Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-01-14

the pangs of death: because it was not
possible that He should be holden of
it. For David said concerning him.
Il beheld the Lord always before my
face:
For He is on my right hand, that I
should not be moved:
Therefore my heart was glad, and my
tongue rejoiCed:
Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in
hope:
Because thou wilt not leave my soul
unto Hades,
Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One
to see corruption.
Thou madest known unto me the
ways of life:
Thou shalt make me fun of gladness
with thy countenance.
'Brethren. ] may say unto YOU freely
of the patriarch David, that he both
died and was buried, and his tomb is
with us unto this day. Being there
fore prophet, and knowing that God
had sworn with an oath to him, that
of the fruit of his loins he would set
one upon his throne: he foreseeing this
spake of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he left unto Hades.
nor did his flesh see corruption. This
Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all
are witnesses. Being therefore by the
right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth
this, which ye see and hear. For
David ascended into the heavens; but
he saith himself
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou
on my right hand,
Till | make thine enemies the foot
stool of thy feet
Let all the house of Israel therefore
know assuredly, that God hath made
Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus
whom We crucitied.
Now when they heard this. they
were pricked in their heart, and said
unto Peter and the rest of the apostles,
Brethren, what shall we do? And
Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and
be baptized every one of YOU in the
name of Jesus Christ unto the remis-
sion of your sins. and We shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. For TO
you is the prsnise, and to your chill
dren, and TO all that are afar off, even
as many as the Lord our God shall
call unto Him. And with many other
words he testified, and eXhorted them,
saying, Save yourselves from this
crooked generation. They then that
received his word were baptized: and
there were added unto them in that
day about three thousands souls
Linking JIlc Olu ana the New
over in Japan many of the Chris
tians practically discard the Old Tes-
lament. In effect many of us do the
same. Not so Peter. He took his text
from the Prophet Joel, and boldly
affirmed that the great dream of the
Jews had come true, the prophecy had
been fulfilled. His overwhelming news
was that the long-eXpected and oft
repeated Messianic era had come to
pass. He did not shrink from pro-
claiming a truth because it's very vast
ness made it seem almost incredible.
The supreme optimist is the preacher
of the Good News The pessimist is
one who has not the courage to tell
the whole truth about the coming of
the Kingdom.
Some Bible students nowadays are
so bent on the minute Interpretation of
prophecy that they have no vision for
the vaster application of the truth
Unlike Peter, they do not link up the
old with the new in a way that makes
for a changed life. Light minds face
peril in the study of prophecy; but for
all who can differentiate the essential
from the noneSsential. the fulfilment
of the Old Testament Scriptures in
Christ is a soul-nourishing study.
This great sermon of Peters all
headed up in Christ; it was what the
theoloeians call "Christocentric. 1t
produced the witness of the Scripture
to Jesus gave the testimony of the
apostles themselves. appealed for con-
firmation TO the experience of the
listeners. and applied the Gospel to
the needs of the people.
With sympathy as well as with fear
lesness Peter addressed himself TO his
hearers as men and brethren" They
were motley lot. but he saw them as
kindred TO himself, and children of the
one God. The art of getting nextrto
his crowd was understood by the Call
lean fisherman who had been trained
in the school of the tactful Christ.
Then the truth was driven home
until each man felt himself a sharer
in the rejection of Christ, and cried
aloud for mercy. Dr. Bonar has ex-
pressed this feeling of contrltion:
II see the crowd in Pilates hall,
I mark their wrathful mein
Their shouts of Cruelty" appalI
With blasphemy between.
And of that shouting multitude
feel that | am one;
And in that din of voices rude
| recognize my own.
81 see the scourges tear His back,
] see the piercing crown,
And of that crowd who smite and
mock
I feel that | am one
Around yon cross the throng 7 see,
Mocking the Sufferers groan;
Yet still my voice it seems to be,
As if mocked alone
Understanding the Crowd
We can imagine some wiseacre.