The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-01-18
SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
.THE WORLDS INTEREST IN CHRISTI"
What is the Best Argument For Jesus
His Own Character With Its Striking

Symmetry is Completely Convincing.
BRooKLYN.-Dr. Cleland Boyd McAfee,
pastor-elect of the Lafayette Avenue Pres
bvterian Church, preached there Sunday.
, His subject was ""The Worlds Interest in
the Success of Christ" The text was from
John xii:9: much people of the Jews,
therefore, knew that He was there: and
they; came not for. Jesus sake only, but
that they might see Lazarus also, whom ne
had raised from the dead" DR.. McAtee
said:
This is at least candid. There was no
magic magnetism about Jesus. He drew
men to Him in no subtle. indefnable way.
He drew them by what they saw Him do,
by what they saw Him to be. Here was a
crowd drawn to Jesus by the effect He had
had on a man. That is the sermon of the
morning in a sentence. The best argu-
ment for Jesus is the effect He HIS on
men. I call it best, not as most pniio-
sophical or profound, and not as bearing
logical tests better than Others. 1t Is
hest because we can all see it and feel the
force of it.
I asked a wise man once what he count
ed the best argument in behalf of Christ.
He replied, christian" And what is the
best argument against Christ? Instantly
he replied again, "Christian." Broaden 1t;
! What is tho best argument for Christ and
His ~gospel?,, The Christendom Of to-day.
Set Christendom over against heathenlsm
and see what Christ can do with men. pet
it over against the, Christendom that
should be and see what Christ has still to
do. .
Now all that is very simple, and 1T IS at
such simple points in our lives that Christ
comes into closest contact with US. Line
only claim He makes to Kingship is based
on the fact that He is one who can.
He can bring things to pass. He can ac-
complish. He can achieve. You remem.
Der how constant His fame ran ahead OF
Him in His journeying. He healed some
and they told it. He taught others and
they announced it. He fed a multitude
and they chung to Him. l am not suppos-
ing that the crowd really believed In Jesus
| for what He claimed to be, but the croWd
was drawn to Him by the effect He had
had on men, and thus was brought under
His spell. And no man will ever believe
in Jesus on the mere evidence OF lives
about Him. He must; accept Him for Him.
self. But the effect. He has on lives WILL
have it's part to-dayffas then in turning
men to Him. The unchanged Life does not
draw. The thoroughly changed life ID His
best argument. =, ~,
You remember I have already said that
there are better arguments for Christ than
the lives of His followers-better phllo:
sophically and logically. He is Himself
His best argument. just a careful, candid
study of His own character with its pc
culiar balance of traits, with its striking
symmetry-that would be very convlnc.
ing. For my part I enjoy the so-cal!ed
metaphysical arguments, even some which
are not popular in the philosophical facul,
ties nowadays. There are very profound
hooks written which men might read with
profit. 49,.
very little profound thinking. almost no
abstract thinking, and we are reached
sooner and most effectively by the argu'
ment of results. There are men, of course,
not SO bright as ourselves, who would Dc
hard pressedsjust to read the books winch
present theses obstruse arguments. In my
reading, the other day, I ran across a sen
tence from one of these profound writers
which will interest you, just by way Of
illustration. 1t is a definition of religion
and runs this way: Religion is the ulti.
mate and vital apprehension by the lndi
vidual of what is conceived to e reahty IN
its fullest sense, the inner truth of things;
whether such reality be regarded as CO.
extensive with, as included in, or as dis
tinct from the world of natural phenom'
ena, it always, however, being regarded Of
in some way related to the individual him
self; any such apprehension embracing be
lief, emotional response and the deternln'
alton of conduct, in so far as conduct Is
supposed to have a bearing on the con
neetion of the individual With such real
ity." Now that is not a very bad way Of
stating certain facts about religion, ano
vet I doubt if some of US would care tc
20 far in books worded that way. Some Of
You have been under the influence of re
ligion a good many years., bu. have never
worded it just that way. -,
There are easier ways Of wording the
profound truth of Christianity. l wish II
seemed possible, for example. to get g
wide reading for the two,year-o!d hooi 6 3I
College. He has called it "The Philosophy
of the Christian Religion" The booI
grew out of Principal Fairbanks appoint
ment as Haskell lecturer in India. He hao
the sacred books of Hinduism and felt thai
he knew how to meet its positions witt
sympathetic understanding. When he
reached India, however, he found Hindu
ism a very different thing in practice. THAI
turned him back upon q candid study o.
his own faith, to see whether and wherein
it might differ in present practice from 1tt
to result profoundly, and it is a profound
book. I wish all of US Christians might
follow an argument which results in suci
sentences as these: '"tThe Son of God hold!
in His pierced hands the keys of all re
ligions, explains all the factors of theil
being and all the persons through whom
they have been realized" 1.-THE Incarna
ton is the very truth which turns nature
and man, history and religion into tht
luminous dwelling place OF God" lthinl
I shall not forget that phrase that the In
earnation turned the world into the lum
inous dwelling place of God, that jesus
once born into manhood, has never dice
out of manhood. and shall instead draw
manhood into His own fellowship ant
likeness. -
We shall be able to feel the persona
meaning of all this when We stop to name
over some of the traits w-.lch mark the
changed life. 1t is q life of faith-of quie'
confidence in God. There issno idlenes'
nor lazy trusting that things will come
out right by some mysterious method. i
is the life Of belief that we are in a F b
theirs world, making our way to a Fa
against the doubt and fear and anxiety O
the unchanged life. And because it il
faith in God it accomplishes faithfulnes
to men and our duties. And this is what
the world sees. 1t cannot see faith in God
1t can see only the faithfplness in the lift
W. live. From gross dishonesty on up t.
unreliability, at whatever stage it appears
unfaithfulness prevents an argument fol
Christ.
This is the argument OF the changed
life. And :. cannot mistake that it j
such argument which Christ Himself mos
prizes and which the world most needs
needs not in these larger ways and places
alone, there so much as in the men will
whom it must deal most closely. NJ!
brethren, it is the argument of ur owl
changed, Christianized lives that is LOS