Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-10-08
THE PULPIT.
= SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. c. S. MCFARLAND.
Theme: Jesus Imperial Spirit.

Theme: Jesus Imperial Spirit.
Brooklyn, N. Yin the Park Con-.
gregational Church. Eighth avenue
| and Second street. Sunday morning,
the Rev. Charles S. mcfarland, Pm.
D.. of the Congregational Church OF
| South Norwalk, Conn, author OF
aTha Infinite Affection" and other
works. preached on "The Imperial
Spirit of Jesus" The texts were
from John 14:27: "Peace l leave
with YOU; NY peace ] give unto you;
not as the world giveth. give I unto
YOU. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid" John 1913:
SIN the world We shall have tribula-
ton; but be of good cheer, | have
overcome the world" Matthew
1O:34: think not that I am come
to send peace on earth; / came
not to send peace, but a sword" DR..
Macfarland said:
Jesus is reassuring His disciples.
He says to them: Be courageous, be
bold. overcome the world. BY the
world He means the temporal life.
Be masters. He say over that lie;
let YOUR spirits overcome it.
What q sublime picture! There
He is, awaiting the end. He is going
down to apparent defeat, to human
eyes. His life seems nought. The
cross awaits Him. a cross between
the crosses of two thieves. Barabbas
is to be chosen instead Of Himself.
He no longer has any followers, x
cept those faithful few, and even they
are trembling, fearful and ready to
fee. Yet He utters these strangely
contradictory words, II am the Mas
ter nf the world"
We see here also the moral gran
deur Of Jesus. the translation Of His
personality and His inner life into
terms Of moral power. AS He was
the great thinker. so He was the
noble liver of the race. As He gains
The mastery of lofty minds. so He Is
the sovereign of all noble lives. q
His splendid life is now centering
In the cross toward which 1t has beer
leading. From the beginning He has
seen the end. Behind Him Is a Ions
trail OF moral strength. From Hin
goes the impression Of a sovsreig-
personality. He is the supreme ex
amole of noble living, for the man.
hood Of our day, with its a~lternatibs
bravery and cowardice, with its roblt
resolve and weak compliance. Jesus
becomes. first. the shamer and the1
the insurer of human living.
Having in some measure anpre
hended the SPLENDID mind Of the Mas
ter and gathered something Of tn
moral grandeur Of His life, we seel
to discover the hidden secret of Hi
outward splendor. Let us try to leo;
into His soul and discover the mean
Ing of this majestic. brave, strong
impellingly attractive manhood
Look again at our text. recall the sit
uation under which it was uttered
remember that He is facing a'cross
listen tt His words: "Feace ] leav
unto you," "Be full of confidence,
III have conquered the world"
. Another strange thing is the con
= tra0ictoriness of the Master. Fo
upon another occasion did He nc
say, think not that I am come t
. send PEACE on the earth: I came nc
, To cond naocn. hn+ q eword DIP"
HOW are we tc explain the parade
OF these two contradictory texts
, Shall we avail ourselves of the lihert
OF criticism n say that n appear
In the Synoptic Gospels and is his
: torical, while the other appears in til
Fourth Gospel and is unhistorical
Shall we decided that one of the,
n is an Interpolation? This is alto
gether too easy and ready a method
e Let us wait and see if we may nc
bring them into harmony. K
% First of all let us look at the Sc,
!, ond text and see how true it is. H
sent those disciples forth into tn
world. Did not they find the sword
Their story is a continuous one
q persecution, Imprisonment, death.
. there was the one thing they did M
), find it was peace. Peter and job
q began at Jerusalem. They were toll
a that they must not speak or teach
the name of Jesus. They went on
prayed for courage and went
preaching again. For it they wei
beaten with stripes. They receive
their hundredfold reward with pc
u secutions."
What mockery are Jesus words
- Him! peace I leave with you
How fortunate if the Fourth Gosp
were written very late and is unrell
Il bic! Does it not MAKE our Loi
guilty Of false prophecy?
d The story goes on through succee,
is ing ages. The successors of the.
disciples live and die il Roman cat
combs and caves. They are hunte
hungered, despised, prosecuted, SUI
fering unto death. How it must ha,
Knocked them: Peace I leave wit
. YOU" Jesus bequest was broken,
u at least this codicil revoked.
But even all this is less perplexir
than the %utteranee coming from tt
T lips OF the man who spoke it. w;
"a It a mistaken prophecy Of Jesus? b
cause His own life was so calm al
peaceful did He suppose that H
disciples would be also? Look +,
a moment at the life Of the man fro
r Whoseelips these words come. Fc
a low Him in His WEAKNESS, in His r