Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-03
PASTOR FIVE YEARS.
,,VrRs.Ry SERMON or DR.. H.
DEN At GRovE-AyENuE.
pg1IgWS HIS LAST YEARS WORK.
interesting Discussion Of the
,k Of Jude. Written, the French
suggests, by Our Lords Broth
Mr.. Rust at First Church.

~, sunday morning Rev. J. c. Hldcn
.,,hcd his 18th anniversary sermon
Grovo-Avenue Baptist church He
-, with the following statistics:
s..mons preached during the year 90;
dresses delivered. l2s; pastoral visits,
.r additions to the membership. Is;
,-rber now OF the roll, i2s
ve then took for his text the last
,r, verses Of the Eplstle or Jude:
.NoU. unto Him that IS able
, keep YOU from falling. and
q, present you faultless before the pre-
s.ace OF His glory with exceeding JOY
% The only wise God. our Saviour. be
glory and majesty. dominion and power
h,,h now and ever. Amen"
Dr Hlden said in part: Or. Sam.
Johnson used 10 say that the vicar Of
Wakefield was one OF the few books
tiat he read that he wished were long,
cr / feel much the same way as 70
tae Epistle Of jude. There Is only one
hapter. containing twenty-five verses. IL
could all be put into a third OF column
m newspaper. and yet il is a wonder
fully weighty letter containing an I'M
rnense amount Of matter. packed INTO
very small space. And Il IS interesting.
NOT only on account OF It's brevty and
rs contents but from a personal con
sideration. There IS good reason for
believing that the writer was ? brother
81 our Lord We know that Jesus had
brothers named Judas and James. jude
| Is the same name as Judas. and TINS
letter was written by Jude. the brother
~ James" II vas quite natural that
ne should speak Of himself as the
brother Of the well-known James, who
WIS the bishop or pastor Of the
church al Jerusalem, and who Is called
the brother Of Jesus.
THE EPIsTI.E OF JAMES.
.yve know that these brothers OF
xssus did not believe in Him during His
ministry and even tried TO break up His
reaching: but through the grace or
COD they were afterwards converted to
christ and became efficient workers In
Tao vineyard Of the Lord.
cone OF the most practical and Christ
Ike books in the New Testament Is the
Tpistle Of James. the Lords brother
Certain faculties OF the human mind run
ig families. and II is instructive 10 read
the Epistlcs OF James and jude, ana
compare them with the style OF Christs
areacii ing. They are 50 plthy. so point
Cd. they 20 straight 10 the mark there
is nothing superfuous. some OF Jude
say,. ices are peculiarly eloquent. In
epeakinr OF wicked people VINO were do
irq AN they could against the truth
he says: These are spota in your ieasts
81 charity where they feast with YOU
feeding themselves without fear; clouds
they are without water. carried about OF
winds: trees whose fruit withereth. with
tFalF g1
roots: raging waves Of the sea, foaming
ont their own shame; wandering stare.
20 whom Is reserved the blackness OF
darkness forever
A WARNING TO CHRISTIANS.
..The writer is addressing Christians
warning them against false teachers
men OF Iascivious minds who turned the
grace OF God into lasciviousness. Be
cause the ceremonial law was abolished,
they held that the whole moral law was.
because men are saved by grace, they
lheld that there was no need OF works.
And IS this notion altogether out OF
fashion now? Alas that there should
nowadays De men contendlng that as we
ars saved by grace. It makes little diff
ference how we live. l once heard god
Iesa man critcsing church members. lie
said that men who paid their debts and
ala not cheat any one would fulfill the
whole law and be saved; that many
church-members dl not do this He
then told now easy ii was for a CHURCH
member TO hold property in the name OF
his wife. and set his creditors at de-
nance ] do not defend the spirit In
which these criticisms were made. but
"a there not too much truth I'm them?
are there not people who live thus, and
vet hold good standing In the church?
Are there not men who live goddess lives
during the week. live high on other peo-
pies money, and then go 20 church on
Sunday and sing with great fervor
Jesus paid II ali"
GRACE SAVES rs FROM SIN.
"Now. Jude knew that men were in
danger Of being misled by these false
doctrines. II does seem strange that
any human being should imagine that
God would frame q religion to save men
without the least regard TO their con-
duet and character. Grace saves US from
sin and not in sin. The very name Of
Jesus was given because He was 10 save
His people from their sins. Jude UNI
3crstood that His people were in danger
OF being deceived by false teachers. and
De closes his epistle with the words,
Unto HIM hat is able 10 keep you from
falling Sometimes II seems 10 be
pity that people lose sight Of the origi-
mad meaning OF a word. That old word
keep meant 10 guard. Any one who
has G.lcd the post Of a sentinel will ap-
Irccate this thought. 1t IS worth some
thing 10 us 10 think OF God Almighty
as Our guard There are great dangers
all around us-dangers doctrinal and
practical II is easy to fan into loose
habits OF thinking; II is easy for faults
l tho life 10 breed errors in the brain,
aad then these errors react upon the
lfc our thoughts need 10 be guarded,
lts, they cause us 10 fall.
WE ARE IN GODS HANDS
Jude does not mean that Christians
vii so fall as 10 be finally lost. Christ
says very distinctly that His people are
m Gods hands. and that no one is able
90 pluck them out of His Fathers hands;
ih1t AN that the Father giveth Him
shall come TO Him and be finally saved.
Paul says that nothing can separate US
from the love OF Christ Christians do
DO, fan IN the sense Of being eternally
lost And yet a Christian may fall I'm
such q way as to defile his garments
Aeg who really believe in Christ may
nave times OF special temptation and |
"a and may. under the stress. fail |
70 do their duty-nay, fall into down
Hsht irtnsgression OF moral law.
]. that r0ll-call of tho heroes Of |
iei. Ia the eleventh chapter II |
hebrews. we find the names of Noah |
samson. and David But when we turn |
p'ek 10 Genesis. Judges, and Kings Ve /
4tafn that Noah was not always sober |
ana samson was not always clean. and /
DaVif was not always honest and Abra-
nam. Isaac. and JACOB was not al
Ways truthful But Samson-that /