The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-05-06
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DIR. 'ALMAGE ON THE POTENCY OF
THE NAME OF CHRIST.

the Person Who Bears 1t.
BROOKLYN, May While DR.. Tai
mage is able 80 hold vast audiences spell
bound by his eloquence, whatever sub
Ject he has IN hand he is never SO elo
quent, or so evidently great orator, as
when he breaches Christ as the one hope
for the regeneration of the world. The
fact was proved this morning when he
discoursed from the text, Philippians H.
8, The name which is above every
name"
Paul is here making rapturous and
enthusiastic description of the name OF
Christ, There are merely worldly names
that sometimes thrill you through and
through. Such was the name of Henry
Clay to a Kentuclian, the name of Will
liam Writ to a Virginian, the name of
Daniel Webster to New Highlander
By common proverb we have come to
believe that there is nothing in a
name;" and so parents sometimes at the
baptismal altar give titles to their chill
dren, reckless of the fact that that title.
that name, will be lifetime hindrance
or a lifetime help. You have no right
to give your child name lacking
either in euphony or moral meaning.
1t is a sin to call child Jehoiakim or
Tiglath- pileser, or by anything that is
disagreeable. Because you have had an
exasperating name yourself is no reason
why you should infict it upon your
progeny, and yet how often it is that we
see name full of jargon rattling down
from generation to generation simply
because long while ago some one hap
pened to be afflicted with it. Institu-
tions and great enterprises sometimes
without sufficient deliberation take no
menclature. Mighty destinies have been
decided by name. While we may by
long course of Christian behavior get
over the misfortune of having been bap-
tized with the name of a despot or a
cheat, how much better it would have
been if we could have all started life
without any such incumbrance!
II SWEET TO THE MEMORY,
= When Paul, in my text and in other
passages Of Scripture, burst forth in as
pirations of admiration for the name of
Christ, want to inquire what are the
characteristics of that appellation, ''The
name which is above every name" In
the first place, speaking to you in regard
to the name of Christ, / want to tell you
it is an easy name. You are sometimes
introduced to people with long and I'M
pronOunceable names, and You have to
listen cautiously to get the names, and
you have to hear them pronounced two
or three times before you risk trying to |
utter them; but within the first two
years the little child folds its hands and |
looks upward and says Jesus"
Can it be that in all this church this |
morning there are representatives of any
household where the children are fa-
miliar with the names of the father and
mother and brother and sister, yet know
nothing about THAT name which is above
every nameT Sometimes you forget the
name of quite familiar friend, and you
have to think and think before you get it:
but can you imagine any freak Of intel
lect by which you should forget the
name Of Jesus? That word seems to fit
the tongue in every dialect. Down to
old age when the voice is tremulous and
uncertain and indistinct, even then this
regal word finds potent utterance
When an aged father was dying, one
of the children came-and said, Father.
do you know me?' and in the delirium
Of the last sickness he said, No, don't
know you. Another child came and
said, Father, do you know me?" mo,
he said, Il don't know you" Then the
village pastor came in and said, "Doy you
know me?" He said, mo; don't think
ever saw you" Then said the minis
ter, DO you know Jesus?" "Oh, yesr"
said the dying man. 81 know Jesus;
chief among ten thousand is he, and the
one altogether lovely" Yes, for all
ages and for all languages, and for all
conditions is an easy name.
: Jesus, love thy chaming name,
It's music to my ear:
Fain would sound it out so loud
That heaven and earth might hear.
LOVELY NAMES IN SCRIPTURE.
But | remark further in regard to this
name of Christ, that it is a beautiful
name. Now you have noticed that you
cannot disassOciate a name from the
character of the person who has it.
There are some names, for instance, that
are repulsive to my ear. Those names
are attractive to your ear. What is the
difference? Why, happened to know
some persons of that name who were
cross or sour or queer or unsympa-
thetic, and the persons you have hap
pened to know of that name were kind
and genial. Since, then, we cannot dis
associate a name from the character of
the person who has the name, that con-
sideration makes the name of Jesus I'M
speakably beautiful.
cannot pronounce that name in your
presence, but you think of Bethlehem.
Gethsemane and Golgotha, and you see
his loving face, and you hear his tender
voice, and you feel his gentle touch. As
soon as | pronounce his name in your
presence you think of him who banquet
ed with heavenly hierarchs, yet came
down and breakfasted on the fish which
the rough men hauled out of Genesaret;