The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-10
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: Christ's Characteristic Earthly
Life Kcpleee With Beautiful Exam
ples-Practice Self Sacrifice and Hu-
lnility and Help Bear Burdens Of Others
Copyright lauu.l
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Tn this sermon.
which DR.. Talmage sends from Paris, he
analyzes the character of the Saviour and
urges all Christians to exercise the quail
ties which were conspicuous in Christ 8
earthly life. The text is Romans viii, 8:
"Now, if any man has not the spirit OF
Christ he is none of His"
There is nothing more desirable than a
pleasant disposition. Without 1T we can
not be hanpy ourselves or make Others
happy. When we have lost our temper
or become impatient under some light
cross, we suddenly awaken to new appre-
ciation of proper eouipoise of nature. We
wish we had been born with self balance.
we envy those people who bear themselves
through life without any perturbation. and
we natter 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 ini-
uuity not corrected will become the grand
father of whole generation of in:1uities::
So that people without the grace OF God
in the struggle and amid the annoyances
and exasperations of life are apt to be-
come worse instead of better.
| Now. the trouble is that we have the
ory abroad in the world that a mans dis
position cannot be changed. A man SAYS.
ri am irascihle in temper. and l can't
/ help it," Another man says. Il am re-.
vengeful naturally. and I can't help it,
! A man says. "T am imDulsive, and | can't
helm it," And he tells the truth No man
can correct his disposition. never knew
a man by force of resolution to change
! his treatment, but bv 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 con
version, are just the opposite of what they
used to be. In other words. we may, by
the spirit of God. have the disnosition Of
Jesus Christ implanted in our disnosition.
and we must have it done or we will never
see heaven. eff any man have not the
disposition of Jesus Christ, he is none OF
His"
In the first place. the spirit OF Christ
was a spirit of gentleness. Sometimes He
made wrathful utterance against Phari-
sees and hypocrites, but the most of His
words were kind and gentle and loving
| and inoffensiva and attractive. When we
consider the fact that He was omniDo-
tent. and could have torn to pieces His
assailants. the wonder is greater. We Of
| ten bear the persecution and abuse of the
world because we cannot help it. Christ
endured it when He could have helned it,
Little children who ALWAYS shy off alta
| rough man rushed into His presence and
clambered on Him until the people
begged Tle mothers to take them away.
| Invalids so sore with wounds that they
could not bear to have any one come near
them begged Christ just to nut His hand
upon the wound and soothe it. The
mother with the sickest child was willing
to put the little one in Christs arms.
Self-rightetrs people rushed into His
| presence with woman OF debased char
acter and said. "Now, annihilates her, blast
! her, kill her." Jesus looked at her and
saw she was sbrry and repentant. and He
looked at them, and He saw they were
proui and arrogant and malignant, and He
said, 'Iet him that is without sin cast the
first stone at her" A blind man sat by
the wavside making great ado about his
ND 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 II 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 stormiest winter loves to merge
into the sunshiny spring, so the most pre-
cipitate and impnlsive and irascible nature
loves to think Of the gentleness Of Christ.
| e L., &c HNrry No
tience in, treating 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 to encourage, the disheart.
ened or to take caro- of the poor. Even
our voice of sympathy is on the wrong
pitch. .'
Ny sister had her arm, put out of joint,
and we were in the country, and the
neighbors came in, and they were all sym
pathetic, and they laid hold of the arm
and pulled and pulled nightly until the
anguish was intolerable, but the arm did
not 90 to its place. Then the old country
doctor was sent for, and he came in. and
with one touch it was all right. He knew
just where to, put his finger and Just how
to touch the bone; We go out to our
Christian work with too rough hand
fail in our work, while some Christian,
in the gentleness of Christ, comes along.
put his hand of sympathy on the sore
spot, and the torn ligaments are healed,
and the disturbed bones are rejoined. On,
for this gentleness of Christ!
The dew of one summer night will ac-
complish more good than fifty Caribbean
whirlwinds. How important it is that in
going forth to serve Christ we have some
thing Of His gentleness! Is that the way
we bear ourselves when we are assaulted:
The rule is an eye for an eye, tooth for
tooth, retort for retort, sarcasm for sar:
casm. Give him as much as he sends:
After awhile you look up into the face OF
Christ, and you see His eentleness, and
you say, well, now, I must do different
you have your enemy in corner. You
will never get him in corner again. Chas-
tise him and then let him CO." So we
postpone the gentleness of Christ.
Did you ever know any difficulty to be
healed by acerbity or hyperGrlticlsm
About forty-fiye years ago the Presbyte:
rian Church was split into the new school
and the old school, The chasm got wider
and wider. The most outrageous person.
alitics were INDUCED in. Good men on
one side mathematical good men on the
other side. Wider and wider the chasm
got until after awhile some good people
tried another tack, and they began to ex,
plain away the difficulties, and soon all
the differences were healed, and at Pitts
burg they shook hands and are one now
to be one forever.
You say to man with whom you had
falling out, ~ despise you, He says
"I can't bear the sight of you" You say
to him, II never want you to come to my
house again" He says, IF you come t1
81. L.nSa amin I'll lick rnm ont :" Vol