Smyrna times., 1872-02-14
Sermon by Rev. A. Rittenhouse,

Uetluered al the HeOpenln1 or the Lecture
Room Of the H. E. Church, Smyrna, on the
evening of Feb. 4th, 1872 Condensed from a
photographic report by s. Jones Peck.
TExT-"But we preach Christ cruciGed,
unto the Jews stumbling block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness.-l Corinthians, 1-23
A remarkable caricature of the Christian
worship was found amid the ruins of ancient
Rome, supposed to have been sketched about
the third century an image of human figure
with an asses head, nailed to a cross. 1t bore
this iptiOn-" "Aexamnus adores his God. "
This rude caricature attests the statement of
the apostle that to the Greeks the preaching
of Christ was foOlishness.
The Jews required sign; Christ by his
cruciGxiOn gave mortal offence to them on
account Of the ignomny of the cross : all his
previous miracles lost their power from this
cruci6xiOn; and sign was still required at the
hands Of his disciples. The Jews dispised that
which was not philosophical. The apostle
Paul does not hide the ignOminy of the cross.
The cross is made prominent. He does not
Ignore the shame of the cross-and this is the
first lesson we hold up-the shame of the
cross. In our day the cross is considered an
ornament-an article of decoration; we bring
It into sentiment and miss the shame, and
divine sign of humility. As the serpent in the
wilderness Is lifted up, so must the son of man
be lifted up that he may draw all men unto
him. The brazen serpent in the wilderness
was addressed to the eye-the cross of Christ
is for the sinners faith. The healing by the
serpent was not a natural process. There is
no natural connection between the brazen
serpent and the healing of the serpent bitten
people; and so of the cross, there is no natural
connection between it and sin--the relation is
asplritual and hidden one The apostles were
not philosophers: the cross is addressed, not
to the intellect but to the heart: the cross is a
procalmer OF mercy; the human heart accepts
without philOsophiZing. Those who would
forget the weakness and fOOshness of The
cross hedged about it-they put it into the hands
OF priesthood who cOme before the world
with signs aud wonders 1t is not the truth
they worship but Peter, and in the proclama-
lion OF the infallibility of his successors this
simple faith is modified
We believe that this truth may be preached
with fallable lips; and while doctors synod.
and councils err we find around us the same
Jesus, the same fact and simple story. So We
see men seeking after sign remove the eros:
from the sinners heart and it is made of none
eiiect-conditions and mediators are placed
between him and it,
First: your attention is invited to certain
theories concering the cross and Christ, which
Ignore its connection with the forgiveness Of
SINS, and the certain moral effects are brought
Forward as the natural results contemplated
thereby
It's said that Christ died merely to show God
ioVe TO the world but how then did he bare ou
sins IN his body on the tree2 He bore tn
SINS of the people; this could be said of d
other Why should he die for this reason
ms death had no other significance and VIII
place this stumbling block of his death in tn
way?
1t Is claimed that he died to give emphasi
70 his teachings as if the cross was an appendl
70 the sermon on the mount whereas the GRO:
was essential and not secondary. If his deaf
was not essential why is it said that we al
saved by his death.
Again it is said, Christ's death was simply
proof of his close fellowship with us. 1t W;
simply to reveal his sympathy. lie died as
nian tor our humanity Just so the broke
hearted mother goes to the grave sOrrowir
Ior her wicked sOn-does the anguish of tn
mother atone for the sin of her boy? Chri
suffered as our substitute. He bore our sii
On MS heart. He prays that the ''cup" m;
- from him: he does not pray that Il
NihslbllItles may be deadened
:, AGAIN, as an example of sacrifice to she
mat the human must yield to the divine vii
nut the fundamental idea of the sacrifice whi
Illustrates the meaning Of Christ's death W
Shb lIOui tnen 10 uOu. DuL X
from God to men. Here are two college boy
one christian, the other not; The christi
endeavors to convert his companion but do
not succeed. One day he says to him, y
have not needed my words, will leap ov
this preelplce and kill myself-would there
any merit or reason in this sacrifice? b
pace them in a common peril where one IN
e rescued by the sacrifice of the other; a
.nen the pious youth says TO his ungoC
gonpanion-"I am ready to die, you are not
isIn perish for you but remember ,ohdt ha
sald and turn from the path of evil: Let &
sacrlhce bear fruit and thus influenced
gratitude the cross saves us. Now this IS
"a eqptqndun display and has meaning
.ae world. But a sacrifice does not sim
spgnlfy giving up" but an offering to 20
p9od poured out 10 expiation of sin.
1t is said that he. simply died a. mar
because of, opposition and hatred-his VI
fiseleetion involved his death. A physician
sne sne time of the great plague. while all
suylng around him, takes one Of the victims
iae fearful scourge and dissects the body.
discovers the secret of the cure. writes il do'
and perishes from the infection. Here
secret wonId have been very essential