Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-11-02
CHRIST'S CHARACTER
DR.. Talmage Speaks Of the Earthly
Life of the Savior.
Christians Urged to Emulate Qunii-
Ties which Were Most Conspicu-
ous-The Spirit of Hard
Work.
copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch.l |

sends from Paris, he analyzes the char
acter of the Saviour and urges all
Christians to exercise the qualities
which were conspicuous in Christs
earthly life. The text is Romans $50:
snow, If any man have not the spirit
of Christ, he is none of His"
There is nothing more desirable than
a pleasant disposition. Without it we
cannot be happy ourselves or make
others happy. When we have lost our
temper or become impatient under
some light GROSS, 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
flatter 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 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 will
become the grandfather of a whole
generation of iniquities. So that peo-
pie without the grace OF God in the
struggle and amid the annoyances and
exasperations 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: 81 am irascible in tenn
per, and can't help It." Another man
says: 81 am revengeful naturally, and
can't help it." A man says: II am
impulsive, and can't help it." And he
tells the truth. No man can correct
his disposition. l never knew man
by force of resolution to change his
temperament, but by 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
conversion are just the opposite oi
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
st done or we will never see Heaven
"If any man has not the disposition o.
Jesus Christ, he is none of His"
In the first place the spirit of Chris
was spirit of gentleness. Sometime:
He made wrathful utterances against
Phariseee and hypocrites, but the mos
of His words were kind and gentle ant
loving and inoffensive. When we con
slider the fact that He was omnipoten
and could have torn to pieces His as
sailants, the wonder is greater. w,
often bear the persecution and abus,
of the world because we cannot hell
1t. Christ endured it when He coult
have helped it. Little children who al
ways shy off at a rough man rushed
into His presence and clambered oil
Him until the people begged the moth
ers to take them away. Invalids 81
sore with wounds that they could no
bear to have anyone come near then
begged Christ just to put His han'
upon the wound and soothe it. TIL
mother with the sickest child was will
ing to put the little one in Christ
arms. Self-righteous people rushe,
into His presence with woman Of de
based character and said: "Now, an
initiate her, blast her, kill her." Jesu
looked at her and saw she was sorr.
and repentant, and He looked at then
and He saw they were proud and AFRO
CANT, and He said: "Let him that
without sin cast the first stone at her.
A blind man sat by the wayside maxim
a great ado about his lack of visior
They told him to hush up and no
bother the Master. Christ stopped t
him and said: "What wilt thou that
do unto thee?" Gentleness of voic,
gentleness Of manner, gentleness Q
life.
We all admire 1t, whether we hav
any Of 1t or not. Just as the roug
mountain bluff and the Scared era
love to look down into the calm lake a
their feet and as the stormiest winte
loves TO merge into sunshiny spring
so the most precipitate and impulsiy
and irascible natures love to think c
the gentleness Of Christ. How littl
we have of it! How little patience
treating with enemies! We have S
little of the gentleness Of Christ we al
not fit for Christian work half til
time. We do not know how to comfoi
the bereft or encourage the dishear
ened or to take care of the poor. Eve
our voice of sympathy is on the wron
pitch.
My sister had her arm put out
Joint, and we were in the country. an
the neighbors came in, and they we,
all sympathetic, and they laid hold
the arm and pulled nightly until II
anguish was intolerable; but IL
arm did not go to its place. Then IL
country doctor was sent for, and
came in and with one touch it was a
| AiSh's Aic hhSW Jusb WHtTc 10 DuL III
finger and just how to touch the bon
We go out to our Christian work wit
too rough hand and too unsympathe
&c manner, and we fail in our wor
while some Christian, in the gentlene
of Christ, comes along, puts his har
of sympathy on the sore spot-tl
torn ligaments are healed and the di
turbed bones are rejoined. Oh for tn
gentlsness of Christ.
The dew of our summer night will a
complish more than 50 Carribbes
whirlwinds. How important it is tht
In going forth to serve Christ we ha'
something of His gentleness! Is th
the way we bear ourselves when we a.
assaulted? The rule is an eye for Z
eye, a tooth for tooth, retort for +
tort, sarcasm for sarcasm. Give him
much as he ssndsl After awhile "