Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin FunkKline, John
Religion
Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin Funk
Kline, John
Kline, John, 1797-1864
This passage, said he, comprehends the whole Christ as the Son of man.
As the way, the holy way, we may trace and follow his steps, and walk
in him from the manger to the cross; from the cross to the grave; and
from the grave to his exaltation at the right hand of the Father in
heaven. Of this way the prophet Isaiah speaks in these words: "And an
highway shall be there, and it shall be called, The way of holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it; ... but the redeemed shall walk
therein." Is not this a delightful view of Christian life as it was
exemplified by our Lord! The prophet calls it the highway of our God.
Like the way of Noah's ark, it is above the tops of the loftiest
mountains of sin and death and destruction. Like the way of the ark
again, it is the way of holiness, for righteous Noah and his family
are upon it.
But I wish to call the attention of all here to-night to the
particular line of truth and motive the Lord had in mind when he said,
"I am the way." By thus pointing out the way, and showing that eternal
life and happiness are the blessed reward of walking in it, I hope to
induce some here to-night to enter it. I might here generalize
somewhat by calling your attention to the fact that it is natural for
us all, when going anywhere, to feel best satisfied when we know the
way we are on is the right way to where we want to go. It is true,
however, one may tramp along through life over public roads, merely to
get a subsistence from the fragments he may pick up by the way, and be
wholly indifferent as to where the road is conducting him. I will not
say that such a life is a fair representation of the thoughtless
sinner's way, as regards all preparation for a future state of
existence, but I will ask him if it is not so? But let us
particularize.
The first recorded words that Jesus uttered were spoken by him when he
was twelve years old. They were addressed by him to his parents when
they found him in the temple: "How is it that ye sought me sorrowing?
Did ye not know that I must be about my Father's business?" This was
his first public step in the way we are to follow. We all have the
same Father to love and obey that Jesus had, and he is none other than
the God who made us. It is his business to fit and prepare us for
everlasting happiness; and when we are about his business as Jesus was
we are reciprocating his love by doing his pleasure. But this was only
the beginning. No further record of Jesus is given until about
eighteen years after, when he came to the Jordan to be baptized of
John. But John said: "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest
thou to me? But Jesus said, Suffer it to be so now; for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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