Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-05
EDGEFIELD PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH.
Kew. j, III. McEeiny's Anniversary
Sermon.

with the church lii pastoral relation, O
which sermon we furnish our readers Z
synopsis.
septed some very interesting statistics rela-
tive to the church during the five years OF
his passionate, He said:
Five wears ago today first stood in thi:
pulpit and ministered to you as your pastor
During the time that has passed since that
day great changes have Deen made in toe
conprepation. There were many presen
on that day, who are not here to-day, and
there are many here to-day who were moi
present then. During the past five years
have had great deal of work in addition
to my charge here, assigned me by the
Presbytery, have had from eight to fifteen
churches on my hands to provide with
ministers, and there has been entrusted to
nv hands about ten thousand dollars to
pay out for these churches, and l have
not known what it is to
eat the .Sbread of idleness.
Five years ago our church numbered
ifty-fve members. Since that time we
have received seventy-fige members by pro-
fession of faith and eighty-fye by letter,
making total gain Of one hundred and
sixty. We have dismissed to other churches
at their own request, thirty-six members,
and then, too, death has been in your
midst. God in his mysterious purpose has
removed those who were near and dear 10
us, aud We have lost by death fourteen of
our members, so that the total decrease in
the church is fifty. Seventy-tve infants
have been received into the church by bap-
tism. We have had colony Of twenty
members 10 leave us and built church,
which church | dedicated last Sunday.
That church now has a membership OF
forty-five. The total strength of our church
to-day is one hundred and sixty-five mem
bers. Five years ago we had one Sabbath
school of one hundred members. We now
have a school of two hundred members,
with an average attendance Of hundred
and sixty, and we have mission school
that has one hundred members.
In the last five years this church has
raised $22,500-an average Of 81, 800 per
year, We have given $500 TO missions
in the past four years. For the past two
years we have been raising our money By
the envelope system, and have raised s., $50
per year, and in addition to this, there have
been collections taken up in the church
which would raise it to over $1,000. l
think our experience has demonstrated that
the envelope system is the best. l am as
sured by the trustees that it is much easier
for them, and it saves me great deSl OF
THOR. The average contribution in this
church, per month, per member, has been
considerably larger than that of any other
church in tine PreSbytery, being SlG4 year.
This liberality l consider one OF the tests
of spiritual growth and life in a church.
In the past FIVE years | have been absent
from the church forty Sundays, large pOr-
ton OF which time has been on the business
of the church. | have never solicited any
member Of any other church to join this
church, aad our growth has been legiti-
mate growth. My relations with my breth-
rem of other churches have always been of
the kindest and most friendly character. l
reioiced with them when they rejoiced, ana
| haze wept with thea when they wept.
This, nay brethren, is as briefa statement
as | can make Of the work in our church
during the past FIVE years.
NV text will be found in the third chap
ter OF PHILIPPIANS, 18Th and l4th verses;
"Brethren, count not myself to have
Gpprehended. out this one thing do; for
getting those things which are behind and
reaching forth unto those things which are
before,
2. l press toward the mark for the prize
Of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus"
After Paul's conversion, he said 81 am
striving to lay hold upon that thing for
which Christ Jesus lad hold upon me-" In
this passage he says be has not yet laid hold
upon it, but he is pressing forward toward
il. | ask your attention in the irst place to
Pauls estimation of himself. "Brethren,
count not my self to have apprehended."
lie has not vet attained the object Of his de-
sirss-he has not vet laid hold upon that
thing for which Christ laid hold upon him,
although his iabOrs had been 81 abundant
he had not yet reached the mark. He says
II have not yet accomplished all
that the Lord expects or me-" This is one
of the indictments to exertion, 10 feel
that whatever We have dole in the PAST
it is not sufficient. Paul always saw some
thing yet to be dOne-he never did eat the
bread of idleness; Ae could not sit down
for Al instant. 1t was the Lords call, say
ing to him, Whatever has been done 10 the
past, there 10 get more to be done in the
future"
There is a tendency among aen, IN spif-
itUal things, TO rest upon past works. If
we should see q man crossing a deSolate
waste, and stop when he had got half way
across and say '.the way has been long and
desOlaLe; | am weary, and will rest here
we would count such man as that foolish.
1t is an Indictment TO labor to keep Our
eye fixed upon that which is ahead. There
is nothing more obstructive to progress than
70 feel that we are good enough, or have
done enough. The great christian virtue
Of humility is founded on a sense OF our
littleness. When l think how little | am
in comparison with God, it stirs within me
the very depths Of humility. Paul says
81 am not satisfied with the past-I am
not willing to rest in the requirements OF
the past" He tells US that his aim is siu-
gle-tbat one purpose animates him. dis
activity is made TO that end, and he will
rot turn aside for anything that will inter-
ERE viii his great purpose. He will not do
anything to weaken his power to reach this
great aim. "LayiHg aside every weight,
and the sin which doth most easily beset
me, will run with patience the race which
IS set before me-" If you would be an en-
pent Christian, your eyes must be single;
you cannot serve JGO masters.
There was earn6stness in PSUl's working;
he pressed forward towards the mark.
Forward, forward" was the watchBord
which he was always sounding, and he says
Il am only satisfied when / am going for
ward" The strife must be like the ad-
7ancing line of an army. 1t may be that
he victorious line is dashed
back, but rising and coming forward again,
it renews the conflict, and although it is
dashed back again and again, it still adj
VaBces forward, until, with shouts of VIC
.ory and triumph they press forward, press
ing their enemies at every step until they
have accomplished the oDjeeu Of their cam
paign. Paul goes forward, in spite of all
that stands in his way; it is forward" all
5he time,-nothing but that will satisfy his
aTdUous soul.
The speaker brought his discourse to a
close by urging upon his hearers that they
be not satisfied with whatever progress
hey Blay haze made in the Christian race
Turing the past, but ths5 they should rather
emulate the example of Paul, and press
orward to greater heights of Christian
excellence.
To those who had been contemplating
/ reformation Of their lives, but who, this
ar, had been putting off this reformation
rom day to day, he would say that they
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