"IN HIS STEPS: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO ?"

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 11

"IN HIS STEPS: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO ?"

SERMON BY THE REV. J. GIBB.

The following is a summary of the sermon preached by the Rev. James Gibb on Sunday x the 7th, on Charles Sheldon's "In His Steps." Taking as his text' Ist Peter iii, 21 — " Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps," — the preacher briefly reviewed the course of "reflection followed in the two preceding sermons on this theme. They had considered the ideal of the church as set forth in the Scriptures, then they had considered the actual condition of the church in the light . of the picture painted by Mr Sheldon. They had seen that while thai author used colours too sombre in depicting the church as it is, there was nevertheless only too much reason for many of his strictures. It had been his (the speaker'?) j cirnest effort last Sunday to bring home to their hearts and consciences the manifold and ! deplorable evils existing in the church of God in this community to-da3". They must now ! proceed to consider the principle propounded \ by Mr Sheldon for the rectification of the unhappy slate of affairs he described. That principle \ygs_"Do what Jesus would do." Mr | Sheldon contended that if this' precept were j universally obeyed, the Christian ' Church i would be at once purified from all its sin, and thf kingdom of God would come' in all the j fulness of its beneficent power. The question before them, then, was, Is this precept practicable and proper? Mi Gibb contended that it was open to grave objection as to its form, its idea, and the manner of its application in "In His Steps." First, as to its form, the preacher argued that this savoured of irreverence and presumption. It was characteristic of the- time to place a strong emphasis on the humanity of Christ. That was well, but it was not well "when the humanity of Jesus was emphasised at the expense of His divinity. The cry V Back to Jesus " had done good in many ways ; it was, however, a question whether it would not ultimately do morn harm than good. He, at any rate, con- . fessed to an invincible repugnance to the advice that he should ask, himself in regard to each action of his life, What would Jesus do? Jesus was man. But He was also the very God. "Your question and mine," 3aid" Mr Gibb, " ought ever to be not ' What would Jesus do?' but 'What would Jesus, our Lord, our Master, our God, whose bond servants we are — what would Jesus have us do?" Mr Sheldon's precept was objectionable not only as to its form, but in its idea. It seemed to place man on an equality with Christ. Practically it put their work and Christ's on the same level. Practically it was tantamount to bidding each one of them "Be a Christ." At this point the speaker quoted, with approval, some sentences from an article in zh.e British Weekly, in which Dr Nicol had insisted on the fact that Christ came not so much, to p.reach the Gospel as to be the Gospel by (Jyi n S X°r our sins. His views, said the preacher, which had all been jotted down before, the British. Weekly came to.hand, at tins point on the whole coincided with Dr Nicol's. He (the speaker), however, could not go so far as Nicol went. The latter seemed almost to ignore the significance of Christ's example for them. It had a very deep significance, as they would presently see. Passing on, Mr Gibb proceeded to show -in the third place -that even granting Mr Sheldon's precept to be right and becoming his (Sheldon's) application of it was extremely defective. He entirely neglected that whole region of life and experience in which the Christian had to fight his sternest battles and do his hardest work — the region of the heart — the inner man. Why was it that Jesus and Paul concentrated most of their efforts to the regeneration of the human heart — the hearts of individual men? There were clamant outward evils in that time as to-day. But neither Jesus nor Paul gave themselves much to the work of what would nowadays! be termed social reform. Why? Because Jesus knew and Paul knew that the thing man supremely needs io to be made right in the heart of him. Get man's heart right, and you will speedily rectify all that is wrong in human institutions and social customs. It was indeed certain that if Jesus were here to-day His voice would be lifted up against the dram shop, the gambling mania, the social injustices, the pride, and caste, and selfishness of the lime. But probably He would devote most of His strength to doing the work which the muchcriticised, much-vilified ministers of the church were trying to do — the work of converting sinners and making good men better. Pity it was that Mr Sheldon's book gave a man no help in the effort to bring his inner life into harmony with the mmd of Chriet. For himself the supremely difficult task was, not conformity to Christ's will in respect of outward tilings, but inward rightness. If he thought he could do more good, render a greater help to the Kingdom of God's righteousness and man's brotherhood by giving up his church and entering the ranks of the Salvation Army or following the example of .some of Sheldon's character?, he thought lie should hardly hesitate. But had not his hearers souls to be saved, and lives guarded against evil? If he could win them for Christ and inspire them to go and fight God's battles, would he not accomplish a work as worthy as that of any labourer in the plums. Lot them not suppose that such work ad his, if faithfully done, was a work without a burden or a cross. A week ago he had protested against the notion that a minister had an easy time of it so far as' hours of labour were concerned. He Flood there to say that no man could faithfully and earnestly discharge the functions of the ministry without bearing a cross as heavy as any which lay on the heart of any worker in the whole field of Christian enterprise. For himself he neither desired nor needed any heavier burden than was invo'ved in the faithful performance of his duty to that congregation. la the fourth place, Mr f-ribb pointed out that Mr Sheldon's prpcept as illustrated by him in " In His Steps " was, open to criticism inasmuch as it gave no place to the innocent amusements and recreations of existence. Mr Sheldon represented his characters as for ever on the strain. That was true of the churches in "In His Stops " at least. There was perj haps little need of insisting on this in a community which spent so much more time and money than it ought in the pursuit of pleasure, but no good ever came of making the narrow way narrower than Jesus had left it. There was a broad human sympathy, a genial^- about the Gospels, especially the first three, which was entirely lacking in Mr Sheldon's book. , Moreover, there was nothing in Cliris.t's religion inimical to the cultivation of literature and the fine arts. The kingdoms of tlii.-i world, and poetry, music, song, and all other.-, belonged of right to Christ, and all workers in these fields ought to be, and might be, inspired by a religious motive. Rachel Winslow glorified God by devoting her great gift of song to singing at religious' meetings ; but she might have glorified God by singing 1 in. tUo concert iiiatfocia. It was only too true

