The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-13

Diocesan convention. held for the Do
cese of North Carolina for the year
1891
am instructed by the chairman Of the
meeting, Mr. Thomas White, to notify
you of this action, and to convey to you
the thanks of your congregation here for
your repetition of the sermon for our
benefit on last Sunday.
We have deemed it best that you should
edit the sermon yourself, or we would
have simply requested a copy of the Ms.
for publica ton ourselves.
| have the honor to be,
Yours very truly,
f. S. SPRUILL Secretary.
ST. JAMES PARISH.
Kittrell, N. c., May %, 1897.
Rev. James b. Avirett:
Rev and Dear Friend and Sir:--I am
instructed to express the pleasure of our
congregation at the selection of yourself
by our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. J. B.
Cheshire, d. D., to deliver the convention
sermon at its late annual session; and
further. to express our qualification at its
acceptability. as evinced by those in at
tendance at the said convention.
We claim the high privilege of defray-
ing our part of the expense in the publica-
ton of the same should you accede to the
request of the Louisburg congregation,
and have our Bishops approval. which we
take it you will do.
Very truly and sincerely yours.
c. w. RANEY, Secretary.
ST JAMES PARISH.
Kittrell. n. c.. May "a, 1897
Hon. f. s. Spruill and Charles w Raney,
Esq:
Gentlemen:-I have Your kind notes
asking me to edit, at the expense of the
congregations of st. Paul's and ST james,
the sermon preached before the late Do.
cesar convention, holden in Raleigh, and
repeated to the congregation at st. Paul's,
Louisburg. l am glad, indeed, to know
that in your Judgment the publication of
this sermon will do good. Not exactly as
| preached it in Raleigh, but ipsissimis
verbs of the Louisburg rendering. with
some foot notes fully explanatory. / have
edited the same. If only it serve to set
the great body Of Churchmen in North
Carolina to serious thought as to just
where we are, amid the chang and up
hnsara Is of this o.lc4.tr.;4. $50
nope that the good results we all so earn
estly desire, under the guidance of the
Great Head of the church, will follow
Permit me, gentlemen, to thank you
both for the sweet courtesy of your res
pective notes, and to express to my CON-
gregations my full appreciation of this
last very marked and beautiful testimon-
ial, among very many, of their love and
confidence.
Faithfully your rector,
JAMES BATTLE AVIRETT.
"WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE
NIGHTT
1.-The burden of Dumah. He calleth to
me out of SER, Waterman, what of the
night? Waterman, what of the night!"
Isaiah xxi: IL.
The author of this text had a perfect
right to sound this challenge, to ring out
this startling question in the ears of
recreant Israel. Clothed upon with the
high powers of a prophet Of the Most
High, as at all times, SO especially at
each and every critical juncture in the
history of Gods people, it became his
duty paramount to shrink in no particu-
lar from a clear, full and brave utter
ance of truths vitality connected with the
best interests of that remarkable ma
ton over whom, as the delegate of God,
it was his bounden duty to keep watch
and ward. The evangelical Isaiah would
never have ranked with the gentle and
faithful Jeremiah, nor with the mystical
and reconcile Ezekiel, or with the brave
and dauntless Daniel. as one of the four
major prophets of Old Testament mar
rative, had he shrunk from any duty,
however disagreeable it may have been.
1t pertained to his high and holy office,
divinely conferred and not of man, to
be brave, and to counsel not with flesh
and blood, but to declare the whole
counsel of God, 10 be both afraid and
ashamed to prophesy smooth things, lest
after having preached to others he
should be a castaway." With this high
warrant for plainness of speech and di
rectness of issue. how more safely OF
wisely can one proceed than with lad
rem acu," we ply ourselves with the
question of the text, "Watchman, what
OF the night?' bristling all over as il
does with facts the most interesting
and results in value beyond the reach
of human computation and only known
in their fnality to God. We are stand
ing hard by the close of the nineteenth
century, and thoughtful men are becom
ing more thoughtful, yet, in the Lord
not fearful, as they scan the horizon
and endeavor to take in the situation al
indicated by the condition of the Church
The heavy ranks of a fierce and AFRO
CANT infidelity are finging out, both il
Europe and this country, the contemptu
GUS inquiry, 'Why are you Christian PEG
pie not making more rapid progress ir
taking possession Of the kingdoms Of thu
earth for your Lord, the Nazarene?
why does the Church grow so slowly !?
Their coarse arrogance and ribald levity
clearly indicate that, in their blind wor
ship OF cold, intellectual Ego, pre-
sumptuous sins have the dominion ovel
them, because the words of their mouth.
and the meditation of their hearts hav,
been very far from being acceptable Il
God
In another department we find those
who rank themselves among the disciples
Of a Higher Criticism, failing of jus
and safe conclusions, because they at
tempt to stir the mud of their own puny
rush-light intellect in the pure fountain