The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-14
VOL iO-NEW SERIES. NO\s37.


Rows. Slate Baptist, Doll. and
others. lie also thanked the Grace
street | lust church and the Baptists
OF Richi nd generally FOR their hospi-
ialiiy. aa ring them at the same time
Of the sit ere sympathy Of the Baptists
Of the cnti State in the loss of the beau
tiful hcus, Of worship where the assoc
citation wa 10 have met tGracc-Strcet
Baptist cit rch. and which last winter
bad been lid in ashes. IN conclusion.
the speaker expressed The hope that the
SCI sions Of we association would Dee char
aetcriZed bt Unusual devotion and Spirit
of prayer.
Rev. Mr. Frtson. Of Pine-Strcct Baptist
church. then ed the singing Of hymn by
the choir wt rcupcn the entire congrcea-
tion sang II grand old hymn, Rock
of Ages
THE ANNUAL SERMON.
Rev. Dr. j. j.. B. Thames. oi Danyiile.
who had been ppointed TO preach the an
nual sermon. ilcn read from the Scrip
tunes. Second Timothy iv.. Ills Rev
DR. Butler. of Alexandria, nest o1ered
a ferscnt lraye. and after thc coneresa-
tOu had sung Ic nymn BLOW Ae the
Trumpet Blow Ncv Dr Thames de-
lNcrcd his annual sermon. Tie took his
te.t from seco d Timothy. iy, =: i
lave kept the fth, and spoke a. iol-
lows.
Ino vision OF me great apostle had
hitherto been pros r.eLNe rather than re-
Prospective. To co. cleaning goal the
hope. the energy. tDe faith of his life had
been focused wit st,adfast devotion.
From grace to gra.e. and glory to glory
he lad gone cOuntinE a4wa. tGc achieve
ments ct the past "a, only worthy o. for
I..
hopes. stronger energy. and with am ever
increasing momentum, De was constantly
projecting himself nto the further re-
pious II grace and truth. So that the
ielnant rule of his life was cry-talilad ln
the words. "Tlis one thing I 90. ior-
getting those thin-s which are behind,
ana reaching forth unto things that are
before But now. with hls hand resting
upon the lone-coyC ed goal the Time #
his departure beine at hand and being
a. hand, and bcir. about TO exchange
the cross for the e.. lwn. and To eco from
labor TO rcfrcshmenL Doe dared look ne-
hind. And locking behind he dared in
simple phrase and unH0astIug speech dee
clare the satisfaction OF his great soul
a. his life work. Th0re was nothing ot
fe1r. either ont of the past 0r Che future,
10 disturb .the deep serenity into which
Doe had come. or 90 dim the radiance of
The crown he was soon tO wear. He had
ran with patience the race set before,
DE had waecd 10 triumphant ISSUE the
uncoasing battle. nc bad kept the faith
once delivered unto the saints. and was
indeed now ready 10 Dee offered mp.
]. THE FAITH HE KEPT
II cannot Doe that when The apostle
declared hc bad kept the faith he meant
no more than that he had been true 10
"a trust and faithful Co covenant "The
faith means more than compact or
covenant. these. 90 Doe sure. but much
more beside lie must have had in his
mind some scheme of doctrine. some sys-
tenn of truth. or some sequence of fact.
known and accepted AS "the faith. IL
was the revelation Of God in IT'S entirety
and completeness that he called 'the
faith"
The phrase is most suggestive of it,
true nature. There is first indicated its
uhicctvity u WAS the faith delivered
unto the saints. not the evolution OF
philosophy. or the dream of the mystic,
or She discovery of the adyenturer or the
ycarniue of the pietist. hut the objective
revelation Of Gods viii ana Word 1t
was not from within. bat from without.
II wa. not the growth of the earth. hut
upreach Of man. but the down reach OF
GOD. n was NOT ndn feeling otter Gcd.
if haply he might find Him. but God
feeling after man. If iapy He might
ind him. Paul. John. and Peter went
10 their graves. please God. bli'sful'y
ignorant of Pauline. JOhanine. and Pc
trino theology Nothing could have been
more remote from their simple thought
and hope than that they should ever he
understood as representing different types
and shades Of theological faith. Irue
and helpful these definitions ana iistihc-
tions NAV be i'm serving the convenience
OF our thought: but dangerous and hurt
fnl they may he if they mislead into the
berosv that these men wrote concerning
and nroached such faith as was the
evolution OF their thought or the dream
of their hcpes hopes. or the yeafhlhs OF
thair souls or the discoveries OF thtl'
adventure. Coming through them ihis
foitb did. TO be sure in the process re-
coivc the stamp and mintase oil lher
irdividualitv. but I'M no sense and IN no
,ca,, was IL the suggestion OF their hearts,
or the evolution of their thought
1-NERRING FAITH.
This e. an essential and fundamental
corccption. upon the truthfuness oil
which the supremacy and sovereignty "i
onr faith utterly depends. ON no olner
rrourd can We claim its divinity. or ut
fend It's iuorracV. Surrcndcring inns we
-,s,e no warrant for its authority. and no
guarantee OF IFS final rcgnancy. 10 hoIN
othervise Is 10 put into the hands OF ils
followers only a broken staff upon Which
TO lean. Of its teachers lamp oi vague
and uncertain flame of its defenders
blade of unknown and untried strength
There is further indicated It's cohercncy.
Facts. principles. truths doctrines are so
correlated into one coherent whole as 10
be called "the faith" So that the con-
ceptions Of our Fathers when they spoke
of the faith as being a body of theology
or scheme of doctrine. or plan of redemp-
lion was not so wide of the essential fact
as some modern scorners of the name Of
theology would have us think. TO sup
nose that there are here facts, truths,
and doctrines that are not susceptible OF
coordination is 10 violate every analogy
from every other sphere of Gods opera
tions. AS in the world Of nature where
variety. divergence and seeming contra
diction and strife abound modern sci
cnce has demonstrated perfect corrella-
ton of AN forces. So here i'm the faith
variety. divergence. and seeming paradox
and contradiction are as truly correlated
into one coherent whole. Law. order,
sequence. correlation ever seen i'm Gods
works. are nowhere more conspicuously
present than I'm the faith once delivered
unto the saints Everywhere there are
the ragmatism OF the Divine purpose. the