The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-11
For May Is Is Jesus the True Vine
John 15:1-16.
Life Lived to the Limit.

For May IS Is Jesus the True Vine"
John 15:1-16.
Life Lived to the Limit.
Her face had been ruined by cos
1 metics and her disposition by Gym
icism. Her cigarette and her sophis-
tication, and her blase spirit, which
| showed more wrinkles even than her
| lace, aroused no sentiment more keen
than pity; for she was a society
women who had lived to taste the
ashes in all the cups of pleasure that
she had put to her lips. World-wear-
/ mess had embittered her. AS 1 lis
/ tened to this poor woman q believe
she was wealthy uttering her unbe-
lief in the reality of romantic love and
| of the happy married lives and of the
simplicity of domestic joys, which she
! called the Pigments of literary i'm
agination, l confess that l was more
interested in her state of mind than
in her contentious. For the poor
creature. in long life spent in search
of pleasure, had succeeded only in
envenoming her own soul and in
atrophying her capacity to perceive
the true and the beautiful and the
good. Now. in the eventide of life,
when she should have been enjoy
ing the souls sunset serenity, her
acrid spirit was denying the reality
of those things which alone make life
livable.
That woman was an uncommonly
clear example of the truth that there
is a plane of experience far beyond
the knowledge of many Spiritual
truth and spiritual qualities are on
ly empty words to them. Material
things-clothes, cabarets, theaters,
food and frolic-are the limit of their
understanding. Such are the multi
tudes who hope to extract sweetness
from the dry orange of Broadway.
Nothing that cannot be felt and han
died means much to them. For their
happiness they are dependent upon
things, and not upon inner expert
ences. Poor. deluded creatures, they
miss the prizes of life.
The Unhcard Song.
Ny friend the naturalist told story
the other evening which, all unmeant
by him, illustrated the plight of the
carnally- minded people of the world.
He had one morning come upon
water thrush, at it's hour of song. The
music was like a stream of gold rip
pling in the sunlight. l cannot tell
you how beautiful it was; words are
not equal to the occasion As l lis
tened. the notes seemed to break up
into the most wonderful golden spray
and then the song passed beyond
me. The notes were too high for hui
man ear to catch. 1 could see the
birds little throat swelling but could
not hear a sound. AS you know, there
are some notes of sound that are be-
yond the range of mortal hearing. 1
could only look and marvel; and muse
that, if such was the heard music,
what must that have been which was
beyond my comprehension"
Thus it is with things spiritual,
which must be spiritually discerned.
To the mind of the flesh this majestic
passage of mysticism, which has been
assigned as the Sunday school lesson
for today, is entirely meaningless, a
tumble of strange figures. Yet to
millions upon millions of persons now
alive, as to thousands of millions who
turnout the centuries have entered in
to understanding of still greater mys-
teries these words of Jesus are of the
very marrow of life. They represent
that which is more real than this
solid ball of earth, more personal and
precious than father or mother, hus-
band or wife. son or brother.
CLOSER is He than breathing, nearer
than hands or feet"
Life From the Root Up.
Well -thumhed in the Bible of ev-
cry Christian, these words, which
were spoken by Jesus to His little
company of intimates on the night
before He died, are to be read rather
own appeal to all who have eyes in
their spirits. So I quote the lesson
entire:
II am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman. Every branch in
me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it
fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear
more fruit. Already are We clean
because of the word which I have
spoken unto you. Abide in me. and 1
in you. AS the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself. except it abide in the
vine; so neither can ye. except ye
abide in me- am the vine, We are
the branches: He that abideth in me,
and 1 in him, the same beareth much
fruit: for apart from me We can do
nothing If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch, and is with
cred; and they gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burn
ed. If We abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ask whatsoever We will,
and it shall be done unto you. Herein
is my Father glorified, that We bear
much fruit; so shall We be my disciples.
Even as the Father hath loved me, l
also have loved you: abide in my love.
If We keep my commandments, We shall
abide in my love, even as l have kept
nv Fathers commandments. and
abide in his love. These things have
L spoken unto you, that my joy may
be in you and that your joy may be
made full. This is my commandment,
that We love one another, even as L
have loved you. Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down
his life for his friends Ye are my
friends. If We do the things which l
command you. No longer do l cal
YOU servants; for the servant knoweth
not what his lord doeth: but have
called you friends for all things that
heard from my Father I have made
known unto you.
These peasants who were the closest
friends of the Carpenter understood
better than we occidental city jewellers
can possibly do, the significance of the
symbolism of the vine. The oriental
love of imagery led Jesus to put His
great and mystical teaching into the
form of familiar figure of speech.
which should be eternally understand
able.
Living on the surface of the meta
~ - nos the most Drofound teaching