South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-10-16
SHOWS CHRIST IS
WITHOUT A PEER
Rev. J. |. Gardiner Says Man
Must Admit Great Truth of
SaviOur'S Divinity.

How Shall We Account for Jesus
Christ was the question discussed
last night by Rev. DR.. James l.
Gardiner in the ST Paurs Memorial
Methodist Episcopal church. At the
close of the sermon motion pictures
in two parts were presented Of The
Life of Christ" or From Manager TO
the Cross" These pictures brought
before the eyes of the audience in a
very telling and graphic manner the
principal incidents connected with
the birth. the childho ID, the early
manhoO,. and the ministry of Jesus.
Next Sunday evening parts three
and four OF this film will be present
cd, which will describe the crucifix-
ion and the resurrection of the
Saviour
Greatest of All Men.
Or. Gardiner in part said:
by common consent Jesus Christ
is the greatest parsonage in human
history. We may not be able 10
fully account for the greatness of
His character, nevertheless we must
all agree as 70 the fact. His per
sonality was something new among
men and His grandeur was never
surpassed, nor equalled by any who
preceded or followed Him.
In all othe ealms there have
been great mel, but in his own
81
The realm of morals and ethics He is
the one great star We would not
think for a moment of placing the
name of Confuscius or Buddah or
Mohammet or any other religious
teacher on a level with that of Him
VINO spake "as never man spake."
First let us say. that whatever
J data we have as touching Christ, we
have in the four brief accounts OF
| His life in the Gospels, and in the
reference TO Him in the epistles,
which are from persons who knew
! our Lord. If we desired a correct
portrait of Washington or of Lin
! coin we might have TO visit many
Libraries and consult many books,
! but 10 obtain a true portrait of
| Jesus Christ we only need TO read
one little book-The New Testament.
This book contains four brief biog-
raphies of Christ; and after the Sc
verest criticism from many sources,
| these biographical records have
been admitted TO truly set forth with
marvellous clearness and consistency,
the life of the Son OF God.
sSinIpSS PerfectiOn'
The character of Jesus Christ has
been well defined in two words
'sinless perfection l do not know
/ of any words that can give US a bet
ter idea of Jesus Christ than these
| two. Every other man that ever
lived from the first man down TO the
| present. save Christ, has sinned. II
| is not necessary for me 10 go 10 the
| scripture to prove this. Look into
your own heart. look into your own
/ life, recall your experience of the
/ past and you will cry with the men
| of old Testament as we'll as with
! those of the New Testament times
L have sinned.
And mark you the higher and
/ higher we ascend in moral, ethical
and religious achievements, the more
( and more keenly will We feel the aw-
| fulness of our sins. That is how we
have the strange paradox of men like
\ Paul and Wesley, describing them
/ selves as the chief Of sinners" II
can only be explained on the ground
\ that the more and more we know
] about holiness, and the Christian
I life, the more and more we hate sin
Name Never Blackened.
/ yet though nineteen centuries
have come and gone since Jesu:
/ Christ with throbbing heart and
paIed face hung upon the cross anC
/ cried, Father forgive them for they
know not what they do and though
! during these centuries many have
tried TO blacken His white name
| yet He stands as pure and as imma
culate as when the executioner cried
on Calvary. This is just man.
! Jesus Christ claimed to be tn,
Son Of God. He was not a son o.
/ God. but The Son of God He tnu'
bore a unique relation 10 the Father
/ He claimed further 10 be the saviour
/ OF the world He said, And L. if
be lifted up from the earth l vii
draw all men unto me-. He claimed
| TO have power 10 forgive sins and L
! the penitent said, Thy sins which
were many are forgiven. go thy wa!
and sin no more.
And now the question arises
! How shall we account for such q
life?' How can we account for His
| sinlessness and His absolute good
ness and for the many other virtues
and powers He possessed? We can
not account for His life by human
| standards. by heredIty or environ
ment or education. We can only eX
plain His life by admitting the grea
truth of His divinity"