SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 238, 13 November 1909, Page 8

SUNDAY READING.

THE VITRACTIVENESS OF JESUS CHRIST. (Notes of a Sermon liy Ucv. John Laird in ihc Baptist Church, New Plymouth.) "And 1. if 1 lie liUc.,l up from the until, will draw all men- unto .\lc. '- John xii., 31

I'l-ofesMU- lleiinpy in a- book he has i-cently writ leu begins by asking, "Did I Christ 'intend that men should place llim j [ in the position they have put llim today in Christian life and worship?" lie answers this question in the alliruia-tico from the leaching of Christ Himself and the apostles. My text itself sulliciciillv ar.swers the question. Christ said. "If 1 be lifted up from Ih irtli (i.e.. cruel ffW.). t will draw all men unto Me." ' At this time Christ',, popularity had 1 ins! reached its climax. All the world I was going after Him . The Jews wauled *to make' Him King. Hut this was the i very last thing Christ was looking for—a,, earthly kingdom. What He sought and still'seeks is a loving and loyal obedience to Him which will he for His glory and the good of those whose trust b ill Him. There are three very pla'ci truths in this statement of Christ which I want to deal with this evening. i— That Christ is a great attract lion.—The men and women who meet together to-day to worship, calling them, .elves Christians, differ from each other in many ways, but to the majority of them Christ is pre-eminent, either at. an example—a perfect man—or as Saviour and Lord—a Divine Redeemer, and there arp myriads who now yield Him the t'ratcfiil homage of their liemis am, rejoice in His pardoning love. Tnv Pharisees could not understand why Christ was so moving the people, but it, ",' not strange that it should be so. Th-rc are certain qualities lo which men cannot help being attracted, and some of these are very conspicuous m the MM and person of Christ:: e.g., Greatness is a nualitv that attracts men. We stand «f|en and »aze upon Mount Eginoir. and one thing that awes and impresses „, is its ..reatness. ils height, with its snow-capped head nierciug the clouds, ii.e as men saw Christ still the storm, el- ncre ihc hearts of men, and raise the dead"bv His word of power, they were imsistiblv attracted to Hun. Again, L„ve "the greatest thing in the world,' is like a magnet-it never fails to draw. Christ's gracious nets proved that He

wi« the revelation, the express lmapfof God who is Love Til." aUnetivor," of Christ continues still. 11. is marvellous how soon we fnraet those will r.->-i< uwav from tin- scone* of earth. \\c fn-«et not onlv friends, biii the groat oiks of the earth. We seldom lioar the nime of Queen Victoria ihhil.kiuci], and she was the best nionareh whose name is cm-oiled in history, and only ceased her reign a few years ago. Kings, p.-cts, statesmen, and great men have lieen forgotten, but the name of Christ i«j more pre-eminent today than almost all other names put together; His followers more in number and power tha>i cvtr before; while the miracles of llis '■race and power are slill evident iu liies Tiansioriiicd by ins opiru. Jx'cKy, tin: historian, lias sum, "ii only Uuisuumty wire Cnrisi. it would be simpiy mesißUble. ilui Uuistiauity is i-biui. lie-is lis Alpna and Omega, and 11 men and women wuuiu umy consider liini as He Hiniselt said, ".Louii unlo Me," they would be drawn 10 mm. Suine merchantmen invite the public to examine thengoods, leeliug coulideut thai U lliey will

i.ii,y examine them a busiuciss uaiisaciiou will follow. I in a- similar fashion mute you to consider Jestis Cnrist. You must admire llis sinless lile, llis gra nous words, His loving deeds, and linally you must stand lost in wonder at Hie love proved at His cross. Failk in Him and in the merits of thai aioning

sacrifice can and does bring peace to the conscience that is ill at ease because of siu, and fellowship with Him trauislorms into His likeness. Roland Hill knew th e power oi the attractiveness of Christ wl'en lie oilered lor sale the uoul of Lady Ann Erskiue on the King's higuway. When sh e heard the pleading of Uirist s love, ami of the price He paid lor her redumption, there was a full niiircndcr lo and acceptance of Christ do Saviuit-' and. I/)rd.