that not many artists seemed to be inspired by the Christian motive, but it was at least entirely conceivable they might. bo so.. TMbconcluded the preacher's criticism of Mr Sheldon's maxim and his illustrations of its practical effect. Mr - Gibb then "proceeded to consider and illustrate the precept " which 'he had incidentally suggested should be substituted for Mr Sheldon's — the precept not "Do as Jesus would do," but "Do as Jesus would have you do." The Christian must do the bidding of Christ, Christ's example was considered in this connection. And it was shown that the motive, the inspiration of our life, ought to be the holy, self-sacrificing love which brought Him from heaven to earth and inspired all His words and deeds while among men. And if they asked for guidance in details, if they wanted to know what this holy love should lead them to dc and to refrain from doing, he (the speaker) would point them to the Sermon on the Mount. That, sermon mado It perfectly clear that Jesus looked for a higher morality from His followers than was common in the world. His disciples must not be moral mediocrities. But when they came to consider the specific pvecepts of the sermon they were at once ffiee to face with great difficulties." There were precepts that were clearly figurative, such as the plucking out of a right eye, which meant any .known <un must be abandoned 'else tjie door of it, ~be he conventional saint ; or conventional pinner, will one day find himself- in hell. But there were many precepts which they conveniently disposed of as figurative, but which Jesus doubtless intended should be taken literally. Such precepts, for example, as "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth," and " Give to him that asketh thee, and from dim that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." A week ag.> he (Ihe speaker) had incidentally said it was not possible to render a literal obedience to many of the precepts of the Sermon in a society such as existed to-day. He regarded the precepts which touched on social questions as ideal legislation for an ideal state of society, which would one day be realised, and which assuredly would not incarnate the principle of competition. "JRvery man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost." It would not be safe to give to every man that asked of you, until every man was a righteous man. Indiscriminate giving and lending might do much moraJiorm than good to those to whom you gave and lent. In the case of a demand, the compliance with which would be a violation of holy love, being hurtful to the other ov involving an infringement of the duty oived to a third person, the demand might be refused.. But, said the preacher, " Let no hard, grasping man take comfort from this way of looking at the Sermon- on the Mount. Comfort is not intended now for the man who has accumulated a considerable capital, and uses the interest it brings him, not to help on the cause-of Christ and humanity, but to steadily increase the wealth which is already his. Such a man disobeys not only the letter of the sermon, but tramples its spirit under foot. Tha-letter-may be impossible, the spirit is always possible — possible even to-day. And tliereris no doubt at all that Christ will-bring-into judgment who* refuses to bring. his con-^ ductr^with- regard to' his pecuniary" possession's' «nd every- other possession into harmony ndth this 'supreme code- of Christian morals.'" The subject, 'continued 'Mr Gibb, at which they ' had been hurriedly glancing was full of difficulty. But One thing, their consideration of it, and, indeed, all their reflections in this and in the other discourses, had surelyi- made .clea";. The Christian who is -inspired by Christ's example pi holy love, who is desirous of bringing his character and conduct into harmony with the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount, must be prepared to pay something to be a Christian. Sacrifice there must be in the heart and life of a man else was he none of Christ's. A Christian who is sacrificing nothing for Christ was a contradiction in terms. And while this sacrifice might often be of such a character that no eye could see it but God's, yet he (the speaker) desired, in conclusion, to show them how the spirit of sacrifice must express itself in relation to certain matters which concerned them all. And, first, in relation to money. It should cost a man money to be a Christian. " This," said Mr Gibb. "is a difficult theme for a minister to handle — especially for a minister with a decent income and a good house. But lam not afraid to handle it. I have nerved myself to speak plainly about this, an<l in order that I may do so I am going to refer to my own use of money, though I shrink from doing so an any sensitive man should. I have all these years spent a very considerable part of what has been given me in the service of the church and of humanity. In direct giving, according to my belief, v>o Christian man hi the possession of a good income should dare to spend le.ss than one-tenth of that income in assisting the caupe of Christ. In indirect giving some of us find it easy to spend another tenth. There are some of the less well-to-do members of this congregation whose generosity is worthy of high praise, but I should like to know how many men there are who could contemplate Retirement from active business life with equanimity, who . are honestly devoting a regular and generous proportion of their means to the cause of God and man. There are some people in every congregation who could not give a tenth of their income. One-twentieth from them would be as much as one-fifth from me. Onetwentieth from them would be as much as one-half l'lom s-ome of you. Only mark this, it is not only rich men who are mean. There siro people not rich who are as mean as the meanest rich man. The point is that to be a Christian should cost us money — money we could easily spend upon ourselves — money we should like to put into the bank or profitably invest. Why is it that in this community large-hearted men, men who can give magnanimously are so hard to find?" In the second place the speaker referred to the duty of sacrifice in respect of amusements. These were needful, but wap there not far too much of it in the life of po-ralled Christian men and women? One mast have friends, and entertain one's friend*, but what about the senseless waste of time of which the women of Dunedin were guilty in their everlasting round of afternoon visiting. Some sacrifice wa3 surely called for here. Reference was next made to"th*e. wbrking\>f the principle of sacrifice in tho sphere of business and of the home. In regard to the latter, the duty of parents in the religious training of their children was insisted on. That meant time, paiience, prayer ; but for Christ's sake and the children's sake it ought surely to be done. Neglect that for the sake of outward calls. and the truth of the .proverb would be manifest — "The eyts of a fool arc in the ende of the esrlh " 'Hie preacher also claimed that the hospitality of those who had good homes should be extended not only to those who would ropay them in kind, but to others not so well off us themselves. What about young men in lodgings, far removed from, the restraining influence* of their own homes? Could not, ought not, the well-to-do mpnibers of the church do something for them? He trusted they would. Finally, the church with its services and uoa-nj/- '

