The New York herald., 1876-09-11
FIRST MISSION BAPTIST CHURCH
ARE WE LABoRERs WITH GOD 2-sEnMoN B1

REV. n. W. KNAPP.
Al the First Mission Baptist church. corner OF Laght
and varick streets. yesterday, Rev. II. W. Knapp,
D. D. preached before large and very attentive
gregaton. The text OF hts discourse was from Co.
rinthians Ill., o-"For wo are laDorers together with
God" He said:-There Is many q child OF God who
may know perhaps, this truth II is here simply
expressed, that we arc, SO to speak, workers with
God-that u. not that we are coworkers
with God In temporal sense but we
havo a sort OF partnership with Him In the
great work OF saivaton- We have assurance by
which rely victory n wc do the will Of God
1t Is not union such might have with our fol-
low creatures but idea that part and parcel
that great work for which God the Father sacrificed
His Son the cross-the salvation Of mankind Let
examine the context that we may be able to under
stand the real views OF the apostle In this tcxL In
the nth and sixth verses We read who then Paul,
ana Is Aroos, bus ministers py whom yo believed.
the Lord gave 10 every mani have
planted, Apolos watcred; but God gave the ease
This text sweeps the ministry and applies 10 all
who labor to bring men to everlasting life and glory;
those who labor TO rescue from temporal
DANGER but from eternal damnation, ng their fol-
low creatures from the depths Of sin and placing them
with Gods help on tho rock OF eternity !! not
confined 10 the great the noble learned ones OF
this earth, but the humbest OF Gods creatures who
performs the part assigned him Is partner with God
or the salvation 0f mankind, through Jesus Christ
Lord. Wherever by whoever the blo0dstained banner
OF the has been raised, there has gone ,he
are certain methods Of labor ~ have planted
and Apollos watercd We ought to study these words
as they revealed to US thoroughly. What tho
apostle means by planting is TO inaugurate the work
In . soil, TO place the seed In u now Held, and
the planting in agriculture comes boore watering
IN Gods work OF His creatures must plant tho
seed while others atIer them and water the soil
The apostle Paul the pioneer and Apoos, by his
tears and compassion and sympathy supplemented his
sturdy blows and poured oil on the troubled waters In
every movement the pioneer Is always honored among
men, How much We honor the nr., settlers q Man
haitian sland How much wo honor the men Of that
opened up the great riches OF California; Therefore
how much should the child Of grace honor the man
who inaugurated tho knowledge OF God IN his own
Of God and never would had not kind soul felt II
his duty to 60 TO those persons and become tho
planters Of tho seed their hearts and IN their homes
And whom these people have been brought into the
that taught them the way OF lifc II every per-
son connected with the Church would labor 10 plant
the seed in some new aeld to water the
soil whore It has been planted, what great
results would be achieved and what ecstac
happiness they would feel In thus becoming,
according the apostle, "laborers together with God
Word Is tho means ny which tho planting done. but
that neither he that plantcth anything neither that
he watereth but God giveth the increase" Let him
be skful lot him be never SO learned let him
DO charming In his speech or In HIS manner,
unless God give the increase his preaching will do NO
good Tho man who can only speak 10 one man
and can pray TO God but in the sanctity Of hts
closet may DO tho work Of the Creator as
fully and thoroughly as tho man who prays IN pub
lie or speaks TO thousands That humble child who
knows only 10 lovo Christ with its whole heart is us
near God John Wesley, Whiteheld. Luther or o
spurgcon for he that pantcth and he that watcrcth
are one. No man can be , laborer with God unless
he has tho object with Him-the salvation Of
mankind To accomplish this object God the Father
sacrificed His own Son, and f you have any other OBJ
jcct abors but that chief and only ono you
are not "laborcrs together with God"