San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-19
A C0L0RED THE0L0GIAN.
REVEREND @. w. DUPEE, D. D., OF
PADUCAH, KY.
Christ the Way, the Truth and the
Life-The Doctrine of the Resur-
Encouragement to
Sinners, Etc, Etc.

Jesus sa tn unto him, am the way, the truth
and the life; no man cometh unto the Father
but by me.
st. John, and upon these words | have
something to say. l want. however, to
say word to the church before have
my say about something else. My MEM
ory is not so strong as it used to be- I
used to have an elegant memory. |
could break Off conversation at night
with one certain word, and II months
hence, in taking up That conversation,
could give the next word to the one in
which | had broken and could go right
on. But 1t is not so now. am getting
weaker, in fact | am nearly worked
down. have been preaching, or try
ing to preach, for nearly Al years.
commenced the first Sunday of Septem-
Der, 1916, at night, and had five grown
hearers and little children.
What want to say to the church is
that you are young church and you are
closing very successful meeting, in
which l22 persons have been converted,
1l2 have united with your church, II
you have baptised to-day and % are
waiting the ordinance. Your pastor
has 1877 persons; that Certainly speaks
well. | find that you have the utmost
confidence and love for him; you treat
him with what consider due Difference,
that is right. | want to encour-
age you, if you keep in the way that
you have been going here, certainly you
N iaI. rnf fnf ha
Master, but never lose sight Of the fact
that you are Baptist; never let your
self be ashamed Of being Baptist, and
never compromise your principles Treat
everybody respectfully, but never com
promise your principles; stick to them
with soul and might. don't like these
dough-faced Baptists. don't like those.
You have q young element that Is very
encouraging. | don't think there is half
a dozen here that are 40 years of age.
| want to say to you young ones, | want
you to resolve on this. First, that you
will never leave your seat vacant, andb by
your own fault; and the other thing Is
that you will attend Sunday-school every
time your can. You mothers and
fathers, if you have not the mind
to take book in your hand, you
can go and help these young men along
ny YOUR pItsChCt, anu yOal aCoNOho, NY
brethren it is an awful thing to be
deacon of the church of Jesus Christ, do
you know it? (Cries of yes, sir. 1t is
an awful thing. You are between
fires all the time and you can't be too
vigilant, and then you are to form
bulwark around your pastor and never
let the devil get to him, See. | know
what am talking about.
lust don't know how | feel as a
preacher tonight. | have the pleasure
Of the presence of an old Kentucky d.
vine that | knew when was youngs-
ter, DR.. Alexander, and | feel kind OF
Kentucky lifted up. | feel truly CRATE.
full. think it is a good sign, and the
Lord knew | wanted something to cheer
me up just as his presence and the grasp
of his hands and the words passed be-
tween us can do; SO much for that.
There is rich variety in the
metaphors the Saviour employs 10
sion, he said ~ am the bread of
life," as II he had said, poor sinners are
in a state of spiritual starvation, let
them come unto me and live forever.
What Savior that, Not only for to-day,
but forever. Come without money,
without position, and secure these bless
ings. | am not at all surprised that
these l22 have heard that invitation and
have accepted it and have been made
the recipients of life everlasting. He
exclaims eff airy man thirst let him
come unto me and drink, and rivers of
water shall flow from his belly" What
an encouragement that to the poor per-
isbing sinner. Whether he is plunged in
sin preparing his soul for degradation or
not, here he is offered everything that
can lift up the head and encourage the
feet to 60 in the right direction to secure
relief.
Referring to the world as involved in
moral darkness, he says, 81 am the light
of this world" the light of this world
that whatsoever believeth in me" could
not abide in darkness. Again he said
ALSO IL am the good shepherd" in the
text we have that different to this, 81
am the way the truth and the life"
Let us contemplate. Christ then Is the
way, we know for what purposethe way
is made. Jesus Christ considered as the
way takes those vino follow him into
the enjoyment Of the rich bless
ings of his grace on earth, and
the richer blessings Of his glory
in heaven. Then we see at cnce that
this call upon US, or this suggestion CIV
ing us this Information, we may take up
ana place ourselves IN sucn way as Will
lead to these glorious results. In Him
is eternal life TO dispense to all who are
petitioners, all who would be benefited
by Him, all power is given into his
hands, and then he is not only able, but
willing, all who may come to Him and
have the benefit, the enjoyment and COM
fort of this truth and the blessing of this
life. Christ. then, is the way to justifi-
cation. We are guilty and condemned;
the law OF God violated by ms pronounces
Its fatal curse, ard can we be justified by
the law? Is 1t the province of the law
to perform two contradictory opera
lions of condemning and justify
ing? Surely not. How Is it then that
justification is to be obtained?
why, through Christ and through
Christ alone, therefore be justified by
faith, we have peace with God through
the Lord Jesus Christ. By the knowl-
edge of Christ we shall be saved. There
is something about which we may be in
terested, something for which we may
have the greatest interest; by him all
that believe are justified from all things
that could not have been justified by the
law of Moses. You see, my dear
friends, that Christ is interesting
and has put himself in that
capacity. He is possessed OF every
attribute, and exercises those attributes
4 n Al. 49,