832 



GLEA:NmGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



of a liumble kind. Although the power was 

 vested in liim of i)iodncing earthtinalces, be- 

 yond any thing tlie world has ever yet seen, 

 he never used that power. Only once or 

 twice did lie command the elements, and 

 even then it was simply to say to the winds 

 and waves, " Peace he still." He might 

 have chosen an occasion for this great won- 

 der, when kings aud princes, aud multitudes 

 cf learned men were present. He did not 

 see lit, however, to do so, but chose the 

 night time, when he was alone in the mid- 

 dle of the sea, with only a few humble lish- 

 ermen near him. Instead of doing grand 

 and startling things, he confined his works 

 mostly to the healing of the sick. It seemed, 

 however, to be God's purpose to give a suc- 

 cession of miracles, each one a little more 

 vv'onderfnl and startling than those that pre- 

 ceded it. It has sometimes seemed to me 

 as if the chiss of unbelievers who followed 

 Jiim around had been saying, '' Oh, there is 

 not any thing so wonderful about this, after 

 all. The storm may have Ijeen ready to stop 

 at just about tlie time he si)oke, and these 

 sick i)eople may liave been already mending. 

 Who knows but that they would have got 

 well themselves?'' If such were tlie case, 

 however, God's plan seemed to meet ;dl such 

 skepticism, for pretty soon he raised to life 

 one who was dead. It was only a widow's 

 son. however, and only a comparatively 

 small circle of mourners were ])resent, for it 

 was near a small town or hamlet. He might 

 have brought to life the son of a king or 

 queen ; but God, in his infinite wisdom, seem- 

 ed to feel that, if he came to the lowly and 

 humble, the great could easily sloop "down 

 and meet him, or avail themselves of liis 

 teachings, if they chose. Had it been the 

 other way, and his work been directed to the 

 great and mighty, liow ready the liumbler 

 class would have been to say'that it was all 

 very well, but that it was not for ihcm! 



Well, now, if God had planned a succes- 

 sion of miracles, what one should be the 

 great masterpiece or culminating wonder of 

 that whole life ? We, in our feeble human 

 knowledge, might have thought there would 

 be wisdom displayed in stepping, from such 

 a lowly and humble life, up and up toward 

 grander things, until the finishing touch 

 should be something that would rend the 

 vei\y hejivens, and unveil \^o mortal gaze the 

 dazzling splendor of the gates to the eternal 

 city. 1 mean to suggest, that men of the 

 Avorld might liave planned it something that 

 Avay. Please excuse me if I seem to be ir- 

 reverent. I mean simply to contrast human 

 wisdom with God's wisdom. After that 

 wonderful miracle of raising? the widow's 

 son, it is true, a greater one followed in the 

 same line. Lazarus, after having lain four 

 days in the grave, until even his sister feared 

 that his body might not be fit to look upon, 

 or be near, was bidden to come forth ; and 

 we afterward read of Lazarus being present 

 at a dinner where the Savior was. After 

 this, can we wonder that his disciples looked 

 expectant toward some greater and grander 

 display of his power ? So certain were they 

 that it was going to happen ere long, that 

 they quarreled among themselves as to 

 which one should be entitled to the highest 



rank when these things should come to pass. 

 It is true, this quiet humble messenger of 

 God told them repeatedly they were mistak- 

 en, and that no such grand tilings were go- 

 ing to happen ; but, human-like, they would 

 have it that he should be made king. Who 

 else in this wide earth was in any respect 

 qualified to be such a king as he might be V 

 He was the one whom God intended to be 

 king, without question, and they reasoned 

 much as we would, that the world would 

 soon see it, and they would make him 

 their king any way. Tlie world did catch a 

 glimpse of liis kingly attributes, and at one 

 time they followed liim, throwing down 

 branches Of trees, and spreading tluar gar- 

 ments in the way, and shouting, '• Blessed 

 is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ! 

 Hosaiina in the highest ! " But it did not 

 last long. Jesus was not stirred nor puffed 

 up by these demonstrations. He felt more 

 like weeping; and, in fact, he had wept over 

 the folly and wickedness of humanity. God 

 revealed to him that he was marching to a 

 cruel death, and that this death was to be 

 the final triumph of his ministry here on 

 earth. Noiu^ of them could comprehend the 

 wisdom and loving kindness of this, God's 

 plan for the redemption of the human fami- 

 ly. Jesus seemed to be alone, and deserted 

 by all the world. His most faithful and 

 earnest followers were not only making a 

 sad blunder, l)ut they rejected the very idea 

 that he should die, the victim of the hatred 

 of evil men. When he tried to tell Peter 

 that it was best that he should thus die, 

 Peter vehemently declared that it should not 

 be so. I can imagine how sad and disap- 

 pointed Jesus felt to see that his most earn- 

 est and vehement friend and follower utter- 

 ly rejected God's plan. When lie again and 

 again tried to tell this little band of follow- 

 ers of the beauty of such a life of sacrifice, 

 they either were utterly unable to compre- 

 hend it, or they entiiely rejected it. When 

 they were disi)uting as to who should be 

 greatest, lie askeil them if they were able to 

 drink of the cup that he should drink of. 

 They promptly replied, with awful and al- 

 most brazen confidence, that they were able ; 

 and one of these two was the " beloved dis- 

 ciple." AVhen the time came, however, they 

 were appalled at the thought of this terrible 

 sacrifice, and all, or nearly all, fied in dis- 

 may. It was beyond the comprehension of 

 humanity. It has sometimes seemed to me, 

 that, if Jesus could have had the sympathy 

 and consolation ot one single friend and 

 follower at this time, his task might have 

 been by far an easier one. At the mount 

 of transfiguration he was cheered and en- 

 couraged by the presence of Moses and 

 Elijah, and "we .".re told that they crnversed 

 with him in regard to this very matter. 

 AVho knows but that they weie strengthen- 

 ing Jiim for this very ordeal V He was not 

 only human in suffering, as we are, but he 

 was tempted by Satan as we are. Satan 

 tempted him in the wilderness forty days, 

 but Jesus came out triumphant. He bade 

 Satan get behind him. It seems, however, 

 that Satan still hung around, and probably 

 all through Christ's life on earth, or until 

 veiy neavly tlie close of it, It >vas jn'obably 



