The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1914-02-20
TEXT-Mark 1:29-@.

t&S service, we dc'
- zssass company him to
Peters house, and
see him cure Peters aged mother OF
fever, and there spend the afternoon
in quiet and rest. Towards sunset
we see the people Of the village bring
ing to him great number Of sick
folks on whom he lays his hands and
heals. Thus Jesus spent one of the
days of his life. And a busy day 1t
was.
Our lesson sets Christ forth as ''one
who taught with authority, and not as
the scribes." The teaching Of Jesus
struck the people like a panic. They
had been used to the dry-as-dust
teaching of the scribes. Jesus spoke
a living, not a mechanical, message.
He explained the scriptures not as
commentator, but as the author.
Christ's message was first-hand. He
spoke as one who knew
The word and teaching Of Jesus. not
conscience, is the ultimate rule OF
life, the final arbiter in the questions
Of the soul. While we recognize that
the conscience Is the vicegerent OF
God in the soul, the religious instinct
in man, yet we must admit that It 10
faculty that can be warped. drugged,
misguided and silenced. Therefore. 1t
cannot be depended upon as an abso-
lutely correct criterion Of truth and
conduct.
A man may say that he needs no
other revelation than his own reason.
or that he will accept nothing In the
Bible saving what accords with his
reason. thereby making his reason.
and not the revelation of God the cri-
terion of right and wrong. Inasmuch.
however, as different men have differ
ent reasons" for doing, believing and
Judging things, we become at once In
volved In a maze of conflicting stand
ards of truth and are left hopeiessly
In the dark Reason. therefore. can
not be the ultimate authority In mat
tiers of faith and practice
When Jesus Christ has spoken,
there Is nothing more to be said.
When Christ has passed his Judgment.
there is no appeal from 1t. His words
are final and authoritative. Jesus
said: HE that rejecteth nae. and re-
ceiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that have
spoken, the same shall Judge him In
the last day" Thus we see that the
word of God is not only to be the
standard of our conduct here and
now, but the standard by which we
shall be judged hereafter.
Miracles we're not the principal part
of Christ's work. They were always
subordinate. More than once Christ
expressed the fear that n en- might be
tempted to make miracles the most
prominent part of his work. and thus
advertise him as healer of mems
bodies rather than the savior Of their
souls. That was the reason why
again he forbade those whom he had
healed to advertise the healing. This
Is vastly different from certain sects
today who make healing the principal
thing, and soul-saving subsidiary.
Miracles were merely Incidental to
the soul-saving work of Christ.
Jesus wrought miracles merely to
prove to the people that he was the
Messiah. Indeed. the challenge to
cast himself down from the pinnacle
of the temple was temptation of the
devil to make Christ miraculously
prove to the waiting people In the,
courts below that he was the Mes
siah This he resolutely refused to
do Nor were his miracles performed
for the mere purpose of persuading
men They were tokens of Christ's
willingness to relieve the distresses OF
men. In so far as JESUS was able
thus to help and relieve he felt him
self called upon so to do.
Christs mission is ours likewise.
AS he was sent into the world by the
father, so are we sent by the son.
Our fellows are bowed down with
spiritual ailments far more serious
than the physical diseases Of Christ's
day. The soul has its diseases Just
as we'll as the body. The spiritually
blind, the moral leper. the man dead
to the things Of God, all these need
the healing touch Of the Christ 1t is
the duty Of the church to see to 1t
that people thus afflicted are brought
into contact with the great physician.
Demoniacal possession was common
In the day of Christ. Whether 1t Is
still in existence. whether or no men
are still possessed Of demons, may be
an open question. Returned mission
aries from China, India. and other for
eign countries are very emphatic In
the declaration Of their belief in de-
mon possession today. Possibly some
forms of insanity may be attributed
to this source. It may be said that
there is nothing contrary to our pres
ent knowledge In the statement that
evil spirits may and sometimes do
gain control over man, and to a great
or or lesser extent govern their ac-
tons There Is no certainty that
such cases Go not occur at the present
time, and there is much to suggest
that active agents of evil do beset the
human spirit and this IS the most
reasonable way Of interpreting the
tragedies of human SIM and the fuu-
explained remainders' Of human life"
Modern science Is not In a position to
deny the existence today OF demonia-
cal possession. Ill-temper. vice, lust,
lasciviouspess. drunkenness - these,
wherever found, are indications, to
| say thu lsaSs, that satan 10 Ia ecpsTol