The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-05-17
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DEAN F. X. SANDERS, OF
YALE UNIVERSITY.
Subject: The Most Beautiful Book.

one renowned for his literary knowl-
edge, Renan, who is deservedly famous
as a student of literature and Of the
Bible. He declared that the gospel Of
Luke was the most beautiful book in
the world. No one can, Of course, test
this statement. who is not familiar
with the gospel. To the superficial
reader it is only one of the stories OF
the life of Jesus. The skill, the power,
the pathos and the sympathy Of the
writer become clearer with every re-
reading of the book. An early tradi-
ton spoke Of Luke the painter, and
| said he had painted a portrait of the
Virgin. That tradition, whether true
or not, was not very far from right.
It may be said that he gave US, in a
fashion, the most beautiful picture Of
Mary Of Nazareth; it stands out before
us with lively distinctness. Everything
goes to show that Luke was a Greek,
familiar with the best literature of his
day, a keen observer and careful inves-
tigator. He seems to have had unu-
sual opportunity for observing and de-
scribing the life and personality of the
Lord. Among other things he gives
evidence of possessing the true historic
spirit. You will notice how he is inter-
ested in tracing the Lords active min
istry from place to place. The story is
told in an orderly fashion that helps
US to arrange the facts far better than
the other gospels could. You will no
tice also that Luke is fond of following
up the physical and moral growth Of
our Lord. He is also careful to con-
meet his story with the history Of the
time-with Roman and Syrian history.
He is careful to place the life Of Jesus
In its larger environment and to show
what Jesus was i%nrelation to the world
about him, and we shall see why it was
that that point Of view laid such hold
upon him. This wa natural to a cul-
tured Greek, and it was necessary if
his purpose was 70 influence his cul-
tured countrymen.
What is it, we may ask, that consti-
tutes a beautiful book, and does this
third gospel possess those attributes in
a supreme degree? 1t would seem to
me that a beautiful book ought to have
in the first place a noble conception,
which in some way awakens and DOM
mates the soul, and it ought to have a
Bkillful, but simple plan of develop
ment rightly grasped and enjoyed.
There must be good taste and right
judgment in the choice of the material
which enables us to grasp details and
to see the gradual unfolding which the
writer would set forth. And there
should be felicitous expression of
everything which the writer seeks to
set forth. These are the fundamentals
of a beautiful book.
First, in its beautiful conception.
The theme is the active life Of Jesus,
and it is far more than that; it is the
broad life which He lived with others.
Luke loses no chance to show how out
siders sought opportunities to come in
contact with Jesus and always evoked
a response. We see His parents, disci-
Piles, friends and casual acquaintance
with entire directness, and yet it was
not Jesus the man that Luke tells
about, but the Lord Jesus. Luke never
forgets that those to whom he refers
are now the risen Lord and the apos-
ties Of the church. A famous critic
said: Luke ever spares the twelve, es-
pecially Peter" He omitS many little
details even regarding our Lord, such
as the agony in the garden, and many
about the apostles, especially Peter,
which are given in Matthew and Mark.
why? Apparently because he did not
think it was worth while. he was
studying the work Of the Lord in rev.
erent fashion. It was not his purpose
to simply put down facts, but to show
those facts which would bring out the
explanation of the fact that Jesus was
the risen Lord of humanity, and that
the twelve were the GLORIOUS company
of the apostles" 1t was not even just
that, but to show Jesus in all His pow
er. and greatness, and holiness, and
grace, the friend of all who were in
any kind of need, the Saviour of hu-
man kind, the n power to whom the
whole world ought to bow. That seems
something like the thought that was in
the mind of Luke.
But to go to the plan of development.
1t is extremely simple. Marks gospel
consists Of a series of scenes which
bring out the life Of Jesus with start
Ding realism. Luke and Matthew are
not like that. Luke seeks to give the
historical association, a plain and SIM
pie view Of the development Of the life,
and it is unique in its simplicity. He
has two chapters devoted to the in
fancy and boyhood of Jesus, and in
the last two verses he shows the thirty
years of growth Of Jesus. Then two
chapters serve to bring US to the point
when, in full maturity, and with abso-
lutte command over Himself and Ills
purposes, He was ready for the work
which opened before Him. So three or
four chapters give US the preparation
for this public ministry, tell US of John
the Baptist, how Jesus came to him.
he details Of the baptism and tempta-
ion; then follows the ~genealogy, and
re are prepared for the actual story
IF the active work of Jesus. Then
comes the story of His ministry, from
5alilee to Jerusalem, and then the last
week il Jerusalem. the Passion, and
lastly the resurrection and ascension,
easy to follow and comprehensive.
luke adds six out of twenty miracles
Ind eighteen out of twenty-three para
ples and q great deal of choice mate
:ial.
In the third place is the exquisite
taste and sympathy. Luke's gospel is
a universal gospel. He emphasizes the
fact that the ministry of Christ was
for all. Dante called Luke the writer
Of the story of the g%entleness Of Christ.
He alone tells the stories of the good
Samaritan, the prodigai son, the great
supper, the Pharisee and the publican,
the dinner in the house of Simon, and,
lastly, the story of the r%epentant rob-
Der. All is a part Of bis great theme.
Nor was it accidental that Luke shows
us so many types of and gives