The Penn's Grove record., 1903-10-30
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A DISCOURSE ENTITLED IAN OLD
QUESTION FOR THE NEW ACE"

QUESTION FOR THE NEW ACE"
z Rev. C. X. McNalIy Talks Instrue-
lively on a Subject of Vital Importance
to Us All-The Highest Type of Life is
That Spent For Others.
BRpoKLYN, N. YIN the Sixth Avenue
Baptist Church Sunday morning, the pas
tor, 1be Rev. Charles r. McNally preached
on~~A Old Question for the New Age
his tel was from John x:24: iii Thou be
the Christ, tell US plainly" Mr.. McNaiiy
The men who asked this question were
dead IN earnest. They asked it because
That word Christ 's was laden with a
wealth OF meaning for these Jewish ques-
TONERS Our word Christ is the offspring
ef the Greek "Christos," which in its turn
anherits all the meaning that the Hebrew
embodied in his word Messiah" Around
this word for hundreds of years all Jewish
life, political and religious, had centered
The Psalmists had made it the dominant
note in many of their sweetest songs. It's
multi-colored standings had formed the
warp and wool OF prophetic visions. The
mother as she lulled her little one TO sleep
sang of a Messianic hope. The little lad
as he came to his fathers knee asking for
a tale had his imagination fred by the
story of what would be when Messiah
should come. More than the name of
Cromwell or Wesley to England. and
OF Washington or Edwards to Amer
lea, was the name of Messiah to q jew,
for it was at once the battle cry of his po-
litical liberties and the keynote Of his re
ligion.
The Jews as y thought of the Messish
may be divida TO two classes. those
whose concept kpredominantly rel;-
glous and Ind those whose
thought was humanity political. !
say pre80N because the two views
lhded. The more spirit
delisefance of the ma
yhdage of sin. and the re-
Hgious supremacy Of the Jewish nation
through the ministry of the Messiah. while
the less religious looked for the political
pre-eminence of the Jews under the lead
ershiD of the Messianic King. However
divergent the views, in two things all were
aereed--the coming Of the Messiah meant
Jewish pre-eminence. and he in his coming
having the powers, the words and the
spirit OF God, he was to be the instrument
of God. the voice of Gods will to and for
the nation. Earlier in the history of the
nation the conception was more spiritual.
but by the time of the coming of Jesus Of
Nazareth their hope had lost its higher
and more spiritual character.
One morning toward the close of His
earthly ministry, when the chilling blasts
of winter bad driven Him from the opeu
courts OF the temple to a sheltered spot.
Jesus, the now far famed teacher and
claimant of Messianic honors. might have
been seen pacing un and down the paved
Enclosure known as sSolomon's Porch. 1t
was the feast of dedication and the faith
ers OF the nation were gathered in Jerusa-
lem. There was much agitation and con-
Jesus of Nazareth was known to all.
Many OF these very men had followed in
the crowds to see and hear Him. The
more spiritual had felt a strange stirring
OF the soul in response to the call of this
strange teacher to q purer and more exalt-
ed life, but surely thev reasoned this could
not be the Christie was so different
from what they had expected the Christ
to be, The less religious were even more
puzzled. The life Of Jesus from the Great
ure comfort side was nothing to be en-
We'd. They could find nothing to explain
the aim of this Teacher with His subver-
sive teaching. Of one thing they were
laEe He rssnnsOr while
by lmpIfcaslon andet6n openly He claimed
to be the Christ, He IN no way correspond
ed to their idea Of what the Christ should
" RuASiy LIE Wdo f3Vt Tue p1cSSidu VI
God! Upon what could such a man as this
base such a claim!
While Jesus paced t~houphtfully up and
down within the porch He was quickly
surrounded by an eager. pressing crowd
some intense with yearnino for assurance
and satisfaction of soul, others dark with
the clouds of stricken conscience aud the
righteousness of disappointed hatred. Not
w~ithstanding their varied feelings, all alike
MORO auviouS IN n1v Hsr, pr,fH n.,o~t1oo
Eagerly thev pressed uDon Him the vital
question How long wilt Thou hold us in
suspense?" literally, How long wilt Thou
lift up our soulse" excite us. hold us he
tween hope and fear? eff Thou really art
the Christ, then tell us plainly" Such is
the inevitable question which must be
asked by every soul when brought face to
face with the claim of Jesus to be the
Christ Of God. Was He the anointed oil
God? Was He "the Kings Son" who
should be called Wonderful. counselor,
the mighty God. the everlasting Father.
the prince Of peace?v Was He indeed
the Christ. OF was He an imposter or a
weaklin0. illusioned bv the fervor of His
own enthusiasmss These questions as old
as Christianity are vital to our day and
hour. IT He is not the Christ we NAV be
done with Him and go our wav. If He is
in very. truth Athe anointed," "the sent oil
" VIC aAC JUL W lfStcH To his VOICE
as the voice OF God, to learn His precepts
and obey.
To our question cart Thou the Christi
Jesns makes answer; note His words:
Il told you. but We believe not" The
immediate appeal Of Jesus was to His yer.
bal at~testation of His Messiahship. AL
ready He had told them that God was His
Father. that the Father had sent Him
into the world in His name, to establish
His E1pn1onr orn1n~ ~~nu l,k 49, --~.1J
not believe. OF what use was it TO tell
them that which they had already heard
and had refused to believe? Nor was it al
together strange that His verbal attesta.
ton of His Messiahship was not readily &C.
cepted, for His assertion to be one with
God was a most startling one. Men give
credence slowly to the claims of others;
they must see reasons or they will not be-
ieve. Should a man come to our National
Government claiming to be the .Ambassa-
dor OF England the first thing that would
be required Of him would be that he should
furnish credentials. Failing to furnish
them he wouldxbe laughed at for a fool.
Jesus saw that He must found His claim
on ssassetnsaK more convincing than His
r4fbal attestation. He recognized the ne
cessity for proof and furnishes that proof
in Ha words "the works that I do in NV
s name, these bear witness of Me-"
peal Of Jesus to His works as proof
e Was the Christ requires that We
fol 1aomanesSamine them.
Strenuous efforts have been made during
this. the new age. to read out OF the works
of Jesus all that is supernatural and d.
vine. He is uniutelligible, we are told; I'M
less accounted for on human grounds alone.
Consider, then, that when viewed In the
light of human action. rs works were
beautiful and powerful be7ond compare,
and IN themselves point to 4 higher divine