The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-05
THE RADIANT CHRIST
DR.. TALMAGE'S ANALYSIS OF THE
CHARACTER OF THE SAVIOUR
Christians Urged to Emulate the Quail
tiles which Were Conspicuous I'm the
Earthly Life and Illustrations of
Jesus.

In this srmon, which DR.. Talmage
sends from Paris, he analyses the char
acter of the Saviour and urges all
Christians 10 exercise the qualities
which were conspicuous in Christ
earthly life. The e K is Romans viii,
Snow, if any man have not the spirit
of Christ, he is n OF his"
There is nothing more desirable than
a pleasant disposition. Without it we
connot be happy ourselves or make
others happy. When we have lost our
temper or become impatient under some
light ross we suddenly awaken TO new
appreciation Of proper equipoise of ma
twe. We wish we had been born with
self balance. We envy those people
who bear themselves through life with
out any perturbation, and we f1atter
ourselves that however little self con-
troll 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 then be all right, forgetful OF the
fact that an evil habit in u nature
will grow into larger proportions and
that an iniquity not corrected Will be-
come grandfather of a whole generation
Of iniquities. So that people without
the grace OF God in the struggle and
amid the annoyances and e~xasperations
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. = man
says, II am irascible in temper, and I
can't help it." Another man says, Il
nm rauanpefuI naturally and can't
help it." A man says. Il am impul-
pulsive. and / can help it" And he
tells the truth. No man can correct
his disposition. 1 never knew a 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 I know
and you know people who since their
conversion are just the opposite OF
what they use 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.
eff any man has not the disposition OF
Of Jesus Christ. he is none OF his"
A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS.
In the first place the spirit of Christ
was a 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 inoffensive and attractive.
When we consider the fact that he was
omnipotent and could have torn to
pieces his assailants. the wonder Is
greater. We often bear the perSecu-
ton and abuse of thu world
We cannot help it. Christ endured
it when he could have help it. Little
children who always shy OF at a 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 anyone come
near them begged Christ just to put
his hand upon the wound and Soothe
it. The mother with the sickest 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"
Jesus looked at her and saw she was
sorry and r~epentant, and he looked at
them, and he saw they were proud 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 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 will thou that I do into
IIlSS NCIElISIISSS VI NISCI SOhNANANS~
of manner, g~entleness 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 sun
shiny spring, so the most precipitate
and impulsive and irascible nature
loves to think Of the gentleness Of
Christ. How little we have OF 1t! How
little patients 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
d~isheartened or to take care Of the poor
Even our voice of sympathy is on the
wrong pitch.
THE HAND OF SYMPATHY.
My sister had her hand put out Of
jOint, and we were in the country and
the neighborS came in. and they were
all sympathetic, and they laid hold OF
the arm and pulled and pulled might
ily 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 a hand and too
ulACE ALDGulAACNAS a Gill soAA0 w AOAA III
our work. while some Christian in the
gentlenesS Of Christ, comes along, puts
his hand OF sympathy or the sore spot
the torn ligamentS are healed and
the disturbed bones ere r%ejoint
for this gentleness Of Christ.
The dew OF one summer night Will &C
complish more good than so Caribbean
vhirlwinds. How important it is that in
going forth to serve Christ we have
something of his gentleneSS! Is that
the way we bear ourselves when we are
assaulted? The rule is an eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth, retort for re-
tort, sarcasm for sarcasm Give him
as much as he sends, After awhile
you look up into the face of Christ, and
you see his g~entleness, and you say,
"Wer, now, I must do differently"
Then your proud heart says: Nov
you have your enemy in a corner. You
win never get him in u corner again
Chastise him, and then let him 60" So
We postpone the g~entleness of Christ.
Did you ever know any difficulty to be
healed b acerbity Of hypercrdticism?
Abou As years ago the Presbyterian