The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-10-15
LAST IN WHEELING.
Rev. @. NJ. Afford Preached His
Farewell Sermon Yesterday
AT THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
On tho South side-La-se cosGresa.
lions Were Present Morning and
Evouing-Mr. Afford Leaves Wheel
ing for His Future Field of Labor,
Philadelphia, on wcdnesday-His
Powerful Evening Sermon.

The services at the Third Presbyter.
ian church, on the South Side, yeSter-
day morning and last evening were
notable rs being the last at which the
pastor, Rev. 9. NJ. Afford, odiciated.
Large congregations were present at
both services, ard IN the evening Mr..
Afford babe his congregation farewell.
On Wednesday he leaves for Philadel-
phia, where he goes as co.pastor OF the
olivette Presbyterian church, the
eleventh largest in this country OF that
denomination.
In the evening the preacher took as
! his text, John, 9:25. "Whereas I was
blind, now see." In his opening he
said: There is such thing as natural
law in the spiritual world. The things
OF the spirit arc represented by the
things OF nature. The diseases OF the
race represented the sinful condition OF
mankind. Leprosy. that disease oil dis
eases-that sickness Of sicknesses. typi.
6es the terrible disease Of sin; and
blindness portrays tho lack OF spiritual
light and sight Leprosy represents
the corrupt and vile OF the race. II
first shows itself in spot on the palm
OF the hand orOn the face, and increases
day after day until the whole man is
diseased, every fibre Of the body is az
fected, until all is vile and rottenness.
So sin may begin with indifference or
some dishonest act in business or by
some pharisaical act, and day by day 1t
increasos until every fibre OF the moral
man 10 affected, and 90 that We are vile
In the sight Of God and men, a faint to
society and curse to the race.
blindness typities a sinner who is
moral, intellectual, refined, honest and
upright in his dealings with mon, a
blessing to society, and yet unconscious
of the light Of truth" On this thought
Mr.. Afford dwelt at considerable length.
admonishing the necessity that We
do not go about with four senses fully
developed, aud the titth-sight-uttcrly
neglected.
4 skeptical physician once said to q
minister, "about two-thirds OF your
congregation have not enough OF the
gray material under their hats to think
for themselves. or even to doubt any
thing that is unreasonable. imagine
they would not make very good Christ
inns" The pastor replied at is not
necessary that they should know the
process in order to receive the benefit"
1t is not necessary for man to be u
physo!ogist in order to be healthy. An
uniearned man partakes OF the food and
health is the result, although he knows
nothing about the process. The pro-
lessor, who knows aii about the human
system aud understands every step In
the process of changing tho food into
blood, flesh, bones and sinews may be
bundle OF aches and pains.
y Nor Ia it necessary for man, about to
become Christian. to be profound
theologian and know all about the sys-
TEN oil grace. This man confessed that
he knew very little about Christ, or the
process Of healing; he could say lone
thing I know, that, whereas was
blind, now l see." Many people know
or wish to know too much before they
come to Christ. They quibblo and
worry over the doctrine OF fore ordina-
ton, substitution, adoption and so on;
until in bewildermcnt they conclude to
remain unsaved until they grow wiser.
Most OF our creods are too long, and
this brings mo to speak Of this blind
mans creed. In the frat place it was
intensely personal. "Whereas, I was
blind, now see." And second, it was
short only two things things mention
cd, his former blindness and his pres
ont power 20 SEQ. Third. We notice,
however, that no rapidly grow in grace,
and added to his creed as we learn in
the latter part Of this chapter. A Gre
may be put out by too much fuel, but il
tho fuel is added gradually the fire be-
comes glowing mass Of Goals.
II YOU have ever tried to burn
quantity OF brush, you will remember
that II you piled 1t high and then light.
ed 1t, the fire was soon smothered, and
you finally aad to tear 1t down and
place two or three branches together,
and as they burned you brought another
twig and still another till by and BY you