Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-16
A LARGE CONGREGATION

 To Hear Rev. mr. Poteas, a Young
 Baltimore Pastor, at Calvary Baptist
 Church Yesterday.
 Rev. Edward M. Poteat of Baltimore preached most excellent sermon at the The mere mention that this able divine is to preach has the effect of calling out large congregations, and yesterday was no excep- tion. It rained, the walks were slippery and the people had to walk in the street, but this made little difference with MT. Poteats con- gregstion for the church was we'll filled. MT.
 Poteat took for his text St. Matthew, xv, 29: o woman, great is thy faith.
 Faith, practically, is the highest endow- ment of the human soul. It is that faculty by which we see good; that faculty, that af-
 fnity by which we sec the power of the un-
 seen. It isn't strange that God said, believe on me and you shall zee light. am always glad when see Jesus commend anything. If we analyze those characters he commends we have model of his own. By analyzing this faith we shall see what Jesus thinks is great. The Bible is 8 sever book. It is the most
 poignant book ever written. So when you
 begin to press it on the citadel of our life we find it Q hard test. The Bible says that teachers should love God with all
 
 love him with their whole heart. They gen. erally say, O, we love God; we go to church. When we come to the end, we say to this vain world, adieu. But we want to stay just as long as we can. We do not love God with all our heart. Our fists clinch everything that crosses our path. The Bible says, avenge no one. But you say, will not have my life cramped with such rules as are in the Bible; away with them. Others gay, can't be a Christian; can't hold myself up
 to the standard set down in the Bible; there are such multitudinous rules. I say the
 Bible ought to be strict with preachers like ourselves. The true child rejoices when the severe test comes. Look at the faith that Abraham showed when God told him to take his newborn son and offer him in sacrifice. It must have been pitiful to see the father. So far as the world goes there was no colloquy
 between Abraham and God, nor parleying.
 Such was his faith in God. Faith is the commitment of life and soul to God at all hazards and in darkness, the utter reliance in power for wisdom of God. Faith that is great produces boldness and humility. I will first speak of boldness. The woman spoken of in the text ran to God, man and stranger to her. It was then delicate 'thing for woman in the eastern country to speak to a man. It was hard for them to take the initiative. But here was 8 woman bold enough to defy her natural condition, bold enough to speak to this great man who could heal all diseases. Wherever there is boldness there is faith of some sort. Do you know that many people be- heve they are making confession when they say they are sinners? They don't want to make 1t public, however. But here was woman bold enough to make it public and ask for help. Many are bold enough to say that they belong to the church; they are bold always to speak favorably of this preacher or church. It takes bold man to say out loud, am @ sinner. believe that Jesus is assuming greater relation to the nineteenth century than ever before. I think the time is coming when men will be embarrassed who cannot say that they are sinners. We want beldness in the assertion of these truths, and no half-headed way of doing it. I always like to hear evangelists speak with steadfast- ness, and speak the truth. What are we here for if not to speak the trutha If it hurts, ho1ts, let it. it. hurt: p, Let ,s it come preach often. He pulls his whiskers and never gets further than one simple thought. He is afraid to say much. Men who are con- ciliatory in their words in preaching have not the truth. The boldness that I speak of is not self-con6denee or elf-assertion, it is faith in God, not faith in himself. A man may speak with quivering lips, but we know he is as bold as lion. The Jews thought they had claim on Jesus. This woman was not Jew, yet she pressed through the ranks of the Jews to Jesus, Jew. She had no claim on him. His disciples discouraged her, but still she pressed on to him. There are disciples now who discourage people who have faith. Let these people do as their faith tells them, and not mind the disciples who try to swerve them from their course. She said unto him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with devil He answered her not a word and turned his back on her. Think of how soon we would have left him if he had done that to us It ought to have broken her confidence. She had faith still and again she said: Lord, help me. He called her dog and she answered: The dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters feet She had persisted, so great was her faith, and she got her blessing; and her daughter was also made whole from that very hour. I think it is wonderful she showed such faith. Are we so? Alas, mo- The slightest inconvenience turns our course If anyone discourages us when we are trying to help Christ we turn away. If Jesus Christ seems to call us dog we stop We have not an adequate knowledge of Christian faith. Her faith made her humble. I think there is nothing so remarkable in tho Bible ! ss the faith shown by this woman when Jesus | logs then were not like those we have here. Many people here would like to exchange | places with the well-kept dogs then in the | East. Who would say now, call me a dog, thing goes along smoothly with us it is all l right. If Jesus says, wait, the table is full, l we turn away. We are not willing to take | the crumbs like this woman. who was so I humble yet bold. We have not the faith. | When God says wait and let others feast first | we deny him. They want to go to the first | able; they will never go to the second table, 1 hey say. This woman asked only a dogs \ portion, but God gave her a kings portion | because of her faith. God himself cannot | leny faith like this.
 AnnuaI meetine.