SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

THE SANATION OF ZACCHAEUS. 1 . i i [Br THE REV. JOHN m'NEIU.] ' This story of the salvation of Zacclneus on 1 the roadside, by Jesus of Nazareth, the Son > of God in human flesh, in all His love and grace, is an illustration of the statement made ' in the tenth verso, "The Son of Man is come ■ to seek and to save that which was lost." Of ' the real and awful meaung of the word \ lost," every man and woman born is the ! vivid, particular illustration. The lost coin, '■ the lost sheep, the lost son or daughter, are . illustrations on a lower level. But the awful 1 reality and fact of "loatness" lies here: I 1 have lost God and God has lost me.. And the Gospel of the Gospel lies in that sentence, ■ "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Now, says the narrative, here you see Lord Jesus Christ at His work. How does He do it? First of all He comes to the lost sinner s town. Sin and sinners, you know, to God are realities. Theologians and writers in magazines writo about the thing called "s-i-n" as if it were an abstraction, and discuss it in polysyllabic, philosophical terms. When we come to the Bible wo do not find any of these polysyllabic discussions. We find sin is a reality. Sin has its power in the hearts of men and women. Sin is something concrete, definite, substantial, incarnate " Sinner" is not a mere combination of letters in the alphabet. If you will tell me your name and address, I will tell yon the name and address of one specimen of what a sinner is. That is what I want to bring out. Now the Son of Man is here on a particular business— seek and to save lost sinners— hero is how Ho does it. Says the narrative, "He entered and passed through Jericho "—that is to say, He came to tho lost sinner's town. That was something. lie came there, just as Ho has entered and come into London to-day. He was the first in London this morning when the sun broke. He will bo the last to leave it to-night; and His greatest interest in London to-day is to get a hold on lost sinners. Ho entered this hall at the beginning of tho service, and Ho will bo the last to leave, it. His whole interest in ihis hall is, " IS ZACCnSUS HERE?" I would not stand up to preach on this subject if I did not believe from the depths of my soul that that same Jesus is here, and that somewhere between the beginning and the end of this discourse He shall find how to lay hold of some lost sinner or backslider. Ho comes to Zacehaeus' town, but more than that, He comes to the particular street in the town, where Zacchanis is. More than that, He comes to the particular tree on the roadside, in tho brandies of which that particular sinner is sitting, "Zacohsus, make haste and coino down, for to-day I must abide in thy house. And ho made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully and that salvation story ends. Well, no; it does not end, for they are together yet. Of'course, there is no end to it. Jesus and Zacchaus met together then at the foot of that tree, and they are together this afternoon. They shall never, never ho separated. Whithersoever through the vast eternity Christ conducts to-day His magnificent procession, Zacchteus is thero, to be sure.

Now, hero is how it began. See how the Lord works along human lines, and plays upon all our stops. For He knows us; He made us. " Jesus entered and passer through Jericho. And a certain man named Zacclraus," mi " outsider" to religion and good repute, as I have described, camo out of his toll-booth, his custom-house box, where he sat lovying the tax, for there is a great surging crowd of people passing along. Zncchaaus came out, for there was a great crowd of people, und Jesus was passing through. The town was tilled With noise about Him, and Zacchteus wanted to see Jesm who Ho was." He was a now teacher, a new Prophet. Great things were said about Him-what He could do in the way of miracles, and what He claimed to be. And another tiling: Zacchteus had very likely heard that this same new Prophet, Jesus, had sa!d some very straight things to the natural enemies of Zacohteus, the religious leaders, he Scribes and Pharisees. Zacchieus had heard that He had even dared to call them bypocrites; and, between you and me, that was /iicchffius own opinion about these gentry.' There was no I °, lost between Zarebie <' s and the Pharisees and what he had heard about He ?JZ lt l r rath . ei ; dra } v Zacchteus to Jesus, that He was a Man aito whoso eyes the Scribes and Pharisees could not throw one particle of dust Ho estimated their religious ongoings at their too worth, and "M. "Woe unto you, So ib ana Pharisees, hypocrites Well do you not see, Zacchtens would he rather drawn to °. outepoken. Prophet like that? When Jesus £ entering and passing through Zaccteus is "H TuK" 1 a ki r d ° f "WSKf? no wanted to see Jesus" _ to "see the sTiitti«H loft .\r ksu p° ncu ™% I Sttf to^ things forX

