The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-02-16

| Won to revolutionize not only your own
/ life but that in your whole vicinity, if
| you will accept as your model and guide
| this high ideal-our Lord and Savior
| Jesus Christ.
CHRIST AS A SAVIOUR.
Rev. J. N. Booth the pastor Of
| the Baptist church mt Lumberton,
| preached in Edenton Street Methodist
| cuhrch Sunday night. His sermon was
very much along the same line as was the
| lecture of Prof. w. l.. Poteat, before
the Y. NJ. c. A., in Metropolitan Hall.
Among other things he said in the
| course of his remarks Christ is nantes
| tation Of God-manifest in the flesh
He came to earth and became child.
| In his great power tonight, sitting on the
| right hand of the Father. he can sym
| pathize even with child, crying for its
| broken doll or wrecked plans. None are
| so low or weak as to be beneath his notice
and love.
?. Christ lived on earth in poverty.
He can sympathize with the poor. FIe
knew what it was to so hungry. He
knew what it meant to be weary, to have
no place to lay his head
3. He was a laborer-a carpenter.
He knew what an honest days work
was He has not forgotten the toiler-
no matter what you are doing, so that
you are honestly toIiing.
Labor is not a curse, it is simply the only
way we have of overcoming the curse.
| 1t is wrong to work on Sunday, but is no
| worse than not to work at all six days
shalt thou labor
4. He was a man Of suffering.
No man can truly sympathize with
sufferer like a sufferer can. Only he who
| has known sorrow can sympathiEe with
The heart bowed down by grief. When
death comes and takes a loved one, we
| have fellow feeling ever after for those
who have seen his dark form. Christ
| is a high priest who can be touched with
| a feeling of our infrmities. He wept over
4oals, the sins of humanity. He suffered
from the cruel opposition he incurred
| in his work If you ever amount to any
thing in life, you'll do the same thing.
There's one thing | never want put upon
my gravestone. mo one knew him bat to
| love him." That man is not worth a cent.
He is better dead than alive. If you do
| anything worth doing, you'll be opposed.
). He was tempted and he knows what
the temptation means.
LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN.
The Baptist Tabernacle church was fill
to its utmost capacity Sunday morning.
| The people went there 10 hear Rev. DR..
John y. Jordan, Secretary of the Bap-
| fist Young Peoples Union Of the South
ern Baptist convention. They had heard
him lecture. and they were delighted.
Now they wanted to hear him preach
the word of God They heard him ami
went away even more pleased.
His text was the parable OF Lazarus
and the rich man, as told by the Apostle
Luke. He said it was a picture of two
beggars-one a beggar in this world, and
one in the world to come-one a beggar
for temporal blessings and one for spir-
itual help.
In olden times, he said, it was consid-
cred that for man to be rich it was an
evidence of his piety and favor with God.
Some also went to the other extreme,
and said that poverty was a curse, and an
evidence of Gods wrath. This parable,
| he explained, is to refute this belief.
Lazarus, the poor man, found favor in
Gods sight, while Dives lifted up his eyes
| in hell
DR. Jordan thought that another lesson
taught by this gospel, is that God is no
| respecter Of persons. The lowest soul is
as dear to Him as he who is robed in pur
| pie and fine linen. The lines OF caste are
erased, the wall between tn" rich and
poor is torn down; distinctions of race
are brushed away. Go We into all the
| world and preach the gospeP-preach it
to all peoples to all nations, to every per-
son. This is a faithful saying, and wor-
| thy of all acceptation, Jesus Christ came
| into the world to save sinners" Even the
/ chief Of sinners may be saved. Him
| that cometh to me l will in no wise cast
out" II you feel that you are unworthy
Of favor in Gods sight, you are the very
soul that Gods blessing is meant for.
| A secondary thought in this parable is.
that there is a heaven where the wicked
cease from troubling, and the weary are
| at rest Lazarus died and was taken to
heaven and rested in Abraham's bosom.
There is a hell, place of torment.
This is not such a comforting, inspiring
| thought. But as sure as there is a
| heaven to gain there is hell to shun.
The rich man lifted up his eyes in tor
ment | do not know whether hell is real
fire or not. Perhaps MOTT may be the
fires of conscience. But God Himself has
used the figure and in it, he has exhaust
ed the language in portraying it's horrors.
The Bible is a sufficient guide. "If
they hear not those sent unto them,
neither will they hear, even though one
rise from the dead" was the message
sent back from heaven to Dives in hell
There is no chance after death. The
rich man knew that He did not even ask
more than slight mitigation of his pun
ishment. As death lays hold upon us,
so shall we be ushered into eternity.
The lost souls in hell are concerned for
the salvation of souls on earth. We know
that the angels rejoice in the souls that
ere born unto Christ We know that
Christian men and women are concerned
in the redemption Of sinners. But here
is the awful picture of the lost souls in
in heaven joining with heaven and earth
in anxiety and burden for souls that are
out Of Christ-and yet you are not con
. | cnrnnd for voureplf