The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-24
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
VITAL UNION WITH CHRISTI.

SibSl ONiSN WIFI ST1nlobs
The Rev. c. d. Case. Phi. D.. Tells How
the Source Of Divine Companionship,
and OF Power For Achievement.
BROOKLYN. N. Y.-The Rev. &. D. Case,
Ph. D., pastor OF the First Baptist Church,
Montclair, n. j., recently preached the
following brilliant sermon, which he en-
titled "Vital Union With Christ" The
text was chosen from Galatians i:20: II
am crucifed with Christ and no longer
live, but Christ lveth in me, and the life
which I now live live by faith in the
Son of Goo. who loved me and gave Him
self to die for rne." DR.. Case said:
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, Follow
Me-" He tells the four on the sands of
Gali!ee, Conc ye 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 prociaims to the same disciples at
the same place on Galilee, Follow thou
Me-"
The grand and infinitely simple way OF
looking at the Christian life had been lost.
He was the true Christian who believed
what the church told 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
tire and core Of the Christian life. MIR.
Henry Richards, on, the Congo, reads to
the natives the words of Christ: Give to
taketh away thy goods ask them not
again." and then proceeds to practice
them, with the result that the. natives
first 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 flash of insight. writes her,
BE Christ" Charles M. 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 eoncep'
ton? This, that it represents the states
but not the dynamics OF the Christian life.
It 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 Of
deliberate choice accepted evil could with
the same deliberate choice and by simple
will accept good when he saw it: This is
fine philosophy, but a poor religion: 1t
does not explain Cough, McAuley, Hadley
1t gives 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 bad choice in
pitching upon this man as the ideal repre-
sentative and guide of humanity; nor even
now would it be easy even for an unbe'
lever to find 'better translation of the
rule of virtue from the abstract into the
concrete than to endeavor SO to live that
Christ could approve of our iie;| AND
yet it was no less,,a person than J.s. Mill
an unbeliever, who wrote this.
The text of the morning presents The
needed complementary conception: dc
who is presented as an objective ideal be-
comes subjective presence and power
He who said, "As Thou hast sent Me into
the world, even so have sent them into
the world" says with the &C., the "Lo
/ am with you all the days" -.
The Bible represents this union in dill
ferent ways. Now it is that OF the toun
dation and the superstructure signlfylnl
support; now the body and head, meaning
representing union: now of the vine and
branch, signifying the communication ol
life; and finally, most tenderly and mys
teriously, of the relation between the
Father and Son. In whatever way IT If
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
ural grating. Two little saplings, grew
up side by side. Through the action o.
the winl the bark Of each became wound
ed, the sap began to mingle and at last
on still day they were firmly compacted
Then the stronger began to absorb the life
of the weaker. 1t grew larger and larger
while the other grew smaller and smaller
then 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
other. The illustration thus given by DIR
Gordon only fails in not giving sufficient
importance to the words Il live" OF the
text. The religious life is not.self.immola
ton, but self-realiZation. 1t is not absorp
tion. but amplifcation.
Without thinking for the present of The
unyarying acondition of this life, .crucil
fixion with Christ" or the motive OF such
living, Christ loved US and died Tor US,
Son of God" let us think more at length
of the single sublime thought, our union
with Christ and it's bearings upon the dlt
ferent phases OF the Christian life. This
we must for the present emphasize II we
are to have a 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. Iht
first was to convince the disciples that
Christ was truly alive. or, IN other words
to connect the past Christ with the pres
ent Christ. The angels had assured them
that Jesus would 20 into Gallee there
to meet them. As soon as faith had &C
cepted these words of both Christ and the
angels the disciples would leave ,lerusa
lem; hut this did not take place until attel
week.
The second definite object of Christ's
appearances was to teach the disciples the
spiritual nature OF the kingdom. or, nl
other words, to connect the present Christ
with the future Christ. Among $, sHcn J;
teachings are the words, Follow Me-
spoken to the seven in Galilee: the prom,
ise to all, "Lo. am with you all the days. .
and the command that they should not no,
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father, which, He said: ye
have heard of Me" A glance back into
the fourteenth chapter of John shows
what this promise was. The sixteenth
verse says: II will pray the Father and
He shall give You another comforter. that
He may abide with you forever" But Of
whose presence is the Spirit the embodii;
ment? The eighteenth verse says: u will
not leave yon comfortless; I will come to
you" Then the, twentieth assures the
that am inrMy Father. and ye IN Me and