The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-05-19
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON eY
REV. F. D. WALTER.
Theme: Power of the Cross.


lis opening sermon. His subject was
The Power of the Uplifted Cross "
rhe text was from John 1892: And
!, IL be lifted up, will draw all men
unto Me" Mr.. Walter said
This text contains the pith and
marrow of Christianity. The whole
world has stood before the uplifted
Cross and felt the magnetism of
Christ. His power eludes scientists.
battles philosophers and defeats 'he
invisible powers of darkness. Many
of His enemies have been willing to
concede that He was a good man, but
they can find no explanation of how
He opens the eyes of the blind, makes
bad men good, lifts the nations off
their hinges and leads them to new
ideals. Ralph Waldo Emerson puts
Jesus upon plane with Caesar, Plato
and Shakespeare. but Charles Lamb
Is not content with this characterize
tion. He beautifully states the case
when he says, III Shakespeare should
enter this room, we would all greet
him. If Jesus Christ entered we
would all fall down in alteration aud
seek to touch the hem of His gar-
ment." No theory which fails to
recognize the divinity of Jesus Christ
can ever explain His life and work
among the children OF men.
These words become the idle utter
ance of visionary dreamer If we do
not premise them with Christ's di-
vinity. He would be classed as
self-opinionated boaster and imposter
of the first order. What would we
think of young man, thirty years
old, uttering such words as these
4 H.. 4 4
pose to do this wonderful work? BY
death upon the Cross. Is IL reason
able to suppose that lie could do more
by His death than He could by Iiis
life? What human power could He
command that was able to accomplish
such task? Christ came from
small nation. He had no armies to
carry out His plans. His people had
no great philosophers, law makers
or reformers with which to undertakes
this great work. They were practi-
cally dead in the literary world 2t
that time. Reformers ordinarily do
not come from a nation with such
standing.
Think for a moment of the Roman
power with which Christ had to con-
tend. Rome was the conqueror of
nations. She was mistress of the sea.
She had met Greece and shattered her
armies. She had swept down upon
Egypt and carried away her glory
She had marched north and destroyed
the Mortimer and the German tribes
She had made both the East and the
West tremble at the tread of her
armies. What could a mere human
Christ hope to accomplish against
such a power? That He did purify
society, uplift the nations and bring
in a reign of righteousness proves
conclusively that He must be divine
Let us view Christ in history. 1t
Is good thing for us occasionally to
close our Bibles and stand out under
the yaulting arch of history and be-
hold what Christ has done. We cannot
study the great problem of history
without coming face to face with
Jesus Christ. The movements of his
tory are an enigma until we put
Christ in the centre of them. There
was tiny seed planted long ago in
EGen. It grew until its branches
spread over many nations. Its leaves
were for the healing of the nations,
its bud of promise so beautifully
manifested in the Old Testament
burst forth into full bloom in the
life and work of Jesus Christ in the
New Testament, until to-day all peo.
pies delight themselves in the sweet
fragrance and purifying power Of
Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
The picture of Jesus with His dis
ciples never grows old We can be-
hold Him training them in the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven. They
walk up and down Palestine in COM
many uffh thic man
behold the marvellous miracles which
He performs. They come to worship
Him as the Son OF God When He
disappears from their vision, they
tarry at Jerusalem until the Spirit
descends upon them, and then they
go forth TO preach Christ and break
the bread of life TO the world Three
thousand are converted in one day at
Pentecoat. They make the lame to
walk, the blind to see, the deaf to
hear and the poor TO rejoice that the
Gospel is preached to them. Martyrs
walk courageously to the stake and
die shouting Christ's praises, Heroic
spirits spring into the Christian arena
and rejoice that they are counted
worthy to suffer in His name One
hundred years after the death OF
Jesus, Justin bears this testimony:
There Is not single race of men,,
whether Barbarians or Greeks, or
Whatever they may be called, nomads
or vagrants, or heTdsmen dwelling in
tents, among whom prayers and Civ
ing of thanks are not offered through
the name OF the crucified Jesus"
The onward march of Christ has
continued until He has encircled the,
globe. He will never cease His work
until He has traversed the highest.
mountain, entered the remotest island
of the sea, Illuminated the darkest
continent and reached the last nation
with the blessed news Of the glorious
Gospel. Missionaries are flying into
all parts OF the world. They are
crossing every sea, climbing every
mountain, entering every city where
sin testers and blistars In human
hearts, placing the cross by the side
OF every throne, and ere long Christ
will win this whole world TO Himself.
What heroism Christ inspires In the
hearts of His followersl You re-
member what Garibaldi said to his
followers when he was trying to re-
cruit his army: "Comel offer you
terrible fatigue, long marches, scant
rations. hard fghting, wounds, dis
ease, death. but ! offer you liberty
and victory" In this same spirit
does Jesus Christ invite strong men.
and women to help Him win this
world to Himself. Thousands and
thousands are foeking to the stand