Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-28
Calvary Baptist Church.

The Revival Serv1ces-An Addition of
 Twenty-Five Members-Eleven Bap-
 tized Yesterday-Rev. Rr. Downie-Dfs-
 course by Rev. MT. Samson.
 A,highlyinteresting revival work is in prog ress at Calvary Baptist church. Extra meetings have been held since the first of January at the church, and much religious interest has been awakened by them. The meetings will continue also this week, every evening except Saturday. The good fruits borne bY these meetings has been manifested in the addition of twenty-five new members, eleven of whom were baptized at the morning service yesterday by the Rev. MT. Downie, missionary to the Telugas, in India who preached very interesting missionary ser mon.
 In the evening Rev. MT. Samson preached an interesting discourse to large audience. He selected as the basis of his remarks the following:
 ssBe ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves" James, 1, 22
 There is beautiful harmony in truth. There centripetal and centrifugal forces in the spiritual world. Gods sovereignty and mans freedom and responsibility of ac- ton, human dependence and independence, salvation by faith and salvation by works are the forces which preserve the mutual ad- iustment of the whole. It is of the first im- portance that we be hearers of the word for faith cometh by hearing and from patriarchal ages until now men have been justified by faith. It is equally important that we be doers of the word, for when God works at all he works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The apostle virtually de- clares in the text that a man cannot be I,11 ,f k1ox kr.,a also being doer of it, and in the construc- ton of the text we may discover certain forms of self-deception to which, in respect of hearing the word, we are exposed. .
 One of these forms of self deception is that the word may not produce permanent i'm, pression. The apostles illustration of this error is most suggestive. He says if any man be nearer of the word and not doer he is like man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goes his way and straighsway forgetteth what manner of man he was. That is to say, the word of God is mirror in which one may see himself as moral being And yet also the issues in- volved are eternal. Some hearers of the word are like your pushing, driving man of busi- ness who has no time or taste for the patient and particular adjustment of his toilet, but who gives 8 hasty, needless glance to the cares and concerns of the world. But, says the apostle, whoso looketh intently into the perfect law of iber- tY, which is the gospel, and continueth there- in, he being not 8 forgetful nearer of the word but doer of the work, shall be blessed in his deed. The gospel is a law of liberty It makes man freeman so that he does what above all things he prefers to do, while at the same time he steadfastly continues do- ing what the Christ requires him to do There is no conflict upon this doctrine be- tween Paul and James. The former apostle says that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, and using the same illustra. ton which the apostle James uses, he says, ssBut we all, beholding as in glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord"
 Another form of self-deception against which the apostle admonishes us is. that the word may produce an impression which is not practical. While there is one class of hear CTS who are unmoved, there is another class who are deeply moved by the word, but their emotion result in nothing practical. The superstitious and ignorant heathen who pros- trates himself reverently before 8 graven image has emotions, but it is not religious feeling The intelligent heathen priest who says the image is nothing. but through the image we worship the spiritual being rep resented, has emotion, but it not rehgous feeling. The ancient Greek who knew the true God but who did not wish to retain him in his thought and who there fore deified imperfect men and wom- own, the ancient Greek, kneeling at the shrine of Venus or Apollo had emotion, but not religious feeling The man who ad- mires nature, who admires the moral charac- ter of the Christ has emotion. but not relig ious feeling. As truly as did the Romans to whom Paul wrote does he worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. There is another class of hearers in whom feeling rather than intellect predominates. They are all impulse; under the preaching of the word they will sometimes feel deeply, and sincerely resolve to amend their lives. And they have emotion, but it is not religious feeling Tomorrow they encounter tempta- ton. Controlled by impulse they yield to the temptation. They beguile themselves with the sophistry, as the apostle says, ''I am tempted of God, he has given me an incllna- tion to yield to it. The seed fell upon stony ground where it had not much depth of of earth and when the sun was up It was scorehed, and because 1t had no depth or earth it withered away
 There is another class of hearers in whom neither speculative reason predominates on the one hand nor emotion on the other. They survey with much deliberatien and composuro the field of Christian doctrine and settle down into the conviction that they can only very gradually. if ever, attain te true Christian life. And yet their own judgment condemns them They know that no man ever succeeded in any calling without. as we may say, making business Of 1t. The great apostle to the Gentiles would shudder at such monstrous perversion of his doctrine. Are you deceivine yourself with the sophis- try, he would say, shall we continue In sin that grace may abound God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein {? God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the fesh And the patriarch John would say. whoscever is born or God doth not commit sin habituslly and intentionally. He that saith know him and keepeth his commandments is liar and the truth IS not in him. And the Apostle James in the con nection of our text and in his whole epistle shows the utter inconsistency of this posi- ton, of being bearer of the word and not doer of it, of having faith without works. The language of the apostle implies that we must be hearers of the word. Take heed, therefore, how ye hear. This word says, Forsake not the assembling of yourselves to- gethef; it charges us to provide things honest in the sight or all men, to bridle the tongue, to keep the heart with all diligence, to let our light so sbiue that men may see our good works This word commands ms to repent and be baptized. Will you do it? It invites us to seek drat the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Will you do it2 It assures us that whosoeger be- ievekh on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. Will you believe2 Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only and remember that what the Christ said of his disciples is as