The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-09-28
CHRIST'S CHARACTER
DR.. Talmage Speaks of the Earthly
Life of the Savior.
Christians Urged 30 Emulate Quail
ties Which Were Most Conspicu-
Ous-The Spirit of Hard
Work.
Copyright, 1900. by Louis KIOpsch.l


which were conspicuous in Christ
earthly life. The text is Romans $50
"Now, if any mani have not the spiri
of Christ, he is none of His"
There is nothing more desirable thar
pleasant disposition. Without it WI
cannot be happy ourselves or make
others happy When we have lost oul
temper or become impatient under
some light cross, we suddenly awaken
TO new appreciation of proper equi
poise of nature. We wish we had beer
born with self balance. We envy those
people who bear themselves through
life without any perturbation and we
hatter 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 be all right, forgetful
of the fact that an evil habit in our ma
ture will grow into larger proportions
and that an iniquity not corrected will
become the grandfather of a whole
generation of iniquities. So that peo-
pie without the grace of God in the
struggle and amid the annoyances and
exasperations of life are apt to become
worse instead of better.
Now, the trouble is that we have a
theory abroad in the world that
mans disposition cannot be changed.
A man says; 81 am irascible in tenn
per, and l can't help it," Another man
says: 81 am revengeful naturally, and
I can't help it," A mar says: 81 am
impulsive, and I can't help it," And he
tells the truth No man can correct
his disposition. l never knew 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 l 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
it done or we will never see Heaven.
''If any man has not the disposition of
Jesus Christ, he is none of His"
In the first place the spirit of Christ
was spirit of gentleness. Sometimes
He made wrathful utterances against
Phariseee and hypocrites, but the most
of His words were kind and gentle and
loving and inoffensve. When we con-
slider the fact that He was omnipotent
and could have torn to pieces His as
sailants, the wonder is greater. We
often bear the persecution and abuse
of the world because we cannot help
1t. Christ endured it when He could
have helped it. Little children who al
ways shy off at a rough man rushed
into His presence and clambered on
Him until the people begged the moth
ers to take them away. Invalids so
sore with wounds that they could not
bear to have anyone come near them
begged Christ just to put His hand
upon the wound and soothe 1t. The
mother with the sickest child was will
ing to put the little one in Christ's
arms. Self-righteous people rushed
into His presence with a woman of de-
based character and said: Now, an
initiate 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 AFRO
giant, 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 ado 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
do unto thee?" Gentleness of voice,
gentleness of manner, gentleness of
life.
We all admire it, whether we have
any of it 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 stormest winter
loves to merge into sunshiny spring,
SO the most precipitate and impulsive
and irascible natures love to think of
the gentleness of Christ. How little
we have of it'll How little patience in
trea ting with enemieS We have so
little of the gentleness of Christ we are
not fit for Christian work half the
time. We do not know how to comfort
the bereft or encourage the disheart-
ened or to take care of the poor. Even
our voice of sympa thy is on the,wrong
pitch.
My sister had her arm put 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 nightly until the
anguish was intolerable; but the |
arm did not go to its place. Then the
country doctor was sent for, and he |
came in and with one touch it was all |
right. He knew just where to put his |
Anger and just how to touch the bone. |
We go out to our Christian work with |
too rough ahand and too unsympathet- |
10 a 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 dis |
turbed bones are rejoined. Oh, for this |
gentleness of Christ.
The dew of our summer night will &C !
,ompish more than so Caribbean /
How important it is that /
IN going forth to serve Christ we have
of His Uentlenesst Is that /