Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-08
DISC0V cry Of CHRIST
FINE SERMON by REV. MIR. row.
ELL on THIS THEME.
DR.. WHITSITT At FIRST CHURCH.
Former President of the seminary
Delivers an Able DiscOursc-Othcr
Visiting Ministers Fiji Richmond
PuIpits on sunday.

Rev. +. i. Powell, the brilliant pasto
of the First Christian church Of Louis
vile. Ky, preached to a large and ap
preclative congregation at the Seventh
Street Christian church Sunday morning
| Mr.. Powell is Virgnian by birth, be!ni
another one of those cultured, ,.Oquent
and deeply pious ministers which Viz
ginia has loaned TO other States. ii,
was given "a cordial welcome by the con
grogation of the seventh-street church
Mr.. Powelrs discourse was an able one
claiming the attention Of his hearers
throughout. His text was John f.. a.
philip fndeth Nathaniel. and saith unto
him: We have found Him Of Whom
| Moses and the prophets did write Jesus
| of Nazareth, the son OF joseph
1.-THE discovery of continent" said the
| speaker. "has clothed the name Of Co
lumbus with enduring fame. but there is
a discovery IN comparison with which the
finding of a new word is insignificant
the discovery of Christ. we have found
Him Of Whom Moses in the law and the
prophets did write. Jesus Of Nazareth,
the son of Joseph The text, in It's simple
meaning. refers TO a very simple occur
rence-lo locating the place of residence OF
a man. In its superficial meaning, nothing
more is implied than that these men had
found where Jesus abode. But -hcre Is
a profounder thought logitimatcly sug-
gested-viz. the discovery of the spiritual
and unseen Christ I'm human experience.
To know Christ as an energizing and
governing influence in life is to find Him
i'm the highest and truest sense. There
Is an historical knowledge of Christ-dc-
quaintance with the external facts ana
incidents of His career one may have
this knowledge and may be entirely X
nOrant in his own experience OF the char-
acter of Christ.
WHAT KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST IS
zone can only know his friend when
he. shares with that friend his thoughts
and feelings and sentiments and loDes.
TO know where he was born and Wn1t Is
the number of his house is 10 be ignorant
Of the real life OF your friend. So there
Is a theological know edge of Christine
mental acceptance Of certain dogmds con-
corning Him. But il is not In the realm
Of theology that Christ IS found utneI-
wise than as cold abstraction. / was
naked and We clothed me- We find Him
visiting those in prison, giving drink 10
the thirsty. We discover Him as we man
ifest His spirit Of loving sympathy and
service Likewise there is "a sentimental
knowledge of Christ. There are those
who seem to think that admiration of
the character Of Christ is equivalent 10
the discovery of Christ. TO glorify christ
I'm speech is one thing; 10 have Him as
the controlling power in ones life Is an
altogether different thing. As the rose
discovers the sun by drinking ln MS
warmth and light; as the candle discovers
the flame by catching the blaze ana
making IL part Of its own being, so we
are 10 discover Christ through the incor-
poration OF His spirit and character into
our own lives Christianity must be more
than the flag under which we light. II
must be the rudder which guides all OF
our pursuits and activities. II il by doing
the things which Christ did, allowing Tor
our limitations; thinking the thoughts OF
Christ; having the views of the world
ard Of men which Christ had; ii IS by
reproducing the character Of Christ that
we discover Elm. He must be found IN
us. and from His throne within must
rule our inner life and direct all Of our
outward business and pleasure. TO have
found the physical Christ, and TO have
lightful; TO find the spiritual Christ
having him enthroned ina our hearts and |
lives-is something Infinitely more to be |
desired"
Mr. Powell breaches again on next |
Sunday morning. and will have as MS |
subject. THE Fatherhood of God
DIR. Whitsitt AT First Baptist.
Quite a Large congregation gathered at |
the First Baptist church Sunday morning |
TO hear Rev Or. William II. Whitsitt, |
late president of the Southern Baptist |
Theological Seminary, at Louisville, hy. !
He made no allusiOn to The seminary |
during his sermon, but in the course of |
the discourse said it was always well |
for a man to find out and champion those |
things which the people generally do not |
know. Innovators and discoveries OF |
truth do not always fare SO we'll. The /
brought a smile upon the faces [
Of those in the congregation who were /
acquainted with the history of the So
called "Whitsitt controversy
DR.. Cooper. the pastor Of the church, is |
absent. having gone TO Boston several |
days ago. The Rev. DR.. Joseph k. Car |
lick occupied the pulpit with Dr. WHIT !
slit, and introduced him TO the congiega- |
ton in words of warm and Well-deseryed !
euogy.
Or. Whitsitt took as his theme the |
power Of the Christian religion 10 make |
new creatures of all who embrace it and |
follow its teachings He began 10y refer
ring to his attendance on the religious |
services i'm the Berlin Cathedral thirty /
years ago, when as a student of the great |
I'm the capital city Of the Ger
man empire he heard the greatest OF the
court preachers and frequently saw the
Emperor william. the most princely
ruler of modern times. and his Iron Chan
cellor Prince Bismarck. Both these men,
said the speaker. had proved themselves
TO be great statesmen, and had rendered /
their fame secure for all ages, but when
we come TO consider their work we find
that neither Of them introduced any new
thing into the world. They simply made
use of the forces they found in
operation. SO fl has been with nearly all
the great names in the history of the
world.
No SWEEPING REFORMER.
The Christ Himself taught hardly any
hing that W. may call original. He said
hat He had come not to destroy, but TO
.ulhl Like Confucius. and Buddha, ana
Loroaster. He claimed no originality for
he doctrines that He taught. He merely
swept away the incrustatiOns OF empty
orm and ceremony that had grown over
he true doctrine and obscurcd it. Christ
vas a conservative, and not a radical
.evolutionist He was for returning TO
he primitive simplicity of the true wor-
ship of the Father; He was for sweeping
lway the clouds OF pharisaic error that
hut out the celestial vision Of the King
lom of God. The one stream OF tendency
hat Christ set flowing in the world is
hat power which alone can regenerate
This is the central truth around
which are grouped all the other truths
L..