hidden him.
self from his enemies, not through
cowardice or fear. but because his
hour had not yet come, he was not
yet ready to be offered, the Scripture
had not yet been fulfilled. Now, how
ever, the crisis is approaching, and
he advances consciously to met his
cruel death. "If ever there were
calm, voluntary, deliberate walking
up to death, it was this last visit Of
Jesus into Judea."
But why is it that he seeks out this
little village two miles from Jerusa-
lem, and spends so much of his inter-
vening time there? Perhaps the fol-
lowing words supply the reason, since
we read that Lazarus was there,
whom he had raised from the dead.
Jesus loved Lazarus and his house
hold, and, doubtless, like ourselves,
he liked to be as much as possible
with those he loved. If we knew we
were soon to die, with whom would
we like to pass the closing moments
of our life, If not with those who I'M
derstood us best and who sympa-
thized with us the most? Jesus. re-
member, was a man. Not merely a
man. but yet a mana perfect man.
And it is just such touches of his
humanity that bring him so near to
US, and tsolace us with the thought
that in him we have an high priest
who can be touched with feeling of
our infirmities.
But what about our sympathy for
Jesus, now that we are sure of his
sympathy for us? Does he ever find
a Bethany in our homes and hearts?
He Is still in some sense exposed to
the persecution of his enemies in the
earth, for the kingdoms of this world
have not yet become the kingdoms of
our God and of his Christ. An apos-
tie speaks of some who cruelty our
Lord afresh, and put him to an open
shame" II this be so, then he still
loks for a quiet haven, and a minis
tration of love from those whom he
hath quickened when they were dead
in trespasses and sins. Is it SO with
as?
/ canont leave this verse without
most convincing arguments of the
truth of Christianity. What signiti-
canoe there is in these words: Beth
any, where Lazarus was which had
been dead. whom he raised from the
dead" There is evidence that this
gospel was known in Jerusalem at
least within seventy years after this
raising of Lazarus occurred. There
are grounds for believing, indeed.
that 1t was published within thirty to
forty years of that date. Surely there
must have been persons then, and
there, who could personally have tes-
titled to the falsity of the whole thing
II II were false! We cannot imagine
any such event occurring in 1he
neighborhood of Chicago, for example,
not longer ago than that, and our be-
ing unable to find anybody to deny it
from personal knowledge, il it were
10 be denied? But has the resurrec-
hon Of Lazarus ever been denied?
Let The silence of the Jewish nation,
and the Gentle world answer. So far
from the enemies of Jesus disbeliev-
ing this mighty fact, they so entirely
believed that they consulted how they
might put Lazarus to death. because
that by reason Of him many of the
Jews went away and believed on
Jesus
And we'll they might believe on him.
"Since the world began was 1t not
heard that any man opened the eyes
of one that was born blind" said he
upon whom such a miracle had been
performed. Whence he gathered that
If this man were not of God, he could
do nothing. But If the opening of
the eyes of one born blind were sutfi-
cient to prove this, what Of raising
man from the dead? Those Of us
who have been raised from the death
Of sin unto the life of righteousness
by the power of this same Jesus re.
quire no such argument to convince
us he was the Son of God: but let us
use 1t among those who do need It,
since Jesus himself said that his OBJ.
iact in the performance of this mir
acle was that the Son of Man might
Be glorified
In the Right Way.
"I am the Lord thy God which
leadest thee by the way that thou