The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-17
CHRIST'S RELIGION
AND HUMANITY
Beautiful Thoughts in the Sermon Of
Rev. William II. Swift.
PLEA FOR CHARACTER BUILDING
Honesdale Presbyterian Pastors
Sermon in the First Presbyterian
Church..He Urged a Walking as
Christ Walked and That His Self.
Sacrifice Take the Place Of Man.
kinds Self.LOve.

A sermon that was beautiful in
thought and calculated to encourage
an up-building and uplifting of Chris
tian character was preached in the
First Presbyterian church yesterday
morning by Rev. William H. Swift. pas
tor of the HOnesdale Presbyterian
church. Couched in simple but logical
language and delivered with unusual
earnestness, the discourse could not
have failed to elicit the sympathy of
the congregation and give encourage
ment for better living.
The text was He that Saith he
abideth in Him, ought himself also 80
to walk, even as He walketh," John ii:6.
Mr.. Swift said:
The religion of Christ is something
more than a rule of faith. Hodges
Theology" "Calvin's Institutes" Au-
gustine's City of God" are not Chris
tianity; nor indeed are the Scriptures.
The very fact that truth has been re-
vealed and can be known comes with
1t the obligation to know it. But think
ing correctly, expressing the Thought
in the language of the schools. will not
save the world or the individual soul.
Christianity is a lfe--a power because
u life. Its beginning. its continuance,
it's end run parallel with correct
thought indeed. but there may be cor
rect thought without the life 1t stands
for, as there may be shadow without
substance.
HINGES ON FAITH.
While Christ here makes belief on
Him pivotal. He that believeth shall
be saved" while salvation hinges on
faith: while II is the condition of new
birth, the cradle in which infancy is
rocked, and. II is true. both the parent
and the offspring of knowledge grow
ing in strength proportionately with
Christian growth, yet Christ makes
faiths genuineness and truths power
manifest through Cody living. While
Christian life In its inception consists
in being i'm its correct manifestation
Il consists in doing. The evidence of
correct thinking is correct doing. lie
that saith he abideth in Him ought
himself also SO to walk even as He
walked" for Paul says in Ephesians:
BE ye therefore followers of God. as
dear children" where in the original Is
used our English word minnie imi-
tate God. study the life the character.
the example of God manifest in the
flesh and put your foot in the marks
We might spend the time very pro-
fitably considering the reasons why we
should initiate Jesus, because. first. He
is the. highest conceivable type OF hu-
manity and absolutely perfect model
after whom to pattern the life. or
again. because of the power His lie
would have over us as we received His
Impress, and because filled with His
spirit from studying His exalted char
acter or. again, because of the fact
that sin would become more and more
subjugated, as we become more per-
fectly filed with Christ. as we should
from wrapt contemplation of Him as
perfect pattern. or, one more. be-
cause Of the joy resulting from His in
forming as the hope of glory
MORE PRACTICAL VIEW.
But the view we wish to take is
more practical one. Let us consider
for a few moments some particulars
wherein we should initiate Him. Luth-
er SAYS it is mot Christs walking on
the sea. but His ordinary walk that
we are called on here to initiate" We
ought to initiate Jesus In His complete
surrender of His own will to the will
of God the Father. / shall not attempt
a discussion of the philosophical ques-
ton whether Christ possessed two wills
or one will, and whether if there were
two distinct wills there must not have
been two distinct persons, as well as
two natures | take II while such discus
sions may sharpen the intellect, they
can throw no light on the person Of
Jesus, as the same clouds and darkness
are over the union of duty and hu-
manity. as about the God whom by
searching we cannot find out. Let us
,1nt. oil 70 t,n
plain language of Scripture:
Jesus saith unto them. MY meat is
to do the will of him that sent me-; II
seek not mine own WILL but the will of
the Father which hath sent me-; For
l came down from heaven not to do
mine own will but the will of Him
that sent me-: 80, my Father, If 1t be
possible, let this cup pass from me,
nevertheless not as 1 will but as thou
wilt" He went away again the second
time, and again the third time. saying
the same words. from which 1t is evil
dent, whatever our theology may teach
us, that there was a struggle in the
heart of Christ, a temptation not to
submit to the will of God, tempta-
ton to rebel against the requirement Of
God, and that in this particular. as in
all others. He was tried as we are. and
in bending His will to the will of the
Father, He is to be our example. We
are in this particular to follow closely
in His footsteps.
Whenever the question arises, "What
shall ] do?" and on the one hand are
my preferences. and on the other the
clearly revealed will of God. there is to
be no hesitation In reaching decision,
since, like our Divine Lord. we have
come into this new world to do the
will of Him that sent us. But we are
to initiate Christ i'm passively enduring
Gods will. Not as l will, but as thou
wilt
SHRUNK FROM PAIN.
1t is not natural TO love suffering; we
shrink from pain, and Jesus was no en-
ception. He shrank from the trial: He
shrank from the crown of thorns; He
shrank from the cross-bearng. the
crucifixion the hiding of the Fathers
face from drinking of that cup over
flowing with bitterness and yet
through 1t all breathed the spirit of
submission to the Fathers will. If it
is His will that we go unto our own.
and our own receive us not; if IT is His
will that we SOW i'm tears and see here
no ripening harvest over which to re-
joice; II 1t is His will that we spend
much time in Gethsemane: If it is His
will that trials meet us: If. like Paul.
we go bound in the spirit unto Jeru-
salem. not knowing the things that
shall befall us there: If it is His will
that the thorn crowns of defeat in
stead of the gold crowns of victory
shall rest upon our brows: If ii Is His
will that we shall be buffeted when un-
deserving such treatment: If it is His
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