The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-11-05
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A DISCOURSE ENTITLED AN OLD
QUESTION FOR THE NEW ACE"
The Rev. C. Il. McNally Talks Instruc-
lively on a Subject of Vital Importance
to Us AlI-rhe Highest Type Of Life is
That Spent For Others.


That Spent For Others.
BROOKLYN, n. Yin the Sixth Avcnr2
Baptist Church Sunday morning, the pas,
on can Old Question for the New Age.
His text was from John MA: III Thou Re
the Christ, tell us plainly" Mr.. McNallT
said:
The men vino 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
wealth of meaning for these Jewish ques-
sopSss Creek ea ySnd EeS Wick inf in oHs IT'S urg
inherits 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. Its
multi-eolored shadings had formed the
warp and wool of prophetic visions. The
mother as she lulled her little one to sleep
sang Of Messianic hope. The little lad
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 to England, and
OF Washington or Edwards to Amer
lea, was the name Of Messiah to Jew,
for it was at once the battle cry of his po-
Etical liberties and the keynote OF his re-
igion. .,
The Jews as they thought of the Messiah
may be divided into two classes. those
whose conception was predominantly rel:-
eious and spiritual. and those whose
thought was predominantly political:
saw predominantly because the two views
were commonly blended. The more spirit.
ual 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 fer 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,
having the powers. the words and the
spirit eff God, he was to be the instrument
Of Ged. the voice of Gods viii to and for
the nation. Earlier in the history OF the
nation che conception was more spiritual:
bus BY the time of the coming of Jesus Of
Nazareth their. hope had lost its higher
and mere spiritual character.
One morning toward the close OF His
: of winter had driven Him from the open
courts of the temple to a sheltered spot:
Jesus, the now far famed teacher and
claimant. of Messianic honors, might have
been seen pacing up and down the paved
inelosure known as Selopons 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.
fiict ansng them. The fame and claim OF
Jesus sf Nazareth was known to all, H.
Many of these very men had followed L, IN
the crowds to see and hear Him. The
more spiritual had felt strange stirring
of the soul in response to the call of this
strange teacher to a purer and more exait,
ed life; but surely thev reasoned this could
not be the ChristIHe was so different
from what they had expected the Christ
to2be. 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
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 ne way correspond,
ed to their idea of what the Christ should
he. Surely He was rot the Messiah OF
God! Upon what could such man as this
base such claim!
While Jesus paced tnoughtfuly, up and
down within the porch He was quickly
SUITOuuuSu w SoSS2. P1SSSha@5 SAO'N'
some intense wit yearnlng Tor assurance
and satisfactiopJ5f soul. others dark with
the clouds of stricken conscience and the
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 Glow long wilt Thou hold us in
suspense literally, "How long wilt Thon
lift up our souls"' excite us. hoid us be.
tween hope and fear? IF Thou really art
the Christ. then tell US plainly" Such is
asked BY every soul when brought face to
face with the claim Of Jesus to. be the
Christ of God. Was He the anointed o;
Cody Was He ''the Kings Son" who
should be called "Wonderful. counselor
the mighty God, the everlasting Father
the prince eff peace?" Was He indeed
the. CHRIST. or was He an imposter or a
weakhng. ilIusioned by the fervor of His
own enthusiasms? These questions as olG
hour: If He is not the Christ we NAV be
done with Him and go eur. way. It He i
in very truth "the anointed," !" "tne sent Of
God" we are hound 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; nete His words:
IL told you, but We OeleVe not. LIN
immediate appeal of Jesus was to His yer
bal. attestation of His Messiahship. Al
ready BE had told them that God was HI:
Father, that the Father had sent Hin
into the world in His name, to establish
His kingdom among men, but they woule
not believe OF what use was it to tel
them that which they had already heart
and had refused to believe? Nor was it al
together strange that His verbal attesta
tion of His Messiahship was not readily ac
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 man come to our Natlona
Government claiming to be the .Ambassa
dor of England the first thing that woulc
be required of him would be that he shouls
furnish credentials. Failing to furnlsi
them he would be laughed at for fool
Jesus saw that He must found His clam
on something more convincing than Ill
verbal attestation. He recognized the ne
cessity for proof and furnishes that proc
in His words 1.-The works that do in NJ,
Fathers name. these bear witness of Me-
This appeal of Jesus to His works as proc
that He was the Christ requires that VI
for a moment examine them.
Strenuous efforts have been made durln;
L L.. - -o,S o,,+o of he Nynry