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Show An Easter Morning Thought. There is an underlying thought in the Easter festival which should be a potential one to all of us. We repeat the words of the angel at the sepulchre: "He is risen," but what of it? Infinite In-finite power does what It pleases, but that does not help men" unless they keep in mind that this bending of omnipotence to help them imposes upon them the duty of helping themselves. If men accept as true the theory that the Savior came to the earth, took on a mortal's wants and pains and sorrows, and finally died a mortal's death; that then, his sacrifice being complete, com-plete, his divinity again asserted itself and he awakened from the dead; why it, of course, left the obligation on the part of man to so live in this world that when the final change comes to him, he will bo ready for it. It is a delicious thought to Christians that when with them the folding doors of eternity shall be opened to receive re-ceive them, they will stand with the elect, in the presence of that very Lord who died for them. ! ' Iflfl But what kind of a showing would most of them iff 1;H make were that to prove to be true? iHH Their knowledge and learning, of course, will l , " not count. The fact that they are poor or rich , fljH will not count for what is finite knowledge or ftfjl finite wealth, when measured by the higher ; ; fH scales? What self-sacrifices on their part will they be If ; lH able to show? "What brothers have they bent to ;H lift up? Have the poor and the sick called them 'Hf iflH blessed? fjffl And how have they trained their mL Is? Will ' ffH they who are careless here about their baths be -jjfij ffljH in a good condition to wear white raiment every .,; ;; lgjH day? And if a harp is placed in their hands lj ' iffl above will their Impulse be to catch upon the re- i' fffl frain of angels' songs, or will they, after striking fffjH a preliminary strain, awake along the heavenly sjHH aisles and under the emerald arches something : ff which will be a close repetition of rag-time? j .' i IfjH That is while here struggling after that thing tH which men call learning, or laying schemes to fH gain in wealth, are they at the same time culti- IH vating their inner spiritual selves? When an ..' !. 1 RI American has notice that the king of Great Brit- ffifl ain, or the kaiser of Germany ,or the pope of ? 9 Rome will receive him he is particular to know fflM how ho should be dressed and how he should de- 1 ; port himself in the royal presence? ffU How many have ever thought of what will be it fflM necessary at that higher audience and what gifts j a naked soul can carry Into that presence? 1 , jjjH The first great spectacle that greets the eye ' H of a child is God's earth here, and the planets and suns above. , 3M As ho grows older and increases in wisdom, l !; hB the thought is impressed upon him that the life I t' i BjH of the Infinite must be a life of labor. When he f i 'hH learns his letters and is able to combine them f ' r S9l into words ho feels the first triumph that comes a'., H with the beginning of an education. As the years ffifl sweep on and these triumphs increase, he begins iH at last to realize that the mind within him is KM something divine. Then ho learns that this poor fffl body of his is most frail, that this life here is not ; gfl assured to him for a day. But the more he stud- ' ies the clearer and broader grows his mind, and fl when faith comes to him he begins to believe that ! ; SH IsJlifftt P when his body finally crumbles, the mind will f a m $ remain. The progress upward often stops, the 'lit: ii cnres of tho world the allurements of the pas- i 4' ft Hi sions, the desire for wealth a thousand things 1 Mi distrat nim; but he knows all the time that the jj ty'tfm m; nd at best is hot far away. This truth ought to ., !f pi', bp potential on Easter morning. As men say: f ' ' "He 18 risen." What can they say of their own '' $ if progress since last Easter? f 1f If tn workings of nature, the processions of :' 1 Pali tno seasolls and tne stars count for augbt, the ' i; 111 H lesEon they read to man is that while Death may I? ' ' m H release their minds from this body, there is no -Ml M. resurrection that can change a man's mind; he ? 11 In wil1 start in tlle beyond where ho left off here, , -J iW and if he fails here to make all the progress he 1 llllf Cfin' hG WlU lmVC t0 begIn In the lowor 8ra(le UI) t ; B& above, v So wnen Jl mortal bore on Easter morning says I'lEi "He is risen," can ho add to it, "And I, too, O ''jt;P I; . Lord, have been struggling to rise since the last Easter morning. I have done more good things i and less wrong things in the past year than in '! Slf any Previous year. Help me, 0 Lord, to grow V- vk more and more like thee?" |