SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16503, 2 August 1919, Page 10

SUNDAY READING.

' IDE ■*i i-- MDN OF (HE-DuONS lied in the AVhitclev A: eaiaiiai Church hy Die Her. J. Napier Alilne. Mail. h’-2D "AVlmt think ve (if Die -a ihli ago ;m .a:: er: aMi ng arDcic : D m ; • CginC- V W'kiv 1,11 1 lie .■aid y Ilf g..-;., irrn. T he y.riirr ;ir- . ' li',; r, i, ■ ■ 11’ vanitv V-,::-,h !,r ~l , I'D ■ 11 hi .IM-V ill DIC Cii:■.rmiiinj: h; nivs of all .hr ages : and I’ dging' ,i lirr in;;!cgDvn Ihi iI i; i >1; a: ; w.inD we'e Iniil flint rili i■ ;;ir ■;: T 1 {f• o'! DiMaia ill! entry was I ; rin'] in riin-v in which In' Maimed in !,;■ i’ll" rirmrl IM-, Oriel! thill eV»V i; v.l: i -.rD; never read alp’ j-i,-. i i-v Ir. i iii;, i v,-n. rit I miked con;,»!>!’v ill hinireif I i-reae re he enjoyed i hi.iny I;; n n.niir of mm that AVagner ,-| y, ;,hr iij'f ills lull in his own illume. M-w.xn er. i\.r the most purl. Iriiiiii hr of great iiien to other I |;;;>i‘ v. nth vusually Dull of i’ ;r - ... :■ 1,1 whole WihUi-r »n<-!> I. ,i .. no of ; ’ ;o. When Die ; ,ik r. . "ei ".nn"! the i.er- said. "Vieli, h err did leer like i'i;i! oV "Firs-t rule." vepM ,! (he former, " f .-.ee lie Ims pit v.iiv. ■. he;ever may he .-ail about ihe -.iiniir r.i ynai men. I heel it i- not 1) in; ill hilled in line .-nine hrealh v.ilh the v; ’;ifv of J eras of Na/.aieDi, -nil 0,1.-iay Him only ,o lie a man. _He n.ahe > ! oiaeiii- ami a .Med question■renceming liiur-elf which on I lie lips oi a mere nma ■-'’onid have aifnnled proof of l:;e 1 -Mi-coll SideUCe Olid till’ i.a..1 inihiie idee Ma-plicmy. On one o easier, fit' freed ihe iinilii- > \\V :t J :, m« cn’.lilSOi. ’’ 1 iCi'i rn Cl I 1 1 1 ‘ . on- i am emek and lov, ly in heart, am' V, shall find rent man yonr sonN.” What man could have done that witnf.l • t provoking (he reply. ".Meek ami ifiiviy in heart, arc yon? "four de eh; !':'i ilia; shiudd sorely have been a diseovory by ethers. Vaiir own Maim nn at ni\'s ihr lie In your claim. Aon are just clouded with your own conceit am! do nor know it.” At another time hi' challenged the itlerv of knioaioii and asserted dial He wa-'greater til,'in dial illustrious limn - an il. 'Hie wan who is wise doesii t

usually draw comparisons bet ween iiini--elf ami oilier men. He may hug to hi- heart the notion that lie is very superior to other men, hut he wid rejiaiu iroui pnM i .sin n g that opinion aero-s Dm .-kies. Yet once again Christ dared to -ay, speaking of Himself, "He iha; hath seen me hath seen Die ["a i her. j'cfnrc Ahraltam was, I am. lie tlit!i forsaketh not all he hath canmu im my disciple." If these were liu- won is nl a uioiv man. wt* should jiai! them, not only as an outrage oil ovary heeling of Illness and propriety, but as a blasphemy w Inch ail the rhetoric in Dm world would lad to solteu or explain away.

A very eminent preacher. Dr. Horton. of Hampstead, whose clntreh was almost next door to my last charge, had an offer one morning from a. ce>tain news agency. The, news agency offered tor a certain sum tg keep Inn. supplied with ah references which migiu appear to him-elf in Dm press. He replied that lie would willingly give that amount and more if only _ they cenld secure Ids never seeing such reieive.ei s-. And Dull, is Die kind of u.an we delight to honour. It comes to thi—we must either he willing to hue Christ at his own price, take Him at Mis own eslimate, or we must dethrone Him. as 1 a pretender or set Him a, idg a- an insane enthusiast. A\ e cannot enn-uler Him the stun of all excellencies unless in answer to the rpiesl ion. "What Dunk ye of Die Ciuist;'” we are able to say in Dm language of the To Deiim, "Thou art the King of Glory of Christ. Thou art Dm everlasting Son of the Father.” Now, some <|u'e.'tio::s are rightly failed qiic-1 ions of the hour because thev are soon forgot fen and we turn cur a i iciitiou io something else. Rut Imre ’s a i|'.iesDon of Die hour and ot all the hours; a question of the day and of ail the days fill days shall end. vie cannot live as though Christ had never been. Ho is set as fixedly in the firmament of our moral and spiritual being as Die sir, is set in the heavens. From Jems Christ there is no escape. He Mauds at the head of every avenue of our life and not until we take leave of life itself can we take leave of Him. ami ire tic sure we shall get rid of Him then: 1 pul il to you first —what think ye of the Chri-l as a mani' " Y'on are familiar with the names of some of Dm gi latest figure- iii history—is there any! name exalted above this name? You have read the biographies of Die saints are l.hev not all hill broken lights ed Him Vfho is the light and life of men You have on occasion imagined your.-elf living an ideal life—have vnu kver conceived of a nobler life than that which was lived by Die Alan Jesus ( hrist? The verdict of,Pilate is typical of all who have ever examined t liri t and of all who have ever been as--ociai cd w'lh Him —they find no fault, in Him. ••OHicism,” says a writer, "finds fault with Christianity’s Rook', with Christianity's Churches, with Christianity’s professors, hut it is dumb in the presence of Christianity’s Christ.” His true. Once in Hyde Park I heaiti an infidel rail at the charnel or of Jems, and then simh an abominably outrageous interpretation was put upon Die passage in which we are Add that women ministered unto Him u" their substance that one could only conclude that the critic was a man <d p ( Haled mind and unclean 1 if o. "1 have helravcd innocent blood.” said Judas the betrayer, and the judgment was ha-ed upon a most intimate personal knowledge of the .Master’s pri : hie. There is no element of i rue manhood in which C hrr-l is loiuul

'.ra.nling. 1- it courtesy? He was a i'i I'leci gentleman. Is il .sympathy ? He wept 'by the grave of l.a'/arus and hade the wi low woman of Nain weep

I- it courage? He uttered the naked trath untainted and untrammelled hy Die prevailing not inns ol His time, though lie knew that that utterance old bring Him to Die cross. lie was mi'as; willionl being weak'. AVe D'cqneMlv confound the two. Tliere ■ire people who think Dial: self-respect ■■nd k.'l!'.;-, -sertinn are incoii-'siiint with P; i- a rremeiidiiir- misl ake. I have ]■;■',:( 1 ei' a Parisian pricM who iutd incurred Die enmity ol the sue-

1 acinus hy hi- liberality. One day a | bigot who was ai.-n a bully met him ill j ilu- Mrect and deal! him a rousing Mow j on the cheek. Quielly the i.rio-t turn- j ed saying. "My Ma-ter teaches me win n thus struck in lurn the other j duck al.-o." Delivering a si ill heavier j Mow on that cheek the bully said. "And what doc- your Master lelj you miff: i

