The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-09-27
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
!; SUNDAY SERMON ;
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A Scholarly Disoourss By +
Rev. w. II. Ramsay. z
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Ramsay on Sunday preached n power
full sermon entitled "The Religion of
Jesus" He took for his texts: Her
sins, which are many. are forgiven; for
she loved much.--Luke VII, AZ.
Love took up the harp of Life, and
smote on all the chords with
might;
Smote the chord OF Self, that, trembling,
passed in music out of sight.
-Tennyson.
In the midst of so much confusion and
perplexity about questions relating TO
religion, nothing Is more helpful than
to turn to the words of Jesus and find
what He taught and believed. We
shall find little difficulty in doing this
II we confne ourselves to the first
three Gospels. If we include the
Fourth Gospel. we shall introduce an
element of difficulty and confusion.
The Fourth Gospel sets a wonderful
philosophy about Jesus and His mis-.
sion and it relates incidentally some of
the events in the life of Jesus. But for
simple statement of the words of
Jesus Himself. apart from any theo-
logical theory about Jesus, we must
turn TO the other Gospels. There Is
unquestionably much in these narra-
tives besides the words of Jesus, much
that betokens misapprehenson and
misconstructlon on the part of those
that heard Him. and an attempt to in.
terpret His words and deeds as a con-
flrmation OF the materialistic hopes and
expectations of His followers. But the
utterances of Jesus Himself on the
great and vital questions of spiritual
religion are so exalted and so self-evi-
dent that we shall find no difficulty In
discovering them.
What does Jesus teach about God,
about Man. about Sin and Righteous
ness, about Redemption, about the
Kingdom of God upon earth? We
might include other questions, such as
the nature of Divine Revelation, the
Church and its Sacraments and Rites.
etc. But these are minor and subor-
dinate matters.
What does Jesus teach about God?
Strange to say, Jesus has nothing to
state about God, after the manner of
the theOogians and creeds. He en-
tered upon no metaphysical discussion
about the nature OF God He never
mentions the doctrine of a Trinity.
"He had unquestioned faith in God
as a living. conscious, intelligent agent.
This faith came to Him by Inheritance,
and was received by Him as the indis-
pensable and indisputable presupposi-
ton of all religion" Jesus took the
highest thought about God in the He
brew religion, the conception of God
as the Eternal Father of men. and ex-
panded and purified 1t. He interpreted
this idea by His own sublime and spot
less moral consciousness. He saw the
truth OF the Divine Fatherhood through
the medium of His own loving and
righteous soul. The thought of God
as the ever-present Spirit of righteous
ness and love was constantly beset-
ting thought with Jesus. He lived and
moved and had His being in this con-
sciousness of the Fathers presence.
He saw the ceaseless operation of the
Fathers love and goodness and care
for all things. The whole universe was
encompassed by the Fathers love. He
loves and pities and provides for all.
Even His wicked and unthankful and
prodigal children are provided for. His
rain descends and His sun shines for
the evil and the good alike.
Jesus did not think of the Father as
a far-off and inaccessible Deity, but as
a near and indwelling Presence He
did not offer any explanation of the
mystery of this wonderful TRUTH He
simply believed it,, and lived and
wrought and taught with this thought
perpetually in His mind, with its in
spiration in His soul God was a liv-
ing reality to Jesus.
What did Jesus teach about man?
The thought of Jesus about man and
human nature might be summarized
In the words, "Man is the child of
God" This truth had been expressed
by others before Jesus, but it had
never been taught in the way that
Jesus taught it, No prophet or teach
er before Jesus had ever drawn such
differences from the belief, or made it
the basis of such an appeal to mans
faith in his own spiritual and moral
possibilities. Jesus shows everywhere
that He had deep and mistaken
faith in the essential diyineness and
worth of all men, whatever mans
character might be, whatever the out
ward and accidental deformity of the
life. No matter how far the prodigai
might have wandered from his faith
er's home, he was still his fathers
child. He might deny his birthright
and eat with the swine. but the faith
er's love never ceases and never
wanes.
Jesus. faith in the essential divine
of all men, especially of the outcust
and the sinner. He loved the outcast,
the fallen, ''the lost sheep OF the house
of Israel" He had compassion upon
them, because He knew how they had
been tempted, how they had been
taught and brought up, how they had
been neglected and left to wander like
sheep. without Il shepherd" losing
themselves in the wilderness and miss
ing the true goal Of life. Oh, the di-
vine compassion Of Jesus FOR man, the
deep-veined humanity, the eternal love
Of the Father breathing through Him
and looking out through His pure eyes!
1t Is this last that has made His name
forever blessed, and turned the hearts
of the lost and fallen sons of men to
Him as the dearest pledge and symbol
of the eternal love and compassion
that is at the heart and is the great
heart of the world.
What does Jesus say about sin?
Strange to say, very little. Jesus
never speaks about sin in formal or
theological way. He saw 1t; He felt
10 Il -. 1n.n