Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-01
CHRIST. THE MASTER.
By Rek. Lohn nrIttan cInrk. .. D.

tA"HA"AlANs NAtlHt y power - tdSkla Su-
preme. Considered solely on its intel
leetnal side | do not know of any thought
that has ever been given to the world that
has affected the thinking of all ages in
way at all comparable with the thought
Of Jesus Christ.
Living but three brief years in public
and but a short thirty-three years in all.
and posterity inheritinS but Il few frag-
ments of his thinking at the most, we find
Ii utterly impossible, in our search for the
truth about what is admittedly the most
important part of our being. the spiritual,
to 20 either back to the centuries before
Christ or into the centuries since his
birth and death or to venture into the
centuries that we are rushing toward,
without being compelled either willingly
or Feiuctantly, to refer all our thinking
TO this 6ht man Of Eaz2reth.
Jesus Christ is inevitably the pivotal
mind of thu worlds religious thinking to-
day. This is all the more wonderful
Wien We admit that Christ was not
philosopher in the technical sense of the
term; that his thought as We have il. is
not regular, orderly system of philoso-
ply. There are very few personalities
that can so readily control and shape the
thinking of mankind. You can courl. On
your two hands-and have fingers to
spare-those minds that have made a
truly new and indelible and irrefutably
true impress on the thought of the world.
AS time strings the centuries on his
girdle. they nearly all have the same gen
eral luster. Only far apart we catch
new radiance III some one. And amid
these very few, those antedating the NaZ-
arene are eclipsed by him; those succeed
ing him catch their color from his. Let
no one think that l am importing this in
tellectual meaning into the term Master,
for the word in the text is Christ's own
word, and that is teacher.
Christ is the Master because his
thought is dynamic, is operative. The
great painters are not masters solely be-
cause they suggest the proper things in
drawing and color and design, but be-
cause, in addition to this, they personally
carry their principles into execution.
When you look upon heir paintings you
see both the principle of their art and
the execution of the principle they advo-
Gated. 1t is so in all directions where
mastery is claimed. Tine master must
clan is not he who can understand and
ant touch can so well execute what he I'm
derstands and teaches. We reach here
the second indispensable element of mas
tery-it is TO be able to do what you
claim the ability to do.
Apply this test to Jesus Christ; does it
not support the claim that he is Master?
He taught that self-control was an in
dispensable requisite for character. Then
H.,
his words they saw this teacher Of self
control so among men who offered him
every provocation to retaliate, to lose
control of himself, and without one slip
or failure exhibit self-control. This teach
er from Nazareth held men spellbound by
his teaching of self-forgetfulncss in he
half of others. Then he walked before
them doing. in instances beyond number,
what he had taught. painting with fatigue,
exhaustion, poverty, homelessness and his
life blood at last for his pigments. the
principle he had presented. This Jesus
set men thinking about purity in life and
freedom from sin-thinking on higher
levels and along loftier lines than Iaen
ever had before his time; then he lived
before them during thirty-three years of
life in which the hostile and microscopic
criticism of twenty centuries has failed
to find any flaw or fault.
So we may run the thought into all the
elements of Christ's teaching What he
expounded he executed. The principles
he advocated he applied. He lectured
| not only, but he lived his lecture. He
was the master of thought and he was
| the master in vitalizng his thought This
| is very sure evidence of mastership. Il
| know how il ought to be done, but l can
not do it, we say. Then one steps up
and does it as it should be done. and we
| say. "Ah, but you have mastered it," If
| this is the test we continually apply to
the multitude of lesser things in our life.
| how supreme appears the mastership Of
| him who in this mighty undertaking OF
| living a rigid life. while every man re-
peats Paurs words, The good that 1
would do not but the evil which>I would
| not, that | do"-steps out before the
| world and actually SO masters the ten
| denotes Of the human life which. in COM
mon with us all, he felt the inclination to
obey. that he actually lives the perfect
| life-perfect beyond the power of man 10
| find fault in.
We have seen that mastership consists
| in the combination Of mastcrful thought.
| and masterful execution, and that this
combination is found in Jesus Christ in
| the most supreme degree But there is
another Indispensable clement in COM
| plete masterliness which | am sure has
| already occurred to you, namely, the abl-
| ity to transmit ones own personal DOW
| or. Certainly this is the supremest test
! of mastershii: this is the rarest posses
sion. The e ,eat master is he who knows,
who persp :, ally can do. and finally who
can personally empower others to do.
Jesus. the Christ. is master because he
can and a ,tua,ly Ioes enable every one
| that puts Himself under him to SO over
come his faults. to $ develop his power,
be it little or much. to 50 conceive and
| plan and execute that the result is amaz-
ing to all and to none more than to the
student himself
Although Christ is Master because Of
the master thought, the master power to
develop his pupils, the astounding fact
| is that he is never any ones master by
| irresistible migh. He is not a despot.
He does not enter any life against its will
! and crush and beat il down into subiec-
Ton to him. This is what some people
! wish he did do; that he would make them
Christians 50 that they would not have
to try 10 be. but simply coald not but be.
Nevertheless. that is not Christ's way.
No m re possible is it to buy instruction
/ from IN. We become pupils of the mas
ter by ding to him in prayer. telling him
/ we knGN* nothing. hut want 10 learn. and
that we will put ourselves under MS in
struciion and do what he tells rs 10 do.