Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-09-08
shakespeare's plays continually I ann

about the decadence of the church 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 near
sermons on the old texts-and listen TO
the old, old story OF the cross than LOT any
other purpose. c..
Let us begin with the last When. Christ
was as fond of phrase as He evidently
was of that phrase "Follow Me-" there
must be some deep Specification in it. l
have been going through my New Iesta'
ment during the last few months. tracing
that phrase. 1t has been very, interest.
ing study to see how constantly Gh fns
used it. It was the almost perpetual tor
mula of His call to individual soul--"Fol'
Now what is it to follow? Two things
are involved. Neither of them covers all
the ground, taken alone. Both are re-
First, to follow, I must trust. I shall
never follow any one /. haven't confidence
in. may trust and yet not follow.
Secondly. not only is trust necessary but
obedience is necessary Christ confronts
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 it
mean, this trusting and obeyim,g!, DENY
yourself, take up the cross 1t seems
served first, that to deny self is the only
way in which you can follow Christ. How
shall / follow Him? Deny thyself! The
two things are intimately related, and 1t
seems to me that everything is said when
"Follow Me" is said, and yet it is neces'
sary to say the other in order to under.
stand what He means by following Him.
What is it Christ calls me to! 10 deny
myself! Not to practice sclf-drnial; that
is a very cheap business, but to deny self
very costly matter. lie says, Deny
yourself. Listen no longer to the call of
your SELF but listen to My call. Don't con.
slider any more whether this thing will
minister to your pleasure or to your ag-
grandizement. or answer the cry. OF your
ambition. But Me first" Christ says,
Deny yourself and follow Nc. Put Me on
let the question of the morning pc, W nat
shall I like to do, but What will Christ
have me do; not VIII this pay me, but Will
it hasten the coming of the kingdom OF
God. Don't let the underlying, mastering
passion of your life be your own selfish
desire; crown Me. follow Me"
1t is a superlative call, and the call OF
Jesus is always imperial lie VIII brook no
division of your loyalty, and that is what
He means. "You must hate father, moth
er, wife, child. That means that when the
soul comes into contact with Me must be
absolutely first" Let me stop here to say
that whenever soul does that he gets
back a hundredfold lands and fields and
mother and father and children. Jesus
Christ said He must be first, and lie has
never lowered that standard, ana the re-
lgion that is simply an addendum Is worth
nothing to Him.
Jesus Christ comes and says, "Deny
yourself" but there is the other WORD.
Stake up the cross Well. what is IT.
Christ's cross? No. No man can carry
Christs cross. What then? Your own.
What is this cross! l don't think that 1t
is ever the same in two persons. Inc
cross is that in your life which immediate
" costs You something II You crown
Christ. There is a business man here TINS
morning who is saying in his heart, NelI'
if that is Christianity, will nave to 90
home and change my method OF business.
That il your cross There is Il young man
here saws that, IF that is Christianity, Il
it means putting Christ first, then l VIII
have to go home and give up that compah'
ionship." That is your cross: Some one
here says, eff that is what CHRIST means,
that | am not to listen to the call or my
own life, ] shah have to 90 home and say
| was wrong and confess my wrong tG
those to whom it is SO hard to confess 1t,
That il your cross. And somebody else
saws, eff that is Christianity | shall have
to 90 back on my history, throw up every
thing am doing and 90 into the minis
try That is your cross.
You know what your cross it. Don't let
any one come and ask me. You know that
thing which right in front OF YOU th:s
morning challengcsyou allegiance to Jesus
Christ. You cannot play tricks with Hoa'
You cannot deceive your own conscience
when YOU stand in the clear light OF the
call of Christ. He says. Deny yourself;
take up that cross ,(and You know what II
Isl and follow Me /,
But why are Christs terms so drastic! :
For two reasons First, no man ever gets
10 Christ but by the way OF the enthrone1-
mrnt of Jesus Christ. it is possible to adj
mire and cheer Him, possible to patrohlZe
Him and never to know Him 1t Is not
the crowd that gets to Him, but the cross,
bearing soul. And ii YOU read on you VIII
say, whatsoever would save his Inc snalI
lost it; whosoevcr will lose his lie Tor Nly
sake shall tird it, ~.
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 ont your own destiny,
but | can do it, though ! can only do II
when YOU have put Me absolutely on the
throne for your own lifes life, FOR ITS
founding and ennoblmg and developing
you must come to Me, and by the way OF
a whole hearted surrender.
But there Is another reason why Christ
makes His terms drastic. He wants men
and women upon whom He can depend IN
the dav of battle. | am quite sure there
is nothing Jesus Christ wants at TINS mo,
ment SO much as men and women VINO WllI
20 through darkness and death Tor nun
You remember that picture OF JaruS be-
sceching Jesus to save his child who was
diving. and how, with the people throngng
about Him, the Master suddenly ex'
claimed. "Who touched Me- :.
Now don't let us be angry with the dis
ciples. We should have said the same
thing. "a hundred people have touched
YOU in the last five minutes: The multi
tudc throng The and press Thee, ana say
est Thou. who touched Me-, =.
But Jesus Christ always knows the dlt-
ference between the crush of curious
mob and the touch of a needy soul that
has come near Him. And this morning az
this service closes l hear His voice speak.
ing once again-the attractive Christ that
has drawn this crowd - this exclusive
Christ-and He says: "NWho touched Me"
We have all jostled Him this morning.
We have all looked into His face again:
We have all had new consciousness OF
the infinite music of His voice. Have. you
got anything out of Him! Has any virtue
healed you this morning! If not, even
now stretch out your hand and touch HIM m
And to do that you must deny yourself,
cruelty your pride. Having done that, lis
ten to the cry of your own life, and listen
to His imperial call and crown Him Lord
Of all.