Newspaper Page Text
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
•A ITIIDAY. KEPTKMIILR t. |V»i.
mmm
13
[f—
“SOMFTHfNr
FOR NOTH!
NC”
j! By REV. EVERETT DEAN ELLENWOOD, j
!
•Jv/l 1L 11 111 ivl
rv/H i iv/11 ii
11VI
PASTOR UNIVERSAL1ST CHURCH |
I HA*X* ——
portion <>f the title of n collection
„f essay* written by an Illustrious
sx-fovemor of the state of Illinois,
'because I desire, under this title, to
call attention to one of the menacing,
pernicious tendencies of modern
American life.
Every Individual, who has ever had
nccnalon 10 sign or to receive the sig
nature to such an Instrument knows
that a portion of the form of every
legally drawn promissory note consists
m the words, VFor value received."
The note thus becomes a certificate to
me fact that some medium of value
h g, been passed between and recog-
niaed by the parties to this transaction,
-nd the man who holds high his flnan-
I honor, or who "keeps his credit
rood" la the man who Immediately
recognizes the claim of the obligations
J,, has created and never so much as
thinks of attempting to evade them.
This Is the type of man whom the
h„nks call "good" and ivhom the com
mercial agencies rate as "A-l.” The
man Who repeatedly Incurs financial
Obligations with no dednlte thought or
Ulan for their prompt and honorable
discharge soon finds the doors of flnan-
clal opportunity closed and bnrred to
him, and then promptly sets up n wall
about the coldness and hardness of
the world, nnd the extreme difficulty
encountered by an honest, well mean
ing man In mnklng a living.
The Universal Law of Obligation.
Failure to recognise and unhesitat
ingly to obey this universal law of ob
ligation Is responsible for nearly all of
the moral and financial shipwreck of
the world. Failure to render as "our
reasonable service" all of the good of
which we are capable In return for all
of the good which Is constantly lav
ished upon us, must speedily render us
Incapable of receiving good from any
source Just as It will certainly Inca
pacitate us for Its transmission. The
farmer speedily learns by experience
If he possess hot the knowledge by In
heritance, that he will receive back
from the land only In proportion to the
diligence of hie sowing and hie tillage.
In this modern and practical age he
does not hope to gather “grapes from
thorns nor tigs from thistles," neither
does he confidently expect a bountiful
yield of the sown crop from a Held Im
poverished by years of constant and
Injudicious husbandry. He does not
attempt to get "something for nothing"
from old Mother Earth, whom he may
not successfully cajole or flatter or
deceive. He knows that he will re
ceive bnck from Ills field only In di
rect proportion to Ills Investment of
seed, of fertilizer, and of Inbor
brawn and of brain. For the crop
which shall gladden hts heart nt the
end of the summer he knows that he
must pay the full price of money, of
careful study of the condition and
needs of the soli, and of persistent ro
tation of crops ns well as of earnest
and faithful toll. And so It Is In ev
ery avenue of man's material activity.
Youth's golden dreams of the free gifts
of a fairy godmother are soon dis
pelled, and stern experience soon
teaches us that the value of the things
which life has In store for us shall al
ways be In direct ratio to the price we
are willing to pay.
‘The heights by great ones reached
and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept
Were tolling upward through the
night."
That wondrous talent over which we
exclaim In awe, and for which we
praise the artist, the sculptor, the mu
sician, consists chiefly In the deter
mined application to patient and per
sistent toll, through, all the trying and
tedious days of obscurity, the liking
and the adaptability to hard work. It
REV. E. D. ELLENWOOD.
was the price he paid, that la all.
keen and cultured Intellect Is the re
sult of constant companionship with
the world's greatest thinkers, together
with much of purposeful meditation
and careful and persistent thought
practice. A man does not become a
savant or a philosopher by constant
companionship with those Intellectu
ally Ids Inferiors, nor by devouring,
menially, large quantities of the "All
Story" magaslne, or the ''Universal
Fireside Monthly." A man’s slate of
mind and of Intellect Is almost al
ways a record of the price he has been
wilting to pay for the thing he has
wanted.
The Obligation It Uneseapable.
The analogy holds good In the moral
and spiritual os well as In the physical
nnil the Intellectual realm.
I care not what certain theologies
may teach oonrn-nlng a vicarious
atonement for sin, moral character is
not and can not be vicariously secured.
