The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-01-01

hurst, pastor Of the Madison square Pres
tyterlan Church preached sunday morn ms
on What Think Ne Of CHRIST ~ from "a,
words found IN Marx N-lu %. Whom Say
We, that l am DR. PaIAhurst sid among
other things.
Christ means "a you something what j,
Christ Himself asks 'l.s Of HI, disciples
IL Is the FIRST Christian catechism. Br.ef
but nevertheless u D., cateo hism and D,
God warrant Tor cur a-hing dOCtrnaI
questions, and His warrant. too. for ouI
beng prepared to frame ZONE sort Of an
answer 10 them.
Chrsts inquiry here means that lie eS.
poets HIS disciples 20 have CoBVIctIons-
convictions IN regard 10 Himself az any
Gate-and dennltc enough Tor them TO be
able 10 state them. S.lL convictions NAV
be more correct, may be less SO. but an I'm
perfect opinion - better than none and no
opinion ends IN beng perfect that did no,
begin 10y beng imperfect, and sound con
Ncuon IS blunder convicted and converted
Everything human begins IN a mistake
Error ~ the loamy soil out Ci which trlth
vegetables and blossoms. The history OF
philosophy, science and theology illustrates
TINS pfnuple with distinct Cogency that
N uuanswerab'e. 80 chat we need not be-
too much afraid OF beng 10 error provided
only We ching % our emo, with a teuacIty
that Is not simply tenacious. but tb.t is
also honest and intelligent.
What think ye of CHRISTI His appea!
here Is to man considered as an animal who
thinks, who has ideas ideas Of his own
takes impressions from What s shown him.
told 70 hlm, acted out before hum. and i'm
presslCus that so groove themselves into
his substance as 10 take defined shane and
shape that Is fairly permanent. just as
objects make an image oi themselves in TIE
eye, so facts, events, truths. make an Im-
age OF themselves ~ the mlnd-that Is
they do II the mind Il an alert mind, sensl.
tive, responsive. A man can, Of course,
look without seeing anything, go he can
hear without learning anything live IN the
presence az great realities and come away
iIom them without carrying uTOn his soul
any of their imprint. An OK can look to-
ward the west at o'clock IN the afternoon
without observing any sunset. there Is a
good deal of the bovine still IN most Of US
that call ourselves human, and that is why
We behold 30 little Of what Is really visible
aud why we garner SO htt,e of the fruit
that falls into our laps A duck can 60
through the water and stIil come ont dry.
a boy can 90 through college without any
OF the college going through hum. Judas
walked three years with Jesus and finished
by being a devil.
What think We Of Christ? He wants to
Ind out from His dlsclp.es then, what i'm.
preston OF Himself He has eft with them
sha; stamp lie has put upon them, What
they think Of Him VIII bC only another
name for the record of Himself tina; HIS
teachings and demeanor have left printed
upon their lntelhgences. | am trying TO
have you realize that their opinion of Him
that lie was trying TO get hold of was
iomethng definitely traCeab.e TO the
working influence upon them Of His own
presence and activity. He is not interest
ed TO know what they imagine Him 10 be,
nor what they logically m.er He may be
IA To baf 10
~. lie has been for some time demonstrat-
mR Himself 10 them by word, act and
splrlt and If they are not altogether like
the duck IN the water or the OK before the
sunset, as presumably they are not. this
demonstration OF Himself 10 them has IN
some way tod upon them, II has lodged
something within them and lie wants
them TO give name TO n. Their opinion
OF HIM was something jhat lie had HIM
cell been the means of making TO grow up
IN them without Their consciously having
any part IN the matter themselves. II was
not something they had borrowed from
somewhere nor something that they had
personally strIyeu to acquire.
OpInlOn, then, II u Is anything more
than mere quotation. copy Of what some
one else has thought ~ one OF the things
that grows. The influence that starts the
convection will, il II continues 10 operate,
90 on adding to that CpryICuOns strength
and intensity As Illustrative OF this com.
pare the feehIeness and tmorousnCss of
the convictions Of the DIS pies when they
began to believe IN Jesus with what those
convictions were when az the end OF their
course they laid down Their lives III mar
tyrdom, That - the natural course O.
thInSs. II ls natural for a flower 10 con
tmue 10 grow II II stands m the same sun
shine and rain is that which first made II
begin to grow. If flower comes up out
OF the ground, grove for a day and then
suddenly stops growing and remains as II
-, you know something is the matter
either there IS a worm at the root or the
air too cold or the soil toe dry II Is not
natural for 10 not to so on improving upon
itself, adding TO itself
1t IS a sorry condition. then. that a man
- IN. that a Christian believer rs IN. when
he says that he has the same opinion Of
Christ that he had a year ago. 1t tells
sad story Of the way the year has been
passing with him. if the vine that IS twin
ing itself around your tre.lIS clothes itself
IN no more leaves and pats forth no more
blossoms tins summer than il did last sum
mer, the season must have been an infeiiCl-
tous one for plant life o. there Is some
thing serious the matter with the vine,
| have IN this been speaking broadly Of
conviction Ia general bat OF course the
reference specifically intended j. 20 Iclic
IouS conviction. and more specifically still
to the convection contemplated when the
question was asked What think ye OF
Christ" We doubtless all of us have
some conviction respecting Him: that Is
We an OF rs possess among our ether com.
odties aud belongings out on the
table or tucked away Iu some drawer or
closet or stored in the QarTct among other
dIsused furniture or obsolete brIC.a .hrac-
something which We called land proper,y
cain a belief IN Christ. an opinion about
Him, conviction concerning Him We
are willing 10 assume, too. that IL NAV be
very valid conviction. sound, yea, thor
oughiv IN the terms OF Scripture Yes bat
granting all that, II there any of ;o-day's |
cap IN 1t or IS it an antiquity
IL means a great dea 20 say OF a mans |
Christian conviction that II is living con- |
vIctlon, that IT IS going on to-day main.
tanning continuous life. freshly mlnistered |
TO and daily supplied by communications !
from the same divine source that first ini- |
tIated It. A dead conviction we have TO |
lug around-a conviction that Is alive takes |
ot the reality OF that 60 which our conyic- |
ton fastens It brings everything down |
10 date and sets IL out in front Of us |
Memory does not have 90 be appealed to |
TO recall u, nor books. manus ripts cate. |
ohisms rummaged through in order to au |
thenticate u. IL Is an undecided impulse |
~ it keeps pushing and thst goes on push |
lng with an ever accelerated pace and a |
widening energy wh,e we stand near |
enough 20 Him whom We believe IN 70 have 1
HIS presence made ever more immediate \
70 ". HIS reality more real 20 US IL is /
Tor that reason that some believers can be 1
lieye very nicely and vet behave very bad |
~. There is not the ghtest incompatible |
ltv between being orthodox and being wi. |
lainous. only in order that that may be l
possible the orthodoxy IN question must be |