Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-12-31
WHAT THINK YE OFCHRIST2
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Kew.
Charles H. Parkhurst.
Why So M.sy People Get Tired Of Being
Christians. y

NEW York CITY.-Dr. Charles H. Park
hurst. pastor of the Madison Square Pres.
byterian Church, preached Sunday morning
on "What Think Ye of Christ! Z" from the
words found in Mark viii 30: Whom say
We that ann" DR.. Parkhurst said among
other things:
Christ means to you something; what is
it? -
Christ Himself asks this of His disciples
1t is the first Christian catechism. Brief,
but nevertheless it is catechism, and Il
Gods warrant for our asking doctrinal
questions, and His warrant, too, for oui
being prepared to frame some sort OF an
answer to them.
Christ's inquiry here means that He ex
poets His disciples to have convictions
convictions in regard to Himself at any
rate-and definite enough for them to be
able to state them Such convictions may
be more correct, may be less so, but an I'm
perfect opinion is better than none, and nc
opinion ends in being perfect that did not
begin by being imperfect, and sound con
vction is blunder convicted and converted
Error is the loamy soil out of which truth
vegetables and blossoms. The history OF
philosophy, science and theology illustrates
this principle with distinct cogency that
is unanswerab.e. So that we need not DC
too much afraid of being in error provided
only we cling to our error with tenacity
that is not simply tenacious, put that j.
also honest and intelligent:
What think we of Christ? His appeal
here is to man considered as an animal who
thinks, who has ideas, ideas of his own.
takes impressions from what Is shown him.
told to him, acted out before him, and i'm
pressions that so groove themselves into
his substance as to take defined shape and
shape that is fairly permanent; just al
\. Nf han,
eye, so facts, events, truths, ma Ike an IN,
age of themselves in the mind-that IL
they do if the mind is an alert mind, sensr
| tive, responsive. A man can, OF course
| look without seeing anything; 50 he car
| h,ar without learning anything; live IN tht
| presence of great realities and come away
| from them without carrying upon his sou
any of their imprint An OK can LOON 10
ward the west at O'Clock in the afternoon
| without observing any sunset; there Is o
| good deal OF the bovine still in most OF rs
| that call ourselves human, and that Is why
we behold so little of what is really visible
and why we garner so little of the fruit
that falls into our laps. A duck can, &c
| through the water and still come out dry
of the college going through him. Judas
walked three years with Jesus and finished
by being devil. >,
find ont from His disciples, then, what i'm
preston of Himself He has left with them
what stamp He has put upon them. What
they think of Him will be only another
teachings and demeanor have left printed
upon their intelligences. l am trying &c
have You realize that their opinion OF HIN
that He vas trying to get hold OF was
something definitely traceab!e to the
working iniluencc upon them of His own
presence and activity. He is not interest
ed to know what they imagine Hun to be
nor what they logically in.er He may be
nor what some one has tod them thit ne
is. He has been for some time demonstrat.
ing Himself to them by word act ana
spirit. and if they are not altogether IKE
| the duck in the water or the OK before the
sunset, as presumably they are not, th's
demonstration of Himself to them has n
some way told upon them. IT has lodged
something within them and lie W'l,'
| them to give name to IT. lheir opinlo'
Of Him was something that He had Hun
sci been the means OF making to grow u
| in them without their consciously having
any part in the matter themselves. 1t Wa'
not something they had borrowed iron
somewhere nor something that they nat
personally striven to acquire.
that grows. The influence that starts tn,
conviction will, if it continues to operate
go on adding to that convictions strength
and intensity. As illustrative OF this com
| n't' TIE ictpehess ahu tihoroushoSs o.
Inc co ,N'fllnns o! me disclP,rs when thel
"oa", :" ne, new, IL, oesus W." N,'dt mos
course they laid down their lives in mar
| tvrdom. That is the natural course oi
! things. 1t Is natural Tor a flower to con
tlnue to grow if it stands in the same sun
shine and ram as that which first made il
! oeeS'i' " t,n3 N d noMer ZONES up our
W Nv y UNI EloNs lor ody ana theu
suuun'E s'oi.a eioNihs ana Ieihaius as II
a.. 49, sUu ., hmoN some.h,hs Is .ne n'atterL
e;u".a mel iJ ., worm at 'Ie root or the
an 700 coo OF the SOIL TOO dry. IL is not
;n .If i9i II h't TO so on improving upon
"sr'i, "udins 10 'tss!l
\ sorrl c,nal'loh, then, that man
l. III, .haI Hl1I''ah neieVer Is m When
ne says that M ms the same OPINION OF
,hrist mat ne h"I year ago. It tells a
SAD story or the way the year has been
passing WIN MN III the vine that = twn,
ine l'seH around your treiis clothes ltseh
N no more leaves and puts forth no more
blossoms th's summer IMAM IL dld 'aSt sun
mer' the season must have been an intelcr
.ous one lot pant lie or there IS some
thInG serious the matter with the vine:
nave IN TINS been speaking broadly OF
CONVICTION IN general: but OF course the
;o,,, ihtehueu - 10 re.lg
ious convection, aud more specifically still
TO the CONVICTION contemplated when the
question was asked, What think We oil
Christi We doubtless all of us have
some conviction respecting Him; that is,
we al OF us possess among our other com.
ODDITIES and belongings -either out on the
table or tucked away in some drawer OF
closet or stored in the garnet among other
disused furniture or obsolete bric.a,brac
something which we called land properly
call) belief in Christ, an opinion about
Him, q conviction concerning Him. We
are willing to assume, too, that it NAV be
very valid conviction, sound, yea. thor