The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-11-17
SUNDAY AT
THE CHURCHES
Rev. A. P. McFerrin's
Sermon at
TIE FIRST METHODIST CHURCH.
Rev. Jno. y. McFerrin, OF Louisville, win
Preach IA Series of sermons This week
at the First Me,h"oist Church.
From Nonda, S nAl1Y HERA1pJ

- AOhi N'pilhh9 D am llhhALl''l
An immense congregation greeted |
Rev. A. p. McFerrin, the new pastor of
the First M. e, church, Sunday morn |
ing at II o'clock, at which time he
preached a splendid sermon from Heb. |
l2:1-2:
therefore let us ALSO seeing we are
compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and
the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and
perfector of our faith, who for the JOY
that was set before him endured the
cross. despising shame. and hath set
down at the right hand of the throne of
God"
Following is synopsis of the sermon;
"The Christian life is always spoken
of in the Bible as a solemn reality. The
various figures under which it is sci
forth characterize it as life of earnest
ness and activity. In the text it is rep
resented as race, at the end of which
is held out to every winner a crown of
eternal life.
"a careful study of the text impresses
us with two solemn facts. First, that
the things to which the Apostle exhorts
are necessary to a successful running.
second, that the Christian life is very
exalted one. The very III ught of race
is suggestive of sacrifice, self denial and
singleness of aim To express the idea
of the Apostle in other words, success in
the Christian race is conditioned on
holy, consecrated life. God makes nc
allowance for sin. His standard is q
high one, but He expects us, by His di-
vine help, to measure up to it. The
things which the Apostle here exhorts
us to lay aside are not the great sins
but the little ones, that paralyze the
church and cripple it's influence over the
world.
"The besetting sin mentioned in the
text, is not some great sin, but that
, which all are prone to denominate as
little. An eminent divine for want of a
better word to express the original-has
called it the 'Well-stood- d-arounded-si
1t is a sophism, a mistake in morals, a
. wrong of some kind intellectual or so
cial-around which is gathered a great
host of approving believers 1t is the
sin that has many friends; the sin that
L can call up thousand witnesses, saying
, | III 10 SOOu IOI lOOu pl6dSdilb W lut
eyes. However popular a practice may
be, if it cannot stand the full blaze oi
gospel light and meet the approval Of
Almighty God, it must be laid aside il
II we would live the ideal Christian life
i and win at last the Eternal Crown.
"The Apostle further exohrts us tx
- lay aside every weight. There is a dis
% tinction between weights and sins. Tha
which proves a weight in the Christian
race need not of necessity be a sin in it
elf. A weight in itself may be legitimate
but if to me it is an impediment, then
-, must lay it aside. The way to ascertain
whether Or not thing is weight, is t
run. The trouble with many who cor
" tend for the innocency of certain thing
of is, that they are doing no running.
Another important condition of sue
cess is running the race with patience
that is steadfastness, constancy, enduI
: ance-looking to Jesus as the author an
. finisher of our faith. We are to look
Him as our guide, our great exempla
, our Divine Helper.
''It is said that the conditions of til
p. text are hard? Grant that they ar
but remember what awaits at the ent
There is no royal road to anything wort
attaining The conditions upon whic
an education is secured, a fortuf
amassed, tie great victories of Ii
achieved, are all hard. But does Il
end justify the means? If an educ
ton or an earthly fortune is worth q
the toll and sacrifice necessary for its a
tainment, how much more the crown
eternal life?
Though the conditions are hard, y
none need despair. We have not Oh
= the pledge of help divine, but the e
ample of those who before have run Il
race and won the crown. And here Il
a.. text speaks gladstone word of e
couragement. Who are this cloud
witnesses? We are accustomed to thin
of vast amphitheater wi
spectators, quietly looking on at t
race But in this all have been m
taken. In this text there is no al
phitheater. no host of spectators p,
sons who have secured seals, and a
looking on the play. The word W
nesses here has different meanin
They are the long list of worth
enumerated in the preceding chapt,
They are the cloud of marturon
martyrs, confessors. They are the m
=, who bore testimony-whos stooC up
W. W. the dark days and said no They a
49, the men who, true tC their trust. walk
'i''' to the death of martyrdom, rather tn
dishonor God or surrender TO the I,
As we face the difficulties and hardshi
Of the way. let us gather courage a
,Ls inspiration from the lives Of those m
- who before Us have been victorious. :"
W.
Iiss At the evening hour Rev. Jno. p. \
ler- Ferrin preached. His text was FRI
on Acts Is.
to "But ye shall receive power, when
ap- Holy Ghost Is come upon you; and
We shall he my witnesses both in Jerusal'
nes and in all Judea and Samoria, and M
50 the uttermost part Of the earth
His argument Of the subject a
/. strong and convincing, and his appeal
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