Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-02-06
CHRIST ONLY PERFECTLY
NORMAL MAN-:DANDR|DGE
Possessed Marvellous Power of
Sympathy, Says Rector
of St. Paul's.
LOVED GODS GREAT ourDoons
savior Was nj Home In Social t;ntb.
crihEs and I'm Homes OF His Friends.
Never Sought PrivntIon nv End In
Itself.

PETERSBrRG. VA. Feb. 5.-Tak-
ing as his subject ST. Matthew xvi. -.
Rev. L. j.. cambridge. u. d., rector
or St Paul's Episcopal Church.
pr"achcd tonight. in part. as follows:
10 any man Will come after Me.
let him deny himself and take up
his cross and follow Me-
onr Lord must have spoken these
words several times. They occur
iive times in the first three gospels.
The truth they set forth lies at the
io"hdation of real Christian living.
Not Pale Ascctic.
we shall miss their force ~ we
fall into the falSehood OF thinking
ot Jesus as pale ascetic. lie never
sought discomfort and privation as
ends In themselves. lie loved nature
ana flowers and all Gods great out
of-doors. lie loved children ana
'hey loved Him. lie was at home In
the social gatherings and the homes
OF His friends.
He had that marvellous power OF
sympathS-no less divine because
perfectly human--which could penc-
trhtc TO tho center of the minds and
hearts Of others. He was the one
perfectly normal man who has ever
lived. Human nature will never be-
come normal till it becomes Christ
like.
1T is "a part or that normal human
nature 4" he as intensely carncst as
one is broadly sytnpathctir-to have
spirit or utter self devotion 10
Goa and truth as we'll as II flial trust.
You may be perfectly sure Jesus
never made any demand or condition
hard simply for tho sake OF doing go
lie set hard conditions before men
hecause they are essential to that
litc more abundant which He came
to give In order that one may have
that more abundant life. II in. in the
very nature OF things. necessary to
say no TO ones lower nature.
Church Wise mud Chri.tIan.
The church IL wise and Christian
in setting this before every one who
is by baptism received into Gods
household. 'Dost thou rrnounce the
devil and all his works. the pomps
and vanitics of this wicked world
and all the sinful lusts of the flesh
the first question asked In baptism
and renewed In confirmation.
The devil and all his works
what does that mean? In the New
Testament tho devil is pointed 20
as the source OF sins Of the spirit and
mind. We are often indefinite and
Macy for fear of leaving out some
thing. Let's be specific Mt the cost
OF being admittedly incomplete In
statement. our Lord says Of tho
devil: He was n murderer from the
beginning. and abode not in tho truth.
when he spcaketh OF his own. for he
is a liar and the father Of IT
Here arc two things-iicH and
hate. y business mana friend Of
minc-not much better nor worse
than most Of us. said. rather proudly:
One Of the nrst things had to learn
In this business WAS to lie wcll--to
. "a IL ~
couldn't be made. II l didn't. some
body else would get tho order
Must Ren"uncr Devil.
IA Christian has to rcnouncc tho
dcvil-to learn to say no to lies.
Failure To realize this is doubtless
responsible for much OF the hypo-
crisy in the church--and hate,
Christ links II with lies, and cx-
pcrience shows that lies are usually
through fear and sclhshncss-close
kin TO hate
why has II been so hard for poo
pie and groups Of people to keep In
II FOOD humor with one another
since tho war: War. which Is the
devils work. has hegottcn suspicion
and jealousy and fear and dislike.
Till We say no to these and learn to
trust and love. there can he no real
and lasting and productive peace.
say no 10 the pomps and vanities
oil ms wicked WDrlu-what are
they: originally. / believe the refer
enc" was To idolatrous professions
fpomps) and to the idols Cvanitics).
What do they mean noM? Is any
member Of this congregation ever
tempted to os;cntation Of wealth or
of education or OF birth?
Ever Lends to Wreck.
Does not the inability To DC con-
tent to live simply. ever lead To
wreck sometimes To financial wreck.
but far more often TO moral aud
spiritual wrcck--nnd incidentally to
somrncss ana unhappincss? Are there
not Christians who care more for
style than for modcsty? say no to
oneself In respect to such things.
"'Ali the sinful lusts of the NlcSh.
Let's get one thing c!car-God made
appetite or passion which has not
holy use. That passion on which
depends the continuance OF our race
is diyincly ordnincd-it gives
warmth and glow to home life. Any
other use Of IL than In the single
hearted and spiritual love which
Gods Word doth allow is Il dcsccra-
ton and brings Its curse.
so OF every appetite. They are
sinful when they rule us or are In
dulGcd beyond measure or not in
accordance with the Will of God.
Your body is your scrvant-not your
master. Say no To all the sinful
lusts Of the flesh.