THE LOHD IS AT THE BACK OF THAT many 'a id H?" *¥ is the ***£ of London In £ S*W the c °«ntryinto fairly decent buf l" I mlv and goes, and he K r s .,it les t^ 1 b 1 eart . ™& he common eaTtfffiM at last he makes meant it. It be™ in 1 ? lnners - Ho never that the lord &C ffi^' *>■ l «V hear about a p £ l kln ÜB , back - You eta. heard about Tp«,, ™ am M Zacand that and the ofcv nd J ' ,ear «>« very curiosity you con s $?*• , and ll 'K>ugh Curiosity limes tL^ ? - ; Bl , God for that! upon it, and a," %*> and the birds light But now noSS & Ca - tches il ' seeing Jesus M There l Ule V the way of through, and there *£iw"» Je ? s! Passing the roadside, and th Pro P9 ° r . Zacch * out on see Him, bu Ife- ? chan <* *o a great crowd oVneS \ lose,t. There is undersized m a u5 P oft»„ n - Zac tas is an laughing at ZacchaiS*r -fflS? the Devil you little ShTl s , ajrm S>- Ha! ha! "a wouldgotoseTjesi - aV( L \ now - ;You hehind here. 2a C £ 8 ™' d you? . C ° m « a for, over." i But '2? ' you Me """e. mine him, as I tru*t 10 h wi '?„ not ': *• Devil' lost « & thac isfor us&i ffg *» "Greater ■i" and that is aWI i that .«"> bo against 60 -^Mid4 B S.^£-of

