Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-09-28
REV, DR.. TALMAGE.
THE EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.

| Subject: Christ's Characteristic Earthly
Life Replete with Beautiful Exam
ples-Practice Self Sacrifice and HUI
mility and Help Bear Burdens of Others
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, ID. Gin this sermon,
which Dr. Talmage sends from Paris, he
analyses the character of the Saviour, and
| urges all Christians to exercise the quail
| ties which were conspicuous in Christ s
earthly life. The text is Romans viii, g.:
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 it we can
| not be happy ourselves or make others
happy. When VIC have lost our temper
or become impatient under some light
cross, We suddenly awaken to new appre-
| citation OF prOper eauipoise of nature. We
wish we had been born with self balance,
we envy those reoplc 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 he 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 I'M
ouity not corrected will become the grand
father of whole generation of iniquities.
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
DRY abroad in The world that n mans dis
position cannot be changed A man says.
~ am rasciblo III temper and | can't
help it," Another man says. II am re-
vengeful naturally. and ! cant help It >
A man says, 81 am .impnlsive, and | can't
helm it," And he tells the truth. No man
can correct his disposition. I never knew
man by force Of resolution to change
his treatment, hut bv 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 con-
version, are just the opposite of what they
used to he. in other words. we may, by
the spirit of God. have the disposition of
Jesus Christ implanted in our disposition.
and VIC must have it done or we will never
see heaven. "Tf any man have not the
disposition of Jesus Christ, ne is none of
His
In the first place. the spirit of Christ
was spirit of gentIeness. Sometimes He
sees and hypocrites, hut the most of His
words were kind and gentle and loving
and lnoffensve and attractive. When we
consider the fact that He was omnino-
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 helDed it,
Little children who ALWAYS shy off at
rough man rushed into His presence and
clambered on Him until the people
begged the mothers TO take them away.
lnvalids 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 soothc it. The
mother with the sickest child was willing
to put the little one in Chrst's arms.
Self-righteous people rushed into His
presence with woman Of debased char
acter and said "Now, annihilate her. blast
her, kill her" Jesus looked at her and
saw she was sorry and repentant. aud He
prou and arrogant and malignant and He
said, Let him that is without sin cast the
first stone at her" a blind man sat bv
the wavside making 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, gentlcness of life
We all admire it whether we have any
of it or not just as the rough mountain
bluff and the SCARED cras love to look
down into the calm lake at their feet and
as the stormjest winter loves to merge
into the sunshiny spring, so the most pre-
cipitate and impulsive and irascible nature
10 &c {,o Df OF
How little we have of IT. How little pa
thence in treating with enemies! We
have SO little oe 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
cned or to take care 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 lntolerable, but the arm did
not go 10 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 90 out to our
and too unsympathetic manner. and we
fail in our work, while some Christian,
in the gentleness of Christ. comes along,
put his land OF sympathy on the sore
spot, and the torn ligaments are healed,
and the disturbed bones are reJoned. Oh,
for this genteness OF Christ,
The dew of one summer night will &C
;omplish more good than fifty Caribbean
How important it is that in |
going forth 10 serve Christ we have some
hing of His gentleness. Is that the way |
we bear ourselves when VIC are assaulted? !
The rule is an eye for an eye, tooth for |
/ tooth. retort for retort, sarcasm for sar- |
assn. Give him as much as he sends! |
After awhile you look up into the face of |
Christ, and you see His gentleness, and |
'ou say, well, now. | must do different
y" Then your proud heart says: Now |
iou have your enemy in q corner You |
will never get him in corner again. Chas-
Use him and then let him CO. So we
postpone the gentleness of Christ
Did you ever know any difficulty TO be
lealed by acerbity or hypercriticism?
About forty-fve years ago the Presbyte-
ian Church was split into the new school
md the old school. The chasm got wider
md wider The most outrageous person
lities were INDUCED in. Good men on
me side mathematical good men on the
'ther side. Wider and wider the chasm
ot until after awhile some good people
ried another tack, and they began to ex-
Jain away the difficulties, and soon all
he differences were healed. and at Pitts
urg they shook hands and arc one now
o be one forever.
You say to a man with whom you had
falling out, Il despise you" He says,
/ can't bear the sight of you" You say
0 him, 81 never want you to come to my
ouse again" He says, IF you come to
~ house again, III kick you out" You
~, 'I'll put you down "Oh, no" he
lys, 'T'll put you down" But some day
ne spirit of Christ comes into you and