Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-30
SUNDAY THHMEs YESTERDAY
Is THE CLUTCHES.


Il tse Episcopalian churches the SER
wees were equally as impressive, al
though of course attended with less of the
ceremonial. RI. Rev. Bishop Beckwith
preached at Christ Church in the morn
ing aud administered the rite of cOnfirma-
ton % a class OF twenty-five persons. The
interior OF the church and the altar were
decorated with palms. The Bishop took
for bis text Hebrew w.. 10: "But was in
all points tempted like as ace are, yet
without SIM"
our Lord, he said, broke the thirty years
of silence that preceded the three years Of
active life that He devoted TO His mission
81 redeeming the world but once, and
that was when lie was Il years old
and fingered in the temple after His
parents had departed for home. He then
answered his mothers reprOval with the
words, NWist We not that must be about
nv Fathers businessE Looking at Him
from his human side, The question here
prODgunded. said the Bishop, shows that
even when a child He knew that He had
mission, aud that impression must have
made Him thoughtful child. the passage
in the Scriptures that states that He grew
in wisdom shows that when a child lie
did not fully comprehend His mission.
During His childhood Judea was con-
quered and made a province OF the RC-
man Empire, and this had a great iniiu-
ence in His life, for it was the cause OF the
Jews not cOmprehending His mission. The
Jews were at that time looking for
a deliyerer. and the tyranny from which
they suffered made them believe that the
delfverer would take the Jewish sceptre,
overthrow the Romans and establish his
kingdom on the wreck Of Roman power. At
suca a time as this there appeared on the
hanks of the Jordan a strange, weird man
ofthe desert who made the announce
racnt that the Kingdom of Heaven was at
band, and the rumOr spread that pro-
phet had arisen and Israel was about TO
be delivered. 1t might be that Christ now
recognized the fact that His time had
come. To those who wendell their way to
the banks of the Jordan He was
hut one Of the many. but when
lie heard the prophet. tie realized that
He announced His coming and His King
dom. His going was the act Of humanity.
He knew tue Jews would receive Him IT
He said His kingdom was Of the world;
that they would reject Him if lie said lie
was the King Of Peace. When he stood
before the Wild man Of the desert for bap-
tism. il was as thou yh spirit had passed
before John. and overcome with awe, he
said. II have need to be baptized Of Him.
and not Him of me-" The baptism of
Jesus and the descending of the spirit
upon Him was the beginning of His work,
ami now, said the Bishop, We are told that
the 50 rIt carried Him into the desert and
there the spirits of good and evil met, aud
the contest decided the future of the hui
man race. Jesus, a perfect man. was
tempted. Could perfect man BE- tempt
Ell Remember, he went on, l am gong
90 speak % III as man. not because L
10 not believe that he was very good, for
| believe It with every fibre Of my nature,
but could a p RECT N an sing God some
times tempiS 10 try. but when sdtln
tempts il is to deceive. 4 temptation
may be one thing, its indueement another;
a temptation may be offered Win regard
10 its effects, and it was thus Christ was
tempted.
The reverend speaker then defined and
illustrated the different kinds Of tempta-
ton To which Christ was subject, " hen
hungry and asked 10 turn the stones into
bread, when in the pinnacle Of the temple
and asked To east himself down that the
people might see that he was the son of
cod. and when offered universal empire.
accepted the temptation in either
case would have been to sin,
but could he sin? Temptation is from
within or without. From within it comes
from evil desires, and this could not have
been Christ's temptation. His tempta-
ton was from " thOui, NJ . pare person
NAV ba tempted even when the tcmpta-
ton is repUgnant 10 them; but, he asked,
could Christ SIM & perfect man could
aOt sin: but | trust you viii not he
shocked. be went on 10 say. when / say to
you if lie had not the power to sin lie
could ugt have tie power to be perfect.
sin is a trausgTessiOn Of the law. ana
trausgression is going beyond the limits
Of the law and must be an act Of free
viii. and il the will Is not free how can a
man be perfect? If a man is not able
10 iudu Ee In sin how c5n he vii to
refrain from it. III the Lord had not the
power 10 do wrong He had not the power
10 10 right. and the man who cannot do
wrong deserves no credit for doing right.
The will is simply the power to refuse.
The power to do good includes tue power
10 do evil. and il is only Of such man 1t
can he said be is perfect. know OF no
sadder thought than the idea that the
Lord had to suffer for the sins OF tse
world because He could not avoid II. a
man with Il viii doing that which he did
not viii, Bus if he is free and YolUatari-
~ made the will OF God the rule OF his
life and fO.lOwed that will, never swerY-
Ing. then his life is wonder and glory;
and when YOU tell me OF a human Will
aud lust life given for me then l begin
to feel that / am getting little
nearer God. lie did all this abundantly, be
showed us how to live ana taught Us now
To die. THIS sacr. flee is furnished by one
who thought God and man, yet his human
nature is for us; that you may know how
he suffered, aud know that he can sympa-
lhize with sou. Then the cross becomes
eloquent IN its appeal to the manhood OF
manly men.
Bishop Beckwith closed MS sermon with
an elOQuent appeal to his congregation 10
follow in the footsteps OF Christ. The
church was crowded, and the sermon was
listened to with intense interest. The
confirmation services were held at the
close Of the sermon.