[ I Ho could not see Him foTiluX^^ i he was of little stature. If ft ? a oKsa» . great, six-foot, porridge-fed- Lb* >*> » ' , could have dashed into that crowdl"? l« ,' tered it right and loft, and S'' a ? d H ; himself right into the CtTts^"«Bl , where Jesus was. But bcinealittll *d. - an undersized man, what was h- * s°'N ' he had gone pushing and borine' u° *>' If fc ' men there who hated him, and ,1 *'*a»- ' ' : have been glad to hustle hi™, k.7 w "u3d . would have been glad almoSta m % . neck and crop and pitch him backS : - ' : i sidewalk again, and say, " Zaochsu, t? "» . I nothing to do with this. • Stick- il'*° u '»«e ;' ■ cured tax-lifting. That is good ?JM& S . you." Is not that what the ftSuS* fci ears of some of you? " You fa In v '* th e ■' Neill? You go to Hall' v6 * llc - ' hear these Gospellers?" says vo,, r „! 8° to' ' " Devil. " Come in behind T^ et Unsays Satan, " that you arc not free 'f*' ; i; get that you are on a chain. I will i ll ° tv :1 ' the chain to allow you ogo to th« A. ■ on ßtnea '•■' '■■'. will lengthen the chain to allow von f^ l ' the circus. I will lengthen the chain ° S ii k *■■■■ you to prowl through music halls ' l 0 alio* " j places as much as you ike." But \vl, ■ would take a turn into Holborn Hill * ° a ■ ; ■ clay afternoon ho hauls you in t 0 ? 8 ""- hand. "Come in behind." 'Aht hi oTer ■ • He knows that it is dangerous to let **' *'■' como near a Gospel preacher a 101111 ; VEVEN rami THE IXFUJEXCe'of CBK, OSITr He has lost not a few, to his «... ; . •-"' that same way. May he lo« e J'" more! ' ™~»«j. i. What did Zacchsus do then' '''»'■'''-'' v'v I always like that fourth verse 7,° ? li, "' :: ' '- could not see Jesus although He'»t^ ol ' for Jesus was in the heart of the 'cm, 1 6 ' ' Zacclueus ms undersized. What mM put his hands in his pockets, and J| •««.■ <-■> right, I am too low; it is not for mpJP went away back again, and sat doii. i. t. B toll-booth, and that was the end o7iAt" my friends; that is not what he did ami «$ : ■ : was not the end of it. But I am ifS s"* : will bo tho end of some of you. You 2? ■"■ sheer, plump to hell for want of pl„ c In 1 ' ■ Zacchaßus saw that there were difficult , ■' : httlo man and all as he was, he was mSi "grif-the little fragment!-«St id that there were difficulties, instead of til!? 1 and becoming as soft as putty in the hand! a ' circumstances, and instead of sarin? "a? circumstances are against me; it won't A,»i? : ' girded at the difficulties. "Ho ran u' » : Ho said to himself, "I will „oVbe n fr' came out to see Him in mere curiosit." '■}'■ : these difficulties only make me mo^ d < mined. I am not the man to give in 7r' trifle. Pluck up your heart, of grace Z„V-v Do you want to bo saved? Then miT ' foot on tho neck of your softness an/lazS' ' and milksoppiness. That is how to be 2 ' Do you think we are going to be saved X way we speak of it in tho hymn: -;?-*■:? ,■■ '•: *' Shall I be carried to the skies ' On flowery beds of ease ?" 5 ■ No, my good friend, you will not. XK»;. no use in putting the question. It answer?!? self. You will get to heaven, I trust, bf| will know about it on the road. Do youmJ» : stand? In a word, you will have feet bolow you and run for it. If you iff ■' ■ : that it is worth while show it by you>S What effort are you making to be saved? C effort are you making to break from the Devil', chain? Well, I can imagino a man who an r It is of no use for me to make an effort-1 ■' am too weak, and the chain too strong " fi'in a good tug, my brother. Put out your M - Rise, weak and all as you are, only rise M God Almighty will rise with you and in S " and for ever. Although Alps were piled m ■ Appenines, Gou the Lord will lay them in dust. Thy feet shall stand in heaven if thou • shalt but begin. That is how we are saved"'< ' we begin. God is the bottom of it and the ton r of it; but He works along these•' natural '' human lines of self-determination. Now am ■"■'■■" or woman, do not any longer be a football of ' the world and the Devil and the flesh, and the' - ? sport of circumstances. ~: . :"'••.„ : "Break your birth's invidious bar '* - : And grasp theakirts of happy chanceAnd breast tho blows of circumstance ■■' ■ ' And grapple with your evil star." & fe'.YVIt can be done. That is the difference which'• Christ has made by His coming, for every other-' wise hopeless and helpless sinner. Pluck tip : heart of grace I You can bo saved, and the ; - Devil can be cheated of you as he was of Z«fr : chceus. .;"-ii :%i: ■■■• THERE IS NOTHING SO EAST. 'M : i^' I can imagine that the Scribes and Pharisee! who were content to be merely in the crowd.-' - were scoffing and saying, "Do you see aha! ; See, he is going up like a squirrel"-if they v knew what squirrels were. They laughed, I ; have no doubt of it. Arid they scoffed, I hare %' : no doubt of it. But, blesssed be God, Zac-' chieusranon. Put your feet below you, and f : - run for it, man. ••''•"*/■•_''£''{ I have spoken about, Zacchaus. I haw ■■■■ hardly left time to speak about a greater mat- '$ ... ter. "He came to the place, and looked upiif and saw him." ./V?»ft I ■','

What does that mean? It just means tin same thing to-day. My hearer, you ate get-* ting what Zacchteus got in that tree by tit roadside. You are getting a personal call to a personal Saviour. He said to him, Zacchra,! bo quick and come down. I am wanting tof stay with you. That is the Gospel. - '/vifj&a Oh, sinner, are you willing to come dovml £ It is not safe to be higher up than Christ. Como down I Come down! You are sittmg up in those galleries in a state of spectator: 1 hood. Como down, if you please, good friend \ —a long way down— your high horse. Ho £ will save you. Dismount! Come: fan & Come down out of pride! Come down dut'oi | headiness! Come down out of high-minWji ness! Come down out of sympathetic interest!— down out of even that!.?,lean 1 : imagine Zneohteus sitting up there as the » presentative of people who are deeply interested, in a way, in religion, and saying 'm himself, "Now I have got a comfortable seal, and I will see Jesus, and I will see His discipies.' I will see the whole show, and a wonderful show it is." Alas! that it is all that £ somo of you have got to do with true religion. Have you come to Christ? Do not stand | up and say you do not know. You do. No man can touch Christ with the tip of his little § finger and not be thrilled to the very core of 1 the heart within him. Now, where are yon? if Sitting in churches and chapels and halls look- | ing on; or down at the fot in close grips with 1 the Christ of God Himself? Go home with Him, first to your home, and then to Hi» | homo in heaven. Where are you? We are getting the same chances this afternoon that Zacchoeus got. $jsm