Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-10-12
Observation-Disclosures!
!: SUNDAY SERMON :
y
2 A Scholarly Discourse by
: Dr.. Louie. A. Banks.


son Place Nj. T.. Church, where he was
most successful. preached there Sun
day morning on 1.-The Christ Who Is
Touched With the Feeling of Our In
firmities" The text was from He
brews iv:15. 1--WE have not hign
priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was
in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sim" DIR. Banks said:
1.-The last part Of this text explains
the first. Christ Is In sensitive touch
with us in the temptations and trials
of life because He has personally ex-
perienced them. He is not stranger
standing Off on the ramparts of heav-
en- looking down, though 1t be ever
so benevolently, upon sorrows and diff
ficulties which He has never person
ally known. Such compassion could
not mean much to us. But Jesus
| Christ perfected Himself as the cap
| tain of our salvation through suffering.
For three and thirty years He wore
| our flesh, and tasted our grief. ana He
| is touched with the feeling Of our In
| firmities. How much that ought &c
mean to us. When we are In any trial
or trouble, and we need comfort, 1t Is
not to the most joyous and happy, who
have never known what sorrow was,
to whom we go for sympathy.
"SOme years ago l was surprised to
receive from very rich man In city
where | was then pastor check for
a large sum of money which he said
he wished me to use among the poor
! I'm my part of the city, and especially
| all Hx-l,n n n
| hard time of 1t. followed his direc-
tons and gave him an account of how
| portions of it were used. Still other
| sums followed until | was very much
| interested in the matter, and won
| dered not little at the cause of 1t.
| After it had gone on for nearly year
l received q letter from him inviting
me to take lunch with him at a hotel.
When we met he said: 4 suppose YOU
have wondered at my sending this
money to you, an entire stranger to
me, and at my being so much interest
ed in the children of the poor in your
section of the city. But this is how it
comes. My father died when | was
very little boy. My mother was left
widow with large family of chill
dren, all of whom were too small to
! be of much help. She had to work
very hard, but work as hard rs she
| could she was unable to procure
enough food and clothing to give MS
comfort all the time. For two or
| three years knew what it was to be
| hungry. Many night ! have cried
| myself to sleep in silence lest my
| mother should hear and 1t should make
her feel bad, because | WAS so hungry.
I could not keep back the tears, and
knew she had no bread to give me.
You would scarcely believe it,, oon-
tinued the millionaire. looking at me
now and knowing what You do of me
| that on more than one occasion
have run and snatched crust of
bread thrown away from wagon
where some teamster had eaten his
lunch. and rescued it from dog. and
sat down and ate 1t gratefully. and
washed it down with a drink from
| the town pump Then the tears came
| into the big mans eye and one rolled
out on his cheek MS he said: Now yon
| know why / have so much sympath"
for tho poor children. 1t makes me
SILVER on a cold night when | think
of the boys and girls who have not
| clothing enough to keep them warm.
| For | have been III their place, and
| know how it feels | know how boy
| feels when he is hungry and cold. and.
God helping me. | shall never lose a
chance to help boy or girl that is
in hard place
CAS- listened to this big hearted
, man there came into my mind the
! Scripture we are studying. He was
| able to sympathiZe with and comfort
| others, because he had fellow feel
ing with their infrmities and their
| sorrows.
80. no one could be a Savior for us
who had not suffered. No one could
have compa ssion on us in our weak
nesses who had not himself been
| tempted and tried as by fire. Only II
man who has been hungry. and has
not known where to lay his head at
| times, knows how to sympathize with
others who are in similar experience.
Only he who has been in the wilder
ness with the devil, tempted on every
side, struggling for his life, knows
| how to sympathize and have true com
| passion with tempted men and women
to-day. Only He who has been crowned
| with thorns, who has been spit upon
and whipped with the scodrge. who
| has tainted under His cross. knows
| real compassion, knows how to be
| touched with the feeling of people who
| are dashed by cruel misfortune and
who are fainting under burdens too
heavy for their shoulders. But Jesus
Christ meets all these requirements.
He knows all about 1t.
| 1.-THE incarnation of Jesus was no
sham. He wore our humanity com
| pletely, and there never was a more
| perfectly sensitive human nature, one
more tender and exquisite in human
feelings than that of Jesus Christ. AS
has been we'll said, Christ affected
none of that hard Indifference in
which some ancient philosophers vain
ly gloried. He felt as man, and He
sympathized with the feelings of
others On different occasions we are
informed that He was troubled in
spirit, that He groaned, and that He
wept. The story of His agony in the
Garden of Gethsemane exhibits n
striking picture of the sensations Of
innocent nature oppressed with an
| guish. 1t discovers all the conflict be-
tween the dread of suffering on the
one hand, and the sense of duty on the
| other; the man struggling for while
| with human weakness, and in tile end
rising superior and winning victory.
We hear the Savior say, Father, II
1t be possible, let this cup pass from
Me- There Is the dread of suffering
natural OH all our lips, but the next
moment we hear Christ saying, New
ertheless, not as | will, but as Thou
wilt Thy will be done So our
Savior was touched with the feeling
| Of orr infirmities. He WIS q mnn of