The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-01-26
The Charleston Pulpit.
FAITH THE KEY TO THE STORE
HOUSE OF GRACE.
The First Sermon Preached in Trinity
II. f. Church by Rev. 4. Coke
Smith, Sunday, January 8, 1881.
[.Suaduy Ne,rS.

Bring yc all the tithcS into the store house
that there may he meat IN my house. nha
prove me nov herewith, saith The Lord OF
Hosts. II | VIII not open !on the wlh'inWs ~
.ctoInrd pour or OFT Il blc>sin" tia there
Shall not b. room enough To receive IT. -
Mat. iii. ~. sea-
God has wisely and graciouSly suspended all
] promised Il. cSsingS upon the rNr:ciSr or inllll.
Tie only condition of receiving Is, "leilcEc.
Nor are tn" bile sings PROMISED small. we
! may cNtrEd the reach OF the hearts desire Ia
OF human need and human cnpnhi!ily. and
faith holds tie key t. unlock, the in'hllc
store house of grace to supply all th'sr. No
purchase money Is required of the guilty 10
! procure purdnn and purity, but the simple
condition Offered to al Is. "Bcllcvc ana re-
crive."
| This Is q wise provision. II preserves Coils
honor. HciS not Il s%nurling cred tor d"Ui;'nd-
ing Day, but a cnInra. sinnat" saviour desiring
to Glre life and l!m r!y to the Slnnih" SOU.
could we prrcha-" our 81 rHtl"n by Anything
we c 'u!d give "r do, God would not be Wnl'
! lie is. 1t you'd ar. Nc irnp"rIeciinn and ST.
liShn"SS in lI!m. We have taken from him
what He loved and what WAS necessary to rs
happiness. and when lie is prid back lie
Hloals ss;liSh'y W 3yer iilS Tg'1 ,hns Is sno.s Nh" his
God: The loving heart Of our Fnthrr long,
to see character in lis restored to purify ana
righteousness. and charnctc'i Is not III ability
[ give or do, hut ln hciicying.
Any other condition of salvation or blcsSinS
would degrade MS. Many mcn Look upon the
Christian 70 iyiun as degrading in Its terms.
They would like Job saved. They would ike
=, .:,,,,. =, nm In. cyrcricrcr smoke of by
christians. in; lie conditions are degrading.
RI I, ,n. cn,iIu claim II by %riult-if they could
pur"ha-ei it. they would accrrtit. Bu. L" ask
it they will not. suppose VIC could purrhnS"
n,r,lo, anI hE,ysjnri How much Is pardon
wnrihD Wbnt rcvrrcurc co,,:d there be for n
I,w, w.Ih.,, ,vouiJ NM , co M, r;,l ynlur M
,n -. wini,ii,m }inw drrr,Iiur to Ms would
~ h.. s,nrii God mn Su.h a ynluc nr,,n us!
IN" vnr,,r nT :, hi.,i,,n ,ruI is beyond ronpu-
tniiom Thnrn,nrci ;,I oiitr: T., live salvation
,a''"n, he'o.I." ~ iiin, hr'jcvinr
Such rrnvisI"n Is likrwiS grmclous. II
hrin~s >aivn,inu wiiIIn The reach of ali. All
NAV not Inc able torivc or TO do, hut all may
believe. King and peasant. rich and poor.
younn and OH silk and we'll, al may comply
with IIis simrIr requirement "l,rlicvcon the
ord w. JrIns tI1,r:s, MD ,hmu shall, he saved"
Er th,s tho rnrIi Is made one vide Bethesda,
ny, -, mr. foo, ~. n,nyi,,r waite suf sal AVIATION
" -" !, t,,w, and "" irnve onlv To- s,ep In
o.i',"u"iiH n'"'"'u ""'0 '
an. :. ,.r,, .,,o, ,rc works rcouir-
,i -; ",rs ~ nj, " Nav w.. not inst believe and
- ~ $50. CO.. ,,s,o Vrhv docs the text appear
-. n W ,hs hioss;nn~ nro,nIse1 upon Works
IN i've dr,rp .J,,st here y gool many become
.onf,,r"I Er,m Tnth,r ,.1nndrmnrd the Epis-
rio nr 1nn,cs swim II deserved to bc buried
AND ~ ~ w's n.y., c3,nnnir,l lie thought. and
"nnny rjnnn b1xo ,l,oIrht that Paul and
'JnmISs contradict each other. But they are In
mn"rnr, hnrInnnv Paul gives the simple c,n-
lT;unt r. ~ no., 49," = ,ntr,sts r. Win the
nnnnr;.oic and hcuti,rrn IDEAS OF c%piation by
prniiEa'r WV "''t, M "nIo~s tia I,cirinc
.itcr,vnrd II. known rs ~AnIimHniuniS,n which
,n~',h, ti,t en- Jn,orn,l In tho Hcsh uni that
.'ma"' y " ~ ,I,'r,I works NJ long IS he liv-
"i nnt ihai ms Christ had kent the law tor
=. y" .,,, =" I ,r n',,.nIirImn 10 ,ci vol. His
NAV ,r,st f., hm. wholly thut OF the Scirit ana
~ Hr ti'o r,n,,nr, i,,ul Inr,,rns ftith to he
,iIe nonIi.inn nr s,lv,,inn and lanes declares
,rnri;S r. hn ihr cvidrncc oc faith.
And his js Ito relation between the two:
Faith conditions blessings, works evidence
Ne cannot see faith. It cannot he brought
within tEe bounds o. measurement. Just so
onr sircnpth We cnnno, compute II abstract.
Iv Tin siZr Of q mans arm NAV not give its
n,roarre Rnt we NAV soc strength in eXrr.
else, in doing. We mcusu:citb by what Il dos.
So with Gaiih. Wesccit In exercise; we meas
II We had not such means Of estimating II
we would ever he left In uncertainty a. to our
salvation. and the Id would DC robbed Of
til" power and inflicnrro ricty. -
Oar nature and our situation r-lu.rcs t.ork
at our hands when faith * Sat us II power IN
Our outward life Ia tho expression OF IN" IN
ner thoughts. n mans conduct Is the inter-
prc'ntiOi uf MS clla:hctrr. we may nor ne
abe to read such conduct Alright. anu whcn we
do not we say VIZ have been deceived in the
man, thus nrl nowlcdging that III" conduct
does interpret the character. Put faith. thcn,
ina mans heart. Let him love God ana HI!
lc!l0wmcn: IT,: him feel the inpuiSi0n OF -
grand principle. and you cannot help nj
working. AMI that working VIII DC IN !n,l CON
Spnahcc WIN the Inner prlhc'P'c "h''' VI
yates him.
Col has made n$sn'ial beings. "cmulual-
~ influence one another. la!u men MAKE "th,
gn'n. not ny ke'l.i.S hniy 'cc,'nSS Mttn,