"LIGHT IN A HIDDEN WAY"
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon Ey Rev.
Robert Collyer.
Evtry Lilt Sbosli ft Aa Opta Slf-Coa-lalatd
Prevldeaet Let Nil
Heart aad teal
Khooki.yn, N. Y. Dr. Robert Coltyer
who recently passed liit eightieth birthday.
f reached Sunday morning in the Second
'niturian Church. Thn audience filled
the church and listened with great atten
tion to the eloquent wordi of the famous
Drencher. Ir. Collyer took for his subject
''Light on a Hidden Way." His text won
Jeb iii:l: "Why is light given to a man
whose way is hid?" He said:
"The Hook of Job," snys Thomas Carlyle,
"is one of the grandest things ever written
with a pen; our first statement, in books,!
of the problem of the destiny of man and
the way Ood takes with him on this'
earth: grand in its simplicity and epic
melody, sublime In its sorrow and recon
ciliation; a choral melody, old as the
heart of man, soft as the summer mid
night, wonderful us the world with it
seas and .stars; and there is no-other thing
in the Bible, or out of it, of equal merit.
1 suppose it is not possible now to tell
whether the book is a true story or a sort
of Oriental drama. The question is one
that will always keep the critics at work
as long as there lire rational and what
ought, in all fairness, to be called not
rational schools in theology. My own
idea is that the rude outline of the story
was floating about the desert, as the story
of l.ear or Macbeth floated about in later
times among our own fore-elders, and that,
like those great dramas, it was taken into
the heart of some man now forgotten and
rame nut again endowed with this won
drous quality of inspiration and life, that
will bear it onward through all time. But
whatever the truth may lie in this direc
tion this is clear, that when Job put the
?Luestion I have taken for a text he waa as
ar down in the world as a man can be
who is not abased by sin.
Job had been the richest man In tha
countryside, honored by all who knew him
for his witdom, his goodness or his money.
He was now so poor that, he says, men
derided him whose fathers he would not
have set with the dngs of his flock. He
bad been a sound, healthy man. full of
human impulses and activities; he had been
sight to the blind, feet to the lame,
father to the poor and a defender of tbo
oppressed, lie was now a diseased and
broken man, sitting in the ashes of a
ruined home; his fires all gone out, his
tiousehold goods all shattered, his children
all dead, and his wife, the mother of his
ten children, lost to the mighty lovo which
Will take ever so delicate and true-hearted
a woman at such a limo and make her
a tower of strength to the man. His wife,
who should have stood, as the angels stand,
at oace by his side and above him, turned
on him in his uttermost sorrow, and said,
"Curse Ood, and die."
Two things, in this sad time, seem to
have smitten Job with unconquerable
pain. First, he could not make his condi
tion chord with his conviction of what
ought to have happened. He had been
trained to believe in the axiom we put up
in our Sunday-schools, that to be good is to
be happy. Now he had been good sod yet
hero he was, as miserable as it was pos
sible for a man to lie. And the wor.it of
all was, he could not deaden down to the
level of his misery. The light given him
on the divine justice would not let him
rest. His subtle spirit, pierced, restless,
dissatisfied, tried him every moment.
Questions like these came up in his mind:
' Why have 1 lost my money? I m:tde it
honestly, and made good use of it. Why
is my home ruined? I never brought upon
it one shadow of disgrace. Why am I
tiereaven of my children, and worse than
bercaven of my wife? If this is the result
of goodness, where is cause and effect?
What is there to hold on by, if all this
misery and mildew can come of upright,
downright truth and purity?"
- Questions like these forced themselves
upon him and would not be silenced. If
these spirits that troubled bim could have
whispered, "Now, Job, what is the use of
your whining? You know that you have
got just what you deserve: that you are
a poor, old pewter Pecksniff, with not one
grain of real silver about you. Your whole
life has been a sham."
The second element in Job's misery
seems to lie in the fact that there appeared
to be light everywhere except on his own
life. If life would only strike a fair aver-,
age; if other good men bad suffered, too,
or even bad men then he could bear it
better. But the world went on just the
tame. The eun shone with as much
aplendor as on his wedding day. The moon
nred out her tide of moulton gold, night
ted the blue vault with fires, tree
blossomed, birds sang, and young men aud
maidens danced under the palms. Other
Homes were full of gladness. This man
tiad sold bis clip for a great price; the
lightning had slain Jobs sheep. That
man had done well in dates; the tornado
Bad twisted job a trees down. May, worst
of all, here were wicked men, mighty in
wealth; their houses in peace, without tear;
their children established in their sight,
ending forth little ones like a flock, spend
ing their days in prosperity and yet say
ing, "Who is the Almighty that we should
fear- Him?" While here he was. a poor1
wreck, stranded on a desolate shore: a
broken man, crying, "Oh, that it were with
me as in days gone by, when the candle of
the Lord shone round about me; when I
took my seat in the market place, and
justice was my robe and diadem! When I
think of it, I am confounded. One dieth
in tbe fullness of bia prosperity, wholly
at ease and quiet; another dieth in tha
bitterness of bis soul, not having tasted
pleasure. How is it? What does it mean?
why is light given to a man whose way is
v hidf"
Now, I suppose that not many men ever
fall into auch supreme desolation as this,
that is made to centra in the life of this
most sorrowful man. "It is the possible
of that which is in itself positive." But
then, it is true that we may reach out in
all directions and find men and women
who are conscious of the light shining, but
who cannot find the way; whose condition
will not chord with their conception of
life, and who, in a certain sense, would
be better if they were not so good. The
very perfection of their nature is the way
by which they are moat easily bruised.
Keen, earnest, onward, not satisfied to be
below their own ideal, they are yet
turned ao woefully this way and that by
adverse circumstances that, at the last,
they come to accept their life as a doom,
and bear it in grim silence, or they cut
the masts when the storm comes and
drift, a helpless hull, broadside to the
breakers, to go down finally like a stone.
A young man comes to town from the
country full of purpose and hope. He finds
difficulties confront him; he striven, uu
remains poor. At last, when hungry and
faint ana alone, the devil comes a .nice
person, probably, i but still a devil and
tempts him. The young man yields. Or.
lie succeeds, and then slides into the belief
that there is a Providence that will keep
bim prosperous because be is a good man.
