Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-11-29
PauPs Determination at Corinth.
BY REV. W. NJ. VINES,

bh hEN, W. NJ. VINES,
Pastor of the Baptist Church at johnson
CITY, preached in Greeneville, Tenn, Nov.
", on the occasion of the ordination of
hevs. Jasper Howell and w. b. Baldwin.
Text Cor. 2: 2-"For determined not to
EW EioW anything among. you, save Jesus
christ, and him crucifed.o
In every sermon there should be a definite
object. In my discourse this morning my
aim is not to impress upon you my own in
dividuality, for you would be disgusted at the
mention of such presumption and egotism.
Neither do desire to preach sermon that
may not be forgotten, for this, to say the
least, would be in bad taste; but will ven-
ture to say that my ambition is to present a
theme that may serve as the guiding star to
our lives in the great work of preaching the
Gospel. In the dispatches of Napoleon there
was written all over them the word "glory,
glory, glory" while in the dispatches of the
Duke of Wellington there was the word "du-
ty, duty, duty" In these words we see the
aims OF these two colossal figures of history;
but it seems to me that there is higher aim
in life than either glory or duty. Paul, in
his determination at Corinth had this am
Dition which pray may be our only purpose
as ministers of the Gospel. Doubtless, Paul
could have thrilled the Corinthians with his
oratory, or have won for himself an immor-
tai name as profound writer, but these
matters were incidental and of small inter-
est to him. Everything was swallowed up
in the sublime determination to preach
Christ, and him crucifed.
In order to more fully enter into the spirit
of the theme, let us briefly glance at the city
of Corinth. Occupying conspicuous posi-
tion between the Aegean and Ionis n Seas, il
was called "the eye of all Greece" Ships
from every land came to her harb0rs. she
was the universal market of the Greeks.
Her population was composed of hetero-
genous mass of Greeks, Romans, Jews; men
and women OF every nationality, class and
condition under heaven. Venus was the
principal deity. Her worship was of the
most corrupting and debasing character.
Corinth has been called the "Paris of an
tiquity." Wealth and luxury and vice and
crime were mingled in one awful conglom-
GRAFTON. This was the world in miniature,
for here in this city were all the corruptions
and obstacles with which Christianity has
had to contend in all the subsequent ages of
the worlds history. Yet in the face of Greek
fondness for learning, Roman lust for con-
quest Jewish narrowness and bigotry, and
the universal state of immortality prevail
ing, Paul declares his intention of preaching
an unpopular theme. The question with him
was not what COrinth wanted, but what it
needed. If the gospel was the remedy for the
Corinthians, IT is the only hope for men In
all conditions of life. The evil of the liquor
traffic is Internal rather than external. Give
more attention to the creation of men and
more will be accomplished. sen forth the
young people with their hearts filled with
the religion of Jesus Christ. This is the
worlds hope. This will solve the LIQUOR
question. This alone will render the young
no rob la 20 tlu ,f
and cities.
In this theme we see the two master spir-
its of the world. Christ was not only the
ideal man but the .eal man, yea more. the
Paul; and in this determination at Corinth
we can not fail TO feel the mighty spirit of
the apostle breathing through his words
l. First then let us study the characters
tics of PauPs determination at Corinth, and
as Gods ambassadors make it our aim
henceforth. 49,. -
|. twas an unselfsh determination. Paul
cared nothing for fame nor glory. His only
desire was that he might preach Christ and
| finish his course testifying the gospel of the
grace of God. He said "For me to live is
| Christ" Christ was the aim and joy of his
life. Again he declares that he is willing to
spend and be spent for them, though the
| more he loves them the less they love him.
What he was the grace of God had made him,
and his only ambition was to glory in the
cross OF Christ, by whom the world was cru
cihed unto him and he unto the world. "For
| one look at self take ten LOOKS at Christ"
Paul humbled himself and he has been ex-
| allied as the Savior has promised. Let us, as
ministers of this glorious gospel, not stop in
our desire to live humble, unselish lives, un-
| til we can say:
| "Higher than the highest heaven
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, thy love has at last conquered;
None OF self and all of thee"
2. PauPs determination was also delib-
crate one. Some have supposed that he
| found that his method at Athens was a fail
ure, but we can not for moment entertain
such an idea. tits true that Paul was an i'm
| petuous man, but we can not believe that he
had more "zeal than knowledge" as is the
case with some of the brethren in all our
churches who could serve Christ better by
| learning little common sense. The great
| apostle only reached this conclusion after
| great reflection. Like the good soldier, he
consulted con not the imposing eguipage of war,
| plating the hardships and suffering before
him, he rushed into the thickest of the fight
with only Christ and him crucifed as his
| watchword. Like William Carey, when in
the school room with his rudely constructed
globe, the idea flashed into his soul, "there
| are 40O,0O00W of people who are perishing for
| the gospel" he then and there deliberately
determined TO carry the good news TO them
himself, and though beset by many difficult
| ties and discouraged on every hand, he car
| ried out his purpose and became the founder
| of modern missions. Of all men the minis
! ter of God should be the last to hesitate or
| halt between opinions, when duty calls, but
| like Paul, coolly and unhesitatingly "take up
| his cross" and follow in the footsteps of the
| great apostle until the glorious summons
comes "to depart and be with Christ"
Furthermore, this was an intelligent
| determination. Some would suppose from
the text that Paul was narrow. Nothing
! could be farther from the truth. 1t is true
that Paul had hobby. All men who have
| ever amounted to anything have had hob
| bles. Patrick Henry had one--it was "liber-
| W or DEATH" John Knox had a hobby, 1t
| was "give me Scotland or de-" Men must
have one concentrated idea around which all
other ideas crystalize. A man without such
moved from its position in the solar system,
the stars would rush off into the boundless
realms of space and chaos would ensue. So
man without a guiding motive; his mind
| is unstable and his thoughts are in confu-
sion. One in such state Is likewise spirit
ually unbalanced. We should not be so
broad as To, believe nothing, and conclude, as
Is popular in this age, that any way will do,
nor SO narrow as to cramp our spiritual and
| intellectual growth and become fossilized; |;
| but let us avoid extremes. "know something
about everything and everything about
/ something" Paul was cosmopolitan man,
! O student of history. He knew that Christ,
and him crucified, was the center of all his
| tory. AS was the inscription on the cross in
! Greek and Latin and Hebrew. representing
the three mighty streams of civilization con-
/ verging in the cross, so Paul no doubt real
lied something OF the mighty influence of