The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-10-24

WASHINGTON, - 't.-tn lnlS SCI
mon, which DR.. Talmage sends from
Paris, he analyZes the character Of the
Saviour and urges all Christians to cz-
ercise the qualities which were CON
spicuous In Christ's 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
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 equi-
poise of nature. We wish we had been
born with self balance, we envy these
Deople who bear themselves through
life without any perturbation, and We
fatter ourselves that, however little
self control we may now have. the time
will come, under the process Of years.
when we will be meliowed and soften
ed and the wrong things which are IN
us now will then 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 VIII
become the grandfather of whole gen
Grafton Of iniquities. So that people
without the grace of God in the strug-
Gle and amid, the annoyances and ex-
asperations Of life are apt to become
worse instead Of better.
Now, the trouble IS that we have
theory abroad In the world that g
mans disposition cannot be changed.
A man says, Il am irascible In temper,
and I can't help It," Another man says.
81 am revengeful naturally. and
can't help It," man says. Il am I'M
pulsive, and can't help it, And he
tells the truth No man can correct
his disposition. | never knew a man
bv force Of resolution to change his
temperamenr. but. by his grace Gcd
can take away that which is wrong
and put In that which Is right. and
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 have not the dis
position of Jesus Christ, be is none OF
his"
Chrtst'x Gentle Spirit.
In the first place. the spirit of Christ
was a spirit of gentleness. Sometimes
he made wrathful utterance against
Pbarisees and hypocrites. but the most
of his words were kind and gentle aud
loving and irofrensive and attractive.
When we consider the fact that he
was omuipotent and could have torn
to pieces his aSsailants, the wonder is
greater. We often bear the persecu-
ton and abuse of the world because
we cannot help it. Christ endured 1t
when be could have helped it. 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
valids so sore with wounds that they
could not bear to have any one come
near them begged Christ just to put
his hand upon the wound and Soothe it.
The mother with the sickcst 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 be 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. geDtleness
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 sunShlny spring.
so the most precipitate and impulsive
and irascible nature loves to think Of
the gentleness' Of Christ. How little
we have Of it! How little patience in
treating with enemiesi 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 Gtsheartened
or to take care Of the poor. Even our
voice of sympathy IS Oh the wrong
pitch:
My sister had her arm put out Of
Joint, and We were Ia the country, and
the neighbors came in. and they We're
all sympathetic and they laid hold Of
the arm and pulled and pulled might
lily until the 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 our
Christian work with too rough band
and too unsympathetic manner, and
we fail in our work. while some Chris
tan. in the gentleness Of Christ. comes
along, puts his hand Of sympathy on
the sore spot. and the torn lisaments
are healed and the disturbed bones
are rejoined. Oh, for this gentleness
of Christ!
Act Like Christians.
The dew Of one summer night Will
accomplish more good than 81 Carib-
bean whirlwinds. How important 1t Is
that in going forth to serve Christ we
have something of his gentleness! Is
that the WY we bear ourselves when
we are assaulted? The rule is an eye
for an eye, tooth for tooth, rctor!
for retort, sarcasm for sarcasm. Give