Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-11

whole earth is cropping toward that
which Jesus called the kingdom OF
Heaven. Every custodian of spirit
ual truth, every leader in religion,
whatever his creed or organization,
should be startled by this mighty
human tide which is surging out
side of all church. 1t is a veritable
Messianic passion in modern guise
Studying Our Own Time
Occasionally we catch glimpses be-
meath the surface of mems lives,
seeing what lies deeper than the
struggle for position and possessions
and pleasure, and we are surprised
(though why we should beO to find
| the rich and the learned and the
powerful, as we'll as the poor and
| the lowly, dominated by great
spiritual yearning. Dissatisfied with
material things, they hunger and
thirst for they know not what. Ihe
Llama and the similar seekers IN
Kipling's kim" are representative
of other lands than India. some
times it is workingmen, like Andrew
and John, the Galilean fishermen,
who have turned aside to probe the
|
times it is the sage and saint, like
Simean and Anna, who acclaim
Coming One. Let any vital voice
be lifted anywhere, whether In
| Fifth Avenue pulpit or wooden
| tabernacle or a college hall, ana
men and women who are lonely IN
their souls will throng to hear 1t.
Whoever does not discern this new
sense of spiritual search in our own
| day is Il superficial observer. 1t radl-
ates from the trenches of France;
and from the newly-sacrif1cial spirit
of the families of soldiers. In the
utterances of the greatest statesmen
and of most editors and writer's 1T
echoes consistently. AS I have al
ready declared, it Is what is real at
the center of the CHASTITY imitation
of fraternity and liberty and justice
called Bolshevism. 1t Is simply be-
| cause they have been unable to find
the real thing that so many deluded
I millions have accepted this painted
prctense. -.
The Questers.
Ours is the day of the questers.
Everybody has his search. Wrap
ped up in the one big word, Recon
struction" all of us hope to find the
| fulfillment of our most cherished
desires Wars heavy price having
been paid, we now look for a COM
mensurate boon. 1t is in the heart
of humanity to believe that the
| long sung and over-eXpected good
| time coming" is now almost here.
Soldiers are looking for the fulfill
ment of their long, long dreams
while in exile and in battle. Re-
formers see the possibility of the
friction of their desires and labors
in the new \mind of mankind
Prophets acclaim this as the day OF
truths opportunity. Because there
has been unexampled Expectation
there should be commensurate
Realization.
Few are so dull as not to have
learned somewhat of the lesson
taught in France, the lesson of suf-
fering, of sacrifice, of righteousness
We have all been in the school oi
the broken heart. That is why we
are reader now than ever to lister
to the word of the Ffnger-board
Prophet as he cried, Behold the
Lamb of Cod" 1t is the Lamb ol
sacrifice, the innocent Sufferer, the
/ Buyer-back, or Redeemer, thai
meets our mood Just now. No splep-
did figure in shining armor, OF
world-conqueror or king, can salts
fly the desire of this generation. Our
bruised hearts cry for great Sac
rifice, a great Love, a great Recon
cilor.
Even John and Andrew, who first
heard and needed the words of the
Baptist, scarcely appreciated the sig
nificance of his Characterization OF
Jesus as we do to-day: Behold the
Lamb of God" They were looking
for a Messiah: had in truth, jour
neyed all the way down from Gafilee
upon hearing reports of the new
Prophet. who was speaking vital
words by the Jordan. Their quest
was for IsraePs long expected King;
it took some radical adjustment OF
their minds to be satisfied with
Lamb of atonement.
The Expectation of the Ages.
Stay-at-home philosophers, who
have not felt the deep tides OF
France flooding their souls, and who
know not the majestic simplicities
of religion for our awakened world
Some of their efforts are grotesque;
most are pitiable. For they leave
out the slain Lamb in the midst OF
the throne-that majestic figure, by
the way, we owe to one of the two
crude Galilean fishermen whom the
Baptizer that day pointed to the
Lamb, after he had ripened into the
Seer of Patmos, and he beheld the
| opened heavens. This progress ol
John, the Beloved Disciple, is illus
trative of the truth that all who
follow Jesus as Teacher and Saviour
come one day to know him as heav-
enly King.
Nothing less than the Lamb OF
Sacrifice, the Christ who died for
others, the inspirer of the sublime
and vicarious Offering of precious
life on the fields of Flanders and OF