Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-10-29
AN OLD QUESTION.
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. T.
r McNally.
Instructive Talk on q Subject Of Vital In
portance to Us All.

ERookLIN, y. Yin the Sixth Avenue
Baptist Church Sunday morning the pas.
tor, the Rev, Charles Il M,Nally preached
on "An O,d Question tor the New Age
the Christ, ted us plainly MIR. McNally
said:
The iGcn who asked this question were
dead in earnest. They asked it because
the answer was of vital import to them.
That word Christ was laden VITA a
wealth of meaning for these Jewish Qucs-
TONERS. Our word Christ is the offspring
OF, the Greek "Christos," which in its turn
inherlts 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 centcred
The Psalmists bad made it. the domInant
note in many OF their sweetest songs ITS
multi-colorcd Shadlngs had formed the
warp and woof of prophetic visions The
mother as she iulled her little one to s'cCu
sang of a McsSanic hore The little lad
as he came to his fathers knee asking for
tale had his imagination fired Ev the
story of what would he when Messiah
should come, More than the name OF
| Cromwell or Wesley to England and
| of Washington or Edwards to Amer.
ica was the name of Messiah 10 jew,
for it was at once the battle cry OF his po.
| litical liberties and the keynote of his re.
| ligion.
The Jews as they thought Of the Messiah
may he divided into two classes, those
whose conception was pred1minant'v rc';-
! eo,s and spiritual. and those whose
| thought was rrcdomina1t'r political |
say prcIomnautv hccaUsa the two views
were commonly blended The more spirit.
ual honed for the dc'ivc.ancc Of the ma
| tions from the bondage Of sin. and the re.
| ligious supremacy of the jewish nation
! through the ministry of the Messiah. while
the less religious looked for the political
| pre-emincncc OF the Jews under the lead.
ership of the Messianic King. However
| divergent the views, in two things all were
| agrccd-thc coming Of the Messiah meant
! Jewish prc-emincncc. and he in his coming
would be the especially anointed of God,
having the powers, the words and thr
snirit ct God. he w?S TO I've the instrument
of God tho voice Of Gods will to and for
! nation the concortion was more spiritual.
| bat by the time of The coming of Jesus OF
! Nazareth their hono had lost its higher
| and more spiritual character.
Onc morning toward the close Of His
earthly ministry, when the chilling blasts
of winter had o,rvon l'm from the open
! courts of tho tcmpIc to sheltered spot.
/ Jesus, the now tar famed teacher and
/ claimant OF MoS.anic horors, m'aht have
! been seen pacing ny and down the paved
/ inclosure known rs colomon's Porch Il
was the feast OF dedication and the faith
/ crS of the nation were gathered IN 1elusa'
] lem There was much agitation and CON
! fict among them. The fame and claim Of
Jesus of Nazareth was known TO all.
| Many OF these very men had followed in
! the crowds to see and hear Him. The
Il, Ii,.,.,
! Of the soul in response to tho call OF this
strange teacher to purcr and more cNalt.
! ed life. but surrey they reasoned this could
| not be the Chrst-liC was so different
! from what they had expected the Christ
! to be. Tho less religious were even molc
| puzzled. The lie OF Jesus from the Great.
ure comfort side was nothing to be en-
We'd They could find nothing 10 explain
! the aim OF this Teacher with His suhver.
| sive teaching. OF one thing thev were
sure. He was 4 dangerous man, FOR whiIc
! by implication and even openly He claimed
! to be the Christ. He in no way correspond.
| cd to their idea Of what the Christ should
| be. Surely He was not the Messiah OF
| God, Upon what could such 4 man as this
! base such a claim
| While Jesus raced Theoretically up and
| down within tda porch lie was quickly
/ surrounded by an ca2er. pressing crowd,
I
| and satisfaction OF soul, Others dark with
! the clouds oi stricken conscience and the
! righteousness OF disappointed hatred. Not
| withstanding their varied feelings, all alike
were anxious to ply Him with questions.
| Eagerly ther pressed unon Him the vital
! question How long wild Thou hold us in
SUSPENSE literally, How long wilt Thou
| lift up our sou's"' excite us. hold us be.
! tween hope and icar? II Thou really art
/ the Christ. then tell us plainly Such Ia
! 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 lie the anonted of
! God? Was He the Kings Son who
should he called "Wondcriul. counselor,
the mighty Cod thc, everlasting Father;
! the prince of peace Was He indeed
the Christ or was lie an impostcr or a
weaklnc. i)usoned by the iervol Of His
| own enthusasnlS? These questions a. old
as Christianity are vital to onr day and
! hour If He IS not the Christ we may he
done with Him and 60 our Wav. Ii lie is
in very truth ''the anointcd. "thc sent of
| God" we are bound to listen TO His voice
as the voice of God. to learn His precepts
and obey.
To our question cart Thou the Christi
Jesus makes answer; note His words:
/ 81 told you but We believe not The
immediate anpea of Jesus was to His YER
bal attestation OF His Mes>jahship. AZ
ready He had tod them that God was llis
Father. that the Father had sent HIM
into the world in His name. to ESTABLISH
! His KINGDOM AMONG men. but they would
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 MessahshiD was not readily nc.
! eepted, for His assertion TO be one with
God was u most startling one, Men give
credence slowly to the claims oE others;
they must see reasons or they will not be,
| lieye Should a man come to our Natona!
Government claiming to be the Amhassa.
dor of England the first thing that would
! he required of him would be that he should
furnish credentials Failing 10 furnish
them he would bc laughed at for , foo'.
Jesus saw that lie must found His claim
on something more convincing than HIS
verbal attestation. He recognized the ne.
cessitv for proof and furnishes that proof
in His words ''the works that I do in N.Y.
Fathers name. these bear witness of Me. -.
This appeal of Jesus to His works as proof
| that He was the Christ requires that we
for moment examine them.
Strenuous efforts have been made during
this. the new age, to read out OF the WorKES
of Jesus all that is supernatural and dl'
vine. He is uninteligihle, we are tod, un-
7 less accounted for on human grounds alone.
Consider. then, that when viewed IN the
light of human action, His works were
beautiful and powerful beyond comuare,
and in themselves point to higher divine
life. The advanced thinkers Of or day
have, within comparatively few years,
reached the conclusion that the, h,ghest
type of life is that which they call altrmis-
tic, j. e., life spent for others. The
highest personal life is realized, only as
| that life forgetlinr self. rises above self