The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-12-15
SUNDAY AT
THE CHURCHES.
DR.. Mitchell breaches an
Interesting Sermon
At THg FlR,r I. p. CHURCH.
9Th brilliantly That the world
Nr,u- ,h Uemands"-At the Other
Church.

Rev. 3. c. Mitchell. who has been
conducting the series OF meetings in the
First Cumberland Presbyterian church,
preached an eloquent and touching ser
mon TO a good-sIzed congregation at that
church Sunday morning.
Before announcing his text, Dr..
Mitchell said he hoped that during the
following week each member of the con
gregation would put forth every energy
to have good meetings, and that great
deal Of personal work would be done.
The seed had been sown during the past
week, and this should be a week of
harvest and of soul saving,
DR.. MitcheIl's subject was. ..Tba
Christianity that the World Needs and
Demands, y his text being found in Phil
,lppiaDs Alb and Matthew 5-14: II can
do all things through Christ which
Strengthened me''--.'Ye are the light
OF the world. A city that is set on a
hill capnot be hid"
There are two things, said the
speaker, emphasized in the text-name-
y, hight and strength. God has en-
doWed hisChildren with certain faculties
and IN order that these faculties may be
MADE useful, tie has supplied the
necessary demands. In reyerent sense
we have a right to demand food and
drink, because God has given our
bodies certain desires which must be
appeased. He has given us eyes, and in
O1lier that we may see with them. He
mas made the glorious sunlight. If we
pass INTO tbs higher order of things we
ma % thsre the sav.le demands There Is
4 asma"'
,or truth, because it would
DE unreasonable for God to create Tue
mind and then have no great truths
upon which it might feed.
And if God is true to US in material
and intellectual things He IS certainly
true to as in the spiritual. If we need
spiritual light in order to drive away the
darkness, if we need spiritual strength
in order that we may stand, we can lind
that light and that strength by calling
upon God.
DR.. Mitchell urged his hearers to be
practical in their religion as wen as In
other things There are those who say
that God is Being above and beyond
ms. and that He can know nothing about
ms But this cannot be true; tie Is IN
the world. and He wants to come into
our hearts and be our light and our
strength. God is the most natural
being in existence, and He is super
natural because He is natural.
We have a right to expect God to
broaden our shoulders and give us
strength. in order that we may bear the
heavy burdens: but we cannot expect
to 90 through life without bearing them.
We do not expect God to take away the
mountain, but we do expect HIM to
give us the strength to surmount it. He
will not give us more than we can bear,
How can we obtain Gods strength
and Gods light? The love that fills
His great heart should fill ours. AS the
little child finds it's way to the arms OF
its mother, who presses it to her bosom
with q mothers love, so we may find
our way to our Fathers outstretched
arms and rest in His love and affection.
The world has right to expect a
Christianity that has cheerfullness
warmth, innocency and purity. We
cannot have a cheerful countenance and
smiling face unless we have cheerful
heart. Cheerfu.ne is the sunshine OF
a loving heart, and cheerfulness, like
sunshine, smiles on all who comes hel
way. Our chu ches and our homes
ought to be institutions of Gods cheer
fulness.
We ought to be as innocent and pure
now as we were in our chidhood's days
Is it true that we are no better to-day
than we were yesterday? Is it true that
God has given us so many opportunities
and we are not be; ommg better? If so
surely we are living wrong. We ought
to be more innocent, we ought to be
fuller of Gods sunshine to-day than we
ever were. Thank God" said the
speaker, ''that it is our privilege to walk
in God, to live in God, and grow stronger
in His strength each day"
DR.. Mitchell gave an illustration of q
shipth put out to sea, when the fue
gave out and the engines became stilled
In their extremity, the crew tore away
the inner parts of the boat, and threw
them into the furnace in order to make
steam Finally the ship pulled into
port, IA worthless, wrecked hulk. We,
like barques, are out upon the broad
deep sea of life to-day, pulling for the
shore on the other side. When we come
into port how will it be with us? How
many men in the world are making
wrecks of themselves? Into the fur
mace of lust they are throwing their in
tellect and their talents; into the fur
mace of appetite they are throwing their
hope and their strength; into the fur
mace of an unholy ambition they are
throwing their integrity and wisdom,
and at last they will pull into port fraiI
worthless hulks.
The world demands q Christianity
that is full of hope aud courage, and all
that is truly manly and truly womanly
is found in Christianity. We ought To
be full of hope and strength and courage
because God Is full of them.
In bringing his discourse to close
DR.. Mitchell said: LET our closing
thought be: We, who are the flower and
fruit Of creation Gods GROWING touch,
standing above all else that lie created
there IS nothing too good for us that
He has for our choosing. Will we let
Him come 10 Us in all his love, aud puri-
" and strength, and courage
At the close Of his sermon, nearly
every person in the audience shook
hands with DR.. Mitchell, rs an indica-
ton that they desired 10 liver nearer
Christ.
ON account Of the severe rain, only
D.. . A.