The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-07-31
SERMON BY
REV. ]. SHAPE.

Text: MY llttle cnlluren tnese
things write l unto you that ye sin
NOT. And if any man sin, we have
an adyocate with the father. Jesus
Christ the righteous. l John 2; 10.
Before attempting to discuss the
meaning of our text let US examine
the words Of the text. Language is
the vehicle OF thought, the medium
of human expression. Words are to
Language what links are to chain;
destroy a link and you have broken
chain; break all the links and you
have destroyed the chain. Test and
try the words at the forge of human
thought, heat them in the fire Of an
Inspired mind and we are then pre-.
pared with tongue or pen to weld
them into a chain Of Ineligible en-
preston.
There is a golden chain of helpful
thought In the text before US but be.
fore we bind il about our minds and
hearts, let US uncoup!e some Of its
most important links and test their
meaning and their applicability. And
HTSU lIllh Ill viz Slltbill uliN iAcV
word. The word translated little
children" is used but nine times in
the New Testament, once only by
Paul, the other eight times by the
beloved disciple" " 1t Is found seven
times Of the nine in this first Epistle
Of his, thrice in the chapter whence
our text is found, twice in the third
cha pter, once in the fourth and once
In the fifth.
1t is used by the writer Us term
Of paternal, gentle endearment. Sew
eral reasons might he ascribed for his
use of it. Because he was very old
man and would look upon people of
midale age as young, because he was
conscious of a fathelly love and care
for those to whom he wrote, because
he had been instrumental in the re.
generation of them and hence consid-
cred himself their spiritual father,
because they were possessed of hum
ble simple, childlike nature. The
whole phrase is certainly one OF en-.
dearment of atfectionate sO|icitude,
of loving appeal and Of confident as
Surance,
The next link that we wish to cy-
anime is the word translated 'thcse
things" E" What things:
Undoubtedly the writer looks back
bevond the closing words of the las t
CHAPTER to ali the words Of that chap.
ter and says "lhcse things | have
written unto you.
But the most important link in
the whole chain depends ana which
II broken would render tlll the other
links useless is the word advocate. "
What docs it mean: 1t is purely a
Johannean word, ana isused by John
but five times, four times in his COS
pels and once in his epi~tloi, in the
passage before US
Properly the word means summon
ed ''ealicd to ones side, ' especially
SCALED to ones aid, - "a F!eadcr,,
,"counsel for detehce, illegal asSis-
taot," +" nadvUcatc," "intcrccSs0r. .
in the widest sense it means "a help
er," succorer, "comfortcr' Trans
lated it is "paraciete, And the
lparac.etc WAS an That Christ was to
Ibis dlssipes, while with them IN the
flesh; al the Holy SPIRIT was 10 he
and is IN carrying On The work which
Jcsus tesan To d.; and all that Jesus
nov is, as an advocate VITA the
Father
In every other passage but in this
one before us. the tralIaatora naVe
rendered the word, comforter. -
;twlcc IN The lith chapter q! the COS.
mel Il, John and TWICE more in the
fifteenth and sixteenth chapters re.
ispect vey. Only here IS ii tIhSIat-
ed "udvucaLe. ~ 1t mcahS Indeed al!
that the word cDmIOtter could mean
and even more. The advocate not
only comforts when trouble comes,
hut seeks to prevent trouble. uot only
sootAeS but Sucruurs: not 0AIy Suct"UrS
but shields; notouIy pitieSbut peals;
not onIy relieves burdens, bHt releases
from the burden OF guiIt and SIN.
Bat three other words c'alm utIr
atte llion, "JeS,Is Christ, righteous,
3csu, the historical peraon: Nbri,t,
the promised one, the Messiah and
the righteous one who justly pleads
with God SO much for the links.
Let US now examine the whole chain
OF thought a. we con slider The ADJ
yocacy of Jesus.
! Aud let u, notice first the great
purpose Of the noapoj for the Chris
tian These thing, write ! unto yoN
that We siu not TINS u the great
purpose .. thc Scriptures. to a1 un-
fold the truth N all Us mHgu,'eeml
and manifold Applications J." udF
that meu may not SID.
Every parent practices the ggSre
of I'd mt" N his own ilo}ne. II" 1,
constantly saying tp uIe rb''drta
.dou, do This " ''dou't do JlH.},
And 50 the gospel pt salvation tu
IlittIa children IS A."0,s ll2 gDa
pel of 'dOn /. And "N"O' uh Nuen
Shall we be other than prr"G%c aud
careless children, uot needing The a4-
monlt!ous, cXDrtatIpui and warnings
of the scriptures ''ID u.dsT that n9
sin not
God spgaNtn1 to I,we ~ >ou.a
Mount tlroa.H the mJTHoI Nr",-
is constantly saymy, "tuouoUAtwt
thou Shalt NOT, And @uoG n"
New Testament t,rael the tnw2O ut
God emcrge5 from uNder til" Aw and
lives under grace cycn jHeu the Mo,
ses Of the New Testament. PAU, de-
Glare, "s IN sla,. not have dominion
over gov, nor shall wH sin because "e
are not under law, but rIdcr @?ore.
snd let not SIN rclgu IN Utr mortal
bodies tnat VIC ShoUit obey IL III the
!Gsts thereof
Ihc purpose Of lNc prcAcnN, VI