The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-12-05

Some day the last man win come In. and
The skies win brighten with the return OF
| the Lord
II is this that gives one The passion for
! aoul-winung. lt s this Thought that fur.
nishcs the Inspiration for the foreign mis-.
| Eiouary. The church Is a called out body
l and the missionary h sent 10 Africa, 20
\ China, to japan. that he may work IN the
/ fellowship OF the Holy Ghost In leading
souls 90 Christ God speed the day when
! the last member Of The body shall b
found!
The church Is enlightened by The Spirit.
! The Spirit Is the breath of God In the
body of His church. ii Ills rule Is not fol
| lowed It naturally results that His life il
shut out. Thus It comes 10 be lake q mar
suffering from pneumonia-one Unaccus
toned 20 such scenes declares that what
/ the man needs Is more air. but Ia point OF
I fact it Is not more air he needs az all, but
more lung 10 be filled with air. We do
cot want more of the Holy Ghost, but
the Holy Ghost ought 20 have more OF the
church. And sometimes, because llls rule
rs -Ot followed. lie I'm q measure wthdraws
Himself, and allows the forms 90 stay, but
the power is departed. The oil Is gone.
but the lamp is there There are churches
where PRAYER IS offered and the Bible
and there is positively not even the sem
blance of power. They are described IN
the words of Scripture as having a name
TO live, but being dead They remind
one Of the guard found in the excavatcd
city Of Pompeii He stood with his hel.
met and his armor on. and his bony finger
claspng his spear. and yet not living. IL is
Just the same with the church.
! A little thing at first may result IN loss
} ! Of in hn a
financial policy might do It, spirit OF
criticism might accomplish 1t.
] "There is an insidiOus disease which
! slowly and secretly turns the vital organs
I Of the body to bone It begins by ossify.
ing little fragments Of tissue here aud
} there No medical skill can arrest its pro-
gress Nature is perverted from her
healthy process of assimilating and nutri.
l ton to the creation in the system of moth
ing but bone What should be life to mus.
! Gle and nerve and sinew and arteries,
( turns to solid and hfeless bone. At length
Y the heart is reached and vital parts of it
e become bone, and its beautiful work of
,. pulsation. by which life Is sent IN ~
1 streams to the very tips of the fingers,
e ceases and death ensues. Such is the
d moral induration which the sensibillties
e Of a soul suffer, when long appealed to by
0 the services of religion, to which it will
|, not give back a throb ct responsive feel
J, ing"
".
s IF the church is to be governed by the
y Spirit. every offce-hearer in the church
n should he influenced by the Holy Ghost
} Ministers should be filled. Paul gives an
y illustration of one phase of this truth;
: Acts -: 9-l2-"Then Saul, (who also is
y called Paul), filled with the Holy Ghost
q set his eyes on him, and said. 0 full of al
l. subtilitv and all mischief, thou child Of
! the devil. thou enemy of all righteousness
Il wilt thou not cease to pervert the right
> ways Of the Lord? And now, behold, the
IS hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thol
:. shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for ;
/; season And Immediately there fell OF
:, him a mist and a darkness. and he Wen
=, about seeking come to lead him by tn
!. hand. Then the deputy. when he saw
y what was done. believed, being aston
a shed at the doctrine of the Lord"
- The Holy Ghost only fills the man who's
:, desire is to honor Christ Philosophy
y poetry, art. sociology, ethics, are wei
~ enough in their places, but their place
not in, the pulpit. The Holy Ghost ha
pledged Himself to witness only to tn
ye story Of Jesus aud the resurrection. Pau
n thought this whole thing out and Will
To he was schooled in all the learning of tn
ID day, he said:
t. eve preach Christ crucifed, unto tn
ly Jews a stumbling block, aud unto tn
rs Greeks foolishness. but unto them tina
he are called, Christ the power of God an
ne the wisdom of God"
en- Peter is another illustration: Acts 4: s.
a: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghos
Up said unto them Ye rulers OF the pe00pI
We and elders Of Israel" Acts II: Is, 10
IS "And as began to speak the Holy Gho'
n fell on them, as on us at the beginning
8; Then remembered the word of the Lore
OF how that He said, John indeed baptize
lIy with water. but We shall be baptized wit
ne the Holy Ghost"
I'd. I do not know Of any one in the Ne
y: Testament Scripture furnishing us be
re ter argument for the use of the word
ell God in preaching than Peter himself. Tai
he the sermon at Pentecost, if you will. 1t
he simply a string of texts of Scripture.
is, you should ask "But is this all he said
Dr. I answer: "The words of Scripture are a
lily that the Holy Ghost thought worthy
M record" Peters words would have passe
IRE away with his own generation. The wol
Cd Of God abides forever.
IN Stephen furnishes an illustration of Il
te' fact that to be filed with the Holy Gho
I'M does not always mean human success
ny Acts 6: 5 to Sand the saying please
ch the whole multitude, and they chose st
vet phen, a man full of faith and of the Ho
od. Ghost and Philip, and Prochorus, and
IN canor, and llmon, and Garmenas, ana \
as, lolas n nroselvte of Antioch: whom Thu
IN set before the apostles and when they hi
vas prayed they laid their hands on theI
ere And the word Of God increased and Il
vas lumber Of the disciples multiplied in ,Ier
at salem greatly, and great company of t
er- priests were obedient to the faith. Al
va Stephen, full of faith and power did gre
aul wonders and miracles among the people
lul, Acts 7: 55-"But he, being full of t
an, Holy Ghost looked up steadtastly IN
Ter, heaven and saw the glory of God, al
Jesus standing on the right hand
God"
md One might be filled with the Spirit, a
the pass through the greatest dsappointTe
rev Of his life. for Stenhen was lust as trl