This would be contrary to the laws of
nature and of nature's Ood.
I may be encouraged. Inspired, up
lifted by ths righteousness of one
whom I love nnd trust, but not thus
alone may I become possessed of his
^ races of deportment nor the excel•
■nee of character from which they
sprlqg. I may not have a character
bestowed upon me, neither can 1 in
herit It. True enough. It Is that I
mny have transmitted to me certain
tendencies of strength or of weakness
of moral flber. but thes,e shall prove
only a help or a handicap In my ow n
Individual struggle for a character
which I may call my own. and which
I In turn shall And myself utterly pow
erless to bequeath. Character le not a
moral commodity to be bestowed upon
the eager supplicant as the free gift
of Ood. It. Is an Individual attainment
and Its worth, like everything else In
life, shall be measured by th6 price
of the soul's needs and possibilities,
the persistent nnd relentless throttling
of the sensual and the selfish, and the
patient nurturing of the spiritual unto
life eternal.
When we come to fully realise that
character Is not merely the "way of
salvation,” but that It Is salvation, and
when, having given over the Idle and
delusive dream of having the charac
ter of Christ bestowed freely upon us
by the sacilflre of Christ, we set pa
tiently and manfully about the task of
winning, by Ood's help, a character for
ourselves, we shall be able to compre
hend as never before what St Paul
meant when he demanded that we
should "work out our own salvation,
with fear and trembling.” It Is the
only way. Character Is not bestowed,
It Is developed. It costs much of In
dividual sacrifice nnd effort. Young
man. If you really want to be a man.
you must, pay the price. No one else
can pay It for you. Distrust ns your
worst enemy that sincere hut misguid
ed theologian who holds out* to you the
hope of the Immediate attainment of
the character of Christ as a result of
your belief In the efficacy of His
ntonement for your shortcomings. God
does not will that Christ should thus
bestow upon you His character. He
would not he a loving and w ise Father
If hr thus gave to you what can only
possess value to you as It represents
the results of your own continued ef
fort. Be thankful, Indeed, that In your
struggle for a character you shall have
the help of every noble soul whom
God has raised up to be a witness for
Him, that the eternal spirit of right
eousness shall constantly brood over
you, nnd that you shall be strength
ened nnd upheld by your contact w ith
the : plrlt «'f i lie living Christ, whose
shout of triumph comes to you neroes
the shortened centuries; "He of good
cheer! I have overcome the world."
Ho shall your Innate manhood assert
Itself, nnd you shall rejoice, rather
than lament, that the struggle Is your
own and not another’s, and that In the
moral market, ns In every other activ
ity of life. It ts Impossible to get
"something for nothing."
If THE
CONSERVATION 0
F SPIRITS
***•**••••*******••••**•*•**see***********************************
L FORCE
By REV. JAMES W. LEE,
PASTOR TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH
- —•
T HE discovery of the law of the
correlation and equivalence of
forces, has had vast Influence
upon the thought of the present time.
It has furnished men with a new open.
Ing, through which they can behold
the nature of things from a different
angle of vision. It has given them a
new working hypothesis, and richer
ronceytlons of the universe and Its
author. The civilization of the pres
ent time, with all It contains, and with
all that It promises, Is due more to
this than to an,v other single discov
ery, or scientific principle. The brief
est formula of the principle Is no force
Is ever lost. It shows the agencies
with which the world Is regulated and
controlled to be one great brotherhood.
All forces nrc ultimately one force.
The rising up of force In one point.
