The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-10


ent, yesterday, at the iO:45 a. m. service
In the Benehcent Congregational church
and a special program OF music was rem
dered by the regular choir.
The pulpit was occupied by the pastor.
Rev. Asbury l.. Krom, and he spoke elo-
uuently and impressively. his text and dis
course being as follows:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples: IF
any man will come after Me. let him
deny himself take up his cross and foi-
low me-" Matthew. 1924.
IL we were to study these words OF
of His sayings we could give many roa-
sons that may have existed In the Mas
ters mind for uttering the words OF our
text. III we multiplied the reasons we
might accidentally discover the true one.
IL might or might not aid US I'm reaching
q true Interpretation of them.
Ii is "A more profitable task, In the be-
ginning. TO give our reason for choosing
these words rather than TO attempt 10
give tho supposed reason OF Christ for
uttering them. They ought To appeal TO
us. hrst OF all because they represent TO
who does not i'm some measure deny him
self, who does not at some time assume
some part of his cross, who has not MADE ,S
He may not have done this as a man
without adjectives, namely In a religious
sense. He has done It as a business man
or as a professional man. Perhaps all
OF US are In some measure endeavoring TO
our experience. therefore. should throw
light on our text and help us 10 see
better the teaching OF Jesus. not I'm the
tion to life as whole.
The text has the advantage, therefore;
OF possessing a familiarity that is bred
out OF our common, every day walk ana
talk.
But there is a second appeal II makes
10 us which Is even more significant This
significance springs from the fact that IL
does not appeal 10 any one isolated rae
IT has meaning for the whole man and
for his. whole life, from, the time OF his
this life are laid aside. The naturalness
or the text prepared us for and rounds
out It's wholeness
take a glimpse at life as whole. one
OF the dangers OF such an hour as this
IS forced TO take one aspect OF life and
deal with IL as though that We're the
Whole Of life and and the en sum t toa the OF
tions In the minds of some people from
single sermon.
New York has not been asked TO preach
in Appleton chanel at Harvard because
but two or three sensa tional sermons IN
his life, and Is. on the whole. the post
dignihed.. conservative preacher In this
a man mentions evolution higher crit-
cism, modern scholarship and the people
VINO nave OeIOTe t0OuEnf MIN OflnouoN
and one OF the saints jump to the con-
clusion that he is perhaps blatant In
fldel- So great is the, danger IN which
are all placed of being misunderstood
nv being forced 10 emphasize now one
side. now that OF truth which is SO
the time OF eternity would be required TO
voice II In Its completeness
VIRTUES OF sETF-DENIAL.
IF any man would come after, Me. let
him deny himself. Some people never
get farsher Than thst III II their oG Tesoys loys
ever gets them beyond that point OF
smoothing over this rough place TO be
ss6ee Il fs s o Sp hs 10 hs IS il ta
ing that we as individuals do not pass
this point when we recall that S for .on,ai eeni
to as escape sag"ff from the the world and live in a
hsrnow pSh Sf hs ed ed He o the rone Of
God.
The stringent periods of history are fol-
lowed by times of laxity just as the ply
sician applies healing. soothing oint-
ment after heroic treatment. The pen
dulum never starts to swing that it
doesn't go to the other extreme. Today
we deplore the lack OF Sabbath observ-
snce. Read the lesson 60 Of history t,, r,,n, and
of d" the difficulty and perhaps the best.
with Tph irg emphasized has self-denlai ar and as as
ceticlsm Amerca In the twentieth GEN.
tury declares there is ' nothing IN that KIND hai
But history continually swings round In
circle. II repeats itself, we. say. There
sphere. But let us not forget that not
in a way repeat herself bringing back to
the surface old problems that have not
been solved, II does so only In relation to
those problems that have not been finally
settled and only then when new light has
been revealed. so that history may teach
II men emphasize self-denial in the re-
lgious life today II Is not for Us own
sake as in the days Of old In itself II
iation TO something beyond.
The failure to recognize this Was the
itself was virtue. Men denied them
selves the pleasures OF this world that
they might be OF grester service to them. them,
TO be ascetic monks.
We shall understand this better in the
manifest themselves in certain. very re.
spectacle quarters during the period
through which we are now passing the
People deny themselves certain things
Certain social functions, going 20 the
theatre, a score of things that might be
Various reasons are given why one
should abstain from doing these things
often given Is hn that II recalls Sp people ' TO
sense OF this holy period and leads their
Is this period any holer In itself than any
other periodf According 60 the church
fathers OF the. past and according to
shall seek Information from Jesus Him
self ] shall not be dogmatic and un-
truthful by taking some Isolated state
ment and building up n theory ] shall
look At the teaching as a whole and ~
there Is any one thing that impresses
one in tho gospels II Is that for Jesus
the 'distinction that We make between
sacred and secular, between SUNDAY and
Monday. between Passion week and any
othT week is the foundation OF Phari-
sasfn. hypocrisy and cant
DO these things I have mentioned de-
tract from our spiritual life during lent
Then IN the name Of the Christ whom we
profess LET us cease 10 do these things
ct all times lot us stand IN IN our
prilni;e srd denounce them as vices Until
We are ready 60 do that let US hold our
peace.