The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-05-26
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BV
DR. W. l. DAWSON.
Theme: Christ's Way.

v a.
Dawson, began his ministry there
He was appointed from Jamaica to
replace the Rev +. G. Richardson,
who went to Bristol, Conn. lie was
cordially received. The subject of
his sermon was "Christ's Way" The
text was taken from John 14:G: 81
am the way, the truth and the life. 3"
DR.. Dawson said:
These words were spoken to
Thomas. This man stands in the
eyes of many as the New Testament
type of the honest doubter. AS to
his doubt or his real desire to be
sure-that is q matter of viewpoint
and Interpretation. This. however, is
true-he was not of that Old Testa-
ment type represented as the fool,
saying: "Thorc is no God!" There is
a vast difference between the man
who, in his heart, gives utterance to
such blasphemy and the man who
desires to have unlmpeachable evil
dence. The one would be glad to
have Deity blotted out. The existence
of holy God who cannot look upon
evil with any degree of allowance is
a constant reproach to his evil heart
and way, and a menace to his man
ner of life. He, therefore, would
shout for JOY If omnipotent justice
could be obliterated.
Thomas, on the other hand, repre-
serts that resplendent type of intel
lectual manhood that really desires
to find solution for tile fondest wish
of his heart. Therefore, when he
comes to Jesus with his questionings
he comes as the type of questioner
who really wishes a solution of his
iutallnqtna1 md cnfrffpd1 bIor,,
And so | bring this text as an answer
TO the man who is a seeker of the
true way of life-as to the axiom of
truth and as to the solution of any
life's problems that may confront
his progress.
Now. we are perfectly familiar
with what Jesus meant when He said:
II am the life" We may not under
stand precisely the process of that
life that comes from Him; it is the
mystery of mysteries; it is the entire
outgiving of the regenerating life of
God, and who can enter into the
deeper counsels of the Most High?
Nicodemus desired to know how these
things could be-he a master in Is
rael and leader of the Jewish faith
yet Jesus Christ gave him no salts
faction. Perhaps it was because OF
the Limitation and poverty of the hu-
man intellect.
We know something of what Jesus
meant when He ssid, lam the truth"
There must be some standard, some
infallible court of appeals by which
men may judge the varying hypo-
theses that have been exploited by
the human intellect. When we come
to Jesus Christ we realize that lie
Himself Is the last solution of the
vexing and changing problems of all
time. So | say, We have some con-
ception of this aspect OF the text.
But what did the Christ mean
when He said Il am the way?" 1t is
here that we must recall those un-
translatable terms of Scripture, terms
that battle the student of language as
he attempts to bring over the full
meaning of one language to another.
For example, the Scriptures contain
words that cannot be perfectly rem
dered in our English tongue. When,
on the morning of the resurrection,
Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, "Rab-
boni." we must understand its his
torlcal setting in order to even family
grasp its meaning, and the translatcrs
bring over the word bodily into onr
English version.
When Jesus, in the garden, uttered
that word Abba" the nearest APP
proach we have to its pathos of mean
ing is our tender expression papa"
and here again we have the word in
the original. The same is true of
that form of divine despair, "Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani" One of the
great works on the third person of
ha IIAu-AI 81, l.
"Paraclete, and so in this category
we place this word the way" and
might show BY numerous Scriptural
citations that it is not our English
term OF the manner or direction Of
ones going.
In our ordinary life we say OF q
man his way is attractive or repul-
sive. We cannot further define this
attraction or repulslon. II Is simply
that there is a somewhat about his
personality that is either good or evil
In our sight. II is net what we do. II
is not what we say, it is what we are
that counts nightly in our relation
to mankind. In our religious life we
are coming to the place where the
phraseology of religious expression
Is a matter Of very small moment; II
is not creed but character that counts.
Indeed. | believe that this Is but q
reversion OF type, for the early Chris
tlans, the primitive followers of the
Christ, were known as those OF the
way" and Scripture gives us numer-
GUS expressions that might shed some
light on certain aspects of the impor-
tant truth contained in this term.
For example, There is a way that
seemeth right unto a man" It is
possible for us, though we may not
fully portray the majesty OF meaning
contained in this title word to em-
phaslze certain aspects and Ideals
OF Him who said. II am the way"
Thus by studying the Christ we may
affirm that ChFist's way Is a pleasant
way. ! shrink not from saying that
the fundamental craving of the hu-
man heart Is for pleasure. Not that
pleasure that tendeth unto vice
Christ's way, If il be Gods way, must
be a way that is pleasant II is true
that He was a man OF sorrows and
acquainted with grief. but this is
only the half truth, and the other
aspect OF this way Is recorded in
that Scripture, "In Thy presence is
fullness OF Joy, az Thy right hand are
pleasures for eVernore." We may
have much trlbulation, we may be
born 70 trouble, we may confront an
tagonfsm and temptations severe, but
underneath all and above all Is that
CONSCIOUSNESS, that serenity of spirit,