The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-04-18
THE PULPIT.
a BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. w. S. BAER.
Subject: "Christian Life"

bfOOkly II, AZ. lille lNeN. NIuuclu
Scott Baer, who came from Grace
Church, Sandusky, o., to assume the
rectorship of st. Georges Church, 81
Il man of attractive personality and an
excellent speaker. His subject Sunday
morning was "Christian Life" His
text was from Psalms cXXii:1-2: Il
will lift up mine eyes unto the hills
from whence colneth my help. My
help cometh from the Lord. who made
heaven and earth" Mr.. Baer said:
1t is from the heights that we gain
our wides. vision. 1t is from the
heights of human attainment that we
see life most truly. TO gain these
heights we need to so where Christ
has climbed. There are certain Incl
dents in His life which preserve to
us the intimate connection between the
truth of His life aud the place where
1t was revealed in its %fullness. Let
us lift up our eyes unto tie hills, from
whence cometh our help,
Up into, n mount. with a few chosen
disciples, He went by night to pray.
In the darkness of the night those
who accompanied Him beheld q vision.
Before them was the Son of Man.
TRANSPORTED, with shining face and
garments all agluw. Then there came
a voice from God, This is my beloved
Son, hear Him."
How often in the days to come must
they have recalled that vision with
Joy. How often in the night of their
2%erplexity. when they questioned what
to do, must they have heard the voice,
'"This is my Son, hear Him." Their
brethren saw not the vision. heard not
the voice. In the valley below they
slept. They had not Seen asked to 60
with their Master, and they did right
to rest their wearied frames for the
work Of the morrow. But those who
went with Him saw the vision and
heard the voice which declared to
them that whatever other teachers
we're, or had taught, the perfect now
was come, and the imperfect was done
away. The glory Of the morning star
Is swallowed up in the light Of the
sun, which it foretells. So, day by
day, these men saw in Him the trans
6guration of humanity, the glory Of a
life lived with the Father; they heard
the voice Of that Father saying, This
Is my Son, hear Him." and knew in
Christ the perfection of, sonship as
God intended it to be.
Is this q vision Of past history? A
page torn from the biography OF
Jesus of Nazareth? Is this a day when
there is no vision, and no prophet. is
this the mount of God far away, and
must one journey to the Holy Land
to see it? Nay; since He trod the
earth, all lands are holy, and we may
60 into the mount. may gain a vision
and hear q voice. For the glory OF
Christ is not dimmcd, nor the voice
Of God stilled. AS one looks back
through the vista of centuries and
asks for the force which has uplifted
man, there dawns upon him for an
Swer the vision of the TRANSPORTED
Christ. AS one seeks for the highest
Inspiration of brush and chisel, again.
clearer or DINNER, rs he may see, there
stands before him the vision Of the
TRANSPORTED man. AS he gaZes at
glorious cathedrals, wondering at the
greatness of the work and the beauty
of the art, again the Son of Man ap.
pears as the Alpha and Omega. the
beginning of the inspiration, the end
Of all the faith.
ALI, yes, and one need not 60 to
masterpieces Of art to discern the
TRANSPORTED man. Closer and nearer
is He to us in lie than in canvas or In
stone. Wherever man kneels down In
prayer, wherever in thought he lifts
up his heart to God, wherever in time
of meditation he goes apart to be with
the Father, there comes q vision OF
TRANSPORTED man, glowing with the
glory OF God. The young man looking
out into lie world, the old man wait
Ing his summons home, each may have
bis vision and must have 1t, it he
would do his work Alright. How sad
our life as Christians would be If all
we did was daily round Of duty on the
treadmill of existence. How long the
days would be; how jJyless the task.
with u song at best a stole chant.
How glad when weary work was done.
and weary eyes were closed, and weary
hands were folded on the breast. But
that is not the Christian life. It Is life
and more abundant, with it's outlook
and its hope. In study of the Scrip
lures, N musings when the heart is too
full for speech. in hours Of worship
when hearts and voices are upraised
to God, there may come to US a vision
Of strength, Of truth, Of the better
mar to be, the answer to all our pant
ing and throbbing desires to come into
the fu!lness Of life. 1t may be dim,
because our eyes are dull. But as Il
eyes grow brighter, the i~ndistinctness
fades away into the glory of the
TRANSPORTED man Christ Jesus. The
vision Of man is given to us in Him.
We long. too, for knowledge Of God:
as we creep up "the great altar stairs
which slope through darkness up to
God" far, far above US we see the
light of the eternal glory. And as we
draw nearer, the light resolves itself
into the face Of the TRANSPORTED One.
"We have the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ" in
whom God graciously yelled His
brightness that our weak eyes might
see.
Our fullest vision of God and Il
clearest vision of man are had in Him.
We may see Hin in life " noble man
and pure woman as we walk through
the streets. We may suddenly be
frightened in the darkness Of a home
of sin by a glimpse Of Christ shining
through the life of II who lives with
Him. Let US ever seek for that vision
of Christ in the life of our fellows, and
if we seek. we shall find. But let us
repember that it is well 10 take time
with Him in worship, in family prayer.
where two or three are gathered to-
gether, in our own communing with
the Father, rs we 60 apart in the
mount Of prayer. which is the mount
Of vision, the mount of glory.
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