The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-09-02
DOCTOR CHARLES SCORES
LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS.
Pretending Christians Are Playing
the Game Of Doctor Jekyll
and Mr.. Hyde.

The Reverend Doctor b. H. Charles. pas
Tor Of Drank Memorial Presbyterian Church,
...Lukewarm Christians" His text was Rev.
Ill, l-16: II know thy works. that thou art
neither cold nor hot; / would thou vert
warm. and neither cold nor hot. l viii spew
thee out OF my mouth" He said in part:
This text opens with q solemn declara.
things. He reads not only the thoughts Of
man, but he knows the motives that
prompt his every action. He beholds man
In n the dark !. as well a as IN the light Moth !,
open to Gods inspection. Now. II you and
l were impressed with this solemn truth.
how 1t would restrain US from SHINING
that We do not grasp the fact that God Is
everywhere present, behoiding all the deeds
and acts of man; Hence We disregard him
II says of the Laodicean Church: Thou
art neither cold nor hot.'k To be cold here
is to be dead, to be without life. Apply 1t
to the church, and 1t means that her mem
bers are dead. They are not alive. pushing
the church to the front. but they are doing
nothing for the Master. They had their
as il they were Of his flock. But they were
a body without life. So. also. to be hot Is
something like having a superheat. 1t
1 wSuld rh mean Wo, ahe2 i;n to ee fb sar the ch 10 Ie W sels
Overlooking with zeal and love. They were
not satisfied with merely living, but they
must grow and increase In every quality
that constitutes the character OF the living
Christian. Now. the reason our Lord charges
them with being neither cold nor hot +
found in the seventeenth and eiShteenth
verses of this chapter: Because thou say
est. I am rich and increased with goods,
and have need Of nothing. and knowest not
that thou art wretched and miserable ana
poor and blind and naked. I counsel" etc.
The great point in this quotation Is that
they were ignorant Of their true condiuon;
They thought they were rich and In nesd
of nothing. when, in fact, they were the
most foriorn and AFFECT set of beings to be
found. Yet they had no conception OF their
true condition. With this let US consider
the prayer Of the Savior: I would thou vert
II can see in this prayer Of our master
that he is embarrassed by your position IN
shf ssss. and Ths we're ee Spnsl Rast en his 70 ar 1a h for
protection. Yet he could not
their course. They were not his children.
There is a great ndd i nesesssing pet Christ. pfy A
man may say he IS a Christian, when he
does not know Christ at all. 1t Is quite 1d
an easy matter for ri, 2 man man b he i }oi now e e On tSe
road to heaven. when he has not started TO-
ward heaven at all. Now. 1t was just this
that placed our Lord IN a pecniiar he
embraced them as children. but they were
not Of his flock.
One dsy; as | was ,a walking W ms' o 9a t aal, stT1 ,as
grandpa. grandpa. This little one thought
was his Grandfather. 1 could not convince
the child that I was no relation to him. and
tie fellow aside. Just SO l imagine that
It is with our Lord. When these lukswarm
followers run up to him. and call MIN
nut them aside. for he knows they are not
his children. And he cries to them would
thou vert cold or hot then l would know
wha to - DO with s nsee not II pretend g I to be- a
child Of mine. But now you profess that
You are my child. when / know that you are
not: On the other h sHSs II an yP1 no %e in This thts
quasi CONDITION. resembling a Christian. and
not one. Judas was a Christian Of this
yery, kind, He hung 2 gns on 1se arm nm q OF cS GIl
OF God. He was numbered with the apps.
ties. He was considered a follower OF
the master lust as the 9th o,her ToI yet knew ne was bIm a
ali the time, but the rest did not. Judas
was a quasi Christian. Now contrast Paul
with this man. Paul was one or ou ths
greatest sne% Mas OF pe eIs Ivy h M,ness a MS MS
views He would have died for his jew;
ish faith. He believed 1t was OF COD. ana
t hat hs 1el Tgo'a So he thought he was doing
Gods service in prosecuting the church OF
God. He fought that church Sa until ne a rounG
and tried to undo all the wrongs he had
done. He thus became. hot for Christ. He
laid his life on the. altar OF Christ. and
gave himself to the iulI .W9ih u lne
nraVer wa,+that It was more honest. They
xcre living q double Lie. They were not
what they professed to be. They cried out
were the children Of the evil one. They
we're we're Tying ent to deceive an the world. By
their union with the church and public
profession Of faith they proclaimed med to the
nlsyinR the game Of Doctor Jeykll and Mr..
HYDE. Now this was not honest. They
ought mot to have LIVED I've, tn ,hs,- d9 9laa life nie:
aeter. AGAIN. Il Is more honorable. For
a man Ia nrsfent to be q thing and not be
that is a fraud. A man who = living 2
mean. and confemptible.- He. cannot lift up
~ hsS1 .Gon~ his 1elloHA. II he HucceedD