Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-09-29
ST'SCHARACTER
Or. TALmAGE URGES CHRISTIANS TO
EMULATE IT.


His Earthly Life Repiete With Beau
tiful ExampIes-Practice Self Sac
rince and Humility and Help Bear
Burdens of Others.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23.-In this SER
mon, which DR.. Talmage sends from
Paris, he analyses the character of the
Saviour and urges all Christians to ex.
ercise the qualities which were con-
spicuous In Christ's earthly life. The
text Is Romans viii. 0, "Now, II any
man has not the spirit Of Christ he is
none Of his" e
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 those
people who bear themselves through
life without any perturbation, and we
fiatter 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 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-
ASPIRATIONS of life are apt to become
worse instead Of better.
Now, the trouble is that we have a
theory abroad In the world that a
mans disposition cannot be changed.
A man says. II am irascible In temper,
and can't help It." Another man says,
81 am revengeful naturally, and
can't help It." A man says. II am Inn
pulsive, and I can't help It." And he
tells the truth. No man can correct
his disposition. l never knew a man
by force of resolution to change his
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 have not the dis
position of Jesus Christ, he Is none of
his"
Chrfst's Gentle Spirit.
In the first place, the spirit Of Christ
was n spirit Of gentleness. Sometimes
he made wrathful utterance against
PharIsees and hypocrites. but the most
of his words were kind and gentle and
loving and lnoffensive and attractive.
When we consider the fact that be
was omnipotent and could have torn
10 pieces his assallants, the wonder is
greater. We often bear the persecu-
ton and abuse Of the world because |
we cannot help 1t. Christ endured 1t
when he could have helped 1t. Little
children who always shy off at rough |
nan rushed into his presence and clam
,ered on him until the people begged |
he mothers to take them away. In
1allds so sore with wounds that they |
,ould not bear to have any one come
lear them begged Christ just to put
lis hand upon the wound and soothe II.
rhe mother with the sickest child |
vas willing to put the little one In
Jhrlst's arms. Self righteous people
ushed into bis presence with woman
# debased character and said. "Now,
her, blast her. kill her." Je-
us looked at her and saw she was
orry and repentant, and he looked at
hem and he saw they were proud and
rrogant and malignant, and he said,
Let him that is without sin cast the
Irst stone at her." blind man sat
" the wayslde making a great ado
bout his lack of vision. They told
lin to hush up ard not bother the
faster. Christ stopped to him and
aid. "What wilt thou that do unto
hee?" Gentleness of voice, geDtleness
T manner. gentleness Of life.
We all admire II whether we have
ny of 1t or NOT Just as the rough
fountain bluff and the SCARED crag
Dve to look down into the calm lake at
heir feet and as the stormlest winter
Dves to merge into the sunshiny spring,
o the most precipitate and impulsive
nd lrascible nature loves to think Of
be gentleness Of Christ How little
ge have Of It'll How little patience in
reating with enemiesl We have so
tile of the gentleness of Christ we are
OF fit for Christian work half the time.
We do not know how to comfort the
ereft or to encourage the disbeartened
r to take care Of the poor. Even our
oice of sympathy is on the wrong
itch.
My sister had her arm put out Of
pint. and we were in the country. and
be neighbors came in. and they were
II sympathetic. and they laid hold Of
be arm and pulled and pulled might
y until the anguish was intolerable,
ut the arm did not 60 to its place.
hen the old country doctor was sent
DR., and he came in, and with one
ouch 1t was all right. He knew just
here to put mis- finger and just how to
ouch the bone. We 60 out to our
hristian work with too rough hand
nd too unsympathetic a manner, and
'e fail in our work, while some Chris
an, In the gentleness of Christ comes
long, puts his hand of sympathy on
ne sore spot. and the torn ligaments
re healed, and the disturbed bones
re rejoined. Oh, for this gentleness {
[ Christ!
Act Like Christiana.
-L.-