Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-09-27
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER
OF THE SAVIOUR.
Christians Urged to Emulate the Quail
ties Which Were Conspicuous In
the Earthly Life and illustrations of
Jesus.

Copyright. 1900, by Louis illopsch)
In this sermon. which DR.. Talmage
sends from Paris. he analyses the
character of the Savior and urges all
Christians to exercise the qualities
which were conspicuous in Christ's
earthly life. The text is Romans viii,
8, Nov, If any man have not the
spirit of Christ. he Is none of his"
There is nothing more desirable
than pleasant disposition. Without
1t We cannot be happy. When we have
lost our temper or become impatient
under some light cross, we suddenly
awaken to new appreciation of prop
| er equipoise of nature. We wish we
had been born with self balance. We
envy those people who bear them
| selves through life without any per-
turbation, and we fiatter ourselves
that however little self control we
may now have. the time will come
under the process of years, when we
will be mellowed and softened and the
wrong things which are in us now will
then be all right, forgetful of the fact
that an evil habit in our nature will
grow into larger proportions and that
an iniquity not corrected will become
the grandfather of a whole genera
ton of iniquities. So that people with
out the grace of God in the struggle
and amid the annoyances and exas-
perations of life are apt to become
worse instead Of better.
Now, the trouble is that we have a
theory abroad in the world that a
mans disposition cannot be changed.
A man says, 81 am irascible in tenn
per, and I can't help It," Another man
says, 81 am revengeful naturally, and
/ can't help It," A man says, II am
impulsive, and I can't help it." And
he tells the truth. No man can correct
his disposition. I never knew man
by forcee of resolution to change his
temperament, but by his grace God
can take away that which Is wrong
and put in that which is right, and /
know and you know people who since
their conversion are just the opposite
of what they used to be. In other
words, we may by the spirit Of God
have the disposition of Jesus Christ
implanted in our disposition, and we
must have 1t done or we will never
see heaven. "If any man has not the
disposition of Jesus Christ, he is none
Of his"
A Spirit of Gentleness.
In the first place the spirit of Christ
was spirit of gentleness. Sometimes
he made wrathful utterances against
Pharisees and hypocrites, but the most
of his words were kind and gentle
and loving and inoffensive and at
tractive. When we consider the fact
that he was omnipotent and could
have torn to pieces his assailants, the
wonder is greater. We often bear the
persecution and abuse of the world
because we cannot help it. Christ en-
dured it when he could have helped it.
Little children who always shy off at
rough man rushed into his presence
and clambered on him until the peo-
pie begged the mothers to take them
| away. Invalids sore with wounds that
they could not bear to have any one
come near them begged Christ just to
| put his hand upon the wound and
soothe it. The mother with the sick
est child was willing to put the little
one in Christ's arms. Self righteous
people rushed into his presence with
a woman Of debased character and
said, Now, annihilate her, blast her,
kill her." Jesus looked at her and saw
she was sorry and repentant, and he
looked at them, and he saw they were
proud and arrogant and malignant,
and he said, Let him that is without
sin cast the first stone at her." A
blind man sat by the wayside making
a great to do about his lack of vision.
They told him to hush up and not
bother the Master. Christ stopped to
him and said, What wilt thou that l
do unto thee?" Gentleness of voice,
gentleness of manner. gentleness Of
life.
The Hand OF Sympathy.
My sister had her arm out Of joint
and we were in the country, and the
neighbors came in, and they were all
| sympathetic, and they laid hold of the
arm and pulled and pulled nightly
until the anguish was intolerable; but
the arm did not go to its place. Then
the old country doctor was sent for,
and he came in and with one touch
1t was all right. He knew just where
to put his finger and just how to touch
the bone. We go out to Christian work
with too rough hand and too unsym-
pathetic manner, and we fail in our
work, while some Christian, in the
| gentleness of Christ comes along, puts
his hand Of sympathy on the sore spot
the torn ligaments are healed and
the disturbed bones are rejoined. Oh,
for this gentleness of Christ
The dew of one summer night will
accomplish more good than fifty
Caribbean whirlwinds. How import
ant it is that in going forth to serve
Christ we have something of his gen.
| tleness! Is that the way We bear our
! selves when we are assaulted? The
rule is an eye for an eye, tooth for
a tooth, retort for retort, sarcasm for
| sarcasm. Give him as much as he
sends After awhile you look up into
the face of Christ, and you see his gen.
I, tleness, and you say, well, now,
must do differently" Then your proud
heart says: Now, you have your enc