The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-01

A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PAsToR.EVANcELlsT

Dur kNNNWHHs NNt NnlfN NaHt0l eNNtAhNi j
let, continues 10 excite popular interest /
By the series Of remarkable sermons be a /
delivering In the Fourth Presbyterian 4
Church. Apropos Of patriotic celebrations /
he has prepared the following discourse /
for the press entitled "a Man Without a /
Country" IL Is preached from the text, /
Ephesians 2: y. Having no hope and /
without God in the world"
This is one Of the saddest texts in the /
New Testament, Tor while it describes. our |
own condition when we were aliens from |
Christ and strangers 10 the covenant and |
promise Of God yet 1 take it in my pre- |
sentation of this subject to describe those
who have wilfully rejected Christ and
who have deliberately decided that they
will not accept Him as a Saviour. With
this Interpretation put upon the Scripture
we have in the text the saddest expression
possible in human language. l suppose
there is no one of my hearers to whom the
words may be strictly applied, for # we
take hope out of a mans life II is not
worth the living. The young man may
have failed yesterday, but he has hoped
that he may succeed tomorrow; the bust
ness man who has lost his fortune in the
wreck OF past days is not discouraged be
cause hope buoys him up and he is conf
dent that prosperity will be his once
again. Take hope from our lives and we
are Of all men most miserable, and II in
addition to being deprived Of hope we
have no God we are not only hopeless Tor
time, but hopeless also for eternity, for
since we were made to be filed with God
and all our being was so adjusted as to be
at tune to His nature, there ls no sadder
picture than to be without Him. Some
years ago I came across that interesting
and pathetic story written by Edward Ev-
Il o.IsAIod fUTho Mou Without
Country" and il has furnished for me an
tention is invited. / found in the man
who dTifted everywhere across the SEQ
without being able to enter a harbor
presentation Of many a man who has bur-
led Christ out Of his life. The man was
Philip holland by name. Whether the
story be truth or fiction it does not mat
ter. for the illustration is the same. This
young lieutenant in the army had come
under the influence of Aaron Burr, and he
had fascinated him. The young soldier
wrote 20 Burr long letters expressing his
hopes and his desires that he might serve
him, but had no letters from Burr in re-
| ply. At last he came one day to see the
young man. and then his hold upon him
was complete The regular life of the sol
der became tame; he was utterly un-
fitted for service There came a time
when in company with others who were
also under the influence of Burr he must
appear before the army court to be tried
for misdemeanor. The others for one rea-
soh or another escaped sentence, but
| Philip holland was pronounced guilty
He was asked by the iudge if he had any
| thing to say why sentence should not be
passed upon him because he had been
| false to his country and had sinned against
! the United State@ His reply was an
oath, and in the ( esence of the court he
cursed his country and said that he
wished he might never again hear the
sound of the name United States; that he
| hated his native land. The Judge, with a
white face, answered. "It shall be as you
say, and subject to the approval of the
! President Of the United States, You shall
never again hear Of your country" At
this Philip holland laughed. but no one
! else did, there was a deathlike stiffness
| over the court. He was taken to New Or
! leans, given over into the charge Of a
commander of one of the vessels, with the
distinct understanding that no one was
ever again to speak to him of the United
! States and he was to be allowed to speak
to no one of his old home. He was at
last put upon a Government vessel and
! given quarters BETTING his late rank. 1t
was expressly stipulated that he was to
be exposed to no indignity; he was not to
! be reminded of the fact that he was a
prisoner, and while he could wear the uni
form vet he must not have the buttons of
the United States Government upon this
uniform. Indeed he was to be a man
without country from this time on He
was permitted once each day to dine with
the officers, but they did not care to have
him. because when he was present they
could not talk of home; under. no circum-
stances was he to ever see his country
again and never was he to hear of it. He
was not permitted to go on shore wher.
ever the landing might be. II he read
books at all they must contain no refer.
ence to his home, and if he read the for
eign papers it was only after some one
had carefully cut out every reference to
the United States If the vessel upon
which he was a passenger came near
his country it must wait until it would be
overtaken by another vessel going sea-
ward. Philip holland became a passenger
with his face set away from his home 1t
has ever been to me one Of the saddest
illustrations / know. and yet perfect pic
ture of the man who has deliberately re
jected Christ, has said, II will not have
this man to rule over me" and who is
therefore. described by the words Of the
text as having no hope and without God
in the world.
I.
We have rejected Him. He has said in
His word "He that is not with Me is
against Me, and not to accept is to re
ject. 1t is true we have never said in 50
many words that we would not have Him
as our Saviour, but we have resisted the
entreaties of the minister and spurned
the prayers of our loved ones, and what
VIC have not been bold enough to say with
the lips we have said in our hearts. anC
God knowath the language of the heart
as men know the language of the lips.
am very sure that Philip holland did moi
mean what he said He had spoken in ,
passion, and l am perfectly positive thai
no one here could for a moment rejeci
Christ if he felt that Christ would take
him at his word. and possibly he NIGH
never have a chance again. Mr.. Moody
used to say that no one wanted to be ex
cused. Would you sign a letter like
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