The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-31

At Ahuufys
Rev. John r. Dill preached on Per
feet love casteth out fear at Asbury
M. L. Church Sunday morning. He
has great ability in using plain and d.
rect language to express his ideas clear.
ly. His faculty is so developed as to
make him rather 0 unique and 0 decid-
eddy interesting speaker Whether
people entertain his ideas or not they
cannot help liking the sincerity and
boldness with which he speaks, He
first dwelt on the nature of perfect
love.
Man cannot render perfect obedience
to the moral law. We can render per
feet obedience to the evangelical law
OF love. Love is the fulfilling of the
law. Love exercised by u human be-
ing is progressive and in its nature OK.
pRnding. 1t never attains size and
limit where it ceases to grow. We will
never reach a point In perfect love
where we will stop and stand still.
Man goes on expanding in faith and
love until he gets home to heaven, and
then he goes on expanding for all eter.
nifty. In this sense or idea his love lie
not perfect.
This same law La true in other things,
all orthodox Christians recognize the
law OF total depravity. From this to
perfect love is long distance.
Any man however rich can grow
richer. So any man who has grace
can grow In grace and acquire more
grace. He never reached limit when
he cannot acquire more grace.
Hence love itself is not absolutely
perfect In extent.
In what sense is love perfect 1t is
perfect when 1t Is the ruling principle
in the heart and casts out eyeryanta-
gonistic principle. 1t casts out fear.
1t creates a wholesome fear of doing
wrong and offending God 1t casts
out all fear OF reproach for right
eousness. 1t casts out the fear of
want, of death, of judgment.
When you have perfect love you do
not then have any trouble about sancti-
fication or as to when to get it.
Secondly; Where may perfect love
be obtained? All Christians believe
differ as to the time. Many think it Is
at death. There are many Christians
who do not aspire to be stars Of the
first magnitude in the church of God.
They are content IL they think they
have enough religion to keepthem out
of hell
The preacher recited several emphat-
lie promises of scripture to show Chris
tians should have this heavenly bless
ing now. Such as the passages, Il
will sprinkle clean water upon you,n
etc. But II we walk in the light
etc, and Gods promise to Abraham.
The preacher believed in Sd, 18th, 9Th
and a hundred blessings-one every
day. He did not like the phrase. Sec
| ond Blessing" II is not impossible to
II we are to have the experience OF
days go by before we receive 1t. The
promise is now.
He then recited commandments of
God. including BE we perfect, as your
Father in Heaven is perfect" You can
love your neighbor as well as your
self. Everybody is your neighbor.
You can test the matter when you see
your neighbor in distress, and it is
! within your power rightly to afford re.
| lief. You can ask yourself, now ii
circumstance were reversed, would |
think it the fair and reasonable thing
for my neighbor to afford me the re-
| lief which l now have an opportunity
TO give him Ii SO, then ought to
follow the Golden Rule. The preacher
desired that great deal more love
wanted the whole church to enjoy
perfect love. He cited commands OF
God and scrlptural prayers substan-
tiating his text,
Kindly he explained that this perfect
| love was attained by faith.
| 1t was q great mistake to expect the
| end without the means, to expect the
| witness without first having the reality
| and to seek this experience by doing
good works instead of by faith.
This faith implies conservation to
God which must be complete and per.
manent. We must lay all upon the
altar of God and let the lire of Heaven
come down and consume the sacrifice.
The speaker believed in the doctrine
of degrees in rewards and punish
ments.
His audience listened with the clos
est attention and profound silence
with an occasional amen up to twelve
o'clock. When the preacher concluded
some of his hearers were tired and dis
missed his audience with benediction
after the concluding prayer by Rev.
DR.. Simms, in which he was remarka,
bly, earnest. Bro. Dill is good
preacher and we like to hear him.