Thursday, May 19. Come to Hagerstown and dine at Brother Brown's. I then take cars to Andersontown, and come to Brother Peter Fesler's, six miles away. After supper have night meeting in Columbus, where I speak from Acts 4:13. Stay all night with Jeremiah Clemmens.
Having been more than usually impressed at our meeting with the importance of Christian brethren making their conversations and lives give testimony to the sincerity and intelligence of their professions of faith in Christ, I resolved to turn my discourse to that bearing, as much so as I could. With that view I took these words: Text.—"And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."
A very plain and self-evident truth comes to mind at the opening of my discourse to-night. It is this truth, that no one can converse intelligently upon any subject he does not understand, nor accomplish any work of art without some previously acquired skill to do it. To comply with the demands imposed upon every human being by these fundamental and stubborn realities, all the means of education for the mind and training for the body are provided. Man stands alone and singular in this regard. Birds can sing and build their nests without instruction; and bees can form their delicate cells of wax without a guide.
It is also a well-recognized fact that the pupil gives evidence of the character and ability of his teacher, in all the lines of science and art. In the knowledge and practice of the things pertaining to man's spiritual life on earth it is just the same. All that man does from conscience, from what he believes to be his duty to God and to man, this he calls religious. If his faith and life are firmly based and established upon the Rock of God's eternal Truth, it can be known at once who has been his teacher, and knowledge can be taken of him that he has been with Jesus.
I do not wish to reflect particularly here upon the lack of evidences of this kind among professing Christians generally, nor do I wish to reflect censure upon the teachers under whose auspices these professions have been made; but I do say, and am sorry, that from the conduct and life of many professors of religion it would be hard to tell certainly that they were not Mohammedans or disciples of Confucius. But banishing all fancy and superstition, and ignoring all religious forms and ceremonies, there is a way of making the truth known that one has been with Jesus. The key that opens to this knowledge is wrapped up in these words of our Lord: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another."
Let us notice how this love was shown by Peter and John. I name them here, because they are connected with my text. There lay a poor beggar, lame from his mother's womb. He was but little noticed, save as he was looked down upon with contempt. He asked an alms of Peter and John as they were about entering the temple. Peter might justly have said: "I have nothing in the way of silver or gold to give you," and have thus excused himself from all further trouble about the man. But he did not treat the poor and impotent beggar in this way. He said to him: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." But this was not all. "He took him by the right hand, and lifted him up." He was not only ready to instruct, but he was ready to help, and that with his own hands.
But I have not told all. The two disciples took to themselves no touch of credit for the lame man's being made to walk. Their love for the Lord, and their desire to do good by publishing the news of his healing and saving power, had so filled their hearts that there was no room in them for any of the love of self and the world. Had they been so disposed they might have taken to themselves great credit for what they had done. They might have indirectly favored the impression that if the Lord was at the bottom of the miracle they were at the top, and very important factors in it. But the conduct and temper of the two disciples was far from anything like this. When the people ran together, greatly wondering, Peter said: "Why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" He then directed the attention of the people to the crucified, risen and glorified Lord, to whose power and love they ascribed all the honor.
It is known without telling that such humility of heart and exaltation of the Lord is not natural with man. People of all grades, even the enemies of the Lord, take knowledge from such as manifest this spirit of love and meekness, that they have been and are with Jesus. In his last conversation with his disciples he lifted his eyes to heaven and said: "Father, I will, that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." This prayer must have a present fulfillment in every one of the Lord's people in this world, in order that they may have a future realization of it in the world to come. To be with the Lord is to abide in him and he in us. "Abide in me, and I in you." This is the crown of all blessedness. This is the golden altar of sweet incense: the brightly burning lamp that lights the way through the door into the marriage feast.
"Forever with the Lord:
Amen! so let it be: