Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-07-02
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. JASON NOBLE PIERCE
Theme: Christ's Example.

Brooklyn. N. "a the Puritan
Congregational Church the new pas
tor, the Rev. Jason Noble Pierce.
preached Sunday morning on "The
Examples of Christ" He said: My
subject this morning is found in John
1875: "For / have given you an ex-
ample that We should do as / have
done to YOU" It you put that right
If its setting it would be natural to
wonder whether tie example Jesus
gave involves the g;rding of the towel
and the taking of the basin and per-
forming the service of love that He
nerformed for His disciples: whether
His example is literal in its setting.
It is not strange thaA certain branches
of the church have in different times
held that His Y emnle was to be taken
literally: that He Instituted an ordi-
nance as truly as tne ordinance of
baptism o. the Lords supper. And
50, even down to the present day,
there are some churches that literally
believe in the washing of the feet as
E. religious act. From 1890 to 1880
the sovereigns of England were &C
! cusfomed to literally carry out this
example of the Lord. and indeed down
1 70 Cnc present Gay II IS uOI uuuSud
! for the imperial ruler Of Russia to
| have the ~aristoe-acv seek outgoers
! who are aged and infirm and helpless
aud wash their feet As Jesus washed
| 'he feet of His. disciples. On every
| Thursday in Holy Week the Pope, not
in the simplicity that Jesus had. hut
with great pomp and %splendor, and in
the eves of the multitudes on a high
l ,JoIFor1.o x,horo hn oo~ ho onor hr oil
| washes the feet Of twelve of the old
est men that can be found. But the
natural nuery is. why do It once a
wear. if it is really an example to be
followed. ard why does only INT Der
son follow it instead Of everybody
YOU and me? And If you turn back
to your original stsment you find
the words like as"-"that We should
do like as I have done for vou.s> and
YOU realize that Jesus is not inst1tut-
ing an ordinance. bnt He is. by a low
ing and kind act of ministry, teach
ing an ideal and teaching it by exam
pie. He might have talked about it
and the words would have gone in one
ear and out of the other, but no one
Of those present could eve forget His
example. and 1 venture to saw that
though John lived as long as he did
in his last day he still felt the infu-
ence Of the Masters teaching as
strongly as he did on the day when
the Master washed his feet.
Jesus whole life is an example. Is
1t not? We find other people that are
examples. I can turn to the Old Tes-
lament and study Job. and say that
he was an example of patience. or to
fho 1if0 nf A hrohcr, ond cav fhof he
is q perfect examDle of faith. I,turn
to im%petuons Peter. and I saw there
IS a man Of fervor: or to John, and
see the ~nerfect example of JOHN. the
loving disciple. and wonder If we
shall ever grow into the love of John.
These men are EXAMPLES in part, in
Some thir gs. in one or 4 few charac-
teristics. but Jesus was a perfect ex'
amp]e-conp1ete. If you are sneak.
ing of faith. He is perfect: if of pa.
thence. He is nerfect: if you speak OF
fervor, or of love. or of humility, CT
dignity. Or of owe or of any quail.
ity of the heart, you find that Jesus is
perfect, the one supreme, perfect ex'
ample. You and I know tt is one Of
our human failings to look at neonle
and initiate them. How quick the
child is to discern. Did you never see
a little girl who spoke not only the
same words that her mother did, but
with just the same intonat1On? L
the mother says a thing with a little
sharpness. so does the daughter.
think nothing in all this world is sc
quick to discern the things they see a:
a little child, and not only to discern
them, but to initiate them. If Jesus
had handed down His Sermon on thu
Mount just az a document given b.
an unseen hand, it never would hav,
had the resonance, the clearness ant
the power that it has when we see i
coming from the lips Of the MAJ
whom we almost can see because Hi
followers really did see Him. You d,
not take any reasoning of Jesus apar
4 from Himself. You and I need to un
derstand Jesus, and need to fo1lo1
His example,, because other people ar
following our example. Here is a lit
tie boy in the Sunday-school, and tn
teacher says, John, you ought t
grow up into a true, noble manhood
and be an example for Others" job
cannot help being an example. I car
not stand here this morning and sa
you ought to be examples; you ar
, and you cannot get away from i
> You may not want people to look {
you, but you cannot shut their eye
There is not a person here this mor1
!. ing who is not, unconsciously as we
g as consciously, leading the though
= !. and impulses of other people. Yo
are examples. What kind of exam
pies are you?
What kind of an example are Y
5 Christian people? In think one of tt
"A most wonderful men was Paul. F
wrote to the Galatians, and he sail
Brethren, I beseech you be as l am
Now a good many of you are looki1
at me and saying: Here is our ne
pastor. l wonder what kind of a m;
he is really going to prove to be
What kind of a man would you thil
. I am it I should say in utter seriou
n ness: members Of Puritan Churc
? I beseech o be as I am. Look
me, behold me. Be as I am" WI
\ that is what the apostle wrote to l
- congregation. He sent another lett
u to the Philippians, in which he sal
% "Those things which We have be
learned and received and heard a
seen in me, do; and the God of pea
us !! shall be with YOU" Is there a scht