To ibis the priest replied as, he laid a-idc liis cloak, "The aiiMiorit : e- are divided. hi j i I lie weight oi aUI Illicit v is ill favour of the view which i now adopt as I proceed to give you the soundest thrashing yon "ver got _ in your life." 1 don't think Dial priest win find much against him at Die final i eek'oning on account oi that days

work. Christ iau humility is not ol Dm Uriah Heap variety. Je-us was meek hut no one could administer rebuke a- tie could. Now with a whip of small coni-, and now with Die lash of witherin' sacrasiu He made men leel how terrible was the wrath ol goodness. There was no weakness in Him. la Ills hatred of sill, in Ills passion for righteousness, in His lore for (100 and mail. He stands acknowledged the clowning ami inmmanding figure ot cication. AVhal, think ye of Du- Clips', as ama it 7 Are you mailing Him lue i(K.-il. the pattern of your' live-r He only can bring you to the best and enable you to attain to royal manhood. Jn Him you are complete; oui ol Him v; in- lile'miist remain'distressingly unfinished forever. The longer and more closely the hie of Jesus is studied Die great'er will he the disposition to lake, upon tin 1 lips tile Words of Richard Watson (Rider

"If Jostis Christ is a man. And only a man, J say. That of all mankind 1 will cleave to

Him. Ami to Him I will cleave away. U Je-ns Christ be a God. .And the only (hid, i swear. I will follow Him through heaven am! hell, ■ , „ The earth, the sea. and the air.

Again what think ye of Die Chi'iH as a teacher i AA as ct ei ie,i(h(i so simple and yet so profound? This evei man that had to do with the tutoring of ids fellow-men able to compress -u much truth into so small con. pas:,? If the words of Jesus tha have been preserved lo us were silled from the narratives in which they are embedded they-would not fill two page.of our morning or evening ncwspapei. And yet to-day these words exoi'cmo au influence ont. at nil pi’oporlion to inen number. Alen feel Dial they couta'i; the only saDsfaelory answer- lo ,l.te t'Vi'r interesting (iimstioiis, ' \A iii'tice am 1? AVhat 'iitn’l? AVhiDter am 1 o-oing?” that they solve more problems and'dispell more perplexities and resound to deeper needs Dual any other teaching under the sun. _ Ami the teaching is so lofty. H is told that when Rubinstein was in America a franil in New York city with whom ho was .spending a few days took hint in church on Sunday evening. 'lhcy listened lo a little preacher preach a little sermon on a sentimental theme. Die i.ext Sunday evening the friend invited Dm great musician (o go again. "I will.'’’ said Rubinstein, "but nn one. condition, you must take me It) hear a man who will tempt me to do Die impossible.” Yes, that is n. , t Hie rriand thing about the teaching ol nestis Christ and the thing that distinguishes it from all oilier teaching is that it calls ns to the highest throne, it sets |„,lore ns Die loiDc-t ideals, its bids ns -calc a ladde whose fop reaches lo the limitless Heaven; "Be ye tlieieloie perfect even as your Father winch is ia heaven is perfect.” - . Lastly, what think ye of the Unast as a Saviour? Do you consider his errand w its necessary i He came to make atonement lor the sins ol the world, to taste death for every man. Have yon any sins that need Dus toiienieut y Mild the* world only wanted educating because of it- ignorance it would have been enough to have sent a teacher. , , Had it only wanted healing because of its suffering it would have been su(iicieut to have sent a physician; had it nniv wanted subduing because of its rebellion il would have been enough to have sent a conqueror. But the world was deep stink in sin and itaitue.s iii.'hl. Therefore the Father sent tho SoT' to be the Saviour of Die world. D was for us that in Cethsamaiie s "aiden He uttered Dio cry, "My soul ;Y ('vcccdin'dv .sorrowful even unto death ’’ 11 was for us that He submitted to Dm shame and scoffing rude in rilnte'.s Judgment Hall. H ' Vlls , 01 ' ir< tl’ct Ho hmiff on the cross when ho oeld m easily nave saved Himself and come down. ‘ What think ye ol the Christ as a. Saviour? "Did o er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns comso rieli a crown? Can you think of anyone so worthy of your life s devotion ? ' H is not for me to give sxjiu- answer. That must be givfiii with

your own lips to the Lord of life AVhn loved you and gave Himself up for you. "0 dearly, dearly has he loved. Ami we must love Him too, And i rust in his redeeming Mood, Ami try His works to do.”