The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-21

New Testaments were wrought by nat
ural causes. When those infdels grad
uate from the theological seminary
and take the pulpits Of America as
expounders Of the Holy Scriptures.
what advocates they will be Of that
gospel for the truth Of which the mar
tyrs died! Hail the Polycarps and
Hugh Latimers and John knoxes OF
the twentieth century. believing the
Bible is true In spots! Would to God
that some great revival Of religion
might sweep through all the theolog-
ieal seminaries Of this land. confirming
the faith of the coming e~xpounders of
an entire Bible!
The Right to Borrow.
Furthermore. in that scene Of the
text God sanctions borrowing and sets
forth the Importance Of returning. I
do not think there would have been
any miracle performed If the young
man had owned the Ak that slipped
the helve. The young man cried out
In the hearing or the prophet, Alas,
master. for it was borrowed He had
a right to borrow. There are times
when we have not only a right to Dor.
row. but 1t is a duty to borrow. There
are times when we ought to lend. for
Christ in his sermon IN the mount de-
clared, From him that would borrow
of thee turn not thou away" 1t is
right that n borrow the means of
getting an education. as the young stu
dent Of my text borrowed the Ak. 1t
is right to borrow means for the for
warding Of commercial ends. Most of
the vast fortunes that now o~verShadow
the land were Matched out of q bor-
rowed dollar.
If in any assembly it were requested
that those who had never borrowed
hold up their hands. none would be
lifted. or if here and there a hand were
lifted we would know that it was a
case of inveracity. Borrow! Why.
We are borrowing all the time. We
borrow from the Lord the sunlight
that shows us our way, the water that
stakes our thirst, the food that re-
freshes Us three times a day. the pill
low on which we slumber. We borrow
SiieIICSS hum Jul tiIC We DOllO"
all elevated surroundings. The church
borrows all it's beauty from the Christ
who founded it. In our songs and SER
mons we borrow from the raptures of
heaven.
We borrow time: we will borrow
eternity. and that constant borrowing
implies q return. For what we borrow
from God wa rp,,-cL a hnOl- in hnortu
thanks and Christian service. in i'm
provemeEt of ourselves and helpful
ness fer others. For what we, borrow
IN the shape Of protection from good
government we must pay back in pa
triotic devotion. For what we borrow
from our parents in their good exam
pie and their hard work wrought for
US in our journey from cradle to man
hood or ~womanhood for all the ages to
come we ought to be paying back.
The halleluiahs Of heaven will be re-
turned for crucifxion agony.
Debt a Calamity.
Hayden the painter said his ruin be.
gan the day he began to borrow mon
ey. and he wrote in his diary. Here
began debt and obligation, out of which
| have never been and never shall be
extricated as long as l live" DR..
Johnson said: do not accustom your
self to consider debt only as an in
convenience. You will find it 4 calam-
ity." We have a right to borrow for
the absolute necessities. expecting to
pay back again. but we ought never to
borrow for the luXuries. According to
the Laws of AmasiS," in Egypt if a
man died without paying that which
he had borrowed he was deprived of all
o~bsequies. If that law were in vogue
in our times. how many postponed and
impossible funerals!
Furthermore. let us admire these
young men of Elisha's theological sem
mary for the fact that they were earn
ing their w way. The most of those
today who are successful in the pro-
fessions. indicating the sick or advo-
eating the law or preaching the gospel.
fought their own way on end up.
Those are the kind of men who know
what education is worth and know
how to use it. Many CT us remember
tuaC III cOlloSe Gays the SONS Oh aINueut
fathers. with plenty Of money to spend
and horses to drive and libraries
crowded with books never read and
wardrobes that kept them in perplexity
as to which of many garments was
appropriate for the weather that day.
were worth to the world nothing then
and have been worth to the world moth
ing since. while the young men in col
lege who had to economic three
months ia order to get some book they
needed and who could hardly raise
money for their diploma have since
wrought nightly for God and the
truth. turning the world upside down
because it was wrong side up.
In the summer watering places north,
south. east and west, in the great ho-
tells. serving at table and in baggage
room, are theological students who are
in preparation for the ministry. earn
ing in July and August the means by
which they may study the other months