. baptism
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV, CHARLES D. TREXLER.
Theme: The Christian Stadium.
Brooklyn, N. Y.—The Rev. Charles
D. Trexler, pastor of the English Lu-
theran Church of the Good Shepherd,
Bay Ridge, preached Sunday morning
on “The Christian Stadium.”” The
text was I. Corinthians, 9:24: “So
run that ye may obtain.”” Mr. Trex-
ler said:
The life of a Christian is portrayed
by many magnificent metaphors. He
is represented as a mariner crossing
the sea of life, subject to storms and
tempests that frequently cause the.}
shipwreck of faith and the collapse of
a good conscience. Again, he is a
warrior, putting on the armor of God,
fighting not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of dark-
ness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. The epis-
tle appointed for this day character-
izes his life under the figures of a
runner ‘and a combatant. ‘I there-
fore so run,” says Saint Paul, “as not
uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating
the air; but I buffet my body and
bring it into bondage; lest by any
means after that I have preached to
others, I myself should be rejected.”
The former of these figures is es-
pecially helpful to the Christian to-
day, even as it was suggestive to the
Corinthians in the days of the apos-
tle. To them it was replete with
meaning. Every two years the Isth-
mian festival was held within full
view of the city. Each citizen of Cor-
inth attended the games connected
with the festival. They had seen the
stadium with its seats crowded with
eager and excited spectators. They
knew the rigid requirements made of
the runners before they were allowed
to enter the race. They had wit-
nessed the runners straining every
muscle, and running with patience the
race, each one striving to be the first
to reach the goal. They had cheered:
the victor as the crown of pine leaves,
the reward of his efforts, was placed
upon his head. All these points Saint:
Paul seizes that he may enforce the
lessons of the Christian life and en-
courage men to put forth as great an
effort to win an incorruptible crown.
The runner has endured a season of
severe training; he has strained every
muscle to achieve success, and what
has he received? A twist of pine
leaves that will wither and fade in a
few days. So run that ye may obtain
a crown of righteousness which fad-
eth not away.
But before a man was allowed to
compete he had to meet the require-
ments of the race. At the opening of
the Isthmian festival each athlete
Who desired to enter as a candidate
for the crown was called into the
arena. The crier, having commanded
silence, laid his hand upon the head
of each in succession and demanded
of all the assembly, ‘Is there any one
here who can accuse this man of be-
ing a slave or guilty of any moral.
wrongs of life?’ If any stain was
found, he was excluded, but if his
character was clear, he was led to the
Altar of Jupiter, there to make a sol-
emn oath that he would conform ‘to
all the regulations of the race.
. A similar demand is made of him
who wishes to enter the Christian
Stadium. Through the fall of Adam
the whole human race has come un-
der bondage. Man in his natural
state is a slave of sin. He cannot
compete for the crown; he is not a
free man. Here is the graciousness
of the gospel. Jesus Christ has insti-
tuted a sacrament, the sacrament of
holy baptism, through which we are
made heirs with Him and sons of
God. Who dare question the privil-
gge of any man to enter the race when
he has received this sacrament, for
he is now; not 4 servant, but the son
of God and an heir of eternal life.
- After the eligibility of the candi-
date has been proven he must make
his vows to observe the rules of the
race. These vows are made by the
Christian through his sponsors in holy
They are renewed at his
confirmation. But preceding the con-
firmation there is a season of spirit-
ual training. | The Scriptures are
studied, spiritual faculties are de-
veloped, and knowing the demands. of
the races and the resources there are:
to meet them, the Christian is pre-
pared to make the last requirement
—stripping for the race. This part
of the preparation is graphically de-
scribed by the apostle when he says, |
“Let us lay aside every weight and
the sin which doth so easily beset us
and run with patience the race that
is set before us.”” An athlete could
not consider the possibility of success
who should enter the race wrapped in
<his tunic. Nor can the Christian, hin-
dered by weights and sin, successfully
compete for the crown. There are
many weights that hinder, obstacles
that in themselves are not wrong, but
which impede the progress of the
runner. Perhaps you
achieve success as a scholar or an ora-
tor; perhaps’'you wish to see your
name written among the famous; it
may be that you desire to become a
great financier or a statesman, or a
leader in some other walk of life.
