The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-08
VOICES FROM THE PULPIT
REV. ALLEN F. DECAMP BREACHES
A SERMON ON MOUNTAINS.

Their Ps ster Upon His Return from
North Carolina-The Heroes of Jack
sonville-Rev. j. w. Rogan's Sermon
at the First Presbyterian Church.
Rev. A. F. DeCamp preached yesterday
morning in the Independent Presbyterian
church for the first time since his return
from his vacation, which was spent in
Asheville, N. c., and the Blue Ridge noun
tains His text was from Psalm xxxvi., 81:
t'Thy righteousness is like the great noun
tain"
Language may be called the harness of
thought said the preacher. THE goal to
which the man of thought is always press
ing his utterances. and he grieves when he
fails to reach it. Sheridan on the occasion of
mis- maiden speech in parliament, was heard
to mutter when he left the hall: 1t is in me,
and shall come out Lord Beaconsheld,
under similar circumstances, threw into
the face of his jeering audience the message
Gentlemen, the time is coming when you Will
hear me- An orator is he who has ac-
quired the felicity of utterance. He is
asked to marry burning thought to flaming
word. or, as has been truly said, to pour
back on his hearers III q food, the influence
which he receives from them as vapor.
1t was said of an eminent statesman, He
speaks in italics ana Of Daniel Webster,
Every word he utters weighs pound and
of the great Luther. His words are half
battles
MOST NOTED FOR SOUND UTTERANCE.
the men most noted for characteristic
utterance is the poet and above all poets, in
the felicity and power of utterance, stand
unquestionably the Hebrew poets. They
write as with an iron pen on the granite of
the mountains. Is the thought to be ex-
pressed Gods Righteousness They speak
of it as being like the great mountains.
Let us consider this illustration of the
Hebrew poet, and the nature of the right
eousness of God. Gods Righteousness is
sublime. Great works of human genius
said the preacher las seen in the pyramids
of Egypt are also sublime, but had Egypt
been mountainous country their
pyramids would never have been
built, for placed beside our Ashe-
vile mountains they would dwarf into
insigniicance, but the text speaks of great
mountains, such as the Andes and the
Alps:
I'VE can never forget, =" said the preacher,
sour first impression when introduced to a
great mountain. When making the pass of
the Woengern, Switzerland, and on reach
ing its summit, there suddenly rose before
us to the height of 1900 feet the peerless
Jungfrau mountain, clad in her robe of
ice and snow.
on JUNGFRAU's HEIGHTS.
eve gazed entranced, and vainly tried to
appreciate the scene, but SO stupendous
were the proportions that the mind failed
altogether to grasp them in their chaste
purity and awful silence. It's immense pro-
portions thai meet us, IS the fit emblem
of sublimity Gods righteousness,
like the great mountain, is sublime
Sublime Also added the preacher, lis
the love of God. But what is lovel There
is the highest authority for the question,
and its answer. Greater love hath no man |
than that he lay down his life for his friend |
Such love is being illustrated in Jackson |
vile, and it is grand, but it is not sublime. |
Sublimity of love is reserved for God, in |
that while we were yet sinners Christ died |
for us; for God so loved the world that he |
gave his only begotten Son to die to save
the world
1.-The Bible," said the preacher, sis the
verbal expression of Gods love- 1t is a
bene6cent book. There is not mandate in
all the record which, obeyed, does not tend
TO ennoble the individual, purify society and
regenerate the race. Gods love is immutable
like the mountain, the most immutable of the
monuments of earth. As man had naught
to do with their uplifting, so had he moth
ing to do with the provisions of TIE mount
of Calvary As the mountains were cast up
perchance by the flaming fires of earth, SO
Calvary was upheaved by the fires of love
III b1o uettEL Oh U16 AiIUlSubV.
AN IMMUTABLE PURPOSE.
Through all the Bible runs one immut-
able purpose" said the preacher, (which
purpose is salvation What immutability
in the Lamb slain, not |, 800 years ago merely,
but slain in the divine purpose from the
foundation of the world"
In conclusion the preacher asked: "Have
you climbed into the mountain of Gods
holiness! Have you made your Businesses
in the divine righteousnessl Does any one
say no, we can do so at any time. Be not
deceived. Mountain climbing is most
difficult. We need spiked shoes,
an alpine staff, rope, and above
all an experienced guide. When thus
EQUIPPED, death not infrequently sends the
traveller to destruction. Who has not
heard of the first ascent of the Matterhorn by
Whimper and his three comrades and three
guides On the summit they enjoyed their
victory for half an hour. While passing
an icy declivity in their descent, the weak
est climber, slipped, and falling, dislodged
the foremost guide. The weight of these
jerked loose third, and the three falling
over, dislodged another man.
PLUNGED INTO THE VALLEY.
Meanwhile Whimper and the two rear
guides, seeing the peril, braced themselves
and Strengthened the rope, so that the
weight Of the four came upon them as one
iiAuAi DuV JlSb III lIOllI vi b1T. w 0lulp6T Une
rope broke, and there before the eyes of the
three the four went slipping, rolling,
tumbling to inevitable ruin. High noun
taineering is indeed difficult; so is
it difficult to climb the mountain
of Gods holiness. Success is inn
possible without the help of God. Our
feet must be shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace. We must grasp in our
hand the staff of God. The cord of
christian sympathy must unite all hearts,
and above all the holy spirit must be our
guide.
"In the ridge of the Franconian notch
nature has carved giant profile of hui
man face. The glance is upward, as if il
prayer. There in storms and in calm,
through summer and winter, century by
century, are the worshipfil features, firm
as the noun ain, because "A part OF the
same. Does not this symbol illustrate what
should be the attitude of the christian!
Firm as the vine of which he is the branch;
strong as God, OF whose nature he has par
1aken.n