fold agencies, was a sphere in which there 1 was a field for the spirit of sacrifice. The work of the-fihurch— .her immediate work, and the work of Christian men banded together to fight *he hydra-headed evils of intemperance, impurity, gambling, could not be accomplished unless her members were prepared to make sacrifice of time and strength. Christ demanded of them sympathy with and, so far as lay within their power, practical assistance to every movement that aimed at the suppression of vice, the bringing in of purer manners and better laws, the establishment of the kingdom of ' God's purity and righteousness, of Gofl's love and truth in this evil world. The question was, What were they ?oing to do with the truth which had been brought before them? Nothing impracticable, nothing unreasonable, had been-pro-pounded. " One thing," said the speaker, "ie sure, if there is no cross-bearing in our lives we - are not Christians. Another thing is sure, we shall henceforth be better men and women — or worse. No word of God spoken in our hearing leaves us in exactly the same condition as it'found us. Nearer to Christ, or. further from Him, each one of us will assuredly be, and which shall it be? The choice is yours. Make your choice in the light of the solemn truth that Christ will hereafter ask you, ' Hast thou borne my. cross? Hast thou filled up that ■which was lacking in my sufferings?' Accordiog to our answer r ehaJl be our eternal Iportion. Oh ! may God give us- grace to hear and to re spond to CKrist'B cali now, that "we may not spend these brief years in vain, that we may not be cast forth from' His presenco at last. .Hear ye this word, hear it as if eternity already encompassed you, ' Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth — ooeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' "