Involves the subsidence of force In
some other point. The amount rising
up, too, Is the exact equivalent of the
amount subsiding. When a man lets a
rock fall from a church steeple, the
earth rises Just as muchto meet the rock
In proportion to Its mass as the rock
falls to meet the earth In proportion to
Ms mass. When u man shoots a rifleball
from a gun. as much force goes back
against the man's shoulder, as goes out
through the muixle of the gun. What
the gun lacks In velocity it makes up
In mass, and what the ball lacks In
mass It makes up In velocity. When a
ulnr. Wc Jti. .cut .dawn, and: split-into,
small pieces and put Into an engine,
Just the same amount of heat Is gath
ered from It that waa garnered from
the sun In the hundreds of years of
Its growth. Then this fieat Is con
verted Into an equivalent of steam, this
Steam Into an equivalent of mechanical
motion. The sunshine, the pine tree, the
heat, the steam nnd the mechanical mo
tion are only different forma of the same
thing. Many scientific men claim that
this law not only reaches throughoutthe
physical world, but through all realm,
physlrnl and metaphysical. Professor
Huxley said that a speech was so
much transmuted mutton. This
principle, wrhich is perhaps the best
established and far-reaching of all
scientific principles, we desire to apply
to the life and work of Christ. Grant
ing, as we must, the truth of this prin
ciple and Its- bearing In all realms,
and granting, too, that the work of or
dinary men may be estimated by It. we
desire to Inquire If the life and work
of Christ form no exception to Its
operation, as ordinarily regarded. Es
timated by 'this principle, can we ac
count for the work and Influence of
Christ among men on the assumption
that he was only a man. Has no more
force Issued from the life and work of
Christ than seemingly subsided when
He was crucified. Consider the mani
festations of force that have come di
rectly from the life of Christ. There
are the Bibles In the world. It has
taken a great deal of force to print
them, to bind them, to circulate them.
Millions of them are In the world.
They are translated Into all languages.
They are everywhere. In the poor
man's hut, and the rich man's palace.
Look at the books which have been
written shout the Bible, In favor of It,
against It, In comments of It, In eluci
dation of It. Much force has been ex
pended, in writing, and printing, and
advertising and circulating all these
books. Consider the churches there are
In the world today. They are built
of brick, of marble, of wood. They
are everywhere. In approaching great
cities their spires are first to greet the
eyes. It has taken a great deal of
force, financial, mental and muscular,
to build tbem. Then to keep them, sup
plied with preachers and lights nnd
furniture has tsken much force. Con
sider art, music, poetry, painting,
sculpture and architecture. Handel's
Menslah, Dsnte's Inferno, The Last
Supper, Powers' Eve, St. Peters at
Rome. The subjects of these have
been furnished by Christ, pnd the In
spiration which produced them have
all come from Christ. In the concep
tion end production of these, a mar
velous amount of the most refined,
subtle force has been expended. Con
sider the Influence of Christ on the
homes of men. There Is hardly a home
In Christendom today but has been
formed directly or Indirectly with ref
erence to Christ, In these places
where character Is formed, where rev
olutions are started, where Napoleons,
and Wesleys, and Gladstones are de-
vtlopsd, where eternal Issues pend,
Christ has come, quietly and silently,
to regulate, to dominate and control.
To thus Influence and vitally touch
homes, an Immense amount of force Is
required. Christ has given new dates
to the calendar of the ages. Infidels
In dating their letters pay tribute to
Hla character. In the fart that they
recognise he has ushered In a new era.
Christ has claimed nnd held through
nearly two thousand years one (lay
out of every week to'bo devoted to his
service. The day upon which He was
bora Is celebrated In ths hearts of
men and In the arts of men. To change
the world's calendar, to Inaugurati
and make permanent a new date, ti
Impel the world to set apart a day
for, Hts worship, to furnish tho world
with new festivals and holidays has
required, certainly, a marvelous
amount of force. But greatest of all,
Christ has won the hearts of men. To
win the disinterested love of ono man
takes much force—more than most
men have. To win the love of n state
takes more. But to win and to hold
through the perturbatlona and revolu
tlons of kingdoms and republics, the
undying love of the best and the pur
est of men on earth requires an In
finite amount of force. This point In
Christ's character greatly Impressed
the first Napoleon. Said he: "I know
men. Christ is not a man. I have
seen the time when I could Inspire
thousands to die for me; but It took
the Inspiration of my presence and the
power of my word. Since 1 am away
from mea a prisoner on Helena, no one
will die for me. Christ, on the other
hand, has been away from the World
nearly two thousand years, and yet
there are millions who would die for
Him. I tell you Christ Is not a man. I
know men.” Time would fall to tell
of all the Institutions, books, philo
sophic apparatus, poems, symphonies,
lyrics, newspapers, colleges, clzlllzn-
tlons, laws, discoveries. Inventions,
OR. J. W. LEE.
homes and hearts Into which the force
of Christ's life has for the past nine
teen hundred years Jjeen lifting Itself.