JJ.—Notice the one event oi HU life bv which He says He will draw men to liiinself: "If I be lifted up" (i.e., crueilied). Christ was not a martyr. A martyr is at the disposal of his enemies anc completely under their power. Christ's death was purely voluntary; it was an act of unparalleled heroism. Christ by His death destroyed the power cf the prince of this world (verse dl). .His great lie is judged and his power is bioken by the love of Cod revealed in de-us. The power and lie used by Sal J.i to separate man and Uod was, and is, that Cod is a tyrant who circumscribes man by laws to prevent him from enjoying himself to the full. Tile Cud who give Christ, "His only Son," to die for iiM'u, cannot be a tyrant, but a father v.no yearns over men. who to their cu-st ; ml shame have Him the fountain of in nig water and life for cisterns wiii-h contain no water. Many theories have ban oll'ered as an explanation of the death of Christ. Dr. Parker has wisely eaid that "the atonement of the Sou of God is too vast a thing to be fully described or explained in a single phrase or two." Still, it is perfectly clear that Christ's' death was a sacrifice fur sins. .Scripture says: "He was wounded for our traii>grcssioiis, bruised for our iu iipiities; the chastisement of our peac" v. its upon Him and with llis stripes we are healed"; and herein is love nut that we loved Cod, but that lie loved us, Mid sent His son to be the propitiation fin our sine, and that the bluod of Jesus •'iri-t, Cod's Son, cleanseth us from all

-.in. Sin is a fact ot experience, and it concerns every man, anil Christ was the -..:iiy one who came on a mission specially about sill—the only one who ever did

say with human lips, ''l can, I will, deal with sin and put it away.'' There .'■> nunc other name under heaven given among men whereby we can lie sa»'e.l from" sin. It is no wonder, then, that Hi- death is the fact that attracts and wins our love. The history of liie Church of Christ testiiies that when Christ has been proclaimed as Redeemer Slid Saviour the effect has been (lie spiritual and moral uplifting of men. Paul, the greatest missionary, when lie went to Rome and Corinth, where -*iii reigned, determined to make known no thing eke save Christ and Him crucili"d. and pagan writers testify of its ell'co, and of the lives of those who enme ui.iler the rule and law of Christ, llnrc. oitr. when churches have left out Ibis.

-!he dominant note in Paul's preaching, nil., of two things has happened: eith.r i hey have ceased to lie or have ccn-c.l lo exercise an inllucnce for the g lof men. Seeing, then, that Christ by Hi; sacrifice deals with sill and breaks Km power, and that everything that men rdmirc grows under His rule, it is not si range that Christ is a mightv altrii"Con bv His eternal love manifested ;n Hi? atoning sacrifice for the sins of men.

] 11. How Christ by His sacrific, oraws men to Hini.—As civilisation in cre.i-.es and the spirit of Christ leaven.-

f.-.<i ty. the laws of states and countries berime more humane: shall T snv. have mrre of (he Spirit of Christ embodied i'l tiiem. And it is a fact that where Ihe laws of a State are ju-l and right, its citizens are very loval and nttachel t:i their homeland and kingdom. And il is also a fact that rule bv Ivrimnv and violence fails and lias failed. Nations that have been governed by tyrannical force have sunk verv low. flreai; far-ar was master of the world: when lie stamped his font the world trembled: Pushing his arms: east and wot. he Lnusrht many under the power of Rome. \s the poet said - "lie hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransom did the general coffers fill."

I In r, (here are few, if :inv. peoples to■'ay so poor as to do Rome reverence. l-'raml. violenee, and tyranny may cap love, hut it eannot draw ami hold a nation together, even if yoked with «r:-at power and inllneiice. A glance at the nations of the world that are ilistuihed. dissatisfied, and internally divided shows that false rule and violenee i.i'isj cease. Russia with her civil war '.linost. Turkey often on the verge of a i-'\olnlion. and Spain with its deep milest, are proofs of failure of misgovernment. Christ was and is King, hut in IPs rule tfiere is an entire ahsenoe of these forces that ruin and destroy mra and nations. The groat ruling, drawing, .'iili sustaining power Christ wields ovc r iiirn is His great love. Napoleon, when

a prisoner, said, after reviewing his Mfci and noting its failure: "Christ wins and] conquers by His love and maintains His kingdom hy love." Christ proves or commends His love to us in that while we were yet sinners He died for us. Ail love draws, but His love has no examp'e ii: instances of human love. His lov* was revealed to those who were liy no means His friends.' His love was stronger than death, and -was manifested to save from death and sin. Til its was a prophecy of Christ's. It is now a fact of experience and history, and is. still a prophecy concerning the future. 11,. ha? drawn men to IJim and licautified them with grace and virtues. The reason why j we obey Him is lirst of nil because of His lovp In us. And mark where H:.' -ecks to bring men "unto Me," id t hrist. The man who is ill at ease because of sin may come to Him 'for par do,, and then for fellowship with llim, and power to live and grow into His likeness, into a perfect man in llim.