Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-03-08

and another piece and says: 'This is free
agency" this is this and that is that. And
while stand looking ut the fragments OF
therose pulled apart, one whom the Marys
took for gardener comes in and presents ME
with a crimson rose, red as blood, and says:
"Inhalc the sweetness OF this wear it on your
heart and wear it forever" | must confess
that prefer the rose in full bloom to the rose
pulled apart.
What q time we have had with the dogma
tics, tho apologetcs and tue hermeneutcS.
The defect in some OF the creeds is that they
try to tell us all about tho DEGREES OF God.
Now the only human being that was ever
competent to handle that subject was Paul,
and no would not have been competent had
he not been inspired. believe in tho So
vereignty Of God and believe in mans FREQ
agency, hutno one can harmonize thotwo. It's
not necessary that he harmonze them. Every
sermon that hnvo ever heard TINT at
tempted such harmonzation was to me as
clear rs London fog, as clear rs mud My
brother OF the nineteenth century, my
brother of tho sixteenth century, give us
Paurs statement and leave out our own.
Better one chapter of Paul on that subject
than all of Calvin substitutes, able aud honest
and mighty as they are. Do not try to
measure either the throne of God or the
thunderbolts OF God with your little steel
pen. What do you know about the decrees?
You cannot pry open the door OF Gods
eternal counscls. You cannot explain
the mysteries Of Gods government
now, much less the mysteries of His
government five hundred quintillion of years
ago. move for Il creed for all our denomi-
nations made out of Scripture quotations
purc and simple That would take the earth
for God. That would be impregnable against
infidelity aud Apollyonic assault. That
would bs beyond human criticism. The de-
nomination, whatever It's maine be, that can
rise up to that will be the church of the mil
lennium, will swallow up all other denoni-
nations and be the one that will be the bride
when the Bridegroom cometh. Let us make
it simpler and palmer for people to get into
the kingdom of God. Donot hinder people by
the idea that they may not have beer elected.
Do not tag on to the one essential or faltn IN
Christ any of the innumernble nonessentials
A man who heartily accepts Christ is a
Christian aud the man who does not accept
Him is not a Christian, and that is all therels
of it. He need not believe in election or rep
rotation. He need not believe i'll the eternal
generation of the Son. He need not believe
in everlasting punishment. He need not be-
lieve in infant baptism. de need not believe
in plenary inspiration. Faith In Christ
is the criterion, is the test, is the pivot,
is the Indispensable But there are those
who would add unto the tests rather than
subtract from them. There are thousands
who would not accept persons into church
membership il they drink wine or II they
smoke cigars or if they attend the tbeater
or if they play cards or il they drive fast
horse. Now do not drink wine or smoke or
attend tho theater. never played game OF
cards and do not drive fast horse, although
| would il I owned one. But do moi
substitute tests which the Bible does
not establish There is ono passage OF
Scripture wide enough 10 lei all in
who ought to enter and to keep out all VINO
ought to he kept ont: "Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou s!lnlt be saved" Get
a mans heart right and his life will be
right But now that the old creeds have
been put under public scrutiny, something
radical must be done. Some would split
then some would carve them, some would
elongnte them, some would abbreviate them.
At the present moment and 10 the present
shape they are n hntlrance. Lazarus is
alive, but hhmpered with tho old grave
clothes II yon want ono glorious church
free aud unencnmbered take or the cerements
of old ecclesiastical vocabulary. LOOSE her,
and let her so
A-ain. there arc Christians who are under
sepulchral shadowsand hindered and boppled
by doubts aud fears and sins long ago re-
ponted of. What they ncerl is to understand
the liberty of the sous Of Col. They spend
more limo under the shadow of Sinai than ut
the base of Calvary. Thny have been sing
ing the only poor hymn Tint Newton ever
wrote: