SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143672, 16 December 1911, Page 6

SUNDAY READING.

Notes of a sermon preached by tho Hov. J. W. BURTON m cho Whiteley 1 Memorial Church. j __ i WHY CHRIST MUST REIGN. I 1 i Text; '•For He must reign. ? ’ —1. Cor., ( xv., 'Jo. 1 Must! Why did JV.nl, say that? 1 There must have been some deep reason which made him put the emphasis into • that sentence ; for Raul was a thought- j ini man. trained in the schools of his j day. There was no outward seeming which would lead him to this conviction. Jesus Christ was but an obscure teacher in an obscure province ol the Roman ( Empire. Nothing was more improbable* f than that this Galilcean prophet should come to greatness. Tnat he should i overthrow all authority and rule was absurdity. But 10-day the fact is not so surprising that Jesus Christ reigns, as that Raul recognised His greatness. History has I til I u led in a most remark- | able manner the prediction of the [ -| apostle. Christ reigns in a fashion that j j no other king does. He baa an empire j j wider than the greatest empire the world has known—tho British. More people would die for Jesus Christ—and die gladly, if need he—than lor King George V. It is Christ who holds the reins ot government. If our monarch hid us net in a manner that oyr con- ( science told us was contrary *to the spirit of Christ, wo should he rebels all. < Our thoughts to-day turn to India. Our King is there. But whose influ- , once is Moulding ancient India afresh? j Listen to what one of the greatest Hindu thinkers said some little time 1 ago. Kcshab Chandar Sen wao one oi j the ablest men who rose in modern j India. He lived and died a passionate x patriot, and believed that tho East A would yet triumph over the West. “Be- f hold, Christ cometli to us as an Asiatic t in race, ns a Hindu in faith, as a kinsman mid brother, and lie demands your - heart’s affection. 'Hie devout Christ, ( i like your Rishis and Yogis, lived a life c ot sweet devotion, and loved to dwell t always in the Supremo .Spirit. Gemlemen, you cannot deny that your » hearts have been touched, conquered, r and Mibjugnted by a higher power. < That power, need 1 tell you, is Christ, j i h is Christ who rules British India, i ) and noi. tho British Government. Eng- i land has .soot cm a tremendous moral i lorce in the life and character of that 1 mighty prophet to conquer igid hold J Giis vast empire. None but JoMIS, mmo j ’ but Jesus, none hut Jesus ever dot erred vC thus bright, this precious diadem India, <■ aud Je i -iis shall have it.” J We cannot help being amazed ai tho j 1 insight oi these .New Testament writers. | 1 h was no external deity which appealed j ' to them; I hey jelt the power ol a new | ( spiritual force, and they said, “Ho must < ndgu.” It was not tho “must” of ( authority; it was the “must” of reason. ’ Just astronomer takes the orbit 1 oi a -tar and says. "It must come at < Mich and such a time and at such .*nd ] Mi.-h n place.” so these men bad I inc'nunri the rharart«T ol Je>ns l hw.l . | ami come to (lie conclusion i.!-i 1 ii-1; must subdue nil the powers oi darkness, j Let us try to lind some oi the reasons i ( which led Fan! to >o emphatic a con- | ; vietion concerning Chri.-t. 'Hie nr.-l ; f “iuum” we .•'hall lind in the j TKACHINC OK JKSI'S CHRIST. I , Never man spake like this man. Hi? 1 weeds bine arrested the ac.es. And , they have always had the same ‘•lice’ol enriching and mumbling Lie. Hue ( ol onr modern pacts a.-k'-. “Vi bo sleniM be king. \ mak'.’ u ■ V. i ird‘. ! :iV- dolle mole to 111* 1 1 *.« M i b'UI , ho‘ ’ o| ;;:i\ o: her t.-.iclmi. Vm- v* ' i. that iv!m e.l ill.- slaves oj An.ci n a .* It u.o Chn-t. When Urn words oi brotherhood were once understood. , slavery was imposeib!c. Trulii JJwav. lives men. The moment that /ahemes enters into a life, fetters are rivet ted U.