The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-07-07
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
TIE REV. 7. c. HeclELlAkD.
Subject; What is Christianity?

pdStOT, tue lStN. Il. lawn McN lellilu,
PhD.. preached on What Is Chris
tianityf" The text was from Acts xix:
%: And the same time there occurred
no small stir about that way" DR..
McClelland said:
The name Christianity is not in the
Bible. Before the religion Of Jesus
was nodded into a creed or organized
into church il was called simply the
Way. That was the name given IL by
its friends and its foes. After Jesus
died the young men who had been His
students were asked and they asked
themselves what had Jesus given
5hem? He had given them wonder
fu words. but He had done some
ahing more than set them 10 learn
ing precepts 10 be repeated par
fot-like. He had formed them into
q circle, but the gift He had left
them was not a society. He had
given them-not something 10 believe
nor something 10 join. not creed nor
church. but just way of living.
And so they called Christianity the
Way.
In a little book called the Acts of
the Apostles we have pen pictures Of
the lives of these first Christians. and
these pictures show likeness in their
Way of living. and tnat Way they had
Is marked by four characteristics:
First The first Christians lived as
servants Of Jesus.
Second. Those first Christians lived
by the strength Of God.
Third Those first Christians lived
tn devotion 10 the common duties.
Fourth. Those first Christians lived
with men as brothers.
Let US study these four points.
The first Christians had a way of liv-
eng as servants Of Jesus That is, they
took Jesus word as law. They called
themselves His slaves" their favor
tie name for Jesus was Lord that
means simply, master. director, chief.
IL was their passion for Jesus which
won for them their first nickname. The
heathen called them Christians" that
Is, the party controlled by Christ. This
was not the name they gave them
selves. Their common name for them
selves was The Brothers" But more
than their love for one another, their
subsection TO Christ impressed their
pagan neighbors, and so they came TO
be called Christians.
Why did they call Jesus? They had
no theology Of His person. You hunt
the Acts of the Apostles from begin
ming TO end without finding any specu-
iation about the second person OF the
Trinity. or the deity OF Jesus. These
speculations came years after. At first
Jesus was an absolute Master, and He
was q Master, because though He had
been crucified, He had risen from the
dead. Jesus had passed through death
into life; they had not expected 1t, and
In their eXuberance over 1t what was
there to do but to make themselves
slaves of the man who had given them
this brand new reality? He delivered
them, who, through fear of death were
NIL their lifetime subject TO bondage"
And so they made that empty grave
n throne and the risen Lord sat upon
ii. So the first Characteristic Of the
Christian way was-it lived in subjec-
tiOn to Jesus.
The second characteristic of the first
Christians way of living was, they be
lieyed they lived by the strength OF
God. They talked about themselves
rs being possessed Of the spirit of God,
the soul of God The Holy Spirit, the
Holy Soul, spake through their lips,
moved in their hands. dwelt in their
hearts. This was remarkable con-
seriousness, this consciousness of God
being and doing. The birth Of this con-
seriousness. the descent Of this Holy
Soul. is placed in the opening of tie
story as the most memorable thing
about the way. Every individual, even
the common people. who took Jesus
for their Lord. felt that their life and
Gods were all Of one piece. The work.
ing Of this soul of God. this Holy
Spirit. was felt everywhere and in
everything BY His power they
preached. taught. healed and ordered
their outward and inward life. Every
thing the first Christians said or did
was said or done by the strength Of the
Father-God.
The third characteristic Of the first
Christians way Of living was, they
laid emphasis on the common duties
The immediate followers Of Christ be
iieved that their first business was tC
do their duty. The fruit OF the
Spirit" they said. that is, the imme
date result OF this subjection TO Christ
and this union with the soul Of God
''is love, JOY. peace, long suffering. gen
tleness. goodness. faith meekness, self
control" The lives that they lived il
subjection TO Jesus and by the strength
of God they lived I'm the midst of men
Now this characteristic OF the first
Christians way OF living Is all the
more remarkable when you remember
that these men were for the most part
Jews. They had been brought up tc
believe that religion was summed vi
On exact observance of ecclesiastical
forms a Jews religion consisted OF
the offering Of certain prayers In Ger
tain way. at certain times OF the day
of various washings OF the hands. OF
prescribed visits 10 the temple. will
prescribed gifts for each visit To per
form these and a thousand other cere
monies was TO be religious, and the
performance Of these things took pre-
cedence Of all else. For instance II
was granted by the Jews that 1t was q
duty TO bonor father and mother. but
since the commandment requiring this
was the fifth. it ranked not so high a'
the first. which required Of man thai
he should sacrifice TO God Therefore
if one had only enough 10 buy the pro
per sacrifice for God. he was war
ranted in letting the parent starve ant
to gain the temple Offering. Now Il
was men brought mp on this idea of re
liASon who suddenly turned the tables
aud laid the emphasis on common duty
1t we.e better 10 be charitable than q
have tn gift OF prophecy. aye better
than 10 h,ye q faith that could remove
Rountains.
When the Nc!.ns Of the lordship o'
Jesus and the 1Vion with God's Spirit
got on the nerves Cf tha new convert,
-. ia s-.ss els.y