The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-04-26
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SUNDAY SERMON :
y y y - I
A Scholarly Discourse By
Dean r. n. Ssnders.

VI SVuth congregational Onurch WIS
occupied Sunday by Dean It. X. San
ders, d. d., the head of the Divinity
School Of Yale University. He took
for his subject "'rhe 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 n 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 1t 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 or 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.
1t may be said that he gave us, in a
fashion, the most beautiful picture of
Mary of Nazareth; 1t stands out before
us with lively distinctness Everything
goes to show that Luke was Greek,
familiar with the best literature of his
day, 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.
ffna al that a.. . O.
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 inrelation to the world
about him, and we shall see why II was
that that point of view laid such hold
upon him. This was natural to a cul-
tured Greek and 1t was necessary If
his purpose was to influence his cul-
tured countrymen.
What is 1t, we may ask. that consti-
tutes a beautiful book. and does this
third gospel possess those attributes in
supreme degree? 1t would seem to
me that beautiful book ought to have
In the first place noble conception,
winch 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 beautiful book.
First, in it's beautiful conception.
The theme is the active life of Jesus,
and 1t 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
response. We see His parents. disci-
pies. friends and casual acquaintances
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.
Whyf Apparently because he did not
think 1t was worth while. He was
studying the work of the Lord in rev.
erent fashion. 1t 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 lust
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 go to the plan of development
1t 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 thai. Luke seeks to give the
historical association, a plain and sim
pie view OF the development of the life,
ana 1t 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 His
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.
the details of che baptism and tempta-
tion; then follows the genealogy. and
we are prepared for the actual story
of the active work of Jesus. Then
comes the story of His ministry. from
Galilee to jerusalem and then the last
week in Jerusalem. the Passion. and
lastly the resurrection and ascension.
easy to follow and comprehensive
Luke adds six out of twenty miracles
and eighteen out of twenty-thr para
bles and a great deal Of choice mate
rial.
In the third place Is the exquisite
taste and sympathy. Luke's gospel is
universal gospel He emphasizes the
fact that the ministry of Christ was
Tor all. Dante called Luke the writer !
of the story OF the gentleness of Christ. |
He alone tells the stories of the good |
Samaritan. the prodigal son, the great !
supper. the Pharsee and the publican, |
the dinner In the house OF Simon. and |
lastly, the story OF the repentant rob. |
ber All Is n part of his urpot thama