The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-05

have all Old ha0 a pftaSah
p a BISHOP-washington Dis
trict.
I'VE have had good meetings on In"
Washington district and large acCes
sions to the church. We have mao an
a in church and p~afsohdSe
building and collections. l have not
been able 10 meet a.! my appointments
his wear on account OF PERSONAL annie
ton. but during my illness took my
bearings anew and found my n
ton 10 be sure
+ \. WILLIS.-Warrenton Dls1IlCC
The salaries are not entirely IN iuIi-
but there is a very decided aofanee
along all lines. We have done some
good building and have had good meet
ings. resulting in a number OF acceS
SONS 70 the church"
]. F.. UNDERwOoD-Eiizabeth City
District.
we viii report the missionary col
lections paid in full. Early Il the year
we had a missionary institute an!
every pastor except n who attendeI
is able to report his collection for mis-
sions and his salary paid in full Ints
has been a good year on the Elizabeth
City district. We prayed for revtvalS
at the beginning OF the year, n our
prayers have been answered
NOTES
Bishop Smith is a most popular pre-
siding officer. He draws men 10 MIN
by his gentle Christian spirit n ne is
recognized as a M of great strength
of character. He has also a asst
amount OF original wit which ADDS tn
the charm of his manner. This was
revealed most pleasantly on yesterday
morning when Rev. A. ID. Mcclure,
pastor OF st. Andrews Presbyterian
church. and Rev. G. 8. Blackwell, pas
tor of the First Baptist church. were
introduced to the conference. at which
time he exchanged with them chaste
pieasantries concerning the points OF
difference and agreement of the three
denominations.
Rev A d. Belts. one of the oldest
men in the active work of the confer
ence. is now attending his fiftieth con-
ference. and is closing lis fo~rty-seVenth
year as a pastor. He is still able To-
FULL work which he does most faitis
fully and successfully. n no man III
the conference is younger in spirit he
is universally loved and honored fof
his consecrated consistent life. He
loves his profession. and no one ever
questions his sincerity.
Rev. T. n. Ivey, d. D., editor OF the
Raleigh Christian Advocate arrived
| yesterday. He is a strong preacher. A
clear thinker, a brilliant editor, and an
amiable Christian gentleman. He
| breaches to hundreds each week. and
! is the right man in the right place.
This conference is most fortunate in
possessing the accurate. able secretary
it has in the person Of Rev. w. l.. Gun
inggim. For a number Of years he has
served his conference in this capacity
most acceptably, and no other man is
suggested for this place. He is the
universal choice of the conference.
The annual conference sermon was
preached last night to a large audience
by Rev. w. II. Moore. presiding elder
Of the Durham district.
DR.. More announced as his text, Is
There no Balm in Gilead? Is there no
physician there? Why then is not the
Health of My People Recovered? Jer-
$40. He spoke in substance as fol-
lows.
rs Sin Necessary? Ever since the
fall of Adam men have been falling
, into sin The question is often asked.
Is i possible for men to live in this
world and not commit sin? Can we
live under the conditions we do with
unhesitatingly, No. The question is not
what has taken place, but what can
take place. The question is not re-
garding the a~ctuality, but the pos
sibility of living without sin.
"To have asserted fifty years ago
and asserted that at this time men
would be able to cross the ocean in
lt-S lIldIl ii "SSh u Illlc "oulu IdNt
brought derision upon the one making
the assertion.
But what has God wrought? THIS
and far greater things. To say that a
thing cannot be done because it has
rot been done is illogical and untrue.
Men comfort themselves with making
this assertion because it has not been
done.
THE prophet asks the question. not
to express doubt, but to assert that
the presence of the physician and the
medicine left no room for disease. II
there were no physician and no medi-
cine he would not have asked these
questions, because disease would then
be expected. The people OF his time
were sick unto death, but God had pro-
vided for it's cure in the physician and
the medicine.
I'm the Bible sin is defined as the
transgression Of the law. and where
there is no law there can be no dis
obedience; law must precede disobed-
ience. Adam sinned in eating of the
fruit which God had forbidden. But
could he not have done otherwise? To
say that he could not would be to
charge God with creating man without
the power of resisting sin and would be
TO charge God, the Creator, with his
sin and with injustice that shocks our
sensibilities.
The Bible represents God as a 0 v
ing father. The question carries its
answer with it because He is more
willing to give good things to us than
we are to give them to our children.
Can We, for one moment, think that
the God and Father of us all would re-
quire OF US tasks that we could not
fulfill and then punish us for not do
ing what II" had made it impossible
for US to do? No, q thousand times
no.. We are compelled to believe that
He made il possible for mar to stand.
though free. to tall.
But if it be said that man became
so impaired through the sin of Adam
that he cannot keep from falling, We
have as an answer 10 this Paul's asser-
ton. I can 90 al thing through Christ
which strengthened me- thus giving
us the power Of resistance through the
atonement.
"All Of the weakness we suffer by
Adams fall is more than compensated
by the grace Of our ord Jesus Christ
This grace IS world wide, and the SAL
walton which He brought cIeanses
from all sin. all who will accent II