Connecticut western news., 1900-09-27
CHRISTS CHARACTER
ca. TALMAGE URGES CHRISTIANS TO
 EMULATE IT..

CR. TALMAGE URGES CHRiS FANS ID
 EMULATE IT.
 tifua Exanples-Fracttce Self Sac rffee and Humility and Help Bear DurSsns of Others.
 WASHINGTON, Sept. R.-In this ser mon, which Dr. Talmage sends from Paris, he analyses the character of the Saviour and urges all Christians to ex- ercise the qualities which were con- spacueas in Christ's earthly life. The text is Romans viii, 0, .Now, if any man has not the sp4rit of Christ he Is nene of his:"
 There is nothing more desirable than . pleasant disposition. Without 1t we cannot be happy ourselves or make others happy. When we have Lost our temper or become impatient under some light cross, we suddenly awaken to new appreciation of proper eqni- poiss of nature We wish we had been born with self balance, we envy those people who bear themselves through life without any perturbations and we hatter ourselves that, however little self control we may now have. the time will come, under the process of years, when we wW be mellowed and soften sd and the wrong things which are in as now will then be all right, forgetful of the fact that an evil habit In our na- tiire will grow into larger proportions and that an iniquity not corrected will become the grandfather of whole gen. sration of iniquities. So that people without the grace of God in the strug- gle and amid the annoyances and ex- asperatNons of life are apt to become worse instead of better.
 Now, the trouble Is that we have Q theory abroad in the world that Q mans disposition cannot be changed. A man says, 'I am irascible in temper, md can't help it." Another man says, Il am revengeful naturally, and I rant help It." A man says, '1 am i'm pulsive, and can't help f." And he tells the truth. No man can correct his disposition. I never knew a man by force 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 I 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 hor ,ntt ho jS- position of Jesus Christ, he Is none of his."
 CArist's Gentle Spirit.
 In the first place, the spirit of Christ was . spirit of Eentleness. Sometimes he made wrathful utterance against Pharisees and hypocrites, but the most of his words were kind and gentle and loving and inofrensive and attractive. When we consider the fact that he was emnipotent and could have torn 10 pieces his assailants, the wonder is greater. We often bear the persecu- ton and abuse of the world because we cannot help 1t. Christ endured 1t when he could have helped 1t. Little children who always shy off at rough man rushed into his presence and clam bered on him until the people begged the mothers to take them away. In valitis so sore with wounds that they near them begged Christ just to put bis hand upon the wound and soothe it. The mother with the sickest 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." Je- sus looked at her and saw she was sorry and repentant. and he looked at them and be saw they were proud and arrogant and malignant, and he said, Let him that Is without sin cast the drst stone at her." A blind man sat bv the wnyside making a great ado about his lack of vision. They told ht:1 10 hush up and not bother the Mastek Christ stopped to him and said, What wilt thou that do unto theer Geotleness of voice, gentleness of manner, gentleness of life.
 We all admire it whether we have any of 1t or not. Just as the rough mountain bluff and the scared crag love to look down into the calm lake at their feet and as the stormiest winter loves to merge into the sunshiny spring, e the most precipitate and .impulsive and irascibie nature loves to think of the gentleness of Christ. How little we have of it! How little patience In treating with enemies! We have SC little of the gentleness of Christ we are not fit for Christian work half the time. We dc not know bow to comfort the bereft or to encourage the disheartened or to take care of the poor. Even our voice of sympathy Is on the wrong pitch.
 My sister had her arm put out o1 joint, and we were in the country, and the neighbors came in, and they were all sympathetic, and they laid hold o1 the arm and pulled and pulled might fly until the anguish was intolerable but the arm did not go to its place Then the old country doctor was sen for, and he came in, and with on, touch 1t was all right. He knew jus where to put his finger and just how t touch the bone. We go out to ou
 
 Christian work with too rough a hant and too unsympathetic manner, ant we fail in our work, while some Chris tian. iD the gentleness of Christ, come along. puts his hand of sympathy ol the sore spot, and the torn ligament are healed, and the disturbed bone are rejoined. Oh, for this gentlenes of Christ!
 Act Like Christians.
 The dew of one summer night vii accomplish more good than 50 Carit bean whirlwinds. How important 1t 1 that In going forth to serve Christ " have something of his gentleness! l that the way we bear ourselves whe we are assaulted? The rule Is an ey for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, retor for retort, sarcasm for sarcasm. Civ him as much as he sends! After awhil