Disaster comes, and be loses bis all. in
cluding nis belief in God. Or, a maiden
leaves her borne full of trust and love.
Under adverse conditions she loses hope,
and asks: "Why is life given when tbe
way is bid?" ...
Or, here, in the larger life, is a prince
aad leader of men. The roots of bis power
begin to ramify through all the land. He
seem to be the one indispensable man of
tbe time. In the sorest need of all, be is
mitten down and dies. Or here is a
great cause, reaching bark into a great
principle. The iigbt of the divine justice
bines on the principle and so wins men
to it that they cannot rest. Year after
year they will stand, suffering, toiling,
dying tor their cause; but me way apes
not open. Yet they cannot choose but fol
low the light. If the light bad not shone
so in our own land we might have ground
along in some sort of aHiuity te slavery.
It waa light poured on the conscience of
the natiou that brought on the war; it
was light shining through tho darkness
' that kept the nation steady. Had no
such light shone, we should have con
si rue ted a new Union with the shackles
of tbe slsve for a wedding ring. But. the
light stood like a wsli of fire; yet bow long
it was only a light shining on a bidden
way! Our homes, black witb drsolatiou;
fathers, mothers, wives, only putting on a
cheerful look, because they would not. by
their sudnrtis. dishearten the groat bear?
of the nation.
And so, 1 say, in men and nations you
will find everywhere this diacord between
tlw longing that is in tbs soul, aud what
la.auau. Kaa. do. - Out Uie aa actio ens
said oT ihfTCutliedrnT of Cologne, s'cerns to
be a broken promise made to Ood.
Now, in trying to find some solution of
this question, 1 want to say frankly that
I cannot pretend to make the mystery nil
clear, so that it will give j oil no more
trouble; because I cannot put n girdle
around the world in forty minutes, and
also became a full solution must depend
greatly on our own dissolution. I believe,
also, that the man who thinks lie has ieft
nothing unexplained, in the mystery of
providence and life, has rather explained
nothing. I listen to him, if 1 nm in trou
ble, and then go home and break my heart
nil the same, because I see that he has not
only not cleared up the mystery, but that
he does not know enough about it to
trouble him. The "Prineinia" and the
Single Rule of Three are alike simple anil
enay to him because he does not know tho
Rule of Three. And so 1 cannot be sat
isfied with the last words which some later
hand has added to the book that holds this
sad history. They tell us how Job has all
his property doubled, to the lust; ass and
camel has seven sons again and three
daughters, has entire satisfaction of all
his accusers, lives a hundred and forty
years, sees four generations of his line and
then dies satisfied.
Need I ssy that this solution will not
stand the test of life, and that if life, on
the average, came out so from its most
trying ordeal, there would be little need
for our sermons. For then, every life
would be an open, self-contained provi
dnre and the last page in time would vin
dicate the first. Men do not so live snd
die; snd such cannot have been the primi
tive conclusion of the history. It lias
deeper meaning and n suhlimer justifica
tion, or it had never been inspired by tbe
Holy Ghost.
And this issure to suggest itself to you
an you rend the story, that Job, in his
trouble, would have lost nothing and
gained very much if he h id not been so im-
Sitient in coming to the conclusion that
od had left him, that lite was n mere
apple of Sodom, that he had backed up to
f:reat walls of fate and he had not a friend
eft on the earth. Ilia soul, looking through
her darkened windows, concluded the heav
ens were dark. , The- nerve, quivering nt
the gentlest touch, mistook tho ministra
tion of mercy for a blow. He might have
found some cool shelter for his agony; he
preferred to sit on the ashes in the burn
ing sun. He knew not where the next
robe was to come from; this did not deter
him from tearing to shreds the robe that
was to shelter him from the keen winds.
It was a dreadful trial at. the best; it was1
worse for his way of meeting it; and,
when he was at once in the worst health
and temper possible, he said: "Why is
light given to a man whose way is hid?"
Is not this now, as it was tlieo, one of the
most serious mistakes that, can be made?
I try to solve great problems of provi
dence, perhaps, when I am so unstrung as
t- be entirely unfitted to touch tneil
more subtle, delicate and far reaching har
monies. As well might you decide on soma
exquisite anthem when your organ is
broken, and conclude there is no musia
in it because you can make no music of
it, as, in such a condition of life and sucb
a temper of the spirit, try to find thes
great harmonies of Ood. When I am in
trouble, then, and darkness comes down
ou me like a pall, the first question' ought
to be, "How much of this unbelief about
providence and life, like Cowpcr's sense
of the unpardonatV.e sin. comes from the
moat material disorganization? la the
darkness I feel in the soul, or is it on the"
windows through which the soul must
see?" Then, clear on this matter, the
man tried so will endeavor to stand at the
first, where this sad hearted man stood I
nt the last, in the shadow of the Almighty,
if he must stand in a shadow, and hold on
to the confidence that somewhere within
ill this trial U the eternal, the shadow of
a great rock in a weary land. Friends
peculate all about the mystery, and their
sonclusions irom tneir premise are entirely
correct; but they have forgetten to take
in the separate sovereign will of God, at
working out a great purpose in the man's
life, by which he is to be lifted into a
grander reach of insight and experience
than ever he bad before. Job said: "I
suffer, I am in darkness and disappoint
ment and pain, because it is fate." Job's'
friends said: "No, you suffer because you
bave sinned. Rushes never grow without
mire." They were both wrong, and all
wrong. He suffered because that was the!
divine way of bringing him out of hi.
sleek, well satisfied content; und when
throughsuffering this was done be said: "1
bave beard of Thee witb mine cars, but;
now mine eyo seeth Thee."
If I had never gone into darkened rooms,
where the soul stands at the parting of the
worlds; or sat down beside widows and
little children, when the , desire of theil
eyes was taken away with a stroke, ol
grasped the hands of strong men, when
all they had toiled for was gone, nothing
left but honor; or miniBtered to men
mangled on the battlefield beyond all tell'
ing: arid heard in all these places wherrf
darkness was on the way, melodies, melo
dies that I never beard among the com.'
monplaces of prosperity, I could not be i
sure as I am that Ood often darkens th
way so that the melody may grow clear
nd entire in the soul.
There is a story in the annals of scienrt
touching this principle, that we cannot
struggle faithfully with these things and
leave them as we found them. Plato;
piercing here and there with his wonderful
Greek eyes:
"Searching through all, he felt and saw
'i he springs of life, the depths of awe,
To reach the law within the law,"
was impressed by the suggestive beauty ol
tha elliptic riaiire. He tried to search out
its full meaning, but died without the
sisht. A century and a half after Plato,
Appolonius came, was urrestcd in ths
same way, took up the question where
Plato left it, tried to find out its full
meanings, and died without the sight;
And so, says a tine writer, for eighteen
centuries, some of the best minds were
fascinated by this problem, drew from it
strength and discipline; and yet, in all this
time, the problem was an abstract form,
i beiutiful or painful speculation. It did
not open out into any harmonious prin
ciple. There was light on the thing, but no
light on the way. In the full time. Kepler
tame; sat down to the study; and by what
ne call the suggestion of genius, but ought
to call the inspiration of the Almighty,
found that the orbits of the planets were
elliptical, and he died. Then Newton waa
born, took up the problem where Kepler
had laid it down, made all the established
facts tbe bsse of his mightier labors; and,
when he had done, he hsd shown that this
Sgure, this problem, which had held men
ipellbound through the ages, is a .prime
tlement in the law of universal gravitation
-at once the most beautiful theory und
the most absolute conclusion of science.
Then men could see how it was, because
Uod had made the light shine on the
thing, that the way was found. From New
ton back to Plato, in tiuc upsotolic order,
every man. bending over this mystery of
n liaht where there was no way, and wrest
lit,, faithfully witb it. bad not only grown
mr nooie in hit own soui in tin' struggle,
hut ,:ad done his share toward the solution
i,, mil hv Hi 1.1 ureateat and last, who was
also "born under the law that they might
receive the adoption of sons."
bo. I tell you, is this restless search for a
condition that shall answer to our concep
tion; this fascination, which compels us
to search out the elliptic of providence,
the geometric certainty underlying the
apparent eccentricity. And every struggle
to find this certainty; every endeavor to
tluuib the deepest causes of the discord
etween- what tho nature bears and what
the soul believes; overy striving to find
the Uod of our loftiest faith in our darkest
day, will, in some way, aid the demonstra
tion, until, in the full time, some Newton
of the soul will come and. gathering ths
result of u!l these struggles between our
:onception of life anu our condition
in life, will make it the baso of sonis
vast generalization, that wilt bring tbe
ripest conclusions t)l tbe science of provi
dence into perfect accord with tbe grand
apostolic revelation. "We know that all
things work together for good to them that
love Ood." . s , 4. .
We wrong the deepest revelations of
life when we are not content to let this
one little segment in the arc of our exist
ence stand in - ita own simple, separate
intention, whether it be gladness or gloom;
and trust surely, if we are faithful, the
full and perfect intention must come out
in the full range of our being. Uod seldom
perhaps never, works out His visible pur
pose in one life, bow, then, shall He in one
(.I- unrli mil Ilia lutrfect H, 1 11 T TIlS JuDlO
poetry in William Burns, the father, had
to wait for Hubert Burns, the eon; Ber
nardo waned to be perfected in his son,
... . . nr. II. U.H.UI iuitr
i lorquato asssu; lvuiwui p-.
ItaPl J-HXttUkUi itt.Un heavens. ior.Tohri
Ifrschef -tr mase fiesr; reopnlr Mozart
wrestled with melodies that Chrysoetom
Mozart found afterward of themselves in
every chai..ber of his bruin, ami Ksymond
Bonhciir needed his daughter Rosa to come
nnd paint out his pictures for him. Dr.
llcid has said, that when the bee makes
its cell so geometrically, the geometry is
not in the bee, but in the geometrician that
made the bee. Alns. if in the Maker there
is no such order for us s there is for the
bee! If God so instruct the boa; if Ood so
feed the bird; it even the lions, roaring
utter their prey, seek their meat from
Ood; If He not. only holds tho linnet on
the spray, but the lion on the spring, how
Shall we dure lose heart nnd nope?
So, then, while we may not know what
trials wait on nny of us, we can believe
that, as the days in which this man
wrestled with hie dark maladies aie the
only days that make him worth remem
brance, und but for which his name had
never been written in the book of life;
so the days through which wo struggle,
finding no way, but never losing the light,
will be the most significant we are called
to live. Indeed, men of all ages have
wrestled with this problem of thn differ
ence between the conception and tho con
dition. Life is lull of these appeals, from
tho doom that is on us to the love that
is over us from tbe Ood we fear to the
God we worship. The very Christ cries
once: "My Ood!" Why hast Thou for
saken Me?" Yet never did our noblest
and best, our apostles, martyrs aud con
fessors, flinch finally from their .rust,
that Ood is light; that life is divine: that,
there is a nay, though we may not see it ;
and have gone singing of their deep con
fidence, by tire and cross into the shadow
of death. It is true, nay, it is truest of
all, that "men who suffered countless ills,
in battles for tho true and just," have had
the strongest conviction, like old Latimer,
that a way would open in those moments
when it seemed most impossible. Their
light on the thing brought n commanding
assurance that there must somewhere,
sometime, be light on the way.
Aim High.
If one seems to promote his own per
sonal welfare, it is at the best a low aim,
unworthv of a true man. - Selfishness, or
selfncss, even of the highest sort, is ever
below what is superior to a man- and any
man and every man should always be as
piring and striving toward that which is
superior to himself.
There are two vital difficulties in the
way of a selfish man's strivings for his
own personal good, even the highest. In
the first place, it is a man's duty to seek
what is more important than his own per
sonal good; nnd in the eecond place, thn
man who strives to secure his own high
est personal good is pretty sure to fait
in his pursuit. Any man who does his
duty and tills hia place has some object
of pursuit which he deems more important
than himself; and, on the other hand, on
ly the man who lives for something out
side of himself is successful in his striv
ing. It is a mistako and a folly to strive
in an effort where, at the best, he will
hopelessly fail. In every sphere of lifo
the highst interest of self comes as an in
cidental consequence of living for some
thing which one deems superior to self.
Pelf is at the best unworthy of our life
nnd endeavors.
A citizen who lives for himself, for his
own welfare and happiness, is not likely
to have happiness, or to find true enjoy
ment, or to secure the highest personal
welfare. His fellow-citizens arc pretty
sure to he giving their thoughts and best
regard to those who show themselves
worthy of their devotion and honor.
. (Striving to gain in one's own way one's
personal good is, at the best, a low nun.
A better way is living for others, denying
self for the good of others, or in obedience
to Ood, and to honor Him. Thoso who
live for self dishonor Ood and lose their
best selves. Those who live for Ood. or
for those to whom they are sent or set in
the providence of Uod, honor Ood, and
incidentally have honor secured to them
selves. Sunday School Times.
"Pray Through."
An interesting incident of how far-reaching
is the influence of two words, occurred
recently at Liverpool, Kngland, during the
Torrey-Alexander meeting. Mr. Alexander
had occasion to go with a friend to one of
the leading banks in the city, in order
to exchange some American coinage for
British currency. While he was waiting
nt the counter., he- traced on the blotting
paper in front of him the words "Pray
through," which, he had been using in the
course t an address. These words formed
the motto of the convention at the Moody
Bible Instituto at Chicago. Almost un
consciously Mr. Alexander wrote the two
words several times on the blotting paper;
then, having finished his business in the
hank, he and his friend left. Shortly after
wards a customer of the bank came in.
He had been passing through a time of
great anxiety, and while he was waiting at
the counter his eve fell on the words,
"Pray through." It interested him. and
he asked the clerk who had written them.
The clerk was not able to tell him, but the
gentleman felt it was a direct message to
himself to cease bis anxiety and to con
His crown; be sure that unless you follow
tinue in prayer until the cause of it waa
removed, or he was given strength to un
derstand the Divine plan.
Helping the Poor.
The great need of the world to day is
not some one to bear its burden for. it,
but some one who will teach it how to
bear its own burden. There is much done
for the poor and afflicted in the name of
charity that falls far short of the highest
uelptulness. un every nana organizations
are springing up to provide food for tho
hunerv and clothins for the naked, and
some Christiana arc foolish enough to say
that they are 01 more value to tae com
munity than tbe church. To improve
man's circumstances without improving the
man is to do him more of evil than of good.
It is better to open the eyes of the blind
and thus enabie bim to provide for him
self than to give him alms. The cure of
DauDcrism will not be found in the gener
osity of tbe rich, but in the regeneration
of the Donr W W weeks, u U.
Marvela of Memory.
Tbe newspapers are telling of tha
remarkable ft of a postal clerk who
In a civil aervlce examination did not
make a single error In properly sort
ing 42,000 tent postal cards, each rep
resenting; a postofflee In a certain ter
rltory assigned. This waa done at the
rate of thirty-three and one-half cards
a minute. Far more noteworthy 1
the memory of an expert piano play
er, who will play an entire season's
concerts without a note of printed
music before htm. His memory la ao
perfect that hundreds of thousands of
notea must be at the orderly and In
stant disposal of tbe will. And this
Is combined with a multiplicity of
synchronous recollections of timbre,
tempo, expression, etc. Tho myaterj
la at present past the hinting of any
explanation, and this fact la aa beau
tlful as It la apcallfng. It ahowa us
bow far we are from any real science
of psychology. American Medicine.
Propheuy by a Babe.
An extraordinary atory cornea from
Penryhn in Walea. The wife of a
quarryman wat bathing her 8-months-oid
babe when aha waa thunderstruck
to bear tbe child aay plainly in Welsh,
"Next year will be a terrible yaar,
mother."
Tbe mother rushed In terror to tha
next door and told what abe bad beard
to a neighbor, who ran immediately
back, picked up tbe infant aa she
toothed and caressed It Coaxlngly ask
td if It bad told Ita mother that nest
year aould be a terrible year. -
To ir astonishment the child looked
at ber and said: "Yea," and fell back
dead. Tbe atory baa been discussed
far and near and tbe two women bave
been croaa-queatloned without shaking
tbely atory.
At Penryhn, where the people are
rather primitive and, religions, there
la much foreboding.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments Tor
February II.
Suhjcel: J:idi Ferfivsi Sins, Mark II., 1. 12
GoUes Tex', Mark II., 10-Meraory Ver
sts, J-4 Commeatary hs
Day's Lesion.
t. A palsied sinner brought to Christ
(vs. 1-41. 1. "And again." At tho close
of the missionary tour in Galilee. "Cap
crr.num." Which was his home or head
quarters. "It was noised." Tho news
spread very rapidly. "In he house."
Kit.hcr the house which He occupied with
His mother and His brethren (Matt. 4:
13), or possibly that of St. Peter.
2. "Many were gathered." The audience
included Pharisees and doctors of the law
who had come f-om the towns of Oalilee,
Judea and Jerusalem (Luke 5: 171. They
hsd come to inspect and criticise this new
Teacher. "About the door." There was
a great concourse of people so that the
house and court were both tilled. "Preached
the word." The doctrine of the Son of
Ood. They had come partly to criticise
und partly, out of curiosity, and now Jesus
seizes the opportunity to preach the gos
pel. We should be instant in season and
out of season to point others to Jesus.
Preaching and healing went together and
made a powerful impression.
;). "Come unto Him." Access to Jesus
seemed impossible. There were many ob
t.'ic!cs in the way. Should thpy have
waited for a convenient season? no. They
must force their way to Christ. "Bringing
one." He was young, for Jesus calls bim
sou, but he was full grown, for it re- '
quired four to carry him. there are many
so weak and discouraged that they cannot
go to Jesus without, assistance; we should
always be ready to hel, such. "Siek of
the palsy." Palsy, a contraction of the
word paralysis, is a disease that deprives
the part affected of sensation, or the pow
er of motion, or both. This patient is
utterly helpless. The disease is consid
ered incurable. "Borne of four." Each
one holding a corner of the "pallet," or
lied, which was merely a thickly badded
quilt or mat. There was co-operation in
this work. One could not havo done it;
it needed four. In the union of hearts
and hands there ib strength. United they
bad no difficulty.
4. "The press. ' It seemed quite impos
sible for the crowd to make an opening
sufficiently large for them to pass through.
"Uncovered the roof." Luke says,
"through the tiling." In the Kastern coun
tries the houses wore Hat-roofed and
joined together, so one could walk upon
them from one end of the city to thn
other. These housetops were places of
prayer and meditation, and from the
housetops criers proclaimed the times of
public worship. Outside stairs always led
to the roof. "Broken it up." They took
un the tiling. They determined that noth
ing should stand in their way. "Let
down." Imagine the surprise of tho
crowd ns this opening through the tiles
appeared, and a pallet was let down beforo
them.
11. Christ forgives sins (vs. 5-7). 5.
"Saw their faith. Many of the gitts ot
healing and restoration were ontained
through the faith and praye's of thy
friends of the xufferers. See Matt. R: 13;
Mark 5: 30: John 4: 50. Jesus "saw" their
faith. Ileal faith acts. Their holy boldness
pleawd Him. 'Thy sins arc forgiven" (it.
V.) Our first great need is the forgive
ness of sins. Jesus rightly puts this
ahead of the healing of the body. We can
not doubt that this paralytic was a conscience-stricken
young man. The condi
tions neeesnary to forgiveness arc repent
ance, eonfesnion, forsaking sin and faith.
6. "Certain of the scribes." The scribes
Were tho leaders of the nation, the the
ologians, legislators, politicians. They had
come up from Jerusulem and other places
tor the purpose ot opposing mm. in
their hearts. They had not spoken open
ly. 7. "Blasphemies." To blaspheme is
to slauder Ood or speak impiously against
Ood. In thi case they supposed that
Christ was taking to Himself what be
longs to Ood onlv. He is intruding on the
divine rights. '1'hc blasphemer win to be
put to death by stoning. "But Ood only."
They rightly understood that all sins are
sins against Ood. and therefore only Ood
could forgive them. See Psa. 61: 4.
111. Christ heals disease (vs. 8-12). 8.
"Jesus perceived." In telling them the
thouiihts of their hearts Jesus gave them
e the fullest proof of His divinity. He
"feareheth nil hearts and understandetii
all the imaginations of the thoughts." No
siu escapes His notice. "Why reason ye?"
Matthew says: "Wherefore think ye evil?"
Why are you putting a misconstruction
on iny words? 9. "Wnether it is easier."
Both are equally easy and equally difficult.
Everything is equally easy to that power
which is unlimited. A universe can be as
eaily produced by a single act of the di
vine will as the smallest part of mutter.
10. "That ye may know.' External mira
cles are the proof of internal ones. Christ
was conscious of divine power. If failure
hud been the result His humiliation would
have been overwhelming and final. He pro
poses now to nrovellis divinity beyond ques
tion. "Son of Man." This is the title which
Christ most frequently applied to Himself,
sometimes interchanging it with the "Son
of Ood." He appropriated to Himself tho
pronhecy of Daniel (Matt. J6: 63, 64; Dan.
7: 13 1. It is applied to Christ more than
eightv times in the New Testament. L
It implies His humiliation (Matt. 8: 20),
and that He, the Son of Ood. became f
true man (Kom. 8: 3). 2. That He was tlw
one perfect roan, sinless, and complete it
every human virtue. 3. That He was tin
representative man, elevated above mdi
vidua), class and national prejudices. 4
That lie was, officially, tne representativi
of the human race in Hvs life and death fol
man. "Power on earth." They wert
thinking of Ood as being in heaven, ana
Jesus calls attention to the fact that then
is power on earth now to forgive sins
Th'j Son of Man has come to earth and
has brought this power with mm.
11. "Arise." Here is the test. Christ
show His ability to forgive siua by Hii
ability to heal. 12. "He arose." The man
bad a part to perform. Had he not acted
at the word of command he could not
have been Ilea led. lie exercised the pow
er of his will and put forth the necessary
effort to arise, believing that strength and
healing would be given him, Before them
all." This thing was not done in a cor
ner. Christ s miracles were pertormed m
tk mii nublic manner and were never
questioned by those who witnessed them.
"Amazed." Luke adds: "They were filled
with fear. "Glorified Uod. J hey Had a
high degree of reverence for Ood and were
filled with, admiration for His power and
goodness. "On this fashion." Christ's
works are without precedent. He acts
independently and advises with no one.
Thev had seen three marks of His divinity:
1. Forgiving sins. 2. Perceiving thoughts.
3. Healing disease. The works of Christ
are astonishing the world to-day. He is
tbe same mighty Saviour as ever, and is
still uble to forgive sins, perceive thoughts
and heal diseases.
Remedied.
Women havo a resourcefulness thai
men can never hope to attain. A
young lady named Kate was mar
rled the other day. When on bei
honeymoon abe bad occasion to make
some purchases in a abop. and ordered
tbe gooda to be sent to ber at the Roy
al hotel. But In an absont-mlnded
moment she gave her maiden name to
the shopkeeper.
She bad acarcely reached the door,
however, when abe noted ber mistake
With admirable wit abe stepped baca
and said to the shopman:
"Oh, by the way, aend that package
to Mlsa Kate , care ot Mrs. .
Royal Hotel," and ahe swept. out of
tbe ahop as If ahe had been married
flfteun years London Tit nits.
Minister Rebuilds Church.
Rev. W. A. Lewie of the Cherry
Valley. Pa.. Methodist church Is a
handy man. Hia church waa recently
rebuilt, and he did the painting, mason
and carpenter work, and even carried
the bricks and mortar up a 60 foot lad'
der.
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES.
Ptbrnary I4-"Whst Will Real Frlcadshla
Der-I 8am. 10:1-11
Scripture Veraea. 2 Chron. 20:7;
James 2:23; Pror. 27:6, (t, 17; John
35:13. 14; Ham. 181; Prov. 11:20, 21
17:7; 18:24; 27:6.
Lesson Thoughts.
Truo friendship Involves much more
than rmre affection; It means to seek
In every way the welfaro of those
whom we love, evpn at our own cost;
It moans also coufldrnre in them, and
a real desire to gratify every proper
wish, in short, true friendship means
real, devoted service.
The atrongest bond of earthly friend
ships fa a common friendship with tho
truest of all friends, who is also our
perfect example In tho crerclse of
friendship.
Selections.
r'rtendiihlp Is kept and cherished by
little acta of love, by mutual helpful
ness, by dwelling on the virtues rather
than the faults of frtends, by mutual
service In some nobler cause, by love
of Ood.
Hall, friendship: since the world be
gan, Heaven's kindest, noMeht boon to
man.
All other Jovs, with meteor fir.
Quenched In tlw mists of time, ex
pire. But thoa, unhurt by fortune's blast,
Shln'at bnifVest, clearest to the last.
True friendship ran rinly be made
between true men. Hearts are the soul
of honor. There can be no lasting
friendship between bad men. Bad men
may pretend to love ouch other; but
their friendship U a rope of sand,
which shall be broken at any conven
ient season. lint if a man have a
sincere heart within him, and be true
and noble, then we may confide in
him.
Do not keep the alabaster boxes of
your love and tenderness sealed up un
til your friends are dead. Till their
Uvea with aweetness.
What worth is eulogy's blandest
breath
When whispered in ears that are
bushed In (heath?
No, No! If you have but u word of
cheer.
Speak It while I am alive to hear.
Prayer. O Thou true and loving;
friend, we pray that all our earthly
ftiends may be Thy friends, and may
this bind us all closely together. He-lp
us to value more Thy wonderful
friendship, and make us daily more
worthy of It; as Thou hast loved us,
may we love one another, and all for
Thy doar name's sake. Amen.
EPWCRTH LEAGUE MEETING TOPICS.
February I4-R:sl Friendship (I Sstn. M,
1-23.)
History and literature furnish many
noblo examples of true friendship:
Damon and Pythias; Soerates and his
friends Plalo, Crlto, Phaedim; Arthur
,i kij UnnnH Tultlo' .fnfiriMon and
nui, i, iv. . . ..' .. ...... , ...... -- -
his immortal group: I.arnl and his
companions; the Concord circle;
Schiller and Goethe; Arthur Hallam
and Tennyson. Hut neither history
nor literature has a more cliarminn
picture of real human frlvndshlp than
we have here. It has a romance, a
beauty, a padios, all its , own.
Friendship Is rooted In the natural
desire for companionship. The nor
mal man wants society. Though
lord of all he surveys In so'.ltude, hi
would say, "Better dwell in the midst
uf alarms than reign lu this horrible
place."
The root, of real friendship Is mutual
affinity. Amos asks, "Can two walk
together unless they are agreed?"
Ragle and snail, blooded steed and
clumsy ox, lion and lamb, cannot
companion together. Neither can
philosopher and fool, dull-souled sot
and rtflned, asplslng BpirJt. When
Jonathan aud David met after the vic
tory over Oollath each saw in the
other youth so comely, so sincere, ao
valiant, so generous, so chivalrous,
that it waa as though each saw in tbe
other a reflection of hlmBelf and aaid
to his soul, "Ah! there is one after
my own heart." Henceforth their
souls were Unit together.
Friendships that are fed only on
similarity of taste, like occupations,
congenial tempera, may endure a
wbile and be a blessing as long aa
they last, but will never clothe them
selves in tbe rich blossoms and ripe
fnilts of true heart affections, and
will find It hard to endure through the
winter of adversity. That fed by love
Is perennJal. Jealousies, rivalries,
skulking envies, wither and die In its
aroma. Love's sweet breath Is thtlr
poison. Jonathan could not be Jeal
ous of David so long as he loved him
as his own soul.
' Heal friendship comes to Its flower
In sympathy and loving service. Its
blossoms exhale sweetness for the
stricken heart and yield the sooth
ing balm of helpful ministries. Even
.lob's friends, blundering comforUrs
thmitrh thev were, wanted to do some
thing for him in his sorrow. They
were Irritating Instead of soothing
an,i hoinfni hut thtv saw at least that
they ought not to leave him alone
with his grref. How .Inexpressibly
comforting to David, when hunted like
a patrldge by Saul, to know that he
had the sympathy of a great heart
like Jonatnans: ies. anu iuviuh
hoin Tnia friends will seek to btVBS
each ether In the mod delicate, kind
ly, generous manner. l ney win oe
more to each other Id adversity than
when all goes well. Never waa
Jonathan ao mucn to uavm aa woes
David was a fugitive In peril.
White Black Bird la Shot.
A genuine albino black bird has Just
been shot near Catterick Bridge. York
shire, England. Scientific ornithologists
bave clearly enough explained the phy
aiological nature ot albinism In birds,
but It Is still a mystery what originates
these- physiological conditions, and
alao why It la that very dark-plumaged
birds, auch as blackbirds, rooks, etc.,
are more liable to albinism, pure cr
partial, than any otbera. It la strange,
for Instance, that white robins are
rare, and It la notable that tbe last
found In this country waa obtained In
Yorkshire (Bedbergh district). Last
summer a perfectly white aand martin
waa aeen by hundreds In the Buntharu
(Yorksbt.e) district, and three or four
In other parts of the north ot England.
House martlna. also barn swallows,
are liable to assume albinism, and
many records are preserved In York
shire. As for 'pled" blackbirds, rooks
and auch like, they are aa common as
tbe proverbial blackberries, whereas
In tbe whole of Kngland there are prob
ably not more than two records uf al
blno woodcocks.
ifcevKfi&sl
One Day at a Tltue.
One day at a time! Thai's ull it ran be;
No taster than that i the hardest fate;
And days bave their l::mts, however we
Begin them, too earV and stretch them
too late.
One day at a time! Every heart that
aches
Knows only too well how long that can
seem ;
But it's never to-dsy which the spirit
breaks;
It's tho darkened future without t
gleam.
One day at a time! A burden too great
to be liorne for two can be borne by one:
Wbo knows what will enter to-morrow's
gatu?
While yet we are shaking all may bt
done.
One day at a time! bn a single day.
Whatever it load, whatever its length)
And there's A bit of Scripture to sav
That according to each shall be fail
strength.
The One Just ttecord.
The onlv absolutely just record of our
lives is with Ood. He searcheth our
hearts. He knows the motive of our best
and worst deeds. We may succeed in de
ceiving others, but wc cannot deceive Him.
Our sorrows and our shame, our desires
and our purnoscs, our imagination ami
mental struggles, our ideals and dreams
all, ull are known to Hun Who readetb
our lives, Who "hath set our secrrt sins
in the light of His countenance."
These are our records. What is the les
ion for us? Can we expunge what we
have written'.' Never. But do we not
talk of a past covered by atoning blood?
Yes, the love of Ood ran heal the wound
that sin has made, but nothing can remove
the scar. We must keep our records
clean. We must learn to say no to sin
promptings and world syrens that lure us
to ill.
What of the record we have left in ths
minds of them? if it bo unfavorable, the
only way to heal it is to comnel them to
change their estimate by giviug them
plain evidence ot a changed life. The re
cord from faults may remain, but we can
write across it some such sentence as this:
"He is a changed man. He is not what he
once was. He is living a holv and blame
less life." And what of rod's hook of
nidgmeut? I bring you good news. He
proinwes to cover our nins from His own
sight and remember tiieni against us no
more forever. He offers lu east them inti
the sea of folgetfulness. And all for the
sake of His eternal Son. "With Him u
mercy and plenteous redemption." But,
remember, there is only one way to ob
tain that pardon, that runi.-'.oii. It is
His way. "There is none other name.1'
Rev. C. C. Alurrtson.
True and False Tnterntlnn.
Many people confuse tolerance and in
difference, i hey think they are tolerant
in their feelings, when, as a uiatter of
fact, they do not care enough to huve any
feeling. How often will ,1 men who is
deeply interested in politics spivik and act
most bitterly toward those whose politi
cal principles are not hi- own, and yet
think himself tolerunt because he does not
care enough about matters of religion to
mind differences ol opinion there? Mat
ters of triiM and faith are worth feeling
about. They are 10 much worth feeling
about that it is better to be bigoted be
cause we feel strongly about them, than
it would be not to feel about them at all.
The old Puritan who has written as his
epitaph in the uncient Massachusetts
churchyard :
"Let. men of Cod in church and nation
watch
'Oainst such as would a tolcratiou
hatch."
is more honorable in our eyes than the
modern dilettante who feels very i-trongly
about the color of Iim cravats, but has no
feeling about errors in religious truth. Yet
theru is a genuine and Christian tolera
tion which is not indifference. It con
sist with thn most deep and serious feel
ing. This toleration cares about truth,
and cares about what seem errors in its
teaching; but it rests confidently in faith
that truth will win its own victories in
Ood's good time; and it acts consistently
on the knowledge that love is greater even
than truth, and must break the path in
places where trutn has not yet appeared.
This ia tho tolerance of faith and charity,
which a man shows in places where he
feels deeply, whether those placos be Us
politics or in religion.
Sympathy' Llftlug Power.
A world without' sympathy would be a
cruel abiding place. Those who have suf
fered and received expressions of true sym
pathy from friends would hardly dare
we require to watch over and mange our
think what their suffering would have
been without a spoken word of comfort
from a living soul. We are often tempted
to feel that any word of sympathy we may
apeak or writs to another, at a time of
special trial, ia not worth the doing; that
so many such words will be spoken to
that one that our own will count for noth
ing. The prompting to keep silent in an
other's time of sorrow is a false one. Spok
en sympathy is as a mantle of love; it
comforts, strengthens and inspires. Our
Lord Jesus Christ loosed for svmnathv.
There ia no more affecting passage in the
record of His life than that which tells of
wis failure of His chosen and dearest
friends to watch and sympathize with Him
in the hour when His soul was "exceeding
sorrowful." There has never been a word
too much of sympathy spoken to a sorrows
ing on. Sympathy's very cumulation
forma a great force that uplifts and
strengthens. It is needed by the weak; it
ia still more needed by the strong. It is
within every one's power to give it. And
Ood. who is love, will bless it always.
Sunday School Times.
Be 'hrful.
We ought to be as cheerful as we can. If
only because to be happy ourselves is a
most enectuai contribution to tne happi
ness of others. There is no doubt soma
selfish satisfaction in yielding to melan
choly; in brooding over grievances, espe
cially if more or less imaginary; in fancy
ing tnat we are victims ot fate, lo be
bright and cheerful often require an ef
fort: there is a certain art in keemnii our
selves happy; in this respect, as in others,
we require to watch over and manage our
selves almost as if we were somebody else.
oir jonn Loiuoout.
'
Kliht Leading and Might Foltowlog.
If we eee a good example we well may
imitate it. But we are not to be always
remembering what has been done success
fully. -dUr'hat can be done wa almulii ran.
sid' . 'Ood baa set before us great princi-
i'i4 iur uur initiation anu guidance. L4rd
Bacon says: "Set it down to thyself, a
wll to create good precedent a to fol
low tkm." It I well to tread in tbe steps
of those wbo have gone the right wsy be
fore us. It is even better to tread in a
way that shall lead others aright, as they
are influenced by us. Are we leading
aright, as wa aeek to follow right prece
dents? Eaay Way of Measuring Heights.
Anybody who knows how to take tha
altitude of the sun or a star with a sex
tant, and wlshea to take that of any
distant hill, steeple, or Ihe like, should
put a tea-tray on the around, fill It
with water, and then retire from It un
til tha top of tbe hill, steeple, or what
not is reflected In the liquid. Now
take the sextant, and make the Image
of the summit coincide with Ita roflo
tton in the liquid. The angle of eleva
tion wHI tbua. obviously, have been
measured double. Half of this will
give the measurement reqalrest
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SCME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT?
THE ,VICE OF INTEMPERANCE
The Drunkard and the Law The IeV
men si- majority of Toper Have)
Walked With Open Ky Into a Trap
Already Crowded by Victims.
