Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-04-14
A WONDERFUL LOVE.
Sermon Preached at the Opening
Of Norfolk Presbytery.
Rov. @. d. GiIkeson's Sermon ON tho Won
dorful Love of God-Delivered on Tues
day, the 10th Instant Texts Genesis,
s,11.

AT the opening session Of the Norfolk
Presbytery Rev. C. D. Gilkerson
preached from the text to be found in
Genesis. S:15, as follows: IT will put
enmity between thee and the woman
and between thy seed and her seed; 1t
shall bruise thy head and thou shalt
bruise his heel" He said:
THE wonderful love of God, His long
suffering. His forbearance. His patience
with sinners finds an illustration In mis-
dealings with the first man and woman.
BY their conduct they had forfeited our
claim upon His favor and every right
to His protection, but Gods mercy here
precedes his wrath, and ere the curse is
pronounced upon them the voice Of
mercy Is heard. Yelled under the curse
upon the serpent there Is promised one
who shall crush satan and oDen up
again to man the way to the tree Of life
all the gospel system is contained In
germ In this text. Christ Ia the seed Of
the woman. Notice how much is fore
told of him in this wonderful promise.
Here is His divinity, here is His hu-
manty and miraculous conception and
birth of virgin; here, in vivid picture.
His suffering and death are portrayed
here Is the promise of His second COM
ing. Thus Christ, as the delverer Of
fallen man from the power of satan,
was proclaimed in Eden. We have
every reason to believe that Adam and
Eve so understood it, and by faith in
this promise were justified and saved.
Our gospel is as old as Adam. Some
have dared to declare that these enrly
recof'ds are myths, but God, by full
filling so signally this promise, has
placed upon Genesis the seal Of His ap-
prevail. The unanimity with which
each book of the Bible points to Christ
stamps 1t in Its several parts and as q
whole as the word and work of God.
THE seed OF the woman shall bruisc
the serpenpS head
I.-This promise has been fulfilled,
In part, in the past, notably almost
nineteen hundred years ago, on CAL
vary. when the Prince of Darkness had
arrayed his forces for the supreme at
tack: when, with wicked hands, Jew
and Roman. instigated by the devil,
nailed the Saviour to the cross; when,
in the throes OF death, he cried out:
IT Is finished. and gave up the ghost
then 1t seemed that the Prince of He'll
had triumphed. Not so. 1t was but the
wounding Of the hell foretold In the
text. instead Of itsg being Satan's VIC
tory, the death Of Christ was his crush
1ns defeat. By His death the law was
satisfied. justice vindicated, the ransom
for sinners held In bondage paid the
curse removed.
"I-This promise Is being fulfilled
In part under our very eyes The world
Is the arena for the struggle between
Two kingdoms. Christ leads the King
dom Of Good, Satan the Kingdom of
Evil. Every triumph Of right over
wrong. OF truth over falsehood, is a
fulhllment of this promise. Every pro-
clamation of the gospel of Christ is a
blow at Satan's kingdom; every Bible
printed is weapon forged against
Satan's Kingdom; every church organ
ICED at home; every mission post estab-
!ished In heather lands is an advance
into Satan's territory. AS the Church
OF God gains ground, Satans kingdom
loses ground. The century now draw
Ing to close has witnessed signal vic
tories In heather lands. No less than
lou stations of 1900 have grown to more
than $4,000. The 1000 Protestant COM
munlcants in heather lands in 1900 have
swelled to 100000, with an adherency
OF 100000 more. Then less than ten
countries were open to the missionary:
now practically the whole world is wide
open to heralds of the cross. There is
much to encourage as we look out upon
the new century. The ranks of the
Lords army arc closing UP, and on
every side we witness an earnest desire
that the church shall show a solid front
10 the phalanX of the devel. But there
Is dark side. We are perplexed by
the unbelief and sin of our times. God
is not impotent before sin, but will con-
troll 1t. AS soldiers of tn cross II is ours
to obey orders and leave results with
God. Not Giden, with his two and
thirty thousand at his back; but Giden
with his picked band Of three hundred,
with such implements as God had
placed In his hands, to human reason
absolutely inadequate. Giden, following
to the letter the commands of his can
tain. that gained the day. The great
call to-day Is for PERSONAL 10y
Atty TO GOD and the use Of HIS
methods.
Iu.-This promise shall be entirely
and completely fulfilled at the second
coming of Christ Christ shall come a
second time. It is foreshadowed in this
wonderful text. which as a rainbow of
hope spans the whole scheme of sal
walton 1t Is the burden of promise
made by patriarchs and prophets. 1t is
the testimony of Christ himself II is
the blessed hope OF the apostles. and
as 1t is the first promise OF Genesis. so
is 1t the closing declaration and PRAYER
Of Revelation.
When He shall come, no man know
eth. and 1t Is useless to conjecture; but
when This gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in all the world for wit
ness unto all nations, then shall the end
come This condition is being rapidly