In none of these ambitions would I
discourage you for a moment. To ac-
quire greatness, to amass riches, to
achieve fame-—none of these is sinful,
but each may be a weight that will
hinder you in the heavenly race. Nev-
er become so imbued with the spirit
of the world that you forget to seek
first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness. The order becomes re-
versed; ambition first, then the king-
dom of God. Under these conditions
ambition becomes a weight and a sin.
decision, is essential to success.
the course.
cult to know the course.
strive to
One of the greatest difficulties of
the present century is the fact that
men place entirely too much empha-
| sis upon the sordid successes of this
life. If there is anything that will
bring our country to ruin and de-
struction more rapidly than another,
it ig that a majority of men are sel
fishly striving to further their own
- purposes "as far as worldly gain is
. concerned, and after all, having been
successful in the various fields of ac-
tivity, where do they stand? They
have merely taken upon themselves
a greater weight, burdened them-
selves more grievously and have not
reached the goal. The words spoken
twenty centuries ago have not be-
come antiquated, they will stand:
“For what shall it profit a man if he
gain the whole world and lose his
own soul?” Wherefore lay aside
every weight—and sin. For a man
to strip himself of sin is not a great
t48k. The penalty of sin has been
paid and he needs only to repent of
past offenses and look to a Saviour
who is ready to forgive, and he will
be pardoned of all his iniquities.
Thus having met all the require-
ments, the Christian is prepared for
the race, in which the exertion was
SO violent and yet so short as the
Greek race. This is a fitting emblem
of the Christian life; it begins with
the Cross and ends with the Crown.
It may cover a period of many years,
but viewed in the light of eternity
the course is very short.
In the Greek race only one of the
competitors could win the prize; in
the Christian race all may receive the
crown of life. This makes the exhor-
tation of the text still more emphatic,
‘““‘So run that ye may obtain.”
A great deal depends upon the be-
ginning. Notice the runners at the
games. The signal to start has been
given—they are off with a dash. If
there is one who has failed to make a
good start his chances to win are few.
So with the Christian. Not all, but a
great deal depends upon a good be-
ginning—a beginning with determin-
ation and decision. Keep the object
of the race before you and allow
nothing to hinder you in the course.
We need more men to-day who,
like the Reformer of the Church,
stand firm upon their convictions.
Had he not decided with so much de-
termination that the church needed
cleansing, had he not stood so firmly
at Worms before the papal prelates
and declared, ‘“Here I stand, I cannot
do otherwise, God help me,” his mis-
sion might have failed and his effort
spent in vain. = Set about any task lah=
guidly, half heartedly and failure is
inevitable. = When General Grant de-.
about to pursue was the proper one,
and said, “I shall fight it out along
these lines if it takes all summer,’
his battles were half won. So is the
life of a Christian. Confess Christ,
not half heartedly, not weakly, but
with determination that come wha.
will you will always be a faithful fol-
lower. This is essential; make a
good start, and having started, con-
centrate all effort. ‘‘This one thing
I do,” says Saint Paul. “I press to-
ward the mark.” Concentration, like
“The
difference between the amateur and
the artist is that the one pursues his
art only occasionally-and subordinate-
ly, the other continuously and prima-
rily. There are too many amateurs
among Christians,. too many who are
religious only spasmodically. Make
your Christian life your highest aim.
It does not demand that you remove
yourself to a monastery or a cloister
or wander alone in the wilderness. It
does not need to interfere with the
legitimate aims of life, but in them all
we may be striving for the one end—
to mold our lives that we may please
Him. Concentrate your effort: it is
very essential that you should run
with all your speed. How ridiculous
a sluggard would have appeared
lounging about the ancient Stadium,
professing to be a runner, but never
progressing beyond the starting point.
Why shall he enter the race if he does
not determine to run and run hard?
The secret lies in filling our lives
with good acts that we have no.room
for evil. “Walk in the spirit and ye
shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
Ours is a positive life, a life of creat-
ing new desires rather than the
crushing of old ones. It must be a
life of progress.
It is also essential that one keep to
To leave it may demand
a return to the starting point. The
prodigal son had traveled far from
home, but he had left the course and
had to plod wearily back to his fath-
er’s home step by step. It is not diffi-
The first
Victor has gone before us and we
need only follow Him. The Word
enlightens the way for us. The chief
requirement is that we obey it.
Again, having begun the race, it is
essential that you persevere to the
end. The competitors in the Olym-
pian games had only short distances
to run, consequently they put all their
effort in one short spurt. Our life is
not so as viewed from the finite stand-
point. We cannot put all our effort
into a few moments and then, weary
and enfeebled, be forced to relinquish
the race. Let us run with patience
‘the race and not start at such a pace
that we will be exhausted before we
have finished the course. There are
some Christians who, in their first
enthusiasm, spend all their effort and
then become disheartened. Realize
that the race of a Christian requires
cordingly. Persevere to the end.
Then what is the result of all this ef-
fort?
