Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-08-04

Il COulu WISH lnuG myScU were ac-
cursed from Christ FIR my brethren, my
I kinsmen according to the flesh. " Then,
| though he was more abundant in labors
and in suIlcrings for the Gospel than
any of his contemporaries, he was the
meekest of them all, He said that he
was the least of all saints that he as
not worthy TO be called an apos lc. and
that when he gloricd it was only in his
iniirmtieS, e Cor. xii o, and Paurs
teachings in regard TO zeal correspond
with his example lie writes 10 tho
Galatians; at is good 10 be zealously
affected always in a good thing" He
believed in carnestneSs enthusiasm"
If the Gospel is Gods most glorious
/ revelation of Himself and His bost gift
to men, it should not be received coldly
but with heart aglow it should not be
proclaime with frigil Formally, but
with flaming zeal. On the day Of Pente-
cost the tongues like rs of fire sat upon
each of the disciples This symb)likcd
the spirit in VIII CHI they We're to labor.
The world has never witnessed such
zeal as that OF the primitive church. Its
| hlollDCl'' INV anu itCuic, NeHb CNCll-
where prenc ing the Word They ran
to an fro as with fam ng torches, and
kindled ha'e that has burned on to
this day, aud is spreading around tie
world.
Thcle is. then, no incongruity in thu
union OF these two words, "Christiini-
ty'' and zeal" They belong together.
The sun that lights tho world warns it,
too, and Quickens 10 life all the grms
in its soil When you have ght that
neither warns nor WHITES, you know
that it does not come fresh from the
sun, but is reelected from tho moon.
Her beams nre pale and cold. They
delight Il dreamy scnt'mentalism. but
do not wake cn up TO earnest toll.
Christ is the Sun of Righteousness. lie
proclaimed Himself the light OF the
world. liut wien lis beams OF truth
and love fall on human soul, they do
not play on it like moonshine. They
penetrate, they warm. they kindle life,
they arouse the holest emotions anu
energies. So great was the power of
the Gospel upon the heart of Paul that
he claimed 10 have been crucified with
Christ and TO live u new life of which
Christ llim-cl was the source and CEN
ter. And We learn from tbs apostle
not only that zeal is 4 normal Outgrowth
of Christianity, but that it is connected
with anil nourishc b. int lligcnce lie
finds the fatal defect of the zeal of
the Jews in the fact that it was
mot according 10 knowledge" (Rom.
x. y. 1t was the zeal of ignorance, OF
prejudice and of passion. Hence, it was
not only impure and unholy, but bitter
and RELENTLESS. True zeal is kindlcd by
the study of truth, The more fully We
comprehend the great facts in the Cos
pei, the more will our hearts burn with
in US. There is no sGddcr error than
that which rclegates Christian zeal to
tho ignorant, and claims that cultivated
pie'y must cschew it as vulgar and dc.
grading. 1t was not so that Paul and
Luther and Knox aud Dun learned
Christ
We learn from Pauls letter to Titus
that zeal is to be manifested not by
flaming words but by good works. The
peculiarly of Christians is that they
are Jealous OF good works" (Titus ii.
LAY. What zeal there is in the scholar.
ly picIy OF our day is largely expended
in logomachy the war of words. 1t is
:eal for orthodoxy; meaning thereby,
''our doxy,' rather than earnest rivalry
10 Christian enterprise and effort
There are learned men not few who
will fight harder against theological
critic than they will fight against Satan
to save soul, 1t is time to apply TO
all creeds the Saviour's test: "Ye shall
know them by their fruits" II man
promulgates new doctrine or a new
Interpretation, we should tell him to try
it in evangclistic work. If by preach
ing it he can do more good than we
can BY preaching the old, we will then
examine his claims, but not before.
Paul teaches us again that Christian
zeal is intimately connected with god
ly sorrow, humility and vehement de-
sire for personal holiness. Read
| Cor vii. 10, IL. How different tho
picture, then, from that Of the zealoI
with whom we are all familiar-tht
man whose every look and tone tells o.
: pride, conceit and self-righteousness.
We have another of the apostles les
t sons in Cor. xiv. II: "As We are zeal
: GUS of spiritual gifts, secn ti.at yc n.".
excel to the cdifying of the church
What the spiritual gifts are we learl
/, from Gal. " q. They are "loYc
peace, joy, long suffering, gcntleness
goodness, faith, meonne.s, temper
ance." 10 excel in these is y nobl
ambitions; and he who zeal leads hin
to covet them earnestly will not fail Il
J edify the church instead of distractin!
:. and dividing it. ....
Such, then, is Christian zeal. 1t
/, gentle, and not dcnunciatory. 1t
l meek and lowly not vain and AFRO
giant. 1t is charitable, and not censori
Gus. 1t is patient and long-suIlcring
and not pctulant and high-tempCrcd
S 1t is conservative, and not destructive
S 1t strives earnestly to build up til
b church in all its various branches, an
n not 10 draw material from the others I
Il build mp its own branch. 1t proselyto
2 from the world, and not from tn
d churches. 1t rejo,ces in the success c
all good men and good institution:
= however WIDELY it may dil1er from them
t This is the zeal that the church need:
V Zealots abound; fanatics with tlamin
n torches are running to and fro; but the
n are trying to burn up our homes rathc
d than the rubbish heaps of error and tn
d citadcls OF sin. They contend earnes
ly for their own opinions and method
instead of contcnding humbly and 10y
!, ingly for the truth rs it is in Jesus.
u What we need to both quicken an
purify our zeal is faith. If we realize
' the power of Goc, the presence of tn
. Holy Spirit with the Church on eartl
and the enforcement of Christ rs il
= suffering Saviour in Heaven; II "
- believe in the promises and prophecit
/ which light up the future, we coul
not be either indifferent or impatirn
n we would be stimulated 10 do wha
II ever our hands find 10 do with o,
/ might; AMI yet TO wait rs well as labt
IS - to let God take His own time and NJ
= limit Him by our ideas Of progrcs
i The zcalot who thinks lie is wi or tina
: all his brcthren-that he even know
II the mind of God and is worthy to |
l. his counselor, has not learned Il
:, alphabei of the Gospel. But the Co
r Journalist, with his dotu-teiled crec,l,
n equally ignorant in spirit, al thing