The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-06
breaches ON THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE
DR.. Duncan Delivers Practical
Sermon at Methodist Church
MUST FOLLOW THE MASTER
Being a Christian Means not Only
the Retaining From Evil but
Means a Life of Active
Benefcence.
MUST FOLLOW THE MASTER

The Rev. Dr. j. A. Duncan occupied
the pulpit at the First Methodist church
yesterday morning at the Il O'Clock ser
Vices and delivered an edifying sermon on
THE Christian Life to a large congre-
cation. DR.. Duncan took his text from
the thirty-third and thirty-fourth verses
of the seventh chapter OF st. Mark: Aud
he took him aside from the multitude.
and put his fingers into his cars, and ne
spit and touched his tongue; and looking
up to heaven he sighed and said ephpatha
that is, be opened"
The pastor spoke in part as follows:
It has never been an easy thing for
man to keep his blanace In any depart
ment Of life. To do this as Christians, we
must be continually studying the life of
Christ He was the embodiment of Christ
ianity. His faith must be our faith and
| His work, our work 1t is not enough that
one should believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, he must also work the works OF
righteousness.
| In the text the Master has given us
an example of work Here as elsewhere.
He shows us how to do good. Much of
our religion has expended itself in what
We call being good. Oftener than other
wise this has meant the refraining from
certain things. 1t is very easy not to
do. If man lives alone In cave it is
very certain that he cannot commit muir
der. 1t is equally certain that he will
neither steal nor bear false witness
against his neighbor At the same time
the spirit of this cave dweller may be
the spirit of the very devil himself. He
may not possess one atom of real good
ness. Being a Christian. on the other
hand, means not only the not doing of
certn things, but it means a life of ac-
| tive beneflcence.
| If man claims to be a Christian, and
his way in life is marked by no generous
actions then his claim is called a false one
Christianity and an active interest in the
genuine welfare of ones fellows go hand
in hand. Let us look at the way in which
the Master dealt with this man, and sec
if we cannot get something to help us
as coworkers with Him.
Personal interests.
/ In this brief story we see first Of all
the evidence of personal interest lie
took the man aside. Perhaps it was be-
cause OF the mans inhrmatives perhaps
1t was because this event happened out
side the bounds of Jewry, where the
people might well have been sceptlcal. As
to this we do not know, only we know
that the Master took the needy one where
He and the man could be practically
alone.
Here is a suggestion for us Some can
be approached In the crowd. and some
cannot If we would do a man good we
must study the man. We have humility
enough to get down before the man. and
see what he needs how he can be APP
preached, how his heart can be touched
We are not to think about ourselves or
| about our theories, or about our notions
of things, he Is to be the center of inter
est How often men have failed because
they have insisted that others should come
to them. instead of being willing to go
to others.
The sigh of the Master must have meant
sympathy with the sufferer, 1t is need
less TO magnify It into sympathy with all
suffering OF course one as large hearted
as the Christ did sympathize with all suf-
fering but at this time He Is sympathlz-
ing with this particular sufferer. The
requirement for us is that we should
sympa thize with the one whom we are
/ trying to serve.
| One of Our Difficulties
One of our difficulties at this point Is TO
keep from assuming an air of superiority.
We approach man, and make him feel
| that all the time we are thdnniIg God
! that we are not as he, then we are not
apt to do him much good. Good advice
is the one thing that most men can fur
IRISH, and are willing to furnish on slight
est provocation; but rendering service is
different matter. We must establish
| some sort of bond between ourselves
and the one whom we are trying to help.
In order to do TINS we must follow the
Master still further. We nnd that in re-
lieving this man there is not only the
taking of him aside, and the sigh Of
sympathy, but there is the look to heaven.
| The Father was the source of the
| strength of the Son, and He is the source
of our strength as we'll The man who at
tempts Christian work wi. nouS prayer IS
like a man starting upon a desert jour
ney without food and water
when our daily task Is wrought,
In unison with Gods great thought,
Tho near and future blend is one.