The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-21
SUNDAY IN The
FARGO CHURCHES
MANY INTERESTING SERVICES
WE'RE HELD YESTERDAY-GOOD
SERMONS PREACHED BY FAR
GO PASToRs-THE CONGREGA-
TiONALisTS LOWER DEBT.

At both the services in the First
Presbyterian church yesterday morn
ing and evening there was a large at
tendance. In the morning Walter
Wright Of MOorhcad rendered a very
pleasing solo. In the evening Rev. F..
G. Behner took for his subject The
Charm of Christ. He said that the
real charm of Christ was not in His
words; nor in His a]ntagonism to sin,
nut the charm is in His manner and
in His life.
"Men were forced to say. truly this
is n Son Of God. How different the
lives OF Ezekiel, Elijah, Amos and
John, rugged of appearance, frey of
speech, coarse clothed. who loved to
be alone. But here comes Jesus, call
ing the children to His arms. loving
happiness in the home Of Lazarus,
childlike interest in the flowers, grow
ing grain and f%ruiting trees. yet brave
in all His quiet calm.
Note the amazing claims He made,
We all love mOdesty, but was He
modest? Listen, / am the way, | am
the truth and the life. Here was life,
death and eternity. We know life q
little. We have seen death, at least one
side of it, but we know nothing of
eternity, but here comes one man who
has seen it all. He knows He can
be u guide, but what of men? He
says, no man COmeth to the Father
but by Me. Can one make such claims
n still retain his charm?
Not His loyalty to truth. In our
minds the winsome character is not
always the truthful character, sad
commentary on mankind tina we re-
pudiate the one blunt in truth and
codd1e the smoOth-tOngued-truth is
not always pleasant. 1t made enemies
to Christ. There never was compli-
ment on His lips and curses in His
heart together. There is lurking sus-
picion that the WinsOme man, is not
quite sincere. Why does the elocutiOn-
list always delight when she is aping
polite society? Men question whether
the really delightful man is genuine.
Christ's charm was nOt in His polite
ness, but rather in. His ruth.
What could be more beautiful and
more revolutionary than the sermon on
the mount? He was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. He flung
himself among seething humanity, into
hard battles, maliciously interpreted,
tainted with ratings by the cruel
crowd. Every day there was the crit
iCal Pharasee, the sneaking Judas and
many said He was possessed of a devil,
Yet He continued happy hearted. 1t is
not often that a bloom of beg uty opens
out in such an atmosphere Of sus-
picion and treachery. We beh"'l His
glory and it was full of gra and
truth, a wonderful combination.
None have a life more full of agony
and blood than our Jesus, fiercer every
year till Calvary. Yet there was no
bitterness. He could turn from sweat
ing drops of blood and say sleep on
now. From the cross. Father forgive
them for they know not what they do,
Words of grace. Oh, that we might
feel the peEistency of that grace as we
walk home tonight; that it might
shame us for our attitude toward sin
and mistakes, and men and trial.
Moses knew the God of Sinai, Abra-
ham the God that destroyed Sodom
Noah the God of the flood. But Christ
He knew the God who clothed the
lilies, that marked the sparrow's fall,
that viii not give a stone instead OF
bread. How beautiful God is. He