Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-04-16
&eading fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[Original.1
MISTAKEN.

MISIAhENs
One of the most serious, if not the most
serious mistakes that the church eyer made
is upon the worldly great fawning and neg
lecting the poor. In this particular the ex
ample of the Saviour has been totally ig
nored. He collected his followers, disciples
and apostles, from the humble walks of life
He went about doing good by i.ealing the
sick amongst the poor, and comforting the
afflicted amongst the poor. He made HIM
self poor for our sakes, and with the poor he
lived and associated. By his ministers, much
time is spent and many unwarranted meas
ures is resorted to, that some great man may
be identified with the church. This is a ruin.
GUS mistake. 1t is hard for worldly great
man to be eminently useful to the cause OF
the Saviour. The doors of heaven are not
closed against the worldly great; but they
themselves close the doors Of heaven and shut
themselves out. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon. 1t is easier for a camel to 60
through the eye of needle than for rich
man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The
friendship Of the world is enmty with God.
We may suppose that the worldly great may
subserve to the church the purpose Of scat
folding. 1t is dangerous scadolding. The
prayers of devouty pious and godly beg
gar, are worth more to the church than all
the money of all the impious professors in the
world. The church can live without the
latter. Without the former it would die.
To the poor the gospel was designed to be
preached, and the poor will hear the gospel
when preached. To them it is good news.
It is hard for the rich to forsake all and fol-
low Jesus. To them their present possessions
are worth more than the promises Of God.
These circumstances are unfavorable to living
by faith aye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble are called"
The missionary of the cross makes ruinous
mistake when he passes by the poor and goes
to the rich. He casts his pearls before swine.
[original.l
WE WOULD SEE JESUS.
In the church of Corinth there arose a
dangerous division amongst the members.
There seems to have existed three factions,
all of which were culpable, and Paul, by
whom the church had been organized, en-
treated them that these divisions might be
done away with, and that they be perfectly
Joined together in the same mind and in the
same judgment. These dangerous divisions
were in perfect harmony with the unsanctl'
fed nature of man. They lost sight of the
Saviour, and directed their attention to the
persons by whom the gospel was preached
There was party that claimed to be follow
ers of Paul; no doubt because by him the
church was founded, and because of his great
learning and powerful logical acumen. An
other part claimed to be adherents of Apollos
probably because he was a very eloquent
speaker, and swayed the feelings of a portion
of his hearers. Still another part claimed to
be followers of Cephas. There was no diff
ference in the gospel proclaimed by these
three preachers; but the manner of present
ing it was no doubt different. The theme was
Christ crucifed The same divisions exist in
the church to-day that existed in the congre'
CATION of Corinth eighteen hundred years ago
Men are not anxious, like the Hellenistic Jews
of old, to see Jesus The desires of their
hearts is not always to see Jesus in the ordi'
nances of the church. Men 60 to the house
of God to see some favorite minister. Some
are delighted with the logical reasoning OF
their minister; others are enraptured with the
flowing style, we'll conceived figures and grace
full delivery of their preacher.
There is an anecdote told of an old lady
who once heard very distinguished preacher.
She had never seen him before, and did not
learn his name until after the exercises were
over Her soul was greatly refreshed. On
the following Sabbath she walked long dis
tance to hear the same preacher; but was
sadly disappointed so much so that she
sough an interview with the preacher. The
mystery was explained by the minister telling
her that on the previous Sabbath she had gone
to see Jesus on that day she had come to see
and hear man.
It is of the utmost Importance that Jesus be
in all our acts of devotion. When the minis
ter enters the pulpit, it should be for the pur-
pose of showing Jesus to the people. Self
should be nothing, and Jesus all. Human
learning and natural powers of mind are not
to be despised The minister of the gospel,
however, who enters the pulpit for the pur-
pose of making display of these, has sadly
and ruinously mistaken his calling. His
business is to present the claims of Christ to
the sinner-to show Jesus as redeemer and
Saviour to the people, On the other hand,
when the people 60 to the house of God, their
object should be to see Jesus. Alas how
often both preachers and people 60 to the
house of God either to hear or to tell some
new thing. The story Of the cross forms but
small part of the exercises. If there was
more of Jesus and less of human learning and
eloouence in modern sermons and more desire
on the part of hearers to see Jesus in the pub
lie exercises of Gods house, the state of re-
ligon would be far different in Christian
lands. Sinners would be heard crying out,
"NIen and brethren what must we do to be
saved ?" and souls hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, would be filed. If men
only desired to see Jesus, be would show him
self to them as the chiefest among ten thous-
and, the one altogether lovely. The church
would spread and nations would be born unto
God.