The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-01
HINDERING THE GOSPEL.
Rev. /. w. Read at the Market Street
Baptist Church.

Baptist Church.
At the Market street Baptist church Rev.
/. w. Read preached in the morning upon
the theme of hindrances to the gospel, TAX
ing for his text:
LIST Cor il l2-"Lest We Should Hinder the
Gospel of Christ
Rev. Read described the word gospel
in his text to be used for the principles of
truth as laid down in the New Testament.
To hinder the gospel meant to check or re-
tard the advancement of these truths in
the lives of men.
This" continued Mr.. Read, ''is being
done constantly, and sometimes by those
who profess allegiance to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Very often good people give their
influence unintentionally to those things
which check the Advancement of the Cos
pei OF Christ. 1t is thus the devil works
to thwart the plans of God"
The speaker depicted the character of
men who, consciously and unconsciously,
worked as agents of the evil one.
1.-THE evil is all about us and all around
US. and there is deadly conflict between
the powers of darkness and of light.
1.-The inveterate talker and the intensely
quiet each hinder the work OF God in the
world.
The honest man who says it makes no
difference what you believe or do, so you
are sincere in it, is acting for the devil in
preventing the onward flow of gospel truth.
The one who creates doubts in the mind by
mere sentimen alities, and an over-in-
6ulgence of pious EXCAVATIONS, uIwittingly
prevents the very thing he would like to
do.
1.-The results of all these hindrances are
that false ideas of life are given and the
mind is made to feed upon the carrion of
falsehood and vice. This is the condition
in which many are today: Living in the
midst of gospel privileges and gospel bless
ings, and yet not enjoying one of them be-
cause blinded by the god of this world.
Men feed upon the husks of the world like
the prodigai, and are not satisfied. Why
are such results seen today when
the gospel is so rich in blessings
What has permitted the gospel
from fulfilling its promise and completely
taking effect? What has prevented it from
filling every soul, every province, the en-
tire mass of polluted humanity, with the
spirit OF truest devotion and complete I'M
selfishness? Why has this power of God,
the instrument of divine love, been threat
ened age after age with ignominious fail
ure? Is it not due to the indifference and
selfishness of those who should have given
themselves 10 It's unselfsh ends. No ele-
ment of success has been left out of its ar
rangement, and ali OF these elements have
forever been in the possession of the
church; no new form of evil has arisen. 1t
is the same devil to fight and the same evils
to combat; no antagonist has come for
ward who was not met and conquered in
the iirst onset of gospel conflict. And yet,
after the lapse of these centuries when the
church should be rejoicing in the conquest
won, she listens TO the early triumphs of
the gospel with sort of wonder. as though
such things were for that age only; as II
they partoog too much of the romantic to
ever again be attempted, much less re-
peated: now when the church should be
holding the world under its sway she only
has possession of certain provinces. The
only adequate reason given for such a state
OF Things is the selhshness of man, the utter
indifference OF the church TO her great pos
sibiities."