The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-12-20
SUNDAY SERMON.
Rev. Powick's Discourse Sunday Befoi
the Nj. f. Congregation.


the NJ T.. Congregation.
The sermon in the NJ. f. church on Sunday
morning was on "The strength of weakness"
? Cor. XII-1O "When am weak then am |
stong" The weakness of which Paul spoke
was not physical for this has nothing to do
with human goodness nor greatness. it
could not have been mental weakness for the
strength of his logic and the beauty of his
rhetoric forbid the thought. Nor was it NOR
al or spiritual for the moral grandeur Of his
life and the pure spirituality Of his writings
attest the contrary. Nor can it be that he is
merely appropriatins the epithet others had
applied to him. What then does the heroic
Paul mean when he speaks of his weakness?
"Who is weak and I am not weak" "When l
am weak then am 1 strong
The weakness Of which he speaks was the
feeling which resulted from several things,
chief of which was his long continued re-
Election upon the desperate condition of the
world as he knew it and its terrible doom as
he learned Tits arrangement from God,
its abominable wickedness, its filthy practices,
damnable heresies, helish allurements He
saw that 'the world lieth in the wicked ono"
and that men were rushing to hell as fast as
their vices could drive them. Then there
was his profound conviction of personal
responsibility for the spread of the Gospel and
the uplifting of men to God. He felt that he
was his brothers keeper
He was seized with the conviction "woe is
me if / preach not the GospeT-not an emas-
cultaed Gospel but "the whole counsel of God"
He felt, moreover that he must preach it not
only in season hut out Of season. There was
80 much to be done and so few engaged in do
ing it and so many engaged in hindering it
that the cry is extorted "who is sufficient for
these things" The angry mob drives him
from Antioch, he fees from flying missiles at
Iconium, is dragged for dead from Lystra is
imprisoned at Philppi, ridiculed and arrested
at Athens, and is beaten in his fathers house
at Jerusalem-no wonder he felt weak. But
it was such weakness as only master mind
can feel after realizing the overwhelming
magnitude Of the work, the tremendous re-
sponsbility under which he lives and the
inadeauacy Of his own native resources
it takes moral gigant to feel such weakness
Let us not suppose that it was like much Of
weakness that we hear of now and which re-
suits from spiritual leanness and downright
slothfulness. His was the weakness Of a soul
throbbing in unison with the thought of God
and entering fully into his designs concern
ing a lost race and agOnizing to see them full
filed but at the same time feeling restricted
in all his efforts by the limitations of tlesl
and blood and the oppositions Of the foes o
God.
The difference between moral giants ant
pigmies is often measured by the effect pro
duced upon them by discouragements anC
impediments. Character reveals itself mos
conspicuously in the great crisis of life. Th
outward Disadvantages under which Pau
prosecuted his apostolic work-the want o
social prestige commanding presence, elo
quent utterance, friendly influence combines
with the constant oppositions and persecu
tions of his enemies would have crushe,
ordinary mortals to the earth, bat to Pau
they were merely 'infrmities in which h
glorifed" stepping stones upon which b
climbed to "the secret place Of the Mos
High" and linked himself with the Infinite
Whatever strips US Of our selfsuficiency an
drives US to seek Gods helping grace is
source of strength and blessing to us. OF
stacles and hindrances are often blessings i
disguise When doubt begins to ask "who
sufficient for these things faith may alway
safely respond, 81 can do all things thrOug
Christ which strengthened me-" Th
living God has declared "My grace is sufiicier
for thee, for my strength is made perfect i
weakness"