The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-18

morning. 1t was a thoughtful and log
ical discourse on THE Gospel Brings
About Strange Thing" and in It's ar
gument for more dependence. on the
gospel contained appropriate and time
" references to the war with Spain.
During the service silver Offering was
taken for the benefit of the Wheeling
auxiliary Of the Red Cross Society, and
81 O5 was received.
The sermon delivered by Rev. Mr..
speers is well worth reading and II is
given below, in substance. His text
was as follows:
Luke 5:26: And they we're all amazed
and were filled with fear; saying, We
have seen strange thlngs'to-day."
The speaker explained the connection
of the text and context, showing from
Marks gospel, second chapter. that Je-
suA was In Capernaum, eachlng the peo-
pie, and a multitude had gathered to
listen to the words Of life and light To
the PhaFisees and scrlbes His teaching
was profane and when Jesus said to the
given thee" they looked at each other
In holy horror and began to reason, say
ing "Who Is this which speaketh BIAS
phemles?" But when they saw the
sick man at a word rise up and go to-
ward his own house, they were all
amazed" And no wonder, for the word
and work Of the Lord Jesus Christ was
strange to them, who lived and moved
and had their being only for them
selves, forgetting what their prophets
had foretold, concerning Him who was
TO come.
These dIvines had studied the law
and the prophets; Abraham was their
father; Moses their lawgiver, Aaron
their ideal priest, yet none OF these had
ever dared to forgive sins! No, nor
had they been able by a word to heal
the sick. While they had studied they
had only looked upon the one side OF
the question, that which touched Israel
alone.
God had chosen Israel out of the ma
lions for a purpose. Israel did not full
fill the purpose OF God Their captivity
in Gods purpose In the bondage OF
Egypt. the Babylonish captivity and
their subjugation by the Romans did
not teach them to know that they were
Gods husbandmen. They held them
selves aloof, wrapping themselves up in
the worn out grandeur Of a past his
tory. And when a greater than Moses
or Aaron or David came they would not
OF could not understand that God had
come in the person OF Jesus Christ, for
the fuIillment OF prophecy and the
turning of the nations OF the earths
righteousness.
The Son Of God was called a glutton
and a wine bibber, blasphemer, the
friend of publicans and sinners, vet
when the PharIsees and doctors OF the
law saw what He did In Capemaum.
"They were all amazed and glofihed
God, and were filed with fear, saying,
we have seen strange things to-day"
Strange only because their eyes were
blinded by a sectarlanism which could
not grasp the length and breadth and
height and depth, OF the love Of God.
The law was their delight; their pro-
sihets, priests and kings were supreme
in their sight, get here was a Prophet,
Priest and King, who spnke as never
any spake, who needed not to slaughter
bulls and goats to forgive sin, whose
power as a physician was supreme. at
whose word the sick were made well.
the blind received their sight, the lep-
rosy disappeared, the lame walked, and
the dead arose, and who subdued men
to himself and ruled them as king by
the law of love. It was because OF
these things the Phnrlsees and doctors
OF law accused him OF blasphemy, new
ertheless they were forced by the EVIL
dence OF their own, eyes and senses to
declare. I'VE have seen strange things
to-day"
Is It not true that in this year OF our
Lord, 1898, there is tendency 70 the
same disposition, on the part OF doctors
OF divinity? And there are great
many so-called doctors who doubt the
truth OF the gospel, deny the divinity Of
Christ and who would cast aside about
two-thlrds OF the Bible as unworthy the
consideration OF their doctorships Sects
limiting the mind, will and love OF God
TO themselves on account OF some pet
scheme on the part OF their patron doc
tor, forgetting what God has said, by
his servant of old: by grace are ye
saved through faith and that not OF
yourself II is the Gift Of God;" and how
they can reconcile their narrow View 20
the words of the seer OF Patmos, where
he describes the general assembly and
church OF the first born, redeemed out
Of every kindred and nation and tongue
and people is more than we can UNDER
stand, for the love of God is broader
than the measure OF mans mind; and
Jesus said: II cnme TO seek and save
that which was lost" We sing the
whole world was lost In the darkness Of
sin and for the life Of me cannot see
how any man or sect can limit the love
Of Christ and the mercy OF God to one
little circle OF believers.
This Is one OF the strange things we
see to-day. when the meaning OF the
gospel Is limited to the creed Of sim
gle sect. This IS not what the Bible
teaches nor what the majority believe,
and the few seekers after theological
notoriety cannot make the great mass
of Christians believe that Jesus is not
divine or the sacrament Of the Lords
supper q divine institution.
That the Bible is the revelation OF
God to man for the future Is as certain
as that the book exists.
There is n book. 1.-THE Age OF Ren-
son." written bE one called Payne. That
he existed we believe, although we new
er saw him. The book IS the evidence
of his existence. You hear men praise
the book for Its ilbernllty, and verify
Elorify him, yet is there anything In
the work TO benefit mankind or uplift
humanity? Verify, mol His was the
testimony OF the writer himself II II
were used MS text book, think you
that there would hive been war for
humnnity's sake. between the United
States and Spain2 Would Pou see a
hospital sitting on yonder hill. support
ed By the gifts Of our Christian cltl-
zens?2 Would you look for that higher
education and civilization which organ
lied the Red Cross Society with it's