Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-10-03
SERMON
Rev. Or. Ca|ln:a!s:

| Subject: Christ's Character-His Earthly
Life Ieplets with Beautiful Exam.
ples-Practiee Self Sacrifice and Hu-
inility and Help Bear Burdens of Others
fCopyrisht lsoo.l
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In 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, 9:
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 we have lost our temper
or become impatient under some light
cross, we suddenly awaken to new appre-
citation of proper eduipoise 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 f1atter 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
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-
duity not corrected will become the grand
father of a 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
ory abroad in the world that a mans dis
position cannot be changed. A man says.
Il am irascible in temper, and / can't
help it." Another man says, IT am re-
vengeful naturally, and I can't help it :"
A man says, "I am impulsive, and I can't
helm it." And he tells the truth. No man
can correct his disposition. l never knew
| man by force of resolution to change
his treatment, 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 con-
version, 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. '1f any man have not the
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
|. consider the fact that He was omnipo-
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 helped it.
Little children who ALWAYS shy off at a
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 put His hand
mother with the sickest child was willing
to put the little one in Christ's are"s.
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. and He
looked at them, and He saw they were
proul 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 wavside 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
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 stormiest winter loves to merge
into the sunshiny spring, so the most pre-
cipitate and impulsive and irascible nature
loves to think of the gentleness of Christ.
How little we have of it! How little pa
thence 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 care of the poor. Even
our voice of sympathy 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 sym
pathetic. and they laid hold of the arm
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 it was all right. He knew
Just where to put his finger and just how
to touch the bone. We go out to oar
Christian work with too rough a hand
and too unsympathetic manner, and we
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 igaments are healed,
and the disturbed bones are rejoined Oh,
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 9entleness! Is that the way
we bear ourselves when we are assaulted?
The rule is an eye for an eye, a tooth TOR
q 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 gentleness, and
you say, well, now, l must do different
ly." Then your proud heart says: Now
you have your enemy in a corner. You
will never get him in a 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 hypercritcism.
About forty-five years ago the Presbyte
rian Church was split into the new school |
and the old school. The chasm got wider |
alities 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
burg they shook hands and are one now |
to be one forever.
You say to a man with whom you had |
= falling out, Il despise you" He says. |
Il can't bear the sight of you" You say
to him, Il never want you to come to my |
my house again, III kick you out" You
say, 'I'll put you down" "Oh, no." he
says, 'I'll put you down" But some day
the spirit of Christ comes into you and |
you go over and say: MY brother, give
me your hand: time is short and eternity
is near, and we can't afford to quarrel
Now let bygones be bygones and let us act
like Christians" 1t is all settled. How
By the gentleness of Christ.
Did you ever know a drunkard re-
claimed by mimicry of his staggering steps,
bis thick tongue or his hiccough. No |
You only madden his brain. But you 90
to him and let him know you appreciate
what an awful struggle he has with the !
evil habit and you him know that you
have been acquail. d with people who |
we're down in the same depths who, by |
The grace of God, have been rescued. He |
hears your voice. he RESPONDS to that sym
,athx and he il saved You cannot scold |