The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-11-05


deep burrows from a fathers brow: Ihls
morn He drove the fever from the SICK one
in Peters home, and mayhap. ere the day
is done He will whisper the hope OF pure
and holy life to the harlot at the well: -,
We have not too much thought OF the
works of Jesus as the acts of one fellow
man toward others. When viewed accord
ing to this standard they are seen to be
the highest realization OF man n'gneese
hold My works." for according to the hnd-
ings of tine best thought OF all the ages no
works are more beautiful or higher COO:
The mere force beauty and holiness or
His acts prove His kinship with the divine.
But this was not enough to satisfy Jew.
The Christ they were looking Tor was 10
demonstrate His divine power by the
might and conquest OF arms. Ihey had IL
all cut and dried Just what the Christ
should be and do. He was suddenly to ap-
pear out of the heavens OF out OF some Sc.
nuestered wav of life, attended by great
wonders. With the sword He was quickly
TO oyerrun the world and set up in .leru-
salem a power that would rule all nations.
ANY love or philanthropy that could be
worked in would be all right, but before
all else Messiah must be the messenger OF
them with defeat and disaster, that the
Jew might rule supreme.
Thus it was that to the questloners OF
His day Jesus proved to be stumbling
block. Did they find in Him more tnan
human power? Yes, they conceded rnat
thev did. As they saw Him restore the
emaciated body of the leper, Or lnfuse new
life into the palsied form or open the eyes
of the blind. or raise the dead from the
grave. they were bound to recognize more
than human power. The gross and ;, mail,
cious said this power IS of the devil, nue
the more intelligent said. as they saw the
unsel6shness. the love and tenderness Of
His acts, eve have never seen it done on
hs th;s wise beforel" "No man could do
these works except God be with him"
::Surely this must be the Christi" The
answer of Jesus to the auestioners OF HIS
dav given in the terms Of love, an answer
which they would not or could not under,
stand, is that which satisfies the heart ana
reason of the INQUIRER of to-day. 1t IS as
though Jesus said. "You ask i am realiy
the Christ Of God and in Blm yon look
for divine power. Look at My works, are
thew not OF the highest type? Aye, more;
they are fraught with the power Of God
and prove. not only that am the Christ,
hut that the nature of God is better than
tbe thought of man has made him. He IS
= God OF tenderness, of love-" Blessed an
sver for it teaches that character is su..
irene, and that the highest life is one OF
Simple ministry to the needs OF others. :,
To the INQUIRER OF to-day the answer OF
Jesus should be convincing. Since It Is
ours to look from the mountain peak OF
many centuries we may. however. zee still
ether proofs and find still other answers
| to the all important question. WAS Jesus
| the Christi" History gives tworold an.
swer. first as seen in the preparation OF
| the world for the coming OF t:,e Messiah
| and then in the development of the worid s
| ihought since the days OF Jesus. Paul de-
clares that when the fulness Of time was
come. God sent forth His Son" into the
| world. By the fulness of time he must
| have meant the period that V to eIanse,
| according to the wisdom OF Co., oeIo!f per &
His Son, The Christ. should come. NOW, II
Jesus was the Christ, We NAV expect ts
| find the circumstances Of the. time IN
which He lived peculiarly fitted for HIS
| coming. What were these circamstances:
- Theyast Roman empire afforded broad
! and accessible field for the spread OF
new religion. The sceptre Of Roman DOW
er ruled the world. Radiating from Rome
as a centre were splendid military ROADS
! which extended to the remetest boundaries H 8
| of the empire. Because of these ana tne
opening of ocean routes travel was easy
as compared with preceding centuries.
PeopIe travelled more. Thus facilities for
disseminating new truth were better
| than ever before in the worlds history. :
But the most notable prenaraton was
that Of the Jewish people. They had long
striveu with their desire to worship ldois.
At last their vision was clarified IN this re-
gard. and the way was open 1or turtner
! revelation. Moreover. the, discerning
among them, from reading the annals or
their fathers, had come to long for the
I nrom;sed Messiah until that longing. was
! t;ndled to fervent heat. All these things
| peculiarly fitted the time sin which Jesus
| lived for the reception and spread OF great
religious truths. =.
Nor is history since that time less re-
markable. He died a death of shame: none
could according to the common notion be
more ignominieus or disgracetMl. HIS
| friends apparently were few: That ne
would soon be forgotten would seem nat.
ural. But it was not SO. HIS toloTers
multiplied with marvellous rapl!dlty:: teI:
secutions,. began and thousands Of tnein
were burned, roasted. speared and RiVe1n,
over to Wild beasts. Notwithstanding all
this, within 300 years ene-twentieth par'
Of the empire were professed Chrlstlans
the Emperor himself among the numner
From that time until the present Cnris
tianitv a,d civilization have gone hand m
hand. Many of the great unheavals o.
the worlds life is the story OF Chrlstian nlt!
asserting herself against the powers thai
would stay her triumphant march: 10 was
so in the time Of Charlemagpe. OF Lutner
Of Cromwell and of Plymouth Rock Ihe
lines of history converge toward Jesus
Christ. Im all things truly He has pre-
eminence. Surely. this must be the Chrlst
From the historic point of view was H ~
not more than man? His works and the II
voice Of history declare Jesus to .peF tint
+ If there still be lingering doubt in sh'
mind of any that Jesus is the Christ, "tht
Kings Son. let him study the human near !,
and it's deepest needs and his doubts, VII
av. Sin like a sombre cloud casts dark
ened shadow across every life. Man ma:
ever found himself gripped IN the reient
less grasp Of an evil nature. None IS eA
empt. All alike are tarred with the on
black stick. If o man tells you he has no
sinful nature get little closer and .y.ol
will detect the odor Of the tar so fam'lal
to yourself. Congratulate ourselves as "t
may upon our goodness, it is still Iae
that we are by nature sinful. But whll'
this is true. it is also true that man feel:
| stirring within him higher and holler ma
tare. He feels within, purpose 70 o
| +b,,, he RefOre hin