The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-08-24
A NOTABLE SERMON
The Rev. Harvey Dee Brown
breaches at Baptist Church
on "The Death of Christ"
THE REVELATION OF COD

l.
At the Baptist church Sunday
morning the pastor, DR.. Brown, dis
cussed the Meaning of the Cross"
as follows:
''As the music of great masters
stirs deep emotions of remorse, hope,
or sorrow, so the Cross of Christ calls
up from the sub1imna1 life of man all
the heroism, divinity and nobility
which the ages have implanted there.
Zone should approach the death Of
Christ with an open MUD and spirit,
and without ens1avement to dogmatic.
theories as to its meaning, and allow
the event itself to make its own i'm
preston and disclose its own mean
ing to the soul. Each soul is capable.
iot understanding the meaning of the,
cross for himself, or a least of receiv-
| ing its inspiration for himself even
/ though he may not fully understand
lit.
Standing in this attitude before
the Cross we see complete revelation
of the nature of God. God was an
unknown God until after the cruci-
fxion of Jesus. Men had always tried
to find out God, had succeeded in dis
towering some elements of his nature
but had never discovered his real
| character. This is known for the,
first time in human history when
Jesus is crucifed, giving himself to
the uttermost for humanity.
"What kind of God does Jesus dis
close? Not God who is a king1y
despot, nor yet God who is some
cosmic energy or material force.
Jesus reveals God who can be per-
secuted, smitten, scourged, spat npone
crowned with thorns and crucifed.
and yet forgives to the uttermost and
pours out his life in love for all.
Jesus reveals what the world had
| hardly dreamed and could not believe
and does not yet believe, that God is
Infinite Love.
"This truth of God is known only
after the Crucifxion. Most theories
of the meaning of the cross have
failed to include what the cross itself
teaches ofIGod 'sEnature. Ali exp1a-
nations of the cross which begin with
a conception of God lower than that
of Infinite Love must in the nature Of
the case be inadequate and primitive.
Gin what sense is the cross OF
Christ satisfaction to the God Of In
finite Love? In this-tIat now at
length, after the travail of the CEN
| turtles of.human history and the lon
ger centuries which lie before mans
coming, God has fully expressed what
he is, hasCcomp1ete1y manifested his
chara cter. Assthe artist makes pic
ture after picture trying in vain to
! put on .canvass that which his soul
conceives and which is deepest in his
| life, and at last has the supreme joy
of fu11y.Eexpressing himself in the
masterpieces which only ages to come
will appreciate, so God, who through
embodiment was seeking to express in
terms of visible life that which was
deepest in his nature, succeeded at
| last in making known what he was IN
the crucifed Christ. God was salts
fed. That which had been in his soul
/ 4AOl4 ILlC DCS AAAAuS WdS AAo4O hAON L.
The universe spoke its final meaning
IN the love beyond measure which
emanates from Calvary.
The way by which men can enter
into the life of this God and belong to
His Kingdom, is that by which Jesus
entered elf-sacrifce IN the service
of others. It is not by passing
through the gates of death, ror by
some kind Of bargain with heavenly
despot that one enters the life of God.
It is by sacrifice of self in the service
of men until se1fshness has been con-
sumed and love has become tfe's
supreme reality. It is only by the
cleansing and DECENTRALIZATION which
comes from genuine se1f-sacrifce In
human service that any man ever has
or ever can know the God of Infinite
Love which knowledge is eternal
life"