The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-07-12

Az w house, should
have been His
own, but He finds nothing to His
satisfaction and leaves it. Leaving
1t, He leaves the holy city too, for
Bethany, "the house of humiliation
where alone He can abide.
l. This scene recalls another, in
blessed contrast, and described in
John 20 :19-23. The disciples are
gathered and the risen Lord, with
infinite blessing, Is in their midst. 1t
is a picture of what every gathering
Of the saints should be-a gathering
round the Lord. How blessed to be
therel But what if He is not seen?
What IL there is something, as often
there is, that keeps Him away, and
He cannot have the place He joys to
take, as minister of blessing to His
Own-what then?
All, then He comes as He came to
the temple, in silent majesty.
And what does He see? He sees
| perfect order and decorum. He sees
a comfortable and attractive building
with well-dressed and well-behaved
DcoDlGs bbt ii1 6ttt "a
pyrotechnics, instead of the proclama-
ton of His Word, or hears its
authority and fnality denied. He
hears a feeble song purporting to be
to His praise, and sees the choir
entertaining the congregation with an
anthem, but hears not what they say.
Looking deeper, He sees hearts I'M
exercised by His Word nor filled with
love to Him. He sees men who think
more of business han of Him and
women whose pleasures are dearer
than He. He sees no souls bowed with
II sense of sin coming to accept Him
as the only Savior and Lord. And lie
goes out
Oh, Jesus, stay Look round again
and let those eyes search us through.
Fix that gaze upon our inmost heart
and let us see what it beholds. Plat
again the scourge and drive out the
things that offend Thee. Blu tarry
with us We shall be with Thee for
ever yonder: we must have Thee
nowi
2. In Mark :33 another of those
silent looks Is recorded. "When he
had turned round about and looked
upon his disciples, he rebuked Peter"
When He must rebuke one, He will
look upon all. When He administers
the necessary Christening of the
Fathers house TO whom He loves,
His eye is on the others. When, by
great sorrow or affection, He must
break the heart of one, He thinks of
the rest. And the reason for it ap-
pears in Paul's words to Timothy:
"rhem that sin rebuke before all, that
others also may fear" Yea, ut such
a time, we see those eyes fastened
upon us in loving admonition.
3. In Luke % :61 we are told of
another of these. "And the Lord
turned and looked upon Peter" Did
lie speak? Not a word! No word was
necessary. He looked and broke the
heart of his SHINING disciple and "he
went out and wept bitterly" Those
bitter tears show what that look con.
veyed to Peters soul. He has looked
in that way at you as He has at me.
A look of loving rebuke and plying
compassion and melting grief. We
have seen it in the midst of our de.
mails of Him among His enemies, in
the midst of our careless and unholy
ways or our sinful indulgences. How
often has it recalled us from these
and sent us out to weep But blessed
be His name! If He search us out
thus, it is only to restore the fellow
ship with Him which sin has broken.
4. Still another of these silent
looks: "And when Jesus had looked
round about on them with anger, be-
ing grieved for the hardness Of their
hearts," Mark 3:5. When grief turns
to ange and love becomes wrath,
who can abide its coming? What so
terrible rs "the wrath of the Lamb?"
How shall His people return those
looks? BY docking unto Jesus" in
turn 1--WE all, gazing on the glory
of the Lord with unveiled face, are
changed into the same image"
stephen looked steadfastly toward
heaven, and said l see Jesus" "And
all they that sat in the council, be-
held his face as it had been the face
of an angel" Oh, return the look and
it shnll make you like Him.
How shall the sinner return those
looks of the Savior? He has told how
Look unto me and be ye saved"
Look, not at yourself, but It Him,
dying, risen, pleading now with thee!
Look with all the conscious need of
your sinful hart! Look, with the eye
of faith that says, Gle died for me-"
One such look and you are His, saved
and safe forever!
'There is life for a look at the Crucihed
One,
There Is life at this moment for thee.
Then look. sinner, look unto Him and be
saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree"