which was quietly accepted. I remembered his face wore a peculiarly serious look, as of one who had known some great sorrow. His bearing, too, was exceedingly humble, his dress poor and plain, and from the beginning to the end of the service he gave the most respectful attention to the preacher. To myself I constantly asked, "Who can that stranger be?" And then I mentally resolved to find out by going up to him directly the service was over. But before I could reach him he had left the house. The gentleman with whom he sat, however, remained behind, and approaching him I asked, "Can you tell me who that stranger was who sat in your pew this morning?" He replied: "Why, do you not know that man? It was Jesus of Nazareth."
One had been present in the church for an hour who could tell me all that I so longed to know; who could point out to me the imperfections of my service; who could reveal to me my real self, to whom, perhaps, I am most a stranger; who could correct the errors in our worship, to which long usage and accepted traditions may have rendered us insensible. While I had been preaching for half an hour He had been there and listening, who could have told me all this, and infinitely more, and my eyes had been holden and I knew Him not, and now He was gone. And then I awoke, for behold, it was a dream. No, it was not a dream. It was a vision of the deepest reality, a miniature of an actual ministry. (Text.)
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CHRIST, INTIMACY WITH
"I know Jesus Christ," said Bushnell, "better
than I know any man in the city of Hartford,
and if He should be walking along
the street and see me, He would say, 'There
goes a friend of mine.'" (Text.)
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CHRIST INVITING MEN
In the Doré Gallery in London is the
artist's last picture, left unfinished. It is entitled,
"The Vale of Tears," and was intended
to illustrate the words, "Come unto
me all ye that labor and are heavy laden."
Jesus is in the distance pointing to Himself.
Over Him is a deep mist spanned by a rainbow
whose light in varying degrees falls
upon the multitude of faces and forms before
Him, some just touched, others beaming
and aglow with radiance.
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Christ, Monument to—See Peace.
CHRIST OUR PILOT
Passengers from Europe to New York
know that when the steamer reaches a point
fifteen miles from Sandy Hook the pilot
comes on board to superintend the navigation
into New York harbor. The great
steamer slows down and the pilot climbs on
board. If this happens in the darkness of
night the passengers looking down from the
deck can see a lantern on the surface of the
ocean where the pilot's boat is lying. Presently
he emerges from the blackness and is
soon on deck. From that moment the
anxieties of the captain and the officers are
at an end. So when Christ is on board our
life, the government is upon His shoulders.
(Text.)
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CHRIST STILL PRESENT
A common and comforting Christian belief is put into verse by Edith Hickman Duvall:
He has not changed through all the years.
We know
That He remembers all the weight of wo
Which once opprest Him and the lonely way
Through which His tired feet journeyed day by day,
The pain He bore, the weariness and strife,
The toil and care of His own human life.
He is as near to human hearts to-day
As when He journeyed on the earthly way;
So near that all our wants are known to Him,
So near that, tho our faith, grown cold and dim,
Fails oftentimes to grasp the truth, He knows
The secret story of our hidden woes. (Text.)
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CHRIST THE CONQUEROR
Priscilla Leonard writes this verse on Christ's method of establishing His reign:
Kings choose their soldiers from the strong and sound
And hurl them forth to battle at command.
Across the centuries, o'er sea and land,
Age after age, the shouts of war resound;
Yet, at the end, the whole wide world around,
Each empty empire, once so proudly planned,
Melts through Time's fingers like the dropping sand.
