Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-08-02

SUNpAY.--We cannot give a general nc,
count OF the services in MI the churches las,
Sabbath, but as far as we we're present, or
have notes we present them. In the NJ. r.
Church services began ut 9 O'Clock a. NJ, by
holding love feast till lot being the regu-
lar quarterly term. At ten the services be-
gan by the choir singing the hymn, M
ing: 'Jesus let thy plying eye &c., while
the congregation were collecting. The SER
mon was preached by Elder Freer, from the
1st chapter and 18th verse Of Corinthians:-
For the preaching Of the cross is to them that
perish foolisiness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power Of God The sermon
was among the best we have heard in a long
time. We give o brief sketch Of it from the
various headings. The speaker said:
There was not in all the wide range Of truth
another so great as this, viz: that Christ died
to save men; but that the natural heart re-
belled against il, whole nations had rebelled
against it, as Q. g: the Jews. 1t was, TO
them, a stumbling block. II is SO now to
those who pride themselves on their good
works; it had been also 10 the educated Greeks
wiz aAhNN 81 Va ~ tA0 SdinluS uIu
wisdom but there was still another class
primitively, who saw the wisdom of God in
this system, and desired salvation from no
other, and to them this system was the power
and wisdom of God. To them. there is in this
system a sufficient awakening power which Ill
men need, and God had given u portion Of this
power to all. Men must be awakened, and God
awakens them. There were many plans in
the minds of meu for reconstructing the HUI
man heart but God had but one. Congress
talked of many plans to reconstruct the nation.
God talked only Of changing the heart to re-
construct man, and unless such change took
place all must remain rebels.
Men had said, how can God change the heart?
But was it difficult for the Creator of the heart
to change il? Tens of thousands on earth,
and tens of thousands in Heaven have tested
his power and found it lacking nothing. He
can do it, has done it and will do it again.-'
Just now he could and would do it, it any
would but believe. Men were often converted
in a moment even while the preacher was
speaking.
2d, Not only was there converting, but there
was also sanctifying power in the cross. All
men were in y state of pollution that must
sink them to destruction, if they are not
clcanscd, and God gives tho needed sanctifying
through the cross, and by it cieanses the
heart The power Of divine grace was not
limited and if the Son re luired US to be pure
and holy we had the assurance that "The
blood of Christ clenAð from oil sim There
was, at present, a glowing interest on this
power Of the cross in many parts of the church,
and no matter what other opinions were held,
all agreed to the fun ability Of Christ to per-
form the work. To be sanctifed had been
called by some one the maturity of christian
graces He called it the real inner christ an
life. Some one called it the higher life II
surely WAS. the Mt. pisgah, 70 the christian.
Westicy would call ii the fruit or the spirit in
the heart. But, by whatever name it is
known, it 10 something that a christian must
Hamlin, and many other eminent divines bore