Smyrna times., 1876-07-12
Last Sermon Of Bishop Cummins.

Rev. George D. Cummins, d. D., Bishop of
the Reformed Episcopal Church, was
delivered at the Bethany Methodist Episco-
pal Church, Baltimore, ON Sunday morning, |
June 18th, 1876. Eight days after he
passed from labor to reward We give |
below the leading thoughts of his sermon.
Text" Sir, we would see Jesus" st.
John, xii and 81.
The incident related in the chapter, was
the most significant and instructive in the |
life of Jesus. 1t was on the day of his
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, five days
before the Passover, and four days before
His crucifction. The city was crowded,
and the fame of Jesus was on all tongues
and the raising of Lazarus had set the hearts
of the people throbbing and pulsating with
excitement. Among the throng were GER
tain Greeks who wished also to see theman
who could do such wonderful works. We
do not know what their motive was,
whether curiosity or an earnest desire to
see this great teacher and miracle worker
Oub hAACAl VIC lOth0 OAldb OGllCfGo OH
Jesus, we need not wonder that those
Greeks were so anxious to see Him. But
what a strange reception they met with
Instead of speaking to them as He had to
be musing for short time, and at last
said: "The hour is coming that the Son of
Man should be glorified." What did he
mean by this? Did He use the word as it is
generally used by the world, to whom to
be glorifed is to have their names known
to all around, and their praises heralded
through the press? AS far as heaven is
| from the earth was His meaning. TO be
glorfed meant to be crucifed. "The
hour is come" Thus He always spoke of
His death. In the coming of the Greeks
He recognized token of that hour. AS
the coming of the Magi from the East was
a token of His birth, so the coming of those
strangers from the classic West was a token
of His death. And lest there should be
any doubt as to the meaning of His words,
He interprets them by saying " Except a
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth
forth much fruit" The grain Of wheat
was typical of Himself, as by dying He
would bring life and light to the world
Only by dying does the grain of wheat
become fruitful, and rises bearing in itself
the perfect fruit, and so with Him. Here
then we find another and profound testi
mony of Jesus to the atonement and to the
efficacy and meaning of His death, without
which truth we could not preach thu
Gospel to-day, and which of itself is the lif,
blood of Christianity. And it is intensely
interesting to study the testimony borne b.
Him as to His death, forming as it wer
the ground work of His life. His deatl
was before Him from the frst-the shadoy
of the Cross was ever around Him. II
walked between it continually, felt anC
recognized His death, dwelt on it and pre-
dicted its very mode and nature. Tn
gifts which the wise men brought to Hi
cradle were singularly suggestive of il
They gave Him gold, which was emblemat
cal of His kingship; incense, which sign
fies His divinity; and myrrh, which wa
used in the East for embalming purpose;
! and which consequently prefgured Iii
death. John tho Baptist's testimony wal
. "Behold the Lamb of God, that taket
, away the sins of the world" He told Iii
disciples He had a baptism to be baptise
| with arH Mn,,,k FroHav
talked to Mosos and Elias, who represente
:, the law and the prophets, their whole col
: versation was of the decease He shoul
:, accomplish at Jerusalem. Now we ca
! comprehend the full meaning of His sayin
And, if be lifted up, will draw all me
unto me-" Remember all this, and put b
the side of these things the fact of H
: terror and alarm and agony at the approaC
:. of His death. He prayed, "Father, sa,
: me from this hour" In the garden
= Gethsemane His constant prayer was f
that bitter cup to pass from Him, and {
the cross the mysterious cry was hear
"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsalxC
Me?" No Christian ever died in so rnuc
70 agony as Jesus did, and when men talk
ls Him as the crown and flower of humanit
t. reject the power of atonement and adopt Il
a principles of false philosophy and liberi
e. ism, they cannot explain this fact. I
L. had distinctly declared that He had pow
NJ over His own life, and what, therefore, W
C. the true meaning of His death? He d
m not die as martyr for his fidelity to c,
va tain principles, or because he came in
"a. collision with existing prejudices, but as
a. Goldman, victim who could not escape
lie a Precipitation and a sacrifice for the sins
of the world, as one who had satisfied the Ii
is and was bearing the guilt of the u
en- verse, and to recognize this is truly to s
ra Jesus.
ID. The Greek idea never dwelt on a 1
. beyond death, and their only aim was
ps, make life immortal by art. The perpet
ast ty Of earthly things was all they struggl
tie for. Greece is as beautiful to-day al il '
no eighteen hundred years ago, and /
les Appolle Belvidere as fair as when the fi
sculptor first laid his chisel upon it.