As the sun expresses Itself In the mea
dow and lifts Itself Into the trees of
the forest, so Christ has been embody
ing Himself lb the Institutions, litera
ture, hearts and thoughts of men. The
scientists say all force can be account
ed for. When force rises up at one
point It subsides at another. The
amount of force that rises up, they
say. Is the exact equivalent of the
amount that subsided. Upon this the
ory we must account for all the force
coming from the llfo of Christ that has
expressed Itself In the domestic, so
cial, political, ecclesiastical, literary,
commercial and other Institutions of
men. More has risen up than can be
computed by human arithmetic or
compassed by human thought. Where
did It come from? Where did It sub
side? At what point did It disap
pear to'rise again, In such overwhelm
ing volume, anil such sweeping and
far-reaching Influence?
We go back through eighteen hun
dred years. We are standing In Jeru
salem. We hear conflicting rumors
of a strange, daring young man. At
length he Is pointed out to us. , There
la nothing remarkable about his ap
pearance. He Is a Jew. He was bora
among the poor. He It not noted for
culture. He ha* no social position.
He has no money. He has no political
power, or prestige. He has no army
at his command. Ho has no philosoph
ical system. He Is connected with no
academy. He Is only 33 years old.
His words are contained In no books.
They are simply In the memories of
His disciples. He Is misunderstood.
HI* own disciple* do not know what
to mnke of him. Finally he I* arrested
and tried and condemned nnd cruci
fied. He die* between two thieves,
■corned, *co(fed, bulleted and friend
less. Keep In mind the principles we
are considering. All force can be meas
ured. No more force rises up than
subsides. Action, and reaction are
equal. We are seeking to account In
accordance with thie principle for the
vast*nmount of force Christ has poured
Into the Institution nnd thought of hu
manity. Is this young man's life,
seemingly zo Insignificant and weak,
the exact equivalent of all the churches,
schools, colleges, arts, literature, homes,
governments, sacrifice, good works, he
roism, martyrdom, patience, lovp nnd
hope, that have, by general consent,
resulted from His existence In the
world? If so, was He only a man?
Multiply S3 years by poverty, toll, con
tempt, sorrow and crucifixion, and you
have one product. Multiply 1900 years
by millions of churches, schools nnd
homes; by social position, wealth and
power; by success, triumph and con
quest: by love, mercy and truth; by ■
hold upon humanity unequaled, and by
an Influence upon human thought un
rivalled, nnd you have another product.
The question Is, Does one of these
products seem to be the equivalent of
ths other? Does not the outcome sur
pass, by an Infinite degree, the Income?
Is not the evolution out of all propor
tion to the Involution? Ha* not u
great deal more force risen up than
seemingly subflded? Is there not much
more power seemingly on this side the
cross than there was on the other?
Manifestly and clearly, Christ's life
nnd work cannot be accounted for by
the law of the convertibility of forces.
Mahomet's life nnd work can be nc-
counted for by this principle. He suc
ceeded by the ordinary methods by
which men succeed. He appealed to
men's love of fame, conquest, wealth,
power, pleasure. He offered man, ns n
reward for their fealty to him, n great
earthly kingdom, and such a heaven
beyond the grave a* would regale the
senses, please the fancy and gratify
the appetites. He simply organized
and applied the latent earthly forces
already existing In his countrymen.
His suecess Is In line with Caesar ami
Bonaparte. The kingdom which he
proposed to establish waa a merely
earthly, sensual, carnal kingdom. Ills
method* were carnal, the motives to
which he appealed were sensual and
the hopes he Inspired were carnal.
Christ, on the other hand, condemned
man's love of conquest and fame and
wenlth and power. He made the con
ditions of disclpleshlp to consist In the
denial of self and the relinquishment
of all earthly hopes, gratifications and
prospects. "If you find your life In My
kingdom," said He, "you must lose It In
this." He proposed to build up a king
dom that should be as wide as the
world and as lasting as eternity, with
out adopting a single method or utilis
ing any of the means ordfitarllv relied
on for success. Not only did He pro
pone a new kingdom, but to populate
It with new men, motives, hopes, con
ceptions and opinions. Hence, to come
Into His kingdom, men were to be msde
over. They were to die to self, to the
world, to pleasure. So Christ’s work
nnd Influence In the world not only
forms an exception to the principle of
the correlation of forces, but Tiere we
have an unparalleled amount of force
rising up, when to all human appear
ances none subsided at all.
