Morning journal and courier., 1891-03-28

1V1uR III Gu0 SOubCI 0CAOO4 oA0oAASs' NV Johns church had as yet no Sunday school, although most all the parishes the diocese had such schools.
 SHELDON B. THORPE.
 REV, MIR. JAMES, SERMON At the Union Fast Day Services fin Fair ]
 Haven Yesterday.
 A large audience attended the union Fast day services held in Fair Haven yes terday morning at the Grand avenue Bap- tist church. The sermon, a synopsis of which is given, was by Rev. D. M. James, pastor of the Second Congregational church. His theme was 'tChrist's First of His Approaching Death" The text was as follows:
 I From that time forth began Jesus to show un- lem and suer n@ many thngs # man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me-Matthew 1s 21, 24.
 The announcement of the death of Jesus on Good Friday and of his resurrection on Easter Sunday produce no great impress sioE on the ordinary life of the busy world in which we move. They are among the commonplace events of commonplace religion. For the majority of us there is no deep shadow stretching across passion week. There is no recognition of the cross with it's story of divine suffering and it's promise of divine life. There is no serious thought as to the spiritual meaning of this divine tragedy; no tender, loving sympa- thy with the suffering son of God; no en- tering upon these days as one enters upon holy ground, calmed of the consciousness of 8 divine presence.
 In the first announcement of his ap- preaching death Jesus includes two-fold cross bearing. He speaks of the cross which he must bear and of the cross which every man must take up who would be- come his true desciple. The only path way open to Jesus in the accomplishment of his redeeming work was by the way of the cross; and the only pathway open to those who would attain the goal of unend- less life is of the same process of crucifx- ion. The way to save the world was to die for the world and the way to save one's life is to lose one's life. He desired his disciples to realize that only suffer- ing Messiah can rescue sinful humanity.
 The sacrifice of life is the greatest proof of love. This was to be the crowning ex- pression of the love of God for humanity, and no considerations of personal char acter could divorce him from faithful execution of the perfect will of God. The salvation of 8 world was the one work entrusted to the incarnate son of God and he would accomplish that work at any cost. The will to be done was the divine will; the way was the divine way; and if that way was to the cross at Jerusalem loyalty impelled him forward to meet that cross. It is to this cheer ful acceptance of the divine plan and in this faithful announcement to his disciples long before the appointed time of his death that we discern the deep moral l earnestness of Christ in his conflict with l evil. It is only when men are truly in earnest that they are willing to sacrifice | life rather than give up the contest. It | is only strong moral nature that will hold unfinchingly without the faintest compromise to it's noble purpose in the face of such opposition. When the cause ! for the success of his cause, then it is that loyalty becomes a divine virtue. The work which Jesus came to accomplish was l in his eyes too vast in it's beaming upon the world for him to falter even for an in- stant in his effort to perform it.
 l Would that we could appreciate even for a moment the magnitude of the work and ] the infinite love which held the son of God true to his mission. Would that our souls l COulu 1e6l even 1OT du 1uStauG CIle intense l devotion of the Christ to the cause of man when he could press forward to the com | pletion of his sacrifcial work knowing l what awaited him at Jerusalem. These closing days of this Lenten season would
 have more meaning for us than ever be-
 fore. We would not only marvel at such
 inestimable love, but we would respond tc
 it's appeal and yield to it's power.
 There is one glimpse beyond the cross in
 this irsH announcement of Jesus. He ] speaks of being Praised again the third ] day" On the ground of his experiences 1 with the chief priest, and elders he might l with almost unerring certainty have be-
 held the cross and the closed grave, but
 how could he from any human standpoint
 have beheld the open grave and offered his
 resurrected life. Here is the mystery of the
 incarnation Here is a secret of the divine
 consciousness. Raised again the third
 day." why did not the apostles seize upon
 this truth. They heard him speak of his
 suffering and death, but they seemed tc
 have lost entirely the prediction of his 1 ful note in that sad announcement II ] was the one bright star in that dark night
 It was Easter beyond Good Friday that
 ought to have gained their attention.
 How true it is in our human life that
 the cross hides everything that lies be
 yond; our troubles cover the whole field
 of vision. The shadow of the cross rests
 on everything about us, and the cross it
 self hides everything beyond. This if
 specifically true in our vision of the future
 We see the cross on which our love wal
 slain. We see the grave into which ou1
 love was buried, but these are all we see
 Raised again" is concealed by "buriet
 now" We may think of the beyond. w,
 may believe in the beyond, but we do no
 see it. Do you not recognize the fact tha
 being raised again was just as real to tn.
 son of God as was his deaths Behold tn,
 cross we must; behold the crown we may
 He who dwells only on the cross finds nt
 comfort of the crown, and he who dwell
 most on the crown cares but little for thu ! cross.
 The second point to this first lesson O,
 the cross has reference to cross-bearing il
 it's relation to discipleship in the kingdom
 of God.
 The first conclusion to be defnitel,
 reached by the son of God involved the
 true end of purpose of his incarnation
 He saw it clearly. He saw also what op position he wonld meet in the prosecution
 of this work. He saw the cross in tn
 very center of his path. But none of thes
 things moved him. The end to be attain
 ed was the important thing. He will SC
 of the travail of his soul, and then will h
 be satisfied, no matter what the cost. Equally important is it for us to reacl definite conclusions in regard to the tru end of our being. If there be in man
 higher spiritual life that can be saved, le us decide whether it is worth having; an, if it be worth the saving let us count al things but loss for the excellency of tn knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Tn
 difficulty is that we do not regard tn s claims of the religious life as supreme. w are willing to imperil the life rather thal 1 assume the cross. There is great libert ; accorded the believer, but it is the ibert , of the gospel and not the liberty of tn f passions. There is great freedor 2 allowed the disciples of Jesus, bu ,, it is freedom within the spher , of the Christian life No man has the lib s erty to import foreign elements an :, Christian themes in the name of religion , No man can cruelty again the son of Go ? and put him to an open shame while b , cherishes the hope that he is saved by tn r son of God, who loved him and gave hin
 self for him.
 e There is, however, one blessed hope hel , out to every soul struggling to attain tn ? crown, though tumbling under the weigh { of the cross. It is expressed in the word a Praised again" There is something b, l yond. The self-denial is not the last Tn , cross-bearing is not all. The present at ' | diction ia not to b1ipd or,r o1,as 4o, II,