The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-31

recent weeks given the world the
thrilling story of the four thousand
held a mountain top against an army
of Moslems, until the sign of the Cross
brought them rescue from the sea.
The Farewell Address.
All the solemnity that attaches to
the last words of a best beloved, and
all the glory of a triumphant close of
great transaction, are reflected in
this story of the Ascension. 1t deals
with the closing hour of the earthly
life of Jesus From His birth, His
works and words, His agony and cruel
fiXion and His resurrection, He had
proceeded Stea dfaStly to this final ex-
perience, when a cloud received Him
out of the sight of the eagerly gazing
disciples.
HE climbed Loves ladder high
From the round at the top He step
ped to sky"
For the space of forty days Jesus
had been on earth, after His resur
rectiOn, appearing at intervals to His
Even at this closing inter-
view on the Mount of Olives; His con-
versation had been ''of the things per-
tanning to the Kingdom of God Is
any warrant needed for putting first in
our thoughts the things that touch the
cause of Christ? Here we have it.
The other theme-if it may be call
ed another theme, so inwrought is it
1
by Jesus was the coming of the Holy
Spirit.
That farewell teaching deeply
stamps upon the Christian Church
the seal of spirituality. Christianity
is not merely an organization nor an
edifice nor a code of ethics nor set
of ordinances: it is the divine life
of Christ in the spirits of men. The
Holy Spirit alone is the key to the
mysteries of our faith. Christianity
is both inexplicable and impractic-
able without the Paraclete.
The Promised Return.
Basing her belief on the words
spoken by Jesus as He stood on the
Mount of Olives, with the ascension
cloud of glory lowering near. and
upon the writings of His Apostles,
the Church has for nineteen centuries
expected the return of Christ. So
alluring is the theme that many have
been led to extreme lengths of literal
believers expect Jesus to reappear in
a cloud on the Mount of Olives at
the very spot where His foot last
touched earth. They build largely
shall so come in like man
ner as we have seen Him go into
heaven" Now that ''in like manner"
in Luke's Greek is ''hon tropon," the
Gospel when he quotes Jesus as say
ing that He would have gathered the
children of Jerusalem, even as a hen
doth gather her brood under her
wings. If used figuratively in one
case, why not in both?
Beyond the question of cavil, Jesus
taught His disciples that. in some
form. at some time. He was coming
again. When they inquired too close |
ly for details He reminded them that
it was not for them to know the times
or the seasons. His warning is timely |
in our day, when many Christian
teachers are displaying an extra |
5criptural cocksureneSs concerning |
our Lords return.
This at least we have of a certainty |
from the ascension story: Jesus re- |
turned home to heaven. His resurrec- |
ion was proved by His triumphaI en-
-ry into His glory. In heaven He |
still continues His work of interces- |
sion: and how vast are His plans the |
mind of mortal cannot conceive. |
Meantime, his "alter ego" the Para
,lete, abides in the church as the hope |
If the world in its travail. What a
it was that the apostles bore |
pack to the waiting church in Jeru-
;aleni