The New York herald., 1875-07-12
STREET UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH.
SERMON By Z. C. swEErsER-'wHAT MANNER
OF MAN rs IHIs?"

OF MAN Is THIsp"
The Rev. Mr.. E. Q. sweetser preached yesterday
an impressive ana well reasoned sermon In the
BleecKer street universaIist church, corner OF
Bleecker and Downing streets. rhe reverend
gentleman took his text from the eighth chapter
OF the Gospel, according to st. Matthew, and the
twenty-seventa verse. in these words:-"Mh hat
manner Of man 10 this ?"
In the course OF his sermon the preacher said
that the words Of the text had fallen from the
lips OF men VINO had seen christ work miracles by
land and by sea. He had raised the dead, healed
the SICK and Gained the sea: so tnat
the very elements OF nature seemed obe-
dent to his call. Men marvelled ct this;
and 1t was no wonder they ala so
for Christ was an incompre5ensiple cause Of
wonGerment to all who approached Him. They
did not understand HIM. He STOOD alone among
them, strange, my nysterious being, belonging 10
higher sphere, unlike and above all others. HIS
disciples, while implicitly believing In Hun, no
DOUBT talked about Him among themselves. The
populace Judea ana in Galiiee discussed the
question one with another. Some thought That
Christ was John the Baptist or the Prophet Elias
returned again to earth, anu many
OTHER STRANGE TAEonIEs
were advanced as TO what manner OF man He
might be. In all ages since HIS coming down to
the present time bitter discussions (tnat
SSrn,ngs % at ise sssss and peneadass, @ Trrsi rom
the Arlan schism in the days of Luther and Calvin
to our own generation, the great question is still
In cebate what manner OF man Is he f'' The
question wiz never be resolved this side OF the
grave. 81 Paul and the Immediate followers of
Carist were unable to settle the question:; and
much less could tnOse who came after them.
Ipere is something tnscrutabie as to how Christ
Is related 70 God and tue universe that no man
can solve. But We know enough for the practical
purpose OF our own kalvatiOn. And the time Is
HIM. in the realms OF immortality beyond the
grave. The question In the text must Interest all
men; 1t has bearing on Wor oily and all other
must be vlvioy aroused TO know what manner OF |
man was Jesus we eau only Judge Him as other
was a IN n in body, mind and soul; as much a |
man as His disciples, and more perfect in His |
mental and physical organization than all OF them.
One theory teaches Us 70 believe that
HE WAS GOD ALMIGHTY,
the Creative Power OF the Universe, going about
IN the mesa; another taug ~ that even His body
partook OF heavenly quality inherent In His
pa:se S Se sAss Eaen & he s the ss59
that mostly ootains now is tnat Chrlst was
GSce GOe aed ee@a rauOsa ane a "S TSs
with tee teachings or holy Writ. AT toe trial OF
Christ one 20 OF the grsyest W It. charges against HIM
allegation OF His enemies N explicit words ad-
dressed TO Pilate. In the garden he wept tears
He exclaimed, my Ged, my God, why hast thou for
saken me ~ st. Peter, st Paul at Athens and all
pested proofs in tseir preachings aud epistes
that they believed Carist 70 be man only. This
IS made clear in ns Ese 70 the
and '' iouOwefs He was SS looked upon taSip'ss as
The preacher did not see how the New Testament
could be read without convincing its perussr that
Jesus was man only. Here the reverend gentle
man made numerous quotations from the New
Testament In support OF this propostlsn, saying
that 'the son OF Man came 10 seek and TO save
tnas which was lost" No man ever spoke as He
did, nor said sucn wonderful things. II we believe
IN his word He the most miraculous man,
vita the most miraculous mission. Either DE was
gross inpostor or q lunatic. tie was more than
works eorresponded with HIS sayings. III /
DO my Fathers work. says ae, "pelieve
In me-" II cost Hls disciples their lives to assert
that the works OF CHRIST corresponded with His
words. They would not give up tnerr ives to sup
port lie. His appearance on the third day alter
The crucn xioR crowned bis Whole works. He
WILL A satisfactory explanation OF this mystery
can only De found in considering the heavenly
New Testament are bound to believe In the
records OF the miracles performed by Christ; we
do not accept The SCRIPTURES then we have no Cos
pei to go by. Toe Church which Christ founded is,
perhaps, the greatest miracle OF all those which
He performed While on earth. After His death
the disciples would have relapsed into passive
ness but IOf His miraculous appearance Ia their
midst. He was miraculousiy endowed and COM
mlssioned to DO d great mission.
THE CHRIST SPIRIT
was without measure R1ven 70 Jesus. II Is q
blessed truth that God can be revealed In q hu-
man nature. Denying that Christ Is man robs
the Gospel OF one Of Its most Impressive truths.
Ii Is this truth which makes Christ our mediator
with God. The Mediator has one hand reached to
God and the other extended TO US, uniting us
heavenly. lie belongs 10 no particular nation,
but to tne world In general aud TO every man In
particular
BROADWAY TABERNACLE CHURCH.
eoDs DEALING WITH MEs-srRMoN BY Pro-