The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-01-02

when a religious man goes to church
he desires to hear the Word preached
and mo- science or politics or something
secular. He goes into the sanctuary
OF God for His worship. The end
sought is to get nearer to Him. The
mind of such a n is centered on roc
and the world to come. He seeks bless
ed, holy communion with his Heavenly
rather. He Graves to have the pres
ence of his Saviour and in his own soul.
ale covets spiritual life and that which,
pertains to the blessed life in Heaven.
He is "hungering and thirsting after
righteousness" He delights in the
"love of the brethren and the free,
untrammelled. unmixed "communionl
Of saints" He is looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appear
ing of the great God and u SaviorE
Jesus Christ" He Graves life and i'm
mortality brought Ito light" by theI
eternal Son of God, and to have "ac-I
cess by faith into this grace and toI
rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God.' He seeks complete equipment
for the hardy Christian warfare, and
having the hope that is as anchor toI
the SOUL he presses on that he may
be able to withstand in the evil day,t
and having done all to stand" So mel
does not wish sacred truth to be mixed
with mundane affairs. He is a "hear-t
er of the Word and also "a doer," and
any thing else than the gospel is dis
tasteful, for upon the things of theI
world III soul cannot feed and thrive
So he asks for the preaching of Christ
and Him crucified," and to be instruct
ed in those things that make for peace.
40 Hrinr inu anH consolation and nnm-i
fort and hope to the soul. The old
time preachers knew how to preach the
doctrines of the Bible, and to declare
and enforce primal truths and the car
dinal doctrines of Christianity. That
most useful and deyout minister, Rev.
DIR. Theodore Cuyler. writes of the
methods of the early apostles and
says:
They believed in prayer meetings;
they preached a simple but very rous-
ing gospel of repentance of sin and
faith in Jesus Christ; they had a bap-
tism of the Holy Spirit; they strove
to save souls and to bless their fellow
men by deeds of practical benefcence.
In fighting sin and error and human
misery their greatest cad exhorted
them to put or the whole armor or
God The weapons of that panoply
were truth and Righteousness and a
SQleiQ Oh dllu, dAN NhO
spirit, which is the Word of God; and
these were TO be backed up by prayer
and duplication in the spirit"
The glorious gospel of the Son of God
is as rich. as complete, as satisfying,
as f~ructifying, as soul informing and
uplifting n saving now as in the ear
ly centuries after Christ had risen and
assembled to Heaven. 1t should be
preached in all purity, simplicity and
completeness now. 1t is indeed 1.-THE
power of God unto salvation" 1t tells
of God and the Saviour n the worl
of the Holy Spirit; it tells of holy liv-
ing. of sanctification and redemption
and of the final abode of Gods redeem.
ed and saved in that glt rious and eter
nal Home which the Lord and Savior
went before to prepare for all who &C
cent Him, serve Him, low Him, liv'
consecrated and sinless lives, for III
came to save His people from all sin
So people who nave felt in their souls
the touch of the Divine Finger, an
have been born of the Holy Spirit int
the Kingdom of Righteousness seel
onIy at church the edification and conn
fort of the blessed gospel. and have ne
use. for or relish for the things Of tn
earth whether it be rhetorical flourish
or whipped syllabub. or p~latitudinous