The age-herald., 1900-01-08
CHRIST AS THE
 STAFF OF LIFE Sunday Sermon at the Cumber- land Presbyterian Church DR. STEELE'S ABLE LESSON Sustaining Power of the Savior to the Soul Likened Unto Food to the
 Body-A Beautiful
 Smile,
DR. STEELE'S ABLE LESSON

Rev I. D. Steele preached to large con- gregation yesterday morning at the Cum berland Presbyterian church. He chose ihis text from John vi.-5:1: T am the living bread' He said in part
 "Christ Is set forth in the Bible as all in all to lost world. In many types, shad- ows and symbols He is seen. He is here declared to be the bread of life. This ser mon that Christ preached grew out of re- marks on mama, which the Jews ate in the wilderness. It was said, notwithstand- ing they ate the mama, it did not sustain life forever. But if any man eat this bread he shall live forever Bread is to sustain the physical nature. Providence has made the greatest provision for the natural man. We see this bounty in the air. water, fruits and general food the earth yields It is reasonable to suppose He would provide for the more important part of man-the spir- itual nature. This He has done in making Christ the mediator, the savior of sinners.
 Bread is prepared by an intelligent, de- signing mind, made with a knowledge of mans natural needs. It is not picked up on the crust of the earth, or from the wa ters, as something that happened to be there. It is made by designing hand with knowledge of mans bodily needs. So, Christ, our Savior, was designed to give life and strength to the human soul. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us' Sacrifices and offerings thou wouldst not, but body hast thou prepared me-
 Has Two Elements
 Bread or food, has two elements-the visible and the invisible. Take away the invisible and you rob it of its strength giving power. Christ has the human the visible in him.
 "He hungered, was tired and wept like other men. He also had the invisible. the divine nature. the power of the mighty God A saviour without a divinity is a human saviour, but not able to save sinners such as we all are. Rob Jesus of Ills Divinity. and then the Gospel is a sounding brass. But He is able to eive life eternal to all who will trust Him.
 ''Bread is necessity. When say bread, of course I mean food. It cannot be dis pensed with. The table may have all the fine cut glass, silverware and linen that civilization affords but without food, it is all a mockery to a hungry man. What the hungry man wants is not so much fine table display, but something to eat What the man in his sins, sorrow and failures what he needs, say is a living saviour to lift his burden of guilt, and give peace and soul rest.
 "All the great display in churches of fine church ceremonies and brilliant rooms and fine seats, all this is but mockery to the sinful world, if there be no saving Christ in | it. am afraid the richer we get as church people the greater our display, the less vital | religion there is in it.
 Pretty Smile
 'The table with all its brilliant appoint ments, without any food on it, is the church with great, costly display and no saviour 1 of sinners in it. He is essential to saving from sin. He is as real as bread. "There are many spiritual dyspepucs in | the world. A dyspeptic Is one who has his system deranged by putting in too many | non-essentials in his food-seasoned too l rich and too much. They cannot eat any, | thing. Many Christians have seasoned l their religion with too many things of the world. They do not like Gospel preaching. l It must be glaced with eloquence, decorated with poetry, gilded with rhetoric, and sea- I soned with logic if they come at all to hear 1 dt They need more of Christ and less of l self-dmporrance."
 pr. Steele closed the sermon with illustra- tions of strength and weakness in the Christian life and an offer of salvation to all. There were number of additions to the church at the close of the service.