The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-03-05
THE POTTER
AND THE CLAY
SERMON BY THE REV.
JOHNN SHAPE.

Preached at the Delaware Avenue
Baptist Church, March 3rd, 1901, at
the evening service.
Text; Hath not tine Potter Power
over the Clay" Rom. 8: 2l.
The figure used in the text is used
elsewhere in the Scriptures 0n Isaiah
29:l6: 45:9; GAS: Jeremiah 1876; Job
1922 The text is ID answer to the
question of the 10Th verse: "lf God
has mercy on whom he pleases and
hartlens at his will, why does he lind
fault with any," 1t is an attack on
the Justice of God, and as Paul de-
Tended the word of God in the open
ing verses Of this chapter, so now he
defends in this paragraph the justice
Of God, And lie does it with character
lstic vigor and earncstncss. There are
lust two leading thoughts that de-
mand our careful attention and our
earnest thought tonight and the 1lrst
is this
I. TIE DIVINE POTTER IS ARSoLUTE-
LY AND UNQUALlFlEDLY SOY
ERIcN OVER THE CLAY.
A sovereign is one who cannot be
called to account for his actions, and
who is under no obligation to give a
reason for his conduct. What he does
is right, because nc himself is the
hinhes, standard of right. "Shall
the thing formed say to him who form
ed it, Why hath thou made me thus?
Or hath not the potter power over The
clay, from the same lump to make one
part vessel unto honour and an
other unto dishonour?' And Paul
here shows that the divine potter has
the power and LcXerciscd it i'll two no
table cases.
lie speaks Of Moses as an Illus
tration of Sovereign Mercy. (Ey. 30:
ly.) This tie case of Jacob repeated.
I sometimes think both Jacob and
Moses are referred to in this connec-
tion to show what worthy vessels the
sovereign potter could make out OF
that poor clay. Jacob was loved sure
" not because he was lovab!c, nor
profitable nor faithful, except that he
was all this to Just one man, jacob.
And Moses was not made leader or
the host Of Israel because Of his pl-
ticnce or faith, or lractibility. lie
killed an Egyptian and hid ms BODY
in the Gand. lie rebelIed against the
task unto which God thrust him,
pleaded his slow speech and the peo-
ple's pcrycrSencSs, as an excuse Tor
escape from duty, lost his temper
when the people got tired of mama,
struck the rock when he should nave
commanded it. and at the last Goo
took him to Heaven to save him. God
loved Jacob and showed hlm favor and
made q leader out of Moses not be-
cause of the wortlfiness Of either, but
inst because God was God, and to Show
TO all the world that cyaltalion and
salvation are not Of him who wishes
precminence, nor of him who runs in
the path of right, but Of God who has
mercy.
But now comes a harder thing
God hardcns whom he will. E'au was
hated ard Pharaoh hardened for nc
other reason than that the sovereign
Potter might show forth his power III
them, and that his name might be an
no,,pced in all the earth, And God
did show forth his power in Pharaoh
God oyerlhrew the Pharaotlc hoSts IN
the midst of the sea, not for the de-
struction Of Pharaoh, but for the
glory OF Jehovah, and that His
fame might be heralded among tho
nations. Josh 2: Gil:
The dispersion Of the Jews scatter.
| cd the story; Christians Of every lane
and every century have repeated Tho
famous news, and the numerously
painted Scriptures have well nigh lit
orally announced it in all the earth
So God showed forth his power II
Pharaoh.
Eils God then just? Is there unrlght
| eO,,sness with God? "God forbid,
saws Godet, THE work Of the pottc
| is not the emblem Of an arbitrary uS'
of strength. but on the contrary OF
deliberate and intelligent employment
of the matter at disposal. God at
tributes always act in harmony, Ills
power is over the servant Of His Goot
ness, Justice and wisdom. " God ):
word is true, for God IS true. The
Judge of all the earth can do onI.
r.ghl: forever God is absolutely sover
eliza. He is unhampercd by anythin!
outside his own will in choosing man
and man is also free in choosing Him
The difficulty in the reconciliation ol
these two is a philosophical, not
Biblical one, and philosophy ha
not yet accomplished the task. NO
will it. nor need it. The Scripture
fatty set forth both Gods sovereign
ity, and mans free agency without at
tempting to reconcile them, and W
do well TO learn wisdom frCm the 81
lcncc of Scripture. -.
| The devout Christian is not troubl
ed about the divine DEGREES at all, bu
trusts God even though he may no
remove the philosophical difficulty
The creature must not dispute will
the Creator.
III, We must then of necessity i
the second place ask this question. ]
the clay responsible and punishable
This is but another way of saying
Why doth he yet find fault? AM
Paul answers, "Nay, butO Oman. win
art thou that replcst against God
| Such a question is audacious, ilrever'
[ mi nthnistic The clay Is reSnOnSi