Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-10-31
AN OLD QUESTION.
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. G.
r. McNally.
Instructive Talk on Q Subject Of Vital In.
portaaee TO Us Al.

portaaee to Us Al.
BROOKLYN, N. YIN the Sixth Avenue
Baptist Church Sunday morning, the pas
tor, the Rev. Charles Il. McNally preached
on "An Old Question for the New Age"
His text was from John x:4: III Thou be
said:
The men 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 with a
wealth of meaning for these Jewish ques-
TONERS. Our word Christ is the offspring
Of the Greek "Christos," which in its turn
embodied in his word Messiah" Around
this word for hundreds of years all Jewish
life, political and religious, had conferred.
The Psalmists had made it the dominant
note in many of their sweetest songs. Its
multi-colored shadings had formed 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 fired by the
story of what would be when Messiah
should come. More than the. name of
Cromwell or Wesley Ea to- p England la and an.
lea, was the name of Messiah to 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 be divided into two classes. those
whose conception was predominantly .rceli-
thought was predominantly political: l
say predominantly because the two views
were commonly blended. The more spirit
nal hoped for the deliverance 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-eminence Of the Jews under the lead
ership of the Messianic King. However
divergent the views, in two things all were
agreed-the coming of the Messiah meant
Jewish pre- eminence. and he in his coming
would be the especially anointed of God,
saEas TIE the he words hs and tine
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.
earthly ministry. when the chilling blasts
of winter had driven Him from the open
courts of the temple to sheltered spot.
Jesus, the now far famed teacher and
claimant of Messianic honors, might have
been seen pacing up and down the paved
Enclosure known as Solomon's Porch. It
was the feast of dedication and the faith
ers of the nation were gathered in Jerusa-
lem. There was much agitation and con.
flict 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
more spiritual had felt a strange stirring
nj a in 70 %hn Nf -
strange teacher to 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.
We'd. They could find nothing to explain
the aim of this Teacher with His subver-
sive teaching. Of one thing they were
sure. He was dangerous man. for while
by implication and even openly He claimed
to be the Christ, He in no way correspond
ed to their idea of what the Christ should
be. Surely He was not the Messiah of
God! Upon what could such man as this
base such claim!
=, While Jesus paced thoughtfully up and
down within the porch He was quickly
surrounded by an eager. pressing crowd.
some intense with. yearning for assurance
and satisfaction of soul, others dark with
Che ciouus OF stricken conscience ana lne
righteousness Of disappointed hatred. Not
withstanding their varied feelings. all alike
were anxious to ply. Him with questions.
Eagerly they pressed upon Him the vital
question "How long wilt Thou hold lis in
suspense" literally, Glow long wilt Thou
lift up. our souls?" excite us. hold us be-
tween r, hope and fear? IF Thou really art
the inevitable question which must he
asked by every soul when brought face to
face with the claim of Jesus to be the
Christ of God. Was He the anointed of
God? Was He. "the Kings Son" who
should be called Wonderful. counselor,
the the mighty God. the o., evHrasting Father;
the Christ. or was He an imposter or a
weakling. illusioped by the fervor of His
own enthusiasms? These questions as old
as Christianity are vital to our day and
hour. II He is not the Christ we NAV be
done with Him and go. our way. If He is
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:
Il told you. but We believe not" The
immediate appeal of Jesus was to His veerr-
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 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 Messiahship was not readily ac-
cepted. for His assertion to be one with
God was most startling one. Men give
credence slowly to the claims of others;
they must see reasons or they will not be-
lieve. Should 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 would he laughed at for fool.
Jesus saw that He must found His claim
on something more convincing than His
verbal attestation. He recognized the ne
cessity for proof and furnishes that proof
in His words "the works that do in Nv
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 works
OF Jesus all that is supernatural and di-
vine. He is unintellgible, we are told. I'M
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 compare,
10 I,