A poor young carpenter dies. He
goes down Ifi Ignominy. Amid the Jeers
and contempt of the multitude He
goes down Into the grave. But from
that moment commotion begins. For
giveness of eln In the name of Christ
Is preached; disciples are won;
churches are built: books are written:
civilizations nre touched: movements
arc Inaugurated; persecutions, relent
less nnd bloody, nre waged. The tires
of hate nre kindled, storms from nil
round the social, political nnd religious
sky gather and howl and empty their
fury upon the new movement. Noth
ing Impedes It; lire cannot hinder It;
the sword iloes not alarm II. Now, we
submit, does not such a movement,
starting from sifl-h a sourre, nnd mov
ing out with such vigor, nnd becom
ing Intenser and deeper ns It Js ex
tended, form a remarkable and singu
lar exception to the principle w* are
considering? Is there any rule knmvn
among men by which It mny be esti
mated, and classified nnd labeled?
Can any human, or logical, or philo
sophical formula, or principle account
for ths multiform nnd widely diversi
fied facts In this case? Is It not an
exception to nil rules nnd human meth
ods or measurement : I)o w e not aug
ment the difficulties of accounting for
the work of Christ by minifying Him.
nnd calling Him a mere man? Is not
the easier way to account for Christ's
w*ork, to nrcord to Him all that He
claims for Illmself and all that Hts dis
ciples claimed for Him. He said: "All
liven urn., me In heaven and
In earth." If We accept this as true
v. e can account f"i His work. Then
we eta apply this principle In Ita
higher bearings to the life of Christ
nnd the Influences which hnve grown
out of It. Then we enn sny that the
life of Christ wns tho equivalent of the
kingdom which has been eatabllshed
in the world through His name and
the power of His word, nut In this
view we will see that Ills life was di
vine, nnd one with that of the Father
of us all. Then we will see that Ha
wns the Bon of God. the Word msde
flesh, the Incarnation of the Divine
mind nnd wisdom nnd power.
THE DEATH-SONG OF JESUS
“And when they had sung an hymn,
they went out into tho Mount of
Olives.’’^—Mark xivt 26.
By REV. JOHN E. WHITE,
PASTOR SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH
tMIIMIMHttHM*"*"
w
are constantly supposing
that all the facte nnd events
of the life of Jesus have been
ftlhcmed and act forth by the students
"I the New Testament, that nothing
lias escaped their attention. But It I*
nut so. This text contains, what to
m> “nd to most people, I Judge,/Is a
£*’ and startling portrait of Jesus.
Urist preaching, Christ weeping.
Christ suffering, Christ weary. Christ
Jjlnc. Christ ascending, Christ In His
Mtter known portraits ws have coma
» know well. But what one of us has
a hi" gallery a portrait of Christ slng-
,n ag? I pause to let that plctur*
lag
en faces awaiting their doom—the un
speakable horror of being burned alive
—the ring of spectaurs from the other
mill* gathering for tescue, only to be 1
driven back. Oh, the sickening scene!
The screams have sensed. Then one
of the glrle, perhaps delirious, perhaps
not, started up the song they had been
singing In chorus when the crash came,
and one by one, till their voices all
Joined In a great song that rose above
the roaring- of the flames, and died nut
only when every tongue was still Is
death, they sang—
“Our heavenly home Is bright and ta'r,
No pain nor death can enter there.
Its guttering towers the sun outshine,
That heavenly mansion shall be mine."
The death snip of Jesus was Ilk*
the Mount of Olives to meet them
alone. "Into the woods my Master
went" with this song on His lips. I
think It armed Him for the conflict
I think It comforted His soul to Its
passion.
Few great souls have drunk deeper
of the courage of Christ than Martin
Luther. He had learned the power of
the death eong of Jesus. The 118th
psalm was his favorite.
Oftentimes when the perils of death
were about hi* head and dread persecu-
tlons, he would seek out hi* faithful
companion, Philip Melanthon, and say,
"Come, Philip, let u*. stag the 118th
psalm.” Luther's room became like
unto the upper chamber ringing- forth
the words, "I shall not die but live.
Th!« Is th» da" » *il<-h the Lord bath
made; we will rejoice and be glad In
frtuae itself before you.
Tlie MlnsinR Christ! This once and
,only me we told that Jesus sapg. .ns JM ... „HL- --—-■ »- ----- , -
■ do not doubt He sung many times unto that, a song of victory, of praise. U; O. give thanks unto the Lord, for
hut only onca did He sing as ' » ' '
He docs here. This was the death song
„ In front of His great passion
He sung a hymn. Btrange that neither
v*et nor painter nor expositor has cel-
S *d the significance of It and the
sublimity into which Ihexfact lifts the
character of Christ.
