The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-09-22
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. c. CAMPBELL MORGAN. D. D.

REV. c. CAMPBELL MORGAN. D. D.
| Subject: The Attractiveness and Exclu-
siveness Of Jesus-Listen to tho Call
of Christ-He Will Brook No Division
OF Your Loyalty
LONDON, ENGLAND. - The following
sermon, entitled "The Attractivehess and
Exclusiveness of Jesus" was preached
here on a recent Sunday by the Rev. T.
Campbell Morgan, d. D. He took for his
| text: Then said Jesus unto His disciples,
if any man will come after Me let him
| deny himself and take up his cross and
follow Me-St. Matthew 1924.
There were two facts about Jesus Christ
| which no one can read the Gospel re-
cords without recognizing. facts which
appear to be contradictory, but which, as
| the understanding OF which reveals for
all time the method OF the Master in
dealing with men. l refer to facts of
| the attractiyeness and exclusiveness of
Jesus.
There can be no question about the
| former; there can equally be no question
about the latter to those who have care
| fully read the records and have seen the
| methods of Jesus while He was here
among men. He was constantly drawing
people to Him, and He was perpetually
holding them aloof By the very win
someness of His person, He was drawing
men and women of all sorts and condi-
| tions, at all times and in all places to
| Himself, and yet by the uttering OF words
80 severe, SO searching, so drastic, making
| us tremble even to-day, He held men
back from Him.
l venture to say that the words ! read
| to you this morning from the Gospel OF
Luke come to those who are most familiar
| with them bringing sense OF surprise.
| We never read them without feeling more
or less startled by them Unless YOU
hate father and mother, husband and wife,
| parent and child, you cannot be My dis
| cip!e." We have attempted to account for
| these words, but / do not hesitate to say
| that in some senses they have staggered
| the faith of many, and yet there they
| stand. -,
And not there only, but through all
His teaching there is evident the same
| method of Christ, that Of holding men
| back just as they were approaching Him;
drawing them to Himself by multitudes
| and then holding the crowd as they
pressed upon Him, and sitting them with
! such surprising words as these. Now there
must be reason for this. and it Is for
| that reason that want to look, with you,
| Q little this morning.
But first allow me to say few words on
J this fact of the attractiveness of Jesus.
| because the more clearly we recognize and
| understand that, the more clearly shall
| we understand, as I think, the other truth
| of His perpetual method of holding men
| back and excluding certain persons from
| close companonship with Himself.
Take first, then, this great fact of His
| attractireness, the most fascinating sub
| ject on which to speak. Remember, l
pray you, that if the Gospel records re-
veal one thing more clearly than another
| they reveal that Jesus was, somehow or
other, Person that drew men to Him
irresistibly.
20 back to those silent years at Naza-
reth concerning which we know so very
little. You will remember that on those
days Luke opens for us just a little Won
dow through which we look when he says,
"He was subject to His parents, and grew
in favor with God and with man." do
not stop one moment to dwell on the
statement that He grew in favor with
| God, although it is a very interesting
statement, but just for a moment, for the
sake of our argument, listen to the other
part of it: HE grew in favor with man"
Take that as it is simply stated, and you
at once see picture of the boy growing
up to be youth, and passing from youth
into young manhood until He became the
| Carpenter of Nazereth, known to all the
Just removed from the highways OF life.
This is all the truth that is revealed. Ii l
may reyerently put it, Jesus was favorite
in Nazareth. lam not sure that that doesn't
almost startle you, because somehow or
other we have come to think that holiness
is almost always accompanied by angular
ity, and there is q popular idea that II a
| man is good he never can be favorlte. 1t
is a great mistake 1t is by the measure
| in which a man lacks holiness that man
is not in favor.
Here is a man living in Nazereth, and
He is favorite. I do not want to lift
that into super-spiritual realm, but II
you have no imagination you can just go to
sleep for two minutes while I imagine I
| look into that window and see the Car.
penter at His work, and tell you what l
see. He is a favorite. / see children tax.
ing their TOYS to Him to be mended, and l
am quite sure He mended them. l see
young men going at eventide to take their
| problems with them because they know
| He is sane, honest and pure. ! think see
| old men, upon whose brow already sat
| light that never was on land or sea" talk
| ing to Him because de has such a WonaeT'
full way of talking about MY Fathers
house" and "the many mansions" favor
ite, sane and strong, and pure, and attract
i've as to personality.
| I know full well that little later on
these same men took Him to a hill and
tried to murder Him, but that was the re,
suit of something else to be discovered
later. The pure human, simple life OF
Jesus was, in itself, attractive, and Luke
SAYS, "He grew in favor"
Leave those hidden years and look at
| Him just for one rapid moment as he
treads the pathway upon which a, tiercer
light falls than ever fell upon a throne.
the pathway of the public teacher, and If
You read these Gospel stories the one thing
that strikes you is the fact of the multi
tudes around about Jesus Christ. Wher-
ever He went they followed Him. If He
went out into the city the country people
crowded the streets to be near Him; If He
went out into the country place the city
men and women focked after Him, follow
ing Him SO far that at times there was no
chance for them to provide themselves
with food, and He had to feed them; Tor
| in their eagerness to follow they had for
gotten food and had forgotten distance.
| And wherever He went they came after