The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-11-18

fourteenth verse,
- where we read:
"As Moses lifted
up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son
Of Man be lifted up" Again in the
eighth chapter, t~wenty-eighth verse:
when We have lifted up the Son Of
Man, then shall ye know that I am
he" And in the twelfth chapter, the
thirty-fourth verse, where the people
in response to Christ's words in our
text reply: 1--WE have heard out of the
law that Christ abideth forever; and
how sayest thou, the Son of Man must
be lifted up?" 1t is very evident from
this reply that they understood him to
mean by the expression lifted up" his
death. And SO a careful study of the
use Of this expression in this gospel
convinces one that by it is meant
Christ's death upon the cross
Christ, therefore, in our text tells
US that through his death there would
come to him an added power, the
power to draw all men to him, a power
hhiCh was uOI 0flQcnL Wu0u no
walked this earth as the Son of Man.
Christ never had any large following
then, probably never more than five
hundred disciples at any one time.
But today, on this side of the cross,
millions follow in his train. His words
have come true: And IL I be lifted
up I will draw all men unto me-"
What is this power? We have all
experienced it. 1t is the attraction Of
sacrifice. Who is not drawn by It?
I shall never forget how, as a boy, I
was drawn to that hero of the great
lakes, John Maynard, by reading the
story of his sacrifice. He was pilot
on a lake steamer that caught fire, and
though the flames swept around the
pilot house he bravely stood at his
post. From the stern of the vessel,
where passengers and crew were gath
cred, the captain repeatedly called out,
Can you hold out a little longer,
John?" And each time, more feebly.
came the reply: AYE, aye, sir, a little
longer" At last the keel of the boat
ground upon the ~gravelly beach, and
all were saved except John Maynard,
who died at his post. Who, I ask, Is
not drawn by such sacrifice? And il
the sacrifice of John Maynard draws
ones heart, who Is there that will not
be drawn to Christ as they know the
story of his sacrifice on the cross?
Hearts are drawn, the world over,
as the old love story of the cross is
told. There is no doubt about that.
Matchless as the teaching of Christ is;
wonderful and beautiful as his life on
earth was, it is the story of Calvary
that draws human hearts. For there
God in Christ met and settled forever
the problem of every human heart.
Sin was there put away by his sacri-
fee; there he bore our sins in his own
body; there he, who knew no sin, was
made sin for us. 1t was a divine sac
ri1ce meeting every human need. No
burdened soul need longer stumble
and fall under the weight Of sin.
Weary, worn one, why not yield
yourself to the drawing power Of the
uplifted Christ? That is the question.
Christ draws all men, but will all men
yield? That depends upon the men,
for as free moral agents we have the
power of saying, NO" Among the
saddest words Jesus ever uttered are
these:'"Ye will not come unto me that
We might have life" Note it carefully,
will not" 1t is a matter then Of our
wills. Will we yield?
In a little New York state town
where l was a student pastor a man
sat alone one Sunday night in his
home. Some time before this a de-
voted Christian woman. in paying him
a bill, said, "Mr. -, I wouldn't be
in your shoes for all you have in the
world" And as she said this she
placed in his hands two volumes of
the life of Christ, requesting that he
read them. Time. that Sunday night,
hung heavily on his hands. The folks
were away: he had nothing to do.
Aimlessly he picked up one of the vol.
umes and began to read, not in the
front of the book but near the close.
1t was the second volume of the life
of Christ, and as he read he became
deeply interested, then fascinated,
finally drawn. What was he reading?
The story of Calvary. A tear glistened
in his eye, rolled down his cheek, then
another and another. At length, I'M
able to resist longer, he rushed out OF
the house, up town to the little
church, and just as the b%enediction
was about to be pronounced, down the
aieIa oonoA tho n AC ha raonhnd
the pulpit he cried aloud, What must
l do to be saved?" And there, that
night, drawn by the uplifted Christ, he
yielded himself to him who is mighty
to save. Oh. my friend, the uplifted
Christ draws. VIII you yield?