The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-09-06
SUNDAY SERMON.

Gifted"
The sermon on Sunday evening in the
Methodist Episcopal church was on Christ
Cruclfed" But we preach Christ Cruel
fed" | Cor ! %. The Jews r o aired a
sign and the Greeks sought after wisdom,
but the early preachers felt under no obli-
cation to meet the demands of either. The
greatest apostle could thank God that he
was not sent even to bsptise but to preach
the gospel. Not % preach what men waat
to hear but to preach what they ought to
hear, and not to preach it with enticing
words of mans wisdom but in demonstra-
ton Of the spirit and of power. Learning
| from his precepts and example We note
first that Christ cruciied is the very heart
and soul OF religion. Much more atten-
ton is bestowed upon the subordinate ele-
ments of ehristianlty than upon its
primary one. 1t is not preaching about
Christ or about salvation that saves men.
| We are not called upon to apologize fyr
the truth nor to defend christianity but to
proclaim its cardinal doctrine. What the
| ,in-s sick world needs is not elaborate ex-
plantations or defenses of the divine remedy
for sin, but TO find out Whist 10 do in order
TO be saved Fine spun disquisitons on the
nature of cholera are not in order when its
smitten victims are perishing for want of
healing medicine. The world is sua rirg
for want Of less churchianity and mora
christianity. Christ crucifed is the only
hope of a perishing world. Man can no
more save him elf than he can lit h mself
by bis )oot straps. His savior must bs
divine. He has such savior in the an
nointed Son of God. His pure and spot
lels life commands the admiration of the
world bu. it was not his life but his death
that furnished the ground of our salvation.
Without shedding Of blood th ere is no re.
mission. And we are told that wv G are re-
deemed not with corruptible 1hiug3 as sll-
yer and gold but with the precious blood Of
Christ" And There is no other name
under heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved 4"
Christ cruciied is the only remedy for
the social and other disturbances of these
troublols times. If esrth's toiling masses
ever obtain the relief f,r which they sigh
IL will be only through the more effective
preaching of Christ crucdad. TIE church
and the pulpit are sometimes criticised
and not without csuse--tOr caring more for
souls than bodies-for eternity than time
for theories than practices-fOr crgeds and
dogmas than for practical charity, But
such criticisms are, in the main, the product
of superficial thought. The roots of every
benedcent thing on earth have drawn
nourishment from Christ cruc6ed. And
wherever He is faithfully preached an at
moaphere is ultimately created in which
particular wrongs cannot live. Conflicts
between capital and labor cannot exist
where Christ erucifed becomes the centre
around which the interests of all parties |
revolve, The divine philanthropy which |
eliminated in the tragedy of Calvary fur |
nlshes the prophecy and potency of a |
coming era of good will among men when |
the labor and other troubles through which |
we are passing will be no more forever. |
Neither Christ nor His apostles formulated |
in so many words, any law against the |
degradation of womsn-the institution of !
human slavery-the cruel and licentious
sports OF their age. But they are things of
the past because they gave to the world |
great principles of living which sounded |
their death kIell So shall it be with the |
troubles of our own age. "For the weapons
of our warfare are not oarnal but mighty |
through God to the pulling down of strong
hclds. Casting down every Imagination
and every high thing that e1slteth itself
against the knowledge of God and bringing
every thought into captivity to the obe-
1iopca Of Cbrist -