The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-04-27
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DEAN E. K. SANDERS, OF
YALE UNIVERSITY.
Subject: The Most Beautiful Book.

SUBJECT: Inc Most beouthuI Dooh'
Brooklyn, N. Yin the absence of
DR.. A. J. Lyman, the pastor. the pulpit
Of South Congregational Church was
occupied Sunday by Dean +. X. San
ders, D. D., the head OF the Divinity
School Of Yale University. He took
for his subject THE Most Beautiful
Book in the World" and said:
My theme rests on the authority OF
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 portrait OF the
Virgin. That tradition, whether true
or not, was not very far from right.
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, q keen observer and careful inves-
tigator. He seems to have had unu-
slal opportunity for observing and de-
scribing the life and personality Of the
Eord. 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
tme-with Roman and Syrian history.
He is careful to place the life Of Jesus
In it's larger environment and to show
What Jesus was inrelat1on to the world
about him, and we shall see why it was
that that point Of view laid such hold
upon him. This was natural to cul-
tnred Greek, and it was necessary If
his purpose was to influence his eul-
tnred eountymen. ....
What is it, we may ask, that consti-
tptes beautiful book, and does this
third gospel possess those attributes in
a supreme degree? It would seem to
me that beautiful book ought to have
In the first place noble conception,
which in some way awakens and DOM
mates the soul, and it ought to have a
skillful, 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
q response. We see His parents, disci-
pies, friends and casual acquaintance
NTH entire directness, and yet it was
not Jesus the man that Luke tells
about, but the Lord Jesus. Luke never
torgets that those to WI ON 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.
Fent 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" It 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 one power to whom the
whole world ought to bow. That seems
something like the thought that was In
the mind Of Luke.
But to 60 to the plan Of development.
It is extremely simple. Marks gospel
consists of series Of scenes which
bring out the life of Jesus with start
ling realism. Luke and Matthew are
not like that. Luke seeks to give the
historical association, 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-