National Republican., 1883-05-07


holiness and the reign of vice and sensuality
ia smitten as with dead palsy; and old
forms Of error, that have grown hoary with
age, are abandoned with disgust, or flung like
stranded vessel to rot upon the beach and
the pride of tyranny and the lust of power
sink down weary and silent in death, their
victims snatched like pearl from the dust to
be added TO the crown of Jesus Christ.
THE AVENGER OF BLOOD.
INTERESTING SERMON BY REV. DIR. GREENE,
OF THE CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH.
At Calvary Baptist church last night Rev.
! DIR. Greene preached from Joshua, Xxx, 3:
And they shall be as refuge from the
avenger of blood" Tho exposition of the
literal and the typical meaning Of this pas
sage was full, practical, and eloquent After
describing the custom prevailing among
the Semitic and TO certain extent among
Aryan peoples of that era, the avenging of
blood, of which survived until very recent
date the Sandman and Corsican vendetta,
and the Highland clan reprisal in kind, the
preacher dwelt fully upon the wise states
manship of Moses and Joshua in mitigating
the severity of the custom and paving the
way for its gradual extirpation. Then, in
applying tho typical exposition of the text
he said that conscience, "the avenger Of
blood" was upon the track of all mon.
II could not be escaped. Though it spoke
| in louder tones to some lives than
to others, it yet thundered the punishment
of sin TO all. All mankind were sinners.
There was not one, save only Jesus who had
not violated the law of God. Law if broken,
inevitably resulted in punishment. 1t was
| impossible TO sin, to break the law of har-
mony W tn God, without suffering the pom
| atty No matter what was the sin, be it ever
so slight according to mans perverted way of
thinking, or whether it was of magnitude,
Sin disturbed the harmony of men with God
a,,H nf f1ka oil ttgN and
would surely come. The avenger of blood is
behind us all. 1t is possible to still fora while
| the voice ofconscience-to throw the avenger,
| SO to speak, off his trail for while but in
any manhood worth mentioning tie call
would be heard. Men have carried with
| them for years the burden of heavy crime,
and at last voluntarily gave themselves up
to justice. considering the punishment to be
| inflicted by man as far easier to bear than the
| penalty constantly suffered through the
avenging majesty of Gods broken law
| In such lives the blessedness of
having a city of refuge where the avenger
| cannot come, but where an incorruptble
Judge will determine the guilt, must be
apparent
The Jewish city Of refuge from the avenger
| of blood was u type of Christ. Christ is our
city of refuge from the penalty of sin. Throw
ing ourselves upon Him we are safe from pur-
suit, and the incorruptible Judge pronounces
| Him. Through Him we are reconciled with
| the avenger, the harmony of men with God is
| restored, the Eden forfeited through sin is
restored in the paradise of regenerated man
and reconciled divinity, and the possibilities
| of the creatures progress by obedience to the
will of the Creator are finally and fully re-
| allied.
The sacrament of the holy communion was
administered after the sermon.
-
LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
| DISCOURSE OF REV. W. X. BOYLE, OF BALTI-
MORE, AT THE MT. VERNON NJ E. CHURCH.
Rev. w. X. Boyle, of Baltimore, preached
last night at the Mt. Vernon NJ. +. church to
large congregation, from l John, iv, q:
Beloved, let us love one another for love
| is of God, and every one that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God"
"The nearer Christian gets to God" said
| the preacher, the moro he fears Him and
learns and knows His greatness"
Man may study God forever and then be
able to learn something of His greatness and
| love and power. What is the relationship of
the Christian--the individual-with God2
1t depends upon many things When we are
| guilty of any iniquity against Gods law we
| feel the wrong deeply and keenly." The
! preacher went on to compare the conscious
| feeling of man to the sensitive plant, which
auiyers at the touch of any and every foreign
winter withers and destroys. II am aston
ished, he said, "when l investigate the diff
| ferent tests which are given to man by God
to try his fidelity to Him and His laws.
am astounded to see how different men use
these tests Faith is one of the tests, and
when we have faith our relationship in and
with Christ is great"
He then spoke of the expressions of grief
exhibited by men when acknowledging Christ
and said "Say it is womanly to weep v!
Never! for Our Lord wept" The descrip-
tion of that momcntous period in mans life
when he accepts and receives Christ was
given in a graphic and effective manner. The
love of God is fixed principle born in us, and
it needs no proof, neither does our love
for our wives and children. This love can
not be defined, for the simple reason that it
does not need to be. 1t is innate. The fact
that we love God is sufficient proof that it
was born in us. We should have love like
that of Christ for our fellow beings, the
poor, the wicked, unfortunate, and ignor-
| ant; love reveals God The bounteous
love of God is revealed to us in every
thing in nature-the flowers with their
delicate and varied hues and delightful
perfume, the verdure clad fields, the
birds, the animals, the insects, the changes of
the seasons, all giving proof Of His unbounded
love and power. All things, whether they be
good or evil, which happen to us are simply
the different ways in which God displays His
great love and wondrous power, all of which
are revealed to us at the proper time.
Love toward God strengthens anR sweetens
our lives. Love purifes the heart. ''The
pure in heart shall see God" Recollect that
"God is love-" May He open our hearts thai
we may know that we are born of Himl