The State Commission of Prisons is 4e
posed to takp a partly medical and at
largely charitable view of drunkenness. Tni
its annual report the Commission how)
that nearly one-third of the commitment
to jails and penitentiaries in New Yoraf
during the past year wore for the offeneej
of intoxication, and says:
'"J his offence should not be treatesj
strictly as it crime. Drunkenneas has in if
no clement of mshce one of thn usual ana
necessary elements of crime. Habitual
drunkenness arises largely from mental
weakness, und its treatment should pf
lake of the characteristics which the Btatsl
has deemed wise to use in other cases ef
mental aberration. There is a large dies'
tinction between the man who csnnow
control his appetite for drink and the maat
who wilfully and maliciously commits enf
offence against the person or property efl
another. The law should recognise thisj
distinction. The present practice of send
ing him to jail or to a penitentiary, brands!
ed as a criminal, to consort with thieveau
only depraves and discourages him, and all
the same time inllitts punishment and prig
vation upon his family. Some wiser mctnodi
of dealing with this offence should be ee
certained and adopted. " 1
There is a lot of truth in all that, el
course, but there is also dangerous doeV
trine. I
A man may not know what he is doiruf
when drunk, hut he knows what he is do
ing when he begins to drink. If he ia af
lunatic in his cup and commits crime,
is the law's theory that, as he is a volun-4
tary lunatic, lie should be held responsible)
for his acts. And that is common sense. i
So doubt in some cases drunkenness is)
a disease in the case of the born dipso-j
niauiae, who periodically yields to the iras
pulse to cast aside all self-restraint, and)
also in tne case of the man who has drunk:
eteadily until his whole system is poisoned
Both need the doctor more than the po
beeroan. I
Hut it is also true that the dipsomania
who has a really "uncontrollable impulse1
to drink is rare. The average dipsomania
is paralleled bv the man who knows that!
lie has a hereditary tendency to consump
tion. In each instance the duty is imposed!
to seek conditions of life least favorable
to the encouragement of the tendency
Forewarned should mean forearmed.
The immense majority of drunkards ar
men who have simply acquired a habit
that has strengthened into a vice. They,
hare walked with open eves into a trep
already crowded with victims.
The drunkard is to be pitied, but pitjj
fiven in too generous measure does harm
t reduces the man's sense of rcsponstbuV
ity for his sins. It obscures the truth thai
in all save one case in a hundred the drink
cr is suflcring from the Weakness of will
that follows upon habitual self-indulgence.
Every man who controls his appetites, oa
has lost control of them, knows as a face
of experience tnat the will can as readily
be made strong by exercise as the musclc
or rendered flabby by disuse.
The State Commi-sion of Prisons means
well. Its spirit is kindly. Wc believe is
is right in holding that the State should
make a distinction between the man with)
whom drinking is a disease, nnd the wilfuL
sensual drunkard. The place for the first
is the ho-pital. the place for the latter, 04
now, is the jail.
Hut when all is said this great fact If
true:
A man should be master of himself, and
every man who has not something fatally
the matter with bis make up to start witb,
can be master of buu-cif if he honestly
tries.
Let us be inst to the drunkard, and mer
rifiil. but for Ins own n.kc, and the sake
of his family and the community, don't
coddle him. New York American.
A Warning Incident.
In the Pineville Democrat Iaira S. Las
mance reports the following instructive
incident, full of warning for drinkers and
encouragement for abaiainera and temper
ance advocates:
About seven years ngo Benny Nichols, si
fourteen-year-old schoolboy, was careless
Iv handling a gun. It was accidentally
di.-charged and a heavy charge passed
through his srm. almost tearing it from the
body, shattering the hone in several
ilaccs, and lacerating the flesh until il
i u 1 1 if in strips from the bone. An old
soldier who helped to care for the boy
until the doctor could get there, said he
never saw as sickening siuht upon any
battlefield, or saw as tearfully a lacerated
wound.
W hen the doctor came he made immedi
ate preparations to amputate the arm.
The boy bejged pitrousiv that it might
not he cut off. Moved bv lu pleading, the
physician took the father to one side and
said to him:
"Mr. Nichols, if that were nny other
man's hoy in this whole township, I would
amputate thai arm at oiue, as the onlv
chance to escape blood poisoning. But 11
know you never touched beer, whisky or
tobacco in your life. You gave your boy
pure blood, and you have brought him up
in the same way. I take the chance
Wateh 1n m closely, and if blood poisoa
ig appears, we'll remove the arm at once."
The boy's arm healed perfectly, bus
frightful sears will always mark it. Re
peatedly the doctor has told lnm: "Young
man, you can thank your father for your
good fortune. If there had been any al
cohol taint there, you'd have but one arm
now." This boy is our own nephew, and
we know these facts to be exactly aa
stated.
What wss a total abstinence father
worth to this boy?
.Ian.
Alrohollsin In Childhood.
Dr. Kassowitz has seen both functional
disorders, such aa delirium tremens, al
coholic mania, and epilepsy and actual or
ganic lesions follow the protracted use ot
alcohol in children, and believes that they,
are often produced by even the mildest
forms of stimulating beverages, such aa)
beer aud light wines, given in amount)
universally regarded aa harmless. It,'
therefore, seems justifiable to conclude
thai there is a special susceptibility of tbe)
immature organism as a whole, and espe
cially of it nervous system, to ti e effect)
of alcohol, and tbe prevalent belief that
small amounts may in some condition ol
weakness aud disease lie advantageously
given to children as a tonic and roberant
u unfounded.
A Village Turned Teetotal.
A Somersetshire innkeeiier, who bad be
come bankrupt, gave aa the reason for hie
insolvency at his public examination the
statement that "the whole of the village
bad turned teetotal,"
The Crusade la Brief.
The Belgium city of Liege, witb a popu
lation of 150,UiK, maintains lu.OUO drink
sellers.
Of every 100 alcoholics attacked by
pneumonia seventy die, while of every 1UV
non-alcoholic so attacked only twenty
three die.
During the last thirty years, owing la
drink, Normandy, in France, baa lost
147 .Out) of her people. During the same pe
riod the province of Orne has lost 71.U0O.
In the whole of France in the tst fifty
years, while the consumption of alcohol,
he increased 250 per cent., the populati
has increased only twtive per cent.
American spend $1,000,000,000 a jreer
for alcoholic drinks.
It is estimated from a study of ee-oper
ative statistic thst t nor are over 10,009
murders a year in tha United State. Krosa
inquiries mads in the large cities, where
the fuels nre more acrruibW, it is evidvat
that over ..evenly per cent, are committed
by inr-on. under the iuliaeaco of spirit)
at the liino oi the commission uf the crina.
According to the annual report, the
fluval Annv 'icmperam-e Ashormtioa baa
a membership of lil.T-ti in ludia aloae.
Uird Kitchener has voiiseutcd to becowe
president of the association, ft is i-Uisuo I
that uwiulx-i-ohip of the association ha '
important bearing upon health and e
return, and ia of immense value to I
disr returning to social hie.