Song* of the Heartbreak.
A •“"'IK always arrests u*. On the
•treet, issuing from the open window.
zherevi
r we hear It. we give atten-
S'*" Especially songs sung In dread-
™ hours, songs on the death bed.
■onits in sickness or sorrow, take on
* “ uall »' of peculiar Impressiveness.
Paul and Bllas singing at midnight
dungeon at Phllllpt; Jerome of
“inglng at the stake; the
an " of the catacomb# chanting
I., n ** <hev weht out to death In
h.L, ":" an amphitheater; how our
mu.i" hav * thrt »«d with auch heroic
hi. il ?i Iarl , """Pletlng hi* reverie on
* death bed feverishly then called
"U daughter, Emily, telling her that
done ,, llnl - ,h «d: that his work wos
J!' - "'at »he shpuld sing It to him,
the I, , " ‘"Alng; and at length, when
i**™ 1 note* of her voice and the
et s„ng died out, she turned with
Olih \ n eyes full of tears to ralolce
death" “h* found him smiling In
lith., y fe * 1 the beautv and the
am,tat nf ,ha ‘ In the life of a great
>??"' Do you recall the first time
Pernu a . ri1 ,hc "tofy of the fall of the
So? ,h' n mill In .New Hampshire?
i> lh .™» « hundred girls employed
side by side, a sudden.
derthl™ 1 * 1 11 " ,he floors gave way un-
ery and throb of machln-
Mnnin.i n * 1,11 lo the ground and
. S,-.* down the workers at their
of (-rushing Umbers!
starts from an over-
ot trust, of triumph amid the encir
cling gloom, the deepening darkness of
Impending agonies.
"And they sang a hymn and went out
Into the Mount of Olives."
I.et us ask a question you have never
asked, and probably never heard
asked before.
The Death Song of Josus.
What was the hymn that Jesus sang
with His disciples on the night of His
betrayal?
There Is every reason to believe that
It was the 113th psalm. Thla psalm
Is the lost of the great Hlllel which
was always sung at the conclusion of
the Passover. That night In Jerusalem
thousands were singing It as they rose
from the feast and parted. They sang
It a* was their custom, drew- from It
the Inspiration of their faith and went
out and away to their peaceful home#
In Palestine. .Christ took that psalm
as His death song. He fulfilled it, filled
It full of reality. No other singer that
night could sing it a* He did, no other
singer felt It as He felt It. The shad
ows of Oethsemane and Calvary, the
awaiting torture, the fait closing mis
eries of physical and spiritual pain are
a flood Just outside the door of
the upper room. In that terrlbl* hour
this Is what Jesus ssng: "The Lord la
on my side. I will, not fear; what can
man do unto me? I ehall not die. but
live: the atone which the builder* re
futed Is become the head of the cor
ner. This Is the day that fh* Lord lulb
made; we will rejoice and be glad of
Ood Is the laird which hath showed
us light. Bind • the sacrifices with
cords; even unto the horns of the altar.
Thou art my Ood and I will praise
Thee, thou art my Ood. I will exalt
Thee. O give thanks unto the Look
for He le good, for HI* mercy endureth
f °These were the words of the song
that Jeeu* sang In the face of Hie
fit.'M lwl * lar * “bowing the helpless that Jeeus song In th* Bust of Hie
w ,n ' r “ with white and terror-etrtek-I afflictions, and then He went out Into
He Is good, for His mercy endureth
forever." When Luther came to trans
late this psalm and dedicate It to hi*
friend. Frederick of Nuremburg, he
wrote, 'Thla Is my psalm, my chosen
psalm; I love them all, I love all holy
Scripture, which Is my consolation and
my life. But this psalm Is nearest to
my heart, and 1 have a peculiar right
to call It mine. It haa saved me from
many n pressing danger from which no
emperors, nor kings, nor safes, nor
saints could have saved me.”
Oh. It Is more than Luther's! It Is
Luther’s Lord’s own hymn dedicated
by Him to all who face agnnlea and
pains and necessitous hours
The Midnight Agony.
But our eye* are still upon that up
per room In Jerusalem, our ears .Are
listening to the singing there. What
a trial to sing It must have been that
night. Here Is John on one side and
Peter on the other of Jeeus, singing.
