The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-08-21
THE CHURCH.
Some Hindrances to Its HeaIthfuI
Growth.
Sermon Delivered Yesterday by Rev,
II. w. Conry. Pastor of the NJ.
E. Church South.

At the morning service of the NJ. E.
Church South yesterday, the pastor, Rev.
IL. w. Conry, delivered an interesting
sermon on "Hindrances to the Growth
of the Church." The reverend speaker
took for his text the 10th verse of the 4th
chapter of second Timothy, For Demas
hathforsaken me, having loved this pres
ent world"
We have remarkable display in De-
mas OF the depth Of the depravity Of the
human heart. Demas was considered
believer considered so by the apostle.
He was especially rememb ered by him in
two epistles, so that not only was he
believer, but he seemed to stand out
among others. In the epistle to the
Colossians he comes next to Luke, the
beloved physician: Luke, the beloved
physician, and Demas, greet you.' In
the epistle to Philemon we find his name
also occurs as the companion of the apos-
tie, the associate OF the apostle, and, to
all appearance, the friend and beloved of
the apostle, and yet this man "forsook
him." and that, not from temporary
fear, as Peter forsook his Lord under the
influence Of fear but he ''torsook him,
having loved this present world seems
TO tell us that our motto should be, Let
him that thlnketh he standeth, take heed
lest ne fail" 1t tells us OF that which
ought TO be our perpetual memento: BE
not highminded bur fear" pass the time
OF your sojournIng here in fear" The
fear OF slave? No. But the fear of
child that springs from loye-the true
daughter of faith and the fruit of the
Holy Ghost. And it tells us this, that If in
the days OF the apostles, when there were
so many outward things that circum-
scrlDed and narrowed the Church OF God,
compared with our day, in which there is
so much to extend the visible Church OF
God IRON the ease Of circumstances and
the lack of persecution through which we
make our profession. II, in those DAYS,
such things occurred we need not be sur
prised that they should occur in ours; and
these things speak to us-solemnly speak
to US.
There is something very touching in
the expression, "Demas hath forsaken
me-" The apostle may have trials. God
saw 1t good for him. He allotted that as a
part of his portion. We know that
John, whose surname was Mark" left
him in Pamphylia. We hear him say
ing in the first chapter of this epistIe
This thou knOwest that all they which
are in Asia he turned away from me-"
We lind him testitying in this very
chapter: AT my first answer no man
stood with me- but all men forsook me,'
is said OF Demas, 'Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present world"
Truly the apostle had his trials. No
small trial it was thus to be torsaken in
his hour OF need by one whom he had
commended, by one whom he loved.
These were touching things in the apos-
tie. Do not imagine he was a man of
iron. He was gentle as Il nurse" bold
as a lion, fearless as TO consequences, Yet
SO tender we sometimes think we could
have laid bare our heart to the Apostle
Paul. These things touched him TO the
quick.
But was this all Demas forsook? II for
SOCK Jesus, he tOrsook God, he forsook the
way to pardon, he tOrSook the way of
peace, he lorsook the way of righteous
ness, he fursoOk the way of holiness, he
tOrsook the way of happiness, he forsook
the way from hell and he forsook the
way to heaven. 1t was an awful tOrSak-
ing. Some imagine that he did not
finally torsako-it is but dream. This
Is the last epistle the apostle ever wrote,
ana there Is no other account. Do nor
let us lose ourselves in suggestions; the
last account given of Denas is that he
"forsook the apostle, having loved this
present world" OF which the Apostle
John says that IF a man love it, the love
OF the Father is not in hing
Perhaps l am addressing some poor
backslder to-day. He has "forsaken,"
anu 1OISdA6u all Is IL LDdI com plain
OF you? No, 1t Is conscience that COM
plains of you. Yes, and how do you
know what complaint it will bring when
1t grapples with you upon q dying bed,
and when you think ''now l must stand
before God" Is it your mercies that
complain of you? Gods providential
tendernesses that have spared YOU the
abundant privileges which you have
sighted and neglected Yes, my brother.
And dying in your present state, Sodom
and Gomorrah shall be more tolerable in
that day than you shall be. But | rise
above all this. The eternal God complains
against you. And oh! if you have a heart
to feel it, what will you not say TO the
thirty-tirst verse of the second chapter of
jeremiah, Have l been wilderness
unto thee?" Testify against me; here |
am standing at thy bar; testify against
me-; have l been wilderness? pr
wherein have I failed? Oh? there is
enough to break ones heart; and under
the amounting of the Spirit of God it
must break the heart of him that feels
that truth in his inner man at this mo-
ment. And the awful case of Demas NAV
be, through the grace of God, the preser-
walton of some that are now before me.
But notice next, what was the cause
that led to this forsaking. "Demas hath
1Orsaken me, having loved this present
world" Ne know how awfully the
Apostle Peter left and forsook; we know
how all the disciples "iorsook our Lord
and tied''; but ii is not said of these that
they foorsook, having loved this pres
eut world"
The Apostle John, writing to the saints,
says: Love not the world, neither the
things of the world. If any man love the
world the love of the Father is not in
him" Now what does he mean by
Love not the world?" What is the
love of the world? II is easier to say
what it is not than what it is. 1t is the
over-valuiug of the creature. 1t is ar
placing the creature where God ought to
be placed; valuing the creature for the
creatures sake; looking for that from
the creature that belongs to God. 1t was
gross idolatry that first of all rendered
Israel and judah captive people, and
then dispersed people; but idolatry can
exist where there is no gross exhibition
OF it. We know that the love of money
is as much idolatry as ever the grossest
idOlatry in its grossest exhibition can be.
1t is so called by the eternal God in the
epistle to the Ephesians; l need scarce
IL quote the passage, because you must
be so well acquainted with it, For this
We know, that no whoremonger, or I'M
clean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath an inheritance in the king
dom OF Christ and of God" Nay, we
know that the pampering of our appe-
tites the living in carual self-indulgence,
is called idolatry, and that ''the God OF
some is their belly" The word OF God
declares it that even in the food that | eat
III that which is needtul to my existence
as man, taking carnal delight in it be-
You'd what the Lord would have me,
looking to it as the object for which l
live, looking to it as that from which |
draw my happiness, the creature may be
substituted in place of God, and that be-