Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-07-06

have been His
own, but He finds nothing to His
satisfaction and leaves it. Leaving
it, 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 2O:19-23. The disciples are
gathered and the risen Lord, with
infinite blessing, is in their midst. II
| IS a picture of what every gathering
Of the saints should be-a gathering
round the Lord. How blessed to be
there But what if He is not seen
| What If 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
comfortable and attractive building
with we'll dressed and well-behaved
people. But He sees oratorical
pyrotechnics, instead of the proclama
tion of His Word, or hears Its
authority and finality denied. He
hears 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 than of Him and
women whose pleasures are dearer
than He. He sees no souls bowed with
a sense of sin coming to accept Hin
as the only Savior and Lord. And He
goes out
Oh, Jesus, stay! Look round AGAR
and let those eyes search us through
| Fix that gaze upon our inmost hear
| and let us see what it behOldS. Plat
again the scourge and drive out the
things that offend Thee. But tarry
with u.s. We shall be with Thee for
ever yonder: we must have Thee
now!
2. In Mark 1913 another of those
silent looks is recorded. 'When hi
had turned round about and looked
upon his disciples, he rebuked Peter
When He must rebuke one, He will
look upon all. When He administer
the necessary Christening Of thu
Fathers house to one whom He loves
His eve is on the others. When, by
great sorrow or affection, He mus
break the heart of one, He thinks o.
1 the rest And the reason for it ap
pears in Paul's words to Timothy!
"Them that sin rebuke before all, thai
others also may fear" Yea, at sucl
| time, we see those eyes fastened
| upon us in loving admonition.
3. In Luke % 81 we are told 0.
another of these. "And the Lore
: turned and looked upon Peter" Dir
\ He speak? Not word No word wal
necessary. He looked and broke tn,
heart of his SHINING disciple and ''h,
went out and wept bitterly" Thos,
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 pityini
compassion and melting grief. w,
| have seen 1T in the midst of our de
malls Of Him among His enemies, u
the midst of our careless and unhOl,
| ways or our sinful indulgences. How
often has it recalled us from thes
and sent us out to weep! But blesse,
be His name! If He search us GU
| thus, it is only to restore the fellow
ship with Him which sin has broken
4. Still another CT these silen
looks: "And when Jesus had locke
round about on them with anger, be
ing grieved for the hardness of thei
hearts," Mark 3:5. When grief turn
to anger and love becomes wrath
who can abide its coming? What 8
terrible as 1.-THE wrath of the Lamb ?
How shall His people return thos
looks? By 'looking unto Jesus" i
turn! 1--WE ALL gazing on the glor
of the Lord with unveiled face, ar
changed into the same image.
stephen looked steadfastly towar
heaven, and said l see Jesus" "An
all they that sat in the council, b.
held his. face as it had been the fac
of an angel" Oh, return the look an
it shall make you like Him.
How shall the sinner return thos
looks Of the Savior? He has told how
Look unto me and be We saved.
Look, not at yourself, but 1t Hin
dying, risen, pleading now with thee
Look with all the conscious need Z
your sinful hart Look, with the ey
Of faith that says, "He died for me-
One such look and you are His, save
and safe forever!
There is life for look at the Crucifie
One,
There is life at this moment for thee.
Then look. sinner look unto Him and /
saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.