"Bind the sacriace with cords, even
unto the horns of the altar.” Blessed
Ignorance! They do not know what
they are singing. Had they known,
could they have sung at all? But
fesus knew. Yet He sing*. He sang
that song knowing what It meant, sang
with ths heart-break upon Him, sang
on through to the end, and sang tri
umphantly.
But recently I have read an account
of a young mother whoee mean* of
livelihood was her gift of song. An
actress she wos and must face the
heartless throng night after night,
though her only child, a little girt. was
III unto death at the hotel. She had
to sing for bread. Bhe refused an
encore one night to hurry back to the
little sufferer’s side. When she got
there It was only to hear that there
was no hope; that the rhlld bad been
calling for her. begging her mother to
sing to her. Can you think of any
thing more terrible than that midnight
agony? In the very presence «f the
shadow of death the brave little woman
gathered her baby to her breaking
heart and walked up and back the
death room singing whaf the child
wanted: ■
“I think when I reed that aweet story
of old,
When Jesus was once among men.
How He called little children Ilk*
lambs to His fold,
I should like to have been with Him
then."
Can you think how hard It was to
sing In an hour llks that? Oh, then,
what a sublimity of pathos It waa for
Jesua to sine on the night of His be-
Irayal! The footsteps of the betrayer
have hardly died away. The whole
day and night lias been one pressure
>>f t ain. Can words bear half the bur
den of love and tenderness which the
hour, the circumstance* are putting
upon the lips of Jesus? Taking the
bread from the table- and holding It
before them. "This Is my body, bro
ken for you," and the cup red and
beaded to a b!ood- glow. "This Is my
bbxsl which Is shed foe you," and then
rising up, surrounded by the eleven
men He loved so well, who could not
Understand, who In a few hours would
forsake Him; hi* murderers yonder
waiting with swords and slaves; in
full view le mm the hall of Calaphas,
the carpenter at Ills own old trade
making a cross for shameful suffering.
In which he would be the sufferer; I
standing there, the loneliest soul of
the world, singing—
‘T'shall not dla but live and declare
the works of the Lord. This I* ths
day which the Lord hath made. We
will rejoice and be glad In It. Ood Is
the Cord who hath showed us light.
Bind the sacrifice with cords even
unto the horns of the altar. Thou art
my Ood and I will praise thee. Thou
art my Ood, I will exalt thee, O, give
thanks unto the Lord for He Is good,
for His mercy endureth forever."
Oh. there's a life's gospel In that for
us somewhere. A message from Ood
today for every one who will see the
courage and fidelity of Jesus In the
face of his trouble*.
In a few minutes you will be going
out. Do you know, can you know- to
what? Yes, some of you know exactly
what you nre going out to. Some here
will be going back to the old Oeth
semane, the old cross and the pains
they have become familiar with. Home-
time* the constant going back to the
old sorrows seem* unbearable long
er, "Is II, to be this, this always?” You
ask, and resentment Is In your heart
against your fate and often against
Ood. One lime you have dared even
lo say, ‘it would be better for Ood If
I didn't believe In Him, for then I
would not feel the resentment against
Him.” So'you are going out today to
front this old Oethsemane and the
crucifixion of your life. Will you not
be entreated of Christ and sing some-
thing brave, something noble, some
thing with the larger vision In It?
I do not mean that any man should
try to sing away the facts of his life
cheaply, that your song should be an
effort to forget your troubles. There
Is enough of that, men drowning trou
ble, kicking It nfT and casting It out of
mind. There Is enough of that, wom
en throwing themselves Into the gay-
etles of society to make forgetfulness
There Is nothing noble In that. It Is
only a kind of cowardly mental opiate.
The sons that Christ song was In the
face of His sorrow, not away from It.
As on the cross He refused the ano
dyne. so In His song He turned not
sw-ay from the path of His pain. He
sang and went out—out lo meet His
sorrow, out to tread ths wine press
■lone. That I* the entreaty of this
text. Don't try to forget, don't seek
escape, but sing a song In the face of
your old griefs and sing It bravely
through. And do I mean, my friend,
that vou are to go on and on forever
In a plaintive, pathetic fashion of tune
ful resignation? No, I do not. Re
sign nothing. Hope, believe, expect
everything. The hour will come when
vou will not need to sing song* In the
nlnht. because the day of victory and
relief has com*. The song of Jesus
was n prophecy throughout
"Oh, but who can see as far as that?
