Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-10-16
HIS FAREWELL SERMON.
Continued from Page ~

NN'&~
seek for scientific, historical and theological
knowledge rather than for the biblical; to take
text from the scriptures and then go hither
and thther for the material for the sermon; to
substitute the glitter of rhetoric born of n
desire to please men, for the fire" and the
hammer" of the word of the Lord. Nor is
the pulpit wholly to blame. For the relation
between the pulpit and the pew is somewhat
reciprocal. If the sentiment of the people is
foreign to the scriptures; if they clamor for
brilliant preaching; if they want merely in
telectual food and stimulants if they desire a
man to draw and fill the pews and increase the
financial income of the church, is it any wonder
there should be even good men beguled? But
lmparting instruction on the multiplied and
multiplex scientific, literary, metaphysical,
theological and political topics is not the bust
ness of the pulpit.
But why have we not sought to preach
morality? We have. But after all there is
only one sin which keeps Christ and heaven
out of the human heart; only one sin that keeps
any individual upon earth out of Christ and
heaven. 1t is the sin of unbelief. / read in
this book, God is no respector of persons"
l read in this book, "For there is no difference
between the Greek and the jew" / read in
this book: Wherefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be Justified" l read in this
book "He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
daInmed.n 1t is then neither our morality nor
good works that lifts us into heaven; nor our
transgressions and iniquities that casts us into
hell 1t is faith in Jesus Christi that saves it is
unbeief in Jesus Christ that condemns us to
everlasting despair. | have ten dollars in
greenbacks; you have a thousand. We are in
Paris. We are hungry. We enter restaur-
ant. place on the counter my ten dollars;
you your one thousand but neither of us with
that sort of money can purchase penny's
worth. So if at last we come to the door of
heaven and have not our hearts washed in the
| blood of the lamb; if we have only morality
and our good works for recommendation we
| shall verify not be able to enter the kingdom
of God. And so you see friends, how believe
ing this we have sought simply to proclaim the
gospel of Jesus. l recall king who once asked
courtier what made certain French preach
| er so famons. Your majesty" answered the
nobleman, she breaches the gospel, and that is
the scarcest thing in France" l fear that this
| is only too true, not only in France, but in
| England and America. And this is one reason
the cause of our Risen Lord does not make still
more rapid progress. What the people need
more than ought else is to hear the blessed gos-
pei of the Son of God. Yes, about Jesus whose
blood cleanseth from all sin. Jesus, the only
foundation of the church. Jesus, the source of
gladness. Jesus, the balm for every wound"
Jesus, the Bright Morning STAR" Jesus, the
sun of Righteousness" Jesus, the reform for
all wrongs. Jesus, the grand center of the uni
verse. Jesus, the one universal keynote in the
| unending song of the unfolding and eternal
ages.
Ill. In the third place we have aimed at the
saving of souls, and the Lord has wonderfully
helped us. l am aware that there are some
churches quite content; quite satisfied, to toll
on year after year without the presence and
music OF new born souls, and still have faith
ana keep working. may be radical; what of
uhatE am, however, firm in my opinion that
any chur which does not bring men and wo-
men and children to Jesus is u tremendous
failure. care not how imposing and costly
| the ediiice, how learned and eloquent the
preacher, how sweet and charming the music
| how well dressed and ieweled the congrega.
| tion, how cultured the church members, that
| church is failure over which the angel must
sigh, and the Christ who died for human
redemption sheds scading tears. For
what purpose did the Son of God leave the
| glory of heaven and come into this would2
| why did he die upon the accursed tree? Oh,
| was 1t not to seek and save the lost? For what
| purpose did he call and commission men to go
| into all the world and preach the gospel? Was
it not that the world might be saved? The
| highest glory of the church is to have it said of
her here and yonder, This and that man was
born there" believe the greatest shame of a
church is not to be the agent of saving souls
and preparing them for heaven,
lN. Then, too, the Lord hath helped us in
our endeavor to be an aggressive and uncon-
Ventona church. We have believed most
hrmly IN the local church being the instrument
CHOSEN oil God for the redemption of men. We
nave been in hearty sympathy with its reform
| that would elevate society and raise the fallen
| ana foe to the wrong. We believe that 'the
church organized by the Lord Jesus, organized
upon the plan made known in the new testa-
ment, is the social nucleus is the society which
is the cure for all the ills of the world.~ This
all the people will see after awhile. 1t can not
| possibly be otherwise. Yes, we have sought to
be an aggressive people, yet not as much so. as
Baptists, as we ought to have been. One of the
greatest surprises to the citizens of Freeland
was our undertaking the erection of u church
edttce without single dollar to begin with
and carry it through to such great success, and
still greater surprise to the people was to see
the number of men brought into the church,
saved from sin. ! can say believe truthfully
that no church has been greater blessing to
this community than the Bethel Baptist church.
For proof of this ask the leading merchants of
the place, who now get the dollars instead of
the saloons; visit the happy homes and see the
joy and contentment there where sorrow and
misery reigned, and for this reason there is
need of this church and the support of every
good man to help sustain it.
We have not tried to initiate others; but have
no objection to others initiating us. No two
churches in one place should try to work just
alhe' God bless those who try with the
enarins OF sweet and elevating music to save
Soihe' God bless those who strive with the
power oil logic and the sway of eloquence to
save some; God bless those who take upon
themselves the herculean task of converting
critics, and metaphysicans, and philosophers.
ana scientists, and moralsts, for heaven: God
bless them who are fishing after the wealthy
and noble say again, from the bottom of NV
heart, God bless them all in their work.
V. Then, too, the Lord has helped us to
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