The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-04-27

suffering which we cannot describe or
realize, but can only name as the
price paid by Gods Son for the re.
demption of lost world Realizing
all this which lies within the shadow
OF mans conception. he prayed, if it
were possible, that another path might
even yet be shown to him. Bnt soon
he saw that there was no short cut to
success, no easy path to victory. Soon
he saw but one pathway, and that
led to Calvary and stopped at the
/ Cross.
But that tempter would follow him
to the last with that same temptation.
He has failed to keep him off the
Cross and so he comes to him there.
To the outward eye Chrlst's work was
failure. Rejected, Inundated, and
now crucifed, he hangs before the
world. They called to him that if he
was the Son of God to come down
from the Cross and they would be-
/ lieye on him. Come down and we
will believe. Stay there and We will
not. = Might he yet win them by
their own methods? Might he, by
dropping the Cross out of his system,
make it more popular? No, he saw
but one pathway. That pathway had
led him to Calvary; it had stopped at
the Cross. and he stayed there and re-
deemed the world.
But | notice that this was not only
the temptation so oft repeated III the
ministry of Christ, but it was the
temptation on which the early church
fell. The first great difficulty which
the early church met was the opposi-
ton of the Jewish church. Judaism
lty carefully Graded within the shell
of the Jewish faith The Christian
Church could not be so contained.
Opposition was the result - opposl-
ton to world wide evangelization.
This was so fierce and strong az to
call forth all the fury of Saul. But
it only fostered the cause it tried to
crush and finally gave to the church
an apostle Paul Jewish opposition
could not harm the church.
A second danger arose even while
the first was threatening. This second
was more dangerous, for 1t was IN the
nature of quarrel within the church.
4 breach in the church was imminent.
The apostles threw the whole qnes-
ton back upon the church. 1t must
see to its own widows, both Jewish
and Greeian. The apostles cannot
cease preaching to feed hungry wo-
men, and they recommend that per
sons be appointed for this work. The
plan meets with such favor in the
church that the trouble is allayed and
we find the church so strong TINT IN
ternal difficulties cannot harm If, for
instead Of n divided church this
trouble gives us better afsaniza-
tion=a Stephen and the idea that
the rank and file of the church have
something to do.
The church has shown that it ean
resist the narrows of the Jewish ideas.
We have seen that it can overcome
difficulty within its own ranks. 1t
must next be brought into conflict
with the Roman law. The Roman EN-
pire is the power of the world. 1t has
crushed whatever it has attempted,
and now it will try its crushing power
ON the Christian church. We think of
cruelty, of the tortue of the innocent.
We remember all the devices for pub
lie destruction of those who lead n
pure life. We are reminded of Il
reign of terror for the guiltless.
We try for some words to express
all this and language fails us. We
combine it all in one term and
hiss the name of Nero. Yet in spite
of a Nero the church prospered. The
very opposition of Rome carried our
great apostle to Rome, her capitol,
where he won converts even from
Caesars household The antagonism
of the Roman empire conld not harm
the church.
Then appeared the old tempter with
the old temptation of the mountain
top and showed the church all the
kingdoms of the world in control
of the Roman emperor. Said the
tempter: Take him into your church
snd he will compel all those nations
to come within the church. 1t was
the old temptation-a short cut to
success, an easy path to victory, and
the church did not see the one path
way, the pathway that leads by Cal
vary and that stops at the Cross.
They placed n Constantine on. the
throne, making Christianity "A State
religion. They tack the world into
the church. The church fell, and like
a wounded traveller by the wavside it
lay helpless until Luther and Me
lenchton, Zwingley and Huss, a
Calvin and Knox called it back to a
new life by directing it again to its
ole principles and its old methods.
But | find this not only the oft-re-
peated temptation of the Christ and
the temptation on which the early
church was wrecked, but | see it as
the temptation of the church of to-
day-the temptation to take the world
into the church to shape Christianity
after the ideals of the world, the temp
tation to seek short cut to success,
an easy path to victory; the tempta-
ton to forget the one pathway that
leads by Calvary and that steps at
Cross.
Some churches are taking the world
into the church by taking the worlds
money and thus either closing their
mouths to the sins of those who fur
nish the money or else making non
effective their most artful denuncia-