The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-10-07
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A STRONG DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
"ccMFoRTlNc csRTAlNTlss."
The Rev. pr. Robert Brue. uuii's Talk
ON the Words Addressed tn Nieodsmus
The rersou That the Neriti~s Of Our
Precious taith Cluster About.

BROOKLYN, y. Y.-Sunday morning the
,Rey DR.. Rober, Bruce Hall, pastor Of
Eretnwood Bsp;ist Church. preached on
rC0mforting Ccrtalutics The text was
from John m.ll: We speak that We do
Anow," Dr. HUI said in the course oi his
sermon:
! These words were addressed 10 Nicode-
aaus He was an earnest. honest, yet tlmld
Enquirer after truth He had come 10
Jesus under cover Of the darkness. As an
official OF the Jewish Sanhedrlm, he did
bot dare 10 be seen talking with the NsZa-
irene Teacher. Yet he Is convinced IN hls
own mind that Jesus - prophet and
phat, TOO. prophet sent ot God; This
much he coniesses TO the Christ. Then be
kns the wonderfully instructive interview
FROM which the text il taken. This inter
kioW IS evidently only an outline. bat the
outline Is marvelously suggestive. Nlco-
Ecmus was a good man. lie was 4 religious
man. Ne conformsd 10 all the religious
forms and ceremonies of his nation. His
outward department was blamelcss and
ih,s standing in the community was honor
,ab.e. But he was not spiritual man. He
hyas not what We would call to-day a con
verted man. To HIM Jesus thrice used the
solemn double Amen, amen, l say unto
thee"
: Ncodemus could not understand what
Jesus meant by being bora again. lie was
was Of which he himself was lacking. Then
il is tha, the third double amen OF Jesus
introduces the words OF the text: \ellly,
verify, | say unto thee. We speak that we
do know and testify that We have seen.
In this utterance Jesus uses the word
we" not simply as the plural Of majesty.
but connecting Himself with all His disci-
pies, so tha. IL Il perfectly proper and
right for MS to-day TO use His words and
say: I'VE speak that we do know Chris
tlans are competent witnesses 10 the GER
tainties of religion. While in n sense II
may be said that the Bible and the Bible
alone - the religion OF Protestants,' yet in
the fuller sense our religion is a life
Christ - Christianity. His life in Himself
and in His disciples IL the spirit and the
power OF true religion. We have something
more than oplmon; something better than
creeds; we have as one of the eternal Veri-
ties Jesus Christ as the manifestation OF
God. IL has been well said that Christ
either deceived mankind by conscious
fraud or lie was Himself deluded and de-
eeived, OF lie was divine. There Is no get
ting out of this trlemma. IL Is inexor.
able" He stood before the men who knew
Film best and said He that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father" and again declared
to them: 81 and Nv Father are one" This
was tremendous assumption and awful
blasphemy If il was not the truth. That
II is the truth the course of time and the
course of Christianity both abundantly de-
clare.
The verities of our precious faith cluster
about person. This person was God.
manifest IN the flesh, and Tor all the cen.
turies since Bethlehem the noblest, wisest
and holiest have bowed before Him rever.
emily exClalming MY Lord and my God!'
il matters not from what point we view
Him, Jesus stands before the world as
more than man. IL Is said OF n safe and
perfect arch that il must meet two require
ments. It's feet must not shp and its mid
die must not bend. Jesus Christ Is the arch
connecting humanity and divinity. The
weight OF the centuries of Christianity rest
on that arch aud they rest there safely, for
Jesus in God: there never was time
when lie was not;
Boundless. eternal, merciiul, the word,
the Sire begot;
Backward our thoughts through ages
stretch onward through realms Of
bliss,
For there are two eternities and both
alike are His"
Another of the certainties is that the
Christian life IL a divine life This was a
thought TO many to-day. II was not n
figure OF speech, but plain statement OF
fact, when Jesus insisted that II was neces.
fary TO be born again ~ order 20 enter
heaven. Those OF NicOdemus' time would
have SAID 1t was necessary TO reform, to
deal honestly, to behave kindly. to live up.
Rightly. SO many saw to-day, AID If by all
.his they mean uprightnes- in It's perfect
form they are right. But 10 man has ever
lyed who ,.as been thus upright. "All
have slnned and come short of the glory OF
god" The history of mankind shows that
r. must not seek holiness IA order TO God,
but God IN order TO holiness. Christ must
a.t II l.
life, and then, and not tll then, are we in
harmony with the divine holiness.
When that lie comes IN then there is
manifested the "expulsivc power OF a new
Affection" better still, the eXpulsiye power
Of "A new life. Nothing les than life can
sccount for the change IN men. Nothing
but life can exert the power which the cen
turies Of Christianity have manifested. In
physics We affirm confidently that every ef-
feet must have an adequate cause. This
also ~ true in the realm OF spirituality. IL
prosecutors are changed INTO preachers, II
those once thoroughly depraved have been
nodded into recognized saints, II the dregs
Of society have been transformed into un.
paralleled martyrs for the truth, II common
people have been fashioned INTO those OF
whom the world was not wOrthy-we ask
what cause or what power 10 adequate for
such marvellous alterations We know
these changes. II IL folly to say we do not
know the power.
Twice each day our city IL WISHED Dy
mighty cbb and flow OF tides that sweep in
and out, despite all the winds that blow.
Your child rccognzes the fact, but he is
puzzled to think that the pale, silent moon.
serene amid the clouds, ~ the cause OF
those resistless hoods The child il puz-
gled, but when your philosopher explains
to you that the moon does tbs by sttrac-
ton Of grayitatIon, and you ask him 10 e1-
plain TO you this attraction OF sravitation,
then he, too, ~ puzzled. Yet he knows the
power, knows it so well he can measure II
and use IT. So, too, with Christianity, and
It's power. We can recognize ats force and
use Il, but its secret - the secret OF life.
Like all force. in its origin 1t ~ a mystery.
Tennyson says:
we have but faith we cannst know,
For knowledge - OF thiuRs We see.'
This Is not quite true Know.cdgc is Of
things we feel, az well as OF things We see
Many things We know that We cannot see
We never saw a pain, but we should call
kIm a fool who should say we never felt or
knew pain. We know the power Of the |
Christ life in the believer, because We have
felt n. aud sonnet mes when this Christ lie |
IN us has Its ueTiect freedom we are able |
20 say with Paul. Il can do al things IN
Cbrst who strengiheneth me"
This certainty concerning the power OF |
the CHRIST life can be attained by all who |
VIII fulfill the conditions. Thers must be |
on ca,not have thc sunbeam without the |
suu. You cannot have the power Of Christ |
without the CHRIST Himself. The apostle |
tsys: Christ - N yOu the hope of glory"
IND u " certainty truc that Christ must |
te IN ne the power for glory. Thus the |
tentre Of our ctftiiude ~ Christ Iilmscf |
I'VE know HIM. We know His power. IL |
II Il avH n L.