The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-09-22
literature. Jesus has been the nest as.
tractive parsonage always.

| uCSIdLult. CCSuS uo0 bSS0 Nv es~ss Ss-sF
| tractive parsonage always. =
I come to this very hour. VIE Is the
| most attractive personality in the world al
| this hour? Let me take a narrower CIRCLE.
Who is the most attractive possnality m
! England at this hour? I answer. without
fear of contradiction-JesusC ChfuA
| I am not saying that the majsGH Of
people have vet crowned Him. Leg NJ
take my illustration to the lowest Level.
Can you think of any person iR history,
literature, that will be talked Of, and
thought Of, end sung Of, and discussed,
and criticised, and abused and crowned a
Jesus Christ? There is not single theatre
| in Manchester or London that can run
Shakespeare's plays continually. l am
glad You look ignorant, and can assure you
I don't speak from any inside xRewlsdges
but every one knows it to be trse. There
is not single theatre that can exist with.
out variety. There must be change; some
Forthcoming. And yet, with al eur wall
about the decadence of the chuith and the
failure of Christianity. every Sunday in
Manchester more people are gathered to-
gether to sing the old hymns and hear the
old sermons--I beg your pardon, TO hear
sermons on the old texts-and listen to
the old, old story of the cross than for any
other purpose.
Let US begin with the last. When Christ
was as fond Of phrase as he evidently
must be some deep signifcat;on in it.
have been going through my New Testa-
ment during the last few months. tracing
that phrase. 1t has been very interest
! ing study to see how constantly Christ
used it. 1t was the almost perpetual for
mula Of His call to individual s'ul-"foi-
Now what is it to follow? Two things
the ground, taken alone. Both are re-
quired.
First. to follow, I must trust. ! shall
never follow any one haven't csn6dencs
| in. I may trust and yet not follow. =.
Secondly, not only is trust necessary, bus
obedience is necessary Christ cenfronts
the individual soul. bringing that soul out
from the crowd, as He is calling some man
here this morning. He SAYS, Would you
trust Me? Then obey Me-" -
How am going to do it? What does u
yourself. take up the cross It seems
to me that is the point which must be OBJ
served first, that to deny self is the only
wav in which you can follow Christ. How
shall I follow Him? Deny thyseW The
two things are intimately related, and 1t
seems to me that everything is said when
Follow Me" is said, and yet Il Is neees-
sary to say the other in order b nnder.
stand what He means BY following Him.
What is it Christ calls me to! Te deny
myself! Not to practice self-deniai; that
ia a yery cheap business, but to deny self
a very costly matter. He says, "Deny
yourself. Listen no longer ts the call OF
your self, but listen to My cali. Dent con.
slider any more whether this thing will
minister to your pleasure or to ysur ag-
grandizement, or answer the cry st your
ambition. But Me first" Christ says,
"Deny yourself and follow Me. Put Ne on
the throne and dethrone yourself. Don't
let the question OF the morning ne, Wnas
shall I like to do, but What val CnriSs
have me do; not Will this pay me. but wlit
II hasten the coming of the kingdom OF
God. Don't let the underlying, mastering
passion of your life be your eUn selnsh
desire; crown Me, follow Me" :.
It Is a superlative call, and 6ae caH o.
Jesus is always imperial. he win brook no
division of your loyalty, and that is whas
He means. "You must hate father, motn.
er, wife, child. That means that when the
soul comes into contact with Me must %
absolutely first" Let me STOP. here TO say
back a hundredfold lands and fields and
mother and father and children. Jesus
Christ said He must be first, and He has
never lowered that standard, and the re.
ligion that is simply an addendum Is WORTH
nothing to Him.
Jesus Christ comes and says. Deny
Yourself" but there is the ether word
''Take up the cross" Well. what IS 1t!
Christ's cross? No. No man can carry
What is this cross? don't think that ls
is ever the same in two persons. The
cross is that in your life which Immediate
" costs you something il you crown
Christ. There is business man here tnns
morning who is saying in his heart, wen,
il that is Christianity, I will have to &C
home and change my method Of business. I.
That is your cross. There is a young man
here says that, YIf that is Christianity, u
it means putting Christ first, then VIII
have to 60 home and give up that compan.
ionship." That is your cross Bone one
here saws, 'If that is what Christ means,
that I am not to listen to the call OF my
own life, shall have to 60 home and say
T was wrong and confess my wrong 70
those to whom it is so hard to confess It.
That is YOUR cross. And somebody else
saws. "If that is Christianity I shall have
to 90 back on my history, throw up every
thing 1 am doing and 60 int tae uinls'
| try" That is your cross. :,
| You know what your cross IT, Don
any one come and ask me. You know that
thing which right in front OF yos this
morning challenges your allegiance 70 Jesus
Christ. You cannot play tricks with God.
You cannot deceive your own conscience
when YOU stand in the clear light OF tne
call of Christ. He says, Deny yogrseti
take up that cross land you know what II
isl and follow Me: .S
But why are Christ's terms SO drastic!
For two reasons. First, no man ever gets
to Christ but by the way of the enthrone-
ment of Jesus Christ. 1t is possible b ad-
mire and cheer Him, possible to yatronize
Him and never to know Him. It is not
the crowd that gets to Him, bat the cross,
bearing soul. And if you read on you VIII
say, "Whosoever would save his life shall
lost it; whosoever will lose his life for MY
sake shall fird it,
|, Christ confronts the soul and says vlrtu'
ally this: "You don't understand your own
| life, dear heart. You cannot realize your
own kingdom. You cannot build your own
character and carve out your eWn destiny,
but can do it, though ! can only DO 1t
when you have put Me absolutely on the
throne for your own life's Life, For lts
| ,ud layQ1OninQ