The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-05-04
THE PULPIT.
a BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
The R5V. Or. n. M. SANDERS.
subject; The Character of Jesus.

brooklyn. n. Y.-At the Washington
Avenue Baptist Church. in the absence
Of the pastor. the Rev. DIR. Robert
Macdonald. the pulpit was occupied
Sunday morning 10y the Rev. Henry NJ.
Sanders. II. H.. Of Manhattan. The
preach subject was The Character
of Jesus" His text was Matthew
Nxil:42: what think We OF Christ?
Whose Son is Hep" and he said
The character -~f Christ is the ulti-
mate fact in Christianity. 1t is the
central citadel of our faith. What
Hugomont was to Waterloo the charac-
ter OF our Lord is to our religion
Around ii the fiercest fight and blood
lest carnage ragged but il was found
impregnable, and because it was not
captured Napoleon was defeated. So
the character of Christ stands To Chris
tendon. II il could be shown To he
false all would be gained by It's foes.
but that character stands because il
comes out OF the flames of criticism.
without so much as the smell of fire
upon its garments. Who Christ was
and what He was. therefore, a.p oues.
tions that have not lost their interest
for mankind. Ever Jesus Christ is the
most powerful spiritual force. He is
to-day what He was for centuries, the
object Of the love and reverence of the
good; and the cause of hope and repent.
ance to bad: Of strength TO the NOR
ally weak: inspiration To the dcspond.
ent. consolation TO the desolate; cheer
to the dying. He has been the incen.
tive OF the most unbounded benevo-
lence, the most sef-sacriticing devo-
tion, the Infinite within the limits OF
our humanity. and faith has beheld in
His sutferngs the sacrifice for human
sin. Surely no other has done such
work as this. He is to-day the worlds
imperishable wonder: its everlasting
problem. The man who would assail
our faith with any degree of success
must do IL through the Founder.
want To direct your attention TO some
Of the features of that character which
strike us rs being unique.
In the first place, IL is the flawless-
ness of that character. He completely
satisfies our ideal of human virtue.
You cannot think of God as being
more holy than He. In the world He
lived perfectly sinless life ut all
points. We shall seek in vain for any
trace OF sin in that life which would
indicate will detected from God. No
pride, ambition, covetousness. malice.
paltering with truth, no deviation from
the most exact roctitudc 1t was u life
Of the highest purity, of the most inn
partial equity. uncalculating self-sacri-
flee and sternest veracity And yet our
Lords faultlessness of character does
not rest upon our inability To detect
evil. In the first place. He never ac-
knowlcdged sin in any form. but lives
Himself free from every kind Of sin,
either OF commission or omission. Sin
Is the transgression of the law or any
want OF conformity thereto. But Jesus
never left undone anything lie ought
10 have done. lie said. 81 have glori.
fled Thee on earth" and IL do always
the things that please Him" III"
throws down the challenge. (Which
Of you convinceth Me of SIM"
Then, again, the faultlessness stands
the test Cf intimacy. NO man is "A
hero to his. valet" said Thackeray.
When Whitfield was asked whether u
certain man were a Christian, he said
How do | know? ! have never lived
with him" But the people who lived
with Jesus are the most outspoken In
the expression Of His holiness. John
declares that He was "A lamb without
spot or blemish." Such was the test-
mony OF friends. Ills sinlessness
stands the test of enmity. of those who
lay I'm walt to entrap Him, and yet
their testimony is explicit. Plate de-
clared: II find no fault in Him." the
centurion who superintended the cruel. |
tXiOn said. "Truy this was the Son Of
God" and the traitorous disciple de-
clared that he had betrayed innocent |
blood" When we look into the life of |
Jesus we find that the record sustaIns |
this testimony Of friend and foe alike |
lie never repents. never expresses re-
gret for anything. II IS clear that lie |
has no compunctions Of conscience. no |
feelings OF unworthncss. lie tells us |
that lie goes back To God untarnished. |
And all this In view of the well known |
fact that the nearer man lives 10 God |
the more he realizes his defects. The |
measure Of human perfection is the |
conscience. Carlyle says that the |
greatest Of faults Is 10 be conscious Of |
nothing. The worse a man Is tho less |
conscience speaks to him. If the shield |
be dull more or less spots upon IL make |
y Ilf lIufIfl''s DNl u pea IttlIJ DDI-
ished one spot mars il.
Jesus never accused Himself. Abra-
ham. Moses. Samuel and Ezekiah all |
had 20 acknowledge imperfections.
Peter wcpt tears and Paul speaks Of
himself rs "the chief Of sinners" Ed.
ward PaysOn says he did not know
ary evil Of which he did not feel the
possibility Ia his own nature. and
Edwards in writing his diary
stained the manuscript with tears OF
as be wrote. You detect no
such thing with Jesus. Why Be
cau-e he was a Pharisce, satisfied with
rIghteOu-nessf Had lie fan
ta.tic ideas OF hDl.nossf lie made the
most exalted standard for men and
yet meyer gave the slightest inumation
that lie fell below it. lie saiCi "lf ye
mot weJ repent" ana "Ye mot WEI
must BE- born again In an matters
o. human symUgtby where He could |