Who can see nil the way to resurrec
tion and deliverance?” I do not say
that any man can "see the triumph
from afar and sets* It with hla eye,”
as the old hymn has it. I do not say
that Christ saw all the way beyond
Calvary to the Enthronement when
He sang Ills death song; but I do say
that He knew It. He knew It by faith.
Faith never sees. Faith knows, trusts,
goes on believing that somehow, be
cause the Father has promised, cloudi
will break, somehow deliverance will
come. Faith goes on stepping In the
light of the present; trusting for light
for the future.
"I do not asg to see the dlzlent scene.
One step ennugh fnr me.”
Wns It not grand last winter In At
lanta, yet fearful~the trees all man
tled In Ire. inch branch nnd twig grip
ped In winter's cold, hard hand and
crushed and bruised nnd broken? Woe
has came upon the trees. look at the
■till fresh wounds. W* called It hav
oc and rula but do you know- nature
wns not singing a sad and hopeless
song that day? All her outlook was
toward repair and replacement. She
faced her trouble ruggedly. Nature
know* that spring Is coming—that
resurrection Is yonder. If we will
think we will know It. too. Because
we see any bud* or feel any summer
wind? No. By faith w* know that
spring will come and cover all these
wounds In bowers of green. “Oh, ye of
little faith. If your Father so repair
the trees how much more shall He re
pair your broken heart, how mnrh
more a little way* hence wilt
He cur* your darkness and give
you : floods of light, and- such light
as waa never seen on sea or land. Ev
ery brave song and every brave step
In your gloom Is earning you through
and out of It toward the sunrise.
There are others here who will In
a few minutes be going out of this
upper room. Do you see, can you see
to what? You cannot see. but you can
know, for faith acquaints u* with
griefs as well ss Joy*. Let me tell you,
the healthiest and happiest of you. that
there was nothing endured by Christ
which each one of yon may not be
called on to suffer In his own degree.
You cannot see your Oethsemane, but
you can know that It Is, Inevitable,
'into each life some rain must fall.”
May I not know It for myself, that
upon my, ss yet, unbralsed shoulders
a heavy cross will yet be leld, that
life will not, cannot be all health and
youth and unaffllctednesa? May I not
know It for you? Before you I* a
garden of Olives and the oil press of
agony.. AVhnt song will you sing to
day before that? Let us strike a brave
note, sing a brave song and go out
unshrinkingly lo confront whatever
cross awaits us. Let us be strong In
the Lord and In the power of HI*
might.
Sing On, Dear Heart, Sing On.
A friend In this city called me lo
Ids room three year* ago anil said;
"The doctor has Just pronounced a
sentence of death upon me. He says
I cannot live more thnn two > ears.
He advises me to give up work nnd
take things quietly and easily. Now,
I I.in.v.l Ih.ll All funtilv, in" chil
dren are dependent upon me. i don't
want to do that. I am hot going to
do that. Between you nnd me I Ilk*
my doctor nnd I believe him when It
will do any good Jo, but I don't be
lieve a w-oril he keys about this. I mu
not going to die. I am going to live
and serve God."
And he did. He sang a brave song.
He sang It and went out to hts Oeth
semane and hts crucifixion and con
quered both. There la something be
yond the cross of pain to the man or
the woman who will sing the song
of faith ail’d confidence and go on.
The death song of Jesus Is m song
of health for us. He Is singing It still.
It Is an endless music that heaven
K ura down for us all. llut we must
in tune with It nnd sing It with a
will If we sing It at all.
When friends nrc few or far away,
Bing on. dear heart, sing on!
They rise to sing who kneel to pesy,
Bing on, dear heart, sing on.
The songa of earth to heaven ascend
Aqd with adoring anthems blend.
Whose ringing echoes ne'er shall end.
Sing on, dear heart, sing on."
"And when they had eung a hymn,
they went out Into the Mount of
Olives."
Important Change of Sched
ule on Seaboard Air
Line Railway.
Effcctlvo Sunday, September 9th,
Important change of schedule will be
made on the Seaboard Air Lin*. Par
ticular attention is called to the f*ct
that train No. 38, which now leagee
Atlanta. 9:35 p. m . will on and after
September 9th. leave Atlanta at S:M
p. m„ Central time.
OPIUM
sad WHISKEY HAOTTg
ewred at heoMWMfc
zzxfrjxnur