The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-28
The Sympathy of Christ With Man
By the Rev Neyyen DWIGHT
Rev. Newell Dwight Hills.


had no shepherd
A fascinating book could be written o
Jesus as the rcconcilcr Of the contradic
tions in thought and life. Tho phlloso
piers talk about the paradoNcs and tn
poles OF character. but these extremes II
type and temperament are identified Ii
tho character of Jesus. The ideal nnd TIL
practical arc supposed to be mutually cN
elusive. Jesuss ideals are the despair o
the hollcst saints. but he was so pracuco
that his methods feed beggars. nurse th'
sick shelter the homeless. RadicalisE
ana conservatism are Ut enmity, yet Je
sus was the Ideal radical, lifting the az
upon the root OF the tree of evil, and als(
the Ideal conservative casting AWAY th'
chnff. but preserving all tho wheat One
temperament lives for today, another
temperament is mystical. and lives for to
morrow. Jesus made tho most OF Tho
present hour. but In the highest sense
postponed his pleasures and mnuo llTne &c
be his partner The Ideal patriot OF the
most pronounced OF all tho races, he was
also the universal man. the world only
cosmopolitan All the poles of Thought
and life. separated ordinarily by the di-
ameter OF being, were united In Jesus,
because he Is the cosmic man. rull-orbcd
even as our earth holds Its two poles to-
gether. His history Is the most patne'lc.
the most picturesque, the most tragic In
history. But II is his marvellous charac-
ter that has captured the Imagination OF
mankind.
Defies Analysis.
What voice or pen can tell his faSclnat-
Ing story. or search out his charm? AT
last the scholars have found out why thc
rainbow is beautiful. why the rose Is rcd.
why the fruits arc rlch- why man
strength is a solace and woman'9 beauty
u Joy. But time ard strength Nselt would
fail US TO call the roll OF ChriStS gifts,
ghu ia M uln md CDn1ngI
love. All classes now confess his beauty
and supremacy, and each man FOR DIFF
fcrcnt reason. The moral teacher en-
phaslzing ethics, praises Christ because
he was so simple sincere, unfcvered,
sane balanced and wholesome. The PM
lCSopherS praise him because the laws he
laid down lend themselves to a cosmic
philosophy, for love to God, love TO self
and love for brother are all inclusive. The
reformers praise him because he Is the
only rcformer whose reforms have re-
formed, He never leaves an empty house
TO bc filed again with the cYll spirits OF
yesterday. He crowds the old evil out OF
one door by leading q new spirit in at the
other Then, too, he makes beautiful the
threshold with vines md flowers over
the door, that the spirit OF goodness may
love this new temple of truth and beauty.
All who love forccful speech praise
Christ. for If eloqucnCe Is going straight
into the mans business and bosom, Je-
sus was eloquent beyond all the orators.
Mono of these facts, however. explain the
attractiveness and influence of Jesus.
Mere ethics are impotent as pictures of
blazing fire TO warm cold hands. Great
IS the power of philosophy. but philoso-
ply bakeS no bread, and alone, alone. l
say. Novalis TO the contrary, 1t has given
us neither God. liberty nor immortality.
Ideal and practical patriot and cosmo-
politan. radical and conservative. reform
er, orator, phllanthrOpist-al of these he
was. but he was more! What is his Sc
cret2 We shall understand Jesus when
N1NnV lion
away, would make him other than he
was. Toward God touch his holiness. and
he would not have been divine. LooknS
take away his sympathy, and
he would never have been our Savior.
This. then. is his appeal, 'He was tempt
ed In all points Ike rs VIC are. He was
touched with the feeling OF our lnfirmi-
ties" His very miracles and wonder
works wcrc deeds of mercy and signs OF
sympathy He dwelt above us as the sky
the earth for rain and dew. as
n mother hangs over cradle I'm tender
ness, pity and love lie is tho oYerarch-
them, suffering for them. suffering with
mon. suffering through men. and Christ's
great revelation was not simply the love
Of God. but the suffering love OF God
manifest unto men through sympathy
With our ignorance. OUR defects and our
sins.
Sympathy as Crowning Attribute.
Our theological fathers called the roll
II the attributes of God as infinite. eter- |
nal. Interchangeable I'm his being, wisdom.
oower. holiness. justice, goodness and |
ruth They entirely forgot TO mention |
MS love, and they also overlooked his |
This is like forgetting that a
singer has voice. that a sunbeam holds |
warmth. that the heart OF the home is
owe. II seems all but incredible that the |
and suffering love of god found |
10 place in our fathers thinking We |
,ould excuse that in the old authors. Job |
,elt that In approaching God he drew |
nearer unto one who was clothed with In |
Unite majesty and strength The sweet |
hess and solemnity OF that old book grew |
,ut Of the fact that the sage bcheld the |
hrone OF God as throne that held no |
pot no vanity. no meanness and no sin. |
standing on the grass, he looked upward |
oward the stars that for untold ages had |
he'd forth their arrows OF light Then |
lie bowed his head and worshiped him
Who dwelt above the stars and behind |
hem. Entering the forest, the grove be- |
anne temple, where the open glades |
we're alsles. the trees were wind harps |
he birds were choirs. tho white clouds |
we're prayers, drifting homeward to God |
The armament above had It's voice the |
arth beneath It's message. and all the ar
united to persuade in the be-
lolder full faith in this unseen but all |
'owerful God, who supported the frame
YORK OF suns and stars and lighted II |
With fretted bands OF fire. Then, for
housand years. carth's noblest spirits
m being, but felt that he was Infinitely |
Lbove them. At last Christ came to give
new revelation OF omnipotence What |
'ity was his. what sympathy towards the
'oor, what Kindness toward the weak. Tn.
hungry, the sick and the hcartbrokcn,
His sympathy travels like a summer at
nosphere over the hills of Judea. He
aught the world that strength was not
nough Samson is vulgar because he
annot spiritualize his robustness Her
ules Is strong but brutal The giant must
ave not only the strong hand but the
'entlc heart. Jesus enters the scene
lothed with an alluring atmosphere of
Until his day language md
Iter1ture had no word for sympathy Az
er three and thirty years men registered
lis life story by colning that new; word
one OF the greatest intellectual
chicVements OF our race And All Ian
'uage, IL is said, Is fossil poetry. but
bove all else there is poetry In this word
How do ] define II? IL has
cen defined as the universal riding forth
4 the soul, In pity and love toward ali
wing things. go that seeing the vine
bleeding on the walls OF EIsinore. gym
athy lifts the vine up and pins lt In us
lece that IT may grow into the light:
-eholding the babe In the cradle and Us
mother oroodlng over It, seeing the youtb
'ith his knapsack setting forth 10 mnlso
is fortune, watching Tho hnnpN- -, 80 |