The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-02-11
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
eWTAL UNION WITH CHRIST"
The Rev. c. d. Case, PHI. D., Tells How
the Son of G3d Within Us Becomes
the Source OF Divine Companionship,
and Of Power For Achievement.

I've Kew. T.. II. C2Ses Ph. D., Tells HOW
the Son of G3d Within Us Becomes
the Source OF Divine Companionship,
and Of Power For Achievement.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-The Rev. c. D. Case,
Aontclair, n. j., recently preached the
following brilliant sermon, which he en-
titled "Vital Union With Christ" The
text was chosen from Galatians ii:20: Il
am crucihed with Christ and no longer
live, but Christ liveth in me, and the life
which / now live I live by faith in the
Son of God who loved me and gave Him
self to die for me-" DR.. Case said:
The highest conception Of the Christian
life which this generation seems to have
accepted is to be found in the words, ''Foi-
low Me- as uttered by Christ. 1t is
thoroughly Biblical Jesus says to Philip,
at the beginning of His ministry, "Foilow
Me-" He tells the four on the sands of
Galilee, "Come We after Me-" He COM
mands the taxgatherer in his Office, Fol
low Me-" He presents the same standard
to the rich young man who loved his
money better than life, Follow Me-" Now
the resurrection has passed and what shall
be the new conception for the disciples
of the new life? 1t is still the same, and
Christ proclaims to the same disciples; at
The same place on Galisee, Follow thou
Me-"
The grand and infinitely simple way of
docking at the Christian life had been lost:
He was the true Christian who believed
what the church tod him and accepted
its appointed means of grace: But now
after these centuries Christendom has re-
covered this idea and made. it the very CEN
Ire and core Of the Christian life. Mr..
Henry Richards, on, the Congo, rsads to
the natives the words of Christ. "Give. to
him that asketh of thee; and of him that
Eaketh away thy goods ask them not
3Rem.t with the result that the natives
frst beg and then return and then ask
for the way of life. Mr.. W. T. Stead,
while in his London jail, wonders what he
shall write to the girl whom he has sue.
ceeded in placing in Christian home, and
at last, by fash of insight, writes her,
'Be q Christ" Charles NJ. Sheldon pre-
sents as the ideal of every life, to act as
Christ would act if He were here in our
place.
What is the trouble with this concep-
hon? This, that it represents the statles
but not the dynamics OF the Christian life.
Ut tells US what to be like, but does not
tell Us how we shall become like our ideal.
Kant thought that the same man who or
deliberate choice accepted evil could with
the same deliberate choice and by simple
viii accept good " hen he saw it: This IS
q fine philosophy, but poor religion, 1t
does not explain Cough, McAuley, Hadley.
It e:yes us the ideal, but not the power to
embody the IDEAL
:, Listen to this statement and see if you
can find better one to express this idea
of following Christ, Religion cannot
be said to have made a, bad choice In
sA>ls no
sentative and guide of humanity; nor even
now would it be easy even for an unoe-
kever to find a better, translation Of the
Sule of virtue from the abstract INTO the
concrete than to endeavor so to live that
Christ could approve Of our hte, And
yet it was no less person than y. ;. MIL,
IN unbeliever, who wrote this.
. The text of the morning presents the
needed complementary conception. de
who is presented as an objective ideal be-
comes subjective presence and power.
He who said, "As Thou hast sent Me INTO
the word, even so have l sent them INTO
q am with you all the days.: =
The Bible represents this union IN diff
ferent ways. Now it is that OF the toun-
lation and the superstructure slgnlIylng
support; now the body and head, meaning
direction: now of the husband and. wife. :.
representing union; now of the vine and
branch, signifying the communication OF
life; and finally, most tendersy and mys-
*eriously, of the relation between the
Father and Son. In whatever way it IS
spoken of it is evidently an essential phase
OF the Christian life. -
DR.. A. J. Gordon once saw what he
called parable of nature up in a part
OF New England where he spent his sum-
ner holidays. 1t was an example of nat
ural grating. Two little saphngs grew.
up side by side. Through the action OF
the wind the bark of each became wound
ed, the sap began to mingle and at last
on still day they We're firmly compacted.
Then the stronger began to absorb the lie
of the weaker. 1t grew larger and larger
while the other grew smaller and smaller;
hhen BEGAN to wither and decline till finally
It dropped away and disappeared. Now;
there are two trunks at the bottom and
only one at the top. Death has taken
away the one: life has triumDhed in the
other. The Illustration thus given by DR..
Gordon only fails in not giving suthc!enr
importance to the words Il i've OF the
text. The religious life Is not seit-immola-
ton, but self-realizatlon. 1t IS not aosorp-
ton, but application.
Without thinking for the present of the
nnvarying condition OF this life, ..crucll-
fxion with Christ or the motive of such
living, "Christ loved us and died for US, .
or the means of such living, faith in the
Son of God" let us think more at length
of the single sublime thought, our, union
with Christ and its bearings upon the dit-
ferent phases of the Christian liie. This
we must for the present emphasize If we
are to have pure evangelical Christianity
which shall move the world.
First, note that Christ within US is the
source Of true divine companionship.
The appearance of Christ after the res
direction had two definite purposes. The
first was to scoryince the. disciples that
Christ was truly alive. or. in other words.
to connect the past Christ with the pres
ent Christ. The .angelschad assured them
that Jesus would go into Galilee there
to meet them. AS soon as faith had &C
cepted these words of both Christ and the
angels the disciples would leave Jerusa-
lem; but this did not take place until after
q week.
The second definite object Of Christ $
appearances was to- teach the disciples the
spiritual nature Of the kingdom. or. ~
other swords. to connect the present Christ
with the future Christ. among sue;
teachings are the words. Follow Me. :.
spoken to the seven in Gahiee: the prom,
ise to all, t:.Lo, am with YOU all the days.
and the command that they shou! ID not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for, the
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