m. Think of how, whether they received or rejected it, that Word took
hold upon them. Think of how they regard it now, wherever they are in
the dimness; and be you wise in time and be not as those of your fathers
who rejected the Word.

Hold it fast. In this time of unrest make sure of your grasp of the
eternal, central core of Christianity, Jesus Christ Himself, the
divine-human Saviour of the world. There are too many of us whose faith
oozes out at their finger ends, simply because they have so many around
them that question and doubt and deny. Do not let the floating icebergs
bring down _your_ temperature; and have a better reason for not
believing, if you do not believe, than that so many and such influential
and authoritative men have ceased to believe. When Jesus asks, 'Will ye
also go away?' our answer should be, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
hast the words of eternal life.'

Accept Him, hold Him fast, trust to His guidance in present day
questions. Zechariah felt that his message belonged to the generation to
whom he spoke. It was a new message. We have no new message, but there
are new truths to be evolved from the old message. The questionings and
problems, social, economical, intellectual, moral--shall I say
political?--of this day, will find their solution in that ancient word,
'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.' There is the key to all
problems. 'In Him are hid all the treasures and wisdom of knowledge.'

Zechariah pointed to the experiences of a past generation as the basis
of his appeal. We can point back to eighteen centuries, and say that the
experiences of these centuries confirm the truth that Jesus Christ is
the Saviour of the world. The blessedness, the purity, the power, the
peace, the hope which He has breathed into humanity, the subsidiary and
accompanying material and intellectual prosperity and blessings that
attend His message, its independence of human instruments, its
adaptation to all varieties of class, character, condition, geographical
position, its power of recuperating itself from corruptions and
distortions, its undiminished adaptedness to the needs of this
generation and of each of us--enforce the stringency of the exhortation,
and confirm the truth of the assertion: 'This is My beloved Son; hear ye
Him!' 'The voice said, Cry. And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness ther