Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-06-04
SECRET OF CHRISTIANITY
Sunday Sermon By Rev. DR.. Lyman
Abbott.
Not Fine Windows and Music, But Making
the World Wiser and Beter-A
Christians Duty.

New YORK ClrY.-At the Church Of the
| Cilgrims. Brooklyn, DIR. Lyman, ABBOTT
preached Sunday morning on "Ihe oecret
| # Christianity" He took for his text
Luke i: il: "Unto YOU is born, this day,
IN the city Of David. Saviour, which IL
Christ the Lord" and said. ,, x
In the Anglo-SaXon version OF the new
| Testament The word Saviour" is rem.
! iered for the Anglo Saxon word helper.
| You know also that the word Christ -
| not proper name, but title equivalent
| to "The Messiah"-the Lord.
Every great movement has at the heart
| of it some secret, which if we can discover
| II, will disclose to us the secret OF that
! great movement. What is the secret at
| The heart of Christianity, which has made
| i the great power that it is? In asking
you to consider this question you will un'
| aerstand, of course, that l am not under
taking in half an hour to answer the entire
| half hour to indicate the essence OF CHRIS
| tiantv-thc secret of its vitality. The
| Jewish people were in more than one sense
"a peculiar people," Among other things
! in this: That their faces were turned to-
, ward the future All other nations look
backward for their golden age. but these
peculiar people" looked forward for theirs.
when there would be peace instead of war
| and for themselves prosperity instead OF
universal poverty They believed that this
great time would come through their own
nation and that Jerusalem would become
the holy city and the mistress of the world;
! And their prophets even pointed forward
to this divine consolation. and they lndi'
Gated that it would come through some de-
| livercr. Sometimes they regarded the ma
| ton itself as that deliverer; sometimes a
succession of prophets; sometimes single
| prophet: sometimes a single man, as king
| or prince. as a teacher. as priest, as
'Man of Sorrows and acquainted with
grief" However different or homogeneous
or inconsistent those prophesies might be,
they pointed the. minds OF the people Tor
ward to great delivery and delivered 50
the shepherds perfectly well understood
the angels when they said: "Ihe de!ivererr
Him Graded in the manger." When Jesus
began His ministry His first sermon, OF
which we have record, was preached IN
the synagogue at Nazareth. He went into
the synagogue, roll was open before Him
and He read one of the prophecies of the
great deiiverer who was coming and then
| said: This day is this Scripture fulfilled in
your ears | have come. | am that dellv.
| erer." Having begun His ministry In this
way He went ont to be a helper and ted
! the hungry. taught the ignorant and healed
the sick and dsnensed the gospel OF hope.
Once John the Baptist, perpleXed to know
if this was the Messiah, for things went on
to be accomplished sent Him a message
saving: art Thou the Messiah" and
Christ said to the messengers, "Wait here.
sec what YOU will see, and then 70 and tell
your MASTER The waited and saw, and
then Christ told them: Go, your way and
tell John what things We have seen and
heard how that the blind see, the lame
the dead are raised to the poor the gospel
| is preached"
No nan can undertake to help his fellow
men really sincerely. on large scale, with
ont coming in contact with men who do
not want the help. those who are making
something out of the misfortunes of their
fellow men, Christ came in contact with
such; and they lcagned themselves together
! to destroy Him.. He was arrested and
brought before the Jewish tribunal and
asked, Are on the Messiah" And I'M
der solemn oath lie said. 81 am" Plate
said. care You king" He said. 81 am"
To both the Jewish tribunal and the Ro-
man He said. II am" and for that He was
condemned to die and for it He died.
dissipated. They said. 1--WE thought lie
He was NOT " Rnmors Of His ascension he.
gan to circulate, and, little by little they
became convinced and then they said.
| "Ah lie !. tbn deliverer after all >" IF Won
win turn to ihc Book of Acts and read one
of The sermons there Won will sec that was
tbc burden of ali The anostolic ministry.
M Now tbrnlnov ethic or law Their mes.
| sages wore all the same. "'rhr deliyerer ia
como Uc i here. Tho deljvprancc has be.
| pun y
r., .ho Co., oo,t,r,. ,,,o was br ohso,r,o
in ,i'G ~ oiy mm9 ny has boo,
.uSpot,snl. 'u"'nS go: i'ilI.n. naS "eep
t.iInnsi,o,Ineu' I"1.l NOW 1t Is coinl'lrSenN vs.
lTnoIlsneu. anu tn D - ~ tolt,n '',en WY ~.
, r,''ppe N.S. .. hE f. 'naI aoes l.". q.
.ra.' rp'os,''Ie ,he LACY 'nlt Rqterni,lene Is
mot l'' al. ~ k3nr,m.'rn'' nu. t"i IIJ ETN
T ~ al INDUSTRY was seIVlle. iaii We
hn9'han nnpu.a'lon were SAVES ana INC
o,nrF ma! wire WIFE on '.'e eIee OF ltnl'le , ana
wv wy hrpI G |hn' ny .ne d"rgesS pi oth m,
has dropped IRON the ne, slave ana labor has
n'e m e,nah ll mere we're no schooIs
IN II, Tome ana none among the Jews, eNctpt
nose cohh mtr Wi,n Inc Syilas2SHe, out
NntrrNeI NhrlS,,ian!'Y mas gone II mas e., es'
ssapilSheu ScnoIlS ana W''nrh mas oeHh dll-
FUSED l'nohg the people; ms Is called an
aye az Of concentrated WcaIth. hat Is NOT So
lhEre never was an age and that IS espe'
c'alIy true OF America' when wealth was
more distributed. There arc cnaritie;
everywhere: Inc church has also changed
tHe conception OF punlShment, so that pun
| ishhent mas become relorhatorE' Inc 90
,ert OF the oIn pagan reHglon was nott TO
hein man; 1t was to appfase the wrath OF
goa or to purchase the fa'or OF corrupt,
ne GOD. thrIstianlty. has altered all That
WITH VlMo.ls degrees OF success. Inc church