-i. But what Truth? There is no \ -mdi tiling as abstract truth— that i- : mdv a coin o| thought. Truth is always personal. It is in someone. It wav the mith as it is i 11 Jr Mix expressed ; in |i,f. 1 1 aching, that has made the j ■•hoiimh of irer-dom \rid«-r yet." When i ■ v.v ••vinT.en,plate the meaning el lb" , ] aw'hir; the Mas;m. we say. with ; Rani. “!!e mu-t reign,” i We sludi ) Hid another •■missi” in > THE CHAIEU TER OK JEM'S CHRIST. j I Character rules, the world. It is the; character oj Jesus which wms our al- \ h'gialice. Look at its biead'.il! Who' Inis ever )nf)y realised tin- higue-s of ' Christ. Knell age eomtw to thru char- j aeter and muK new hmuUy and intpmi- : lion. See its perfect adjustment. * ) Great virtues, in our fellows, are mien ; \ linked to great faults: but ill Je.sns 1 Christ there was perfect balance. 1 , I believe Me was the most nninral man t that ever lived, He was mi natural that i people enuld not believe that He was j supernal oral. This was not due to His [ being shielded from temptations. It ; was due., rather, to the tael that_ He j had overcome them. He had fought j with dragons and eonqimred. We too ; often forgot that Jesus was a man with ■ passions like unto our own. that Ho; was tempted in all points like n.s we i are. The difference was not in the i temptations but in the spirit which i triumphed over them. In one ol our I Australian Art Galleries is a picture ; of tho scene of which we read in our 1 Irwon to-night—Christ being mocked i by the soldiers in Pilate’s Judgment j Hal). Every mark of indignity is por- j frayed; hut the marvel of tho picture i is the expression upon tho fneo of the | victim cjf brutality. There is a look of 1 pitv, oi loro, oi forgiveness. Under- ■ iieath is writleu. “If any man have not ! the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” ; Yes; His spirit leads ns captive. Recall the intense earnestness of that liVe. Early in His career He said. *T must he about My Fatheri.s bushier*” ; n ,id i( was tbal busines-'' and that only which He followed all His da vs. His was a great enthusiasm lor humanity. He went about doing good. It was not the enthusiasm of the babbling brook, but the restrained mission of the tides. H was. this which led Him from village to village to help; folk. And, at Inst, ingratitude scoffed at Him; hut it mattered not, to His spirit. Racked on the cross in cruel pain ami suffering. He looks down upon rough soldiery and hard ecclesiastics and prays, “'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” That is character. Yes; Raul was right—“He must reign.” We shall find another “must” in THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 1 T have no theory of the atonement to - offer you. I should ns soon attempt to 1 define life or love as to explain the - sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is a fact 100 great for all our definitions. There

is something about the death of Christ which makes a thoughtful man chimb. He is in the presence of a mystery which makes him bare his head. Ho sees how dear love and sacrifice are to the great heart of God when they can make atonement for all tho sin and hurt of man. 1 knew an old schoolmaster who had one of his old scholars in the Souiji African War. The young man lost his life in a particularly noMc and heroic way. “You do not know how proud I am of that lad.” said the master; “1 have had many failures among my scholars, hut M.'Leod has compensated for all the failures by his magnificent heroism.” That is a faint hint of the heart of God. Sacrifice always reigns. Men rule us who give themselves for us. Jesus had just ns much right as any one of us to live a selfish life; but He freely gave Himself for us all. M hen only thirtythree years of ago (and is not life sweet then?) He yielded up His life rather than deny the truth. See Him on the Cross, suffering, bleeding, and dying for u«. “See. from His head, His hands, His feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did ore such love and sorrow meet. Or thorns compose so rich a crown ?” He runs! reign. Nay. He docs reign. He is King. But have wo come into His kingdom yet? The truest, fullest, freest life is to be found there.