The reward—It has its recompense
upon earth. “Godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of
the life that now is and of the life to
come.”” The man who lives the life
of the Christian athlete profits physi-
cally, for it inculcates temperance,
self-respect, industry and cleanliness.
‘
termined that the course. he was|
%
It helps him mentally.
things being equal, the man who fol-
lows the rules of the Christian will
be capable of the highest mental re-
sults. His mind has no: become
clouded with sin. But above all this,
sphere. It gives to him a quietness
of conscience, a sense of security un-
der the fatherly protection of God,
the assurance of pardon for sins and
the joy and helpfulness of prayer..
This is but the earnest of a greater
and grander prize.
In the Stadium the prize, like all
earthly honors, was perishable. But
the faithful Christian wins an incor-
ruptible crown. A proud moment it
was when the successful racer had
the chaplet placed upon his brow
amid the applause and admiration of
the multitude. A grander moment
for the Christian conqueror when,
amid the shouts of rejoicing myriads,
the pierced hands of the Saviour
‘place upon his head the crown of
glory, and he hears the words, “Well
done, thou good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy re-
ward.”
HORT ERIE L550
SUNDAY, APRIL 3
The Sabbath Rest and the Week-Day
Toil—Mark 2: 23-28; Luke 23: 56.
Mark 2: 23-28. This act was ex
pressly permitted (Deut. 23: 25), but
in the eyes of the critical Pharisees
the disciples were guilty on two seri-
ous counts—they “plucked” the corn,
which was “reaping,” and they “rub-
bed? it in their hands, which was
“grinding.’’ This was work not per-
missible on the Sabbath day. The
Pharisees were strong on technicali-
ties, but weak on spiritualites, They
were anxious that man should save
the Sabbath; Jesus would have the
Sabbath save the man. The Pharisees
stood for the salvation of the law;
Jesus stood for the salvation of life.
He allowed nothing to hinder that pur-
pose, :
“Jesus is “Lord of the Sabbath. 20
“was made for man.” He taught the
‘keeping of the day in its true spirit
‘as a ‘day of personal privilege and
‘beneficent usefulness.
Jesus ‘gave the
Sabbath a new skyline, He lifted it
out of the legalism into" liberty. The
Pharisees missed the soul of the Sab
bath rest and made it a shackle. Love
lifts life above law.
Luke 23: 56. The women had
broken hearts and plenty of tears, but
that hindered them not at all in their
preparations to “keep the Sabbath.”
It is no amazing surprise] that the
next morn their eyes were opened to
the risen: Christ. There ‘are rich re-
wards for those who still live “accord-
ing to the commandment.” The fourth
commandment is the first with a
promise.
Jesus amplified the Sabbath, What.
ever he touched grew larger. It was
an institution in bondage to small
men. He set it free. The Sabbath is
to life. It is too big for a command-
ment, It has continental relations to
cur day. It means more since Jesus
interpreted it.
Jesus emphasized the Sabbath. The
Pharisees emasculated it. “The Sab-
bath was made for man.” Man needs
the day of rest. It has been shown
by actual test that men who keep
their rest day are able to do more and
better work, than those who violate
the commandment. Dr. Haegler’s
charts show clearly that the ‘usual
night’s rest is not quite enough to
restore the body to normal efficiency,
and that the rect day is needed to
mal condition.
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES
APRIL RIL THIRD
Toplc—Christ Our Teacher. John 12
44-50. (Consecration Meeting.)
A lesson on the kingdom. Matt. b:
1-11.
On righteousness. Matt. 5; 20-30.
On prayer. Matt. 6: 5-15.
On fear-thought. Matt. 6: 25-34.
On service. John 13: 1-17.
On obedience. John 14: 15-24.
We are to believe Christ because
what He says is true ;-but if we can-
pot understand how it is true, we are
to believe it anyway, because He who
is the Truth has said it (v. 44).
Belief in Christ gives understanding
of what He says, just as the opening
of certain doors automatically turns
on the light in rooms otherwise dark
(v. 46).
Bvery word of Christ's is a judge
on a bench, and that bench is the
throne of the universe (v. 48).
Christ’s words are life because He
who is the Life is also the Word. If
we Tocelve them, they become our life
(v. 50).
Suggestions.
Christ is your teacher not if you en-
ter His class merely, but if in your
turn you become a teacher.
In Christ’s school no lesson is learn-
ed until it is lived. No other school
is so practical.
There is progressive scholarship in
Christ’s school. Every lesson is learn-
ed before the next can be learned, or
even is given out.
Burbank says cactus offers a sab
isfying substitute for meat. It should
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