The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-25
FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS.
REV. DIR. RAMSEY WILL PREACH
AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.


InteIIect-Takcs Place when Man
Allows Something to Come Be-
tween His Soul and GOd-Parents
Invited to Bring Their Children to
the Service This Afternoon.
Another large ccngregatio heard
Rev. Dr.. Ramsey's sermon at the First
Baptist Church last night. Quite an
interest was manifested at the close of
the sermon.
The speaker chose for his subject,
Past Feeling" and for his text:
who being past feeling have given
themselves over to lasciviousness'' !;
Ephesians, iv-19.
Those two words, past feeling he
said, have sharp, ringing peal like
the report of rifle. 1t all seems so
strange in a world like ours. where
there is so much experience, both ia
yorable and adverse to produce feeling
that men and women who on the better
side of their natures seem to be made
to feel. as the sun to emit light, should
reach this pathetic state of granite
hardness. The little afflicted child
came so early to get down among the
deep things of this mysterious life
when she said, Father, why does God
let me suffer So. There are sweet, pre-
cious spirits who seem to be made
for most exquisite suffering so that we
believe that the highest suffer most, as
| the tallest trees breast the widest
storms. Yet in the great things of the
soul we are told that some get past
feeling.
Our first inquiry is to find out how
it occurs that mortal men and women
get past feeling. 1t comes from dark
enipg the intellect, so that inspired
the intellect of men has no essential
place in religion. Rather it is true that
| through the intellect we are saved.
Even in life the seed which falls in
shallow ground perishes. Goethes die
tum was as are the inciinations such
are the opinions There is at last but
one way of darkening the intellect, and
that is as all other darkness comes,
by having something to come between
the soul and the great central light
The light remains the same as we have
learned to sing that behind the clouds
the sun is still shining. 1 tell you be
not deceived, sin is what does the dark
work in the soul.
zone gets past feeling by cutting
is the source of all life, hence cutting
off brings the atrophy of spiritual
death and all consequent unfruitful-
ness. The life is in the vine, but the
fruit is in the branch. 1t is
not strange that ofttimes the hardened
sinner dies callous and indifferent.
This is no victory for infidelity. He
is simply past feeling-that is all.
Another cause for getting beyond
feeling-to use a medical term-is po-
rosis- of the heart. Nothing is half so
easy as the work of hardening the
heart. 1t is like clay; if left in a
sheltered Aplace it dries hard; if left in
the storm it is beaten hard; If in the
sun its bakes hard. If the heart is
shut off from life's experiences it is
hardened; if brought into contact with
Nthe seamy side of life the same result
follows and there is nothing safe
but the heart-touch with the iife-giv-
ing Christ.
Nov, in the second place, you are
asked to think of thetSresults of get
ting beyond feeling. Such persons, so
the text tells us, are given over to the
sins of the flesh. At first it is a halt
ing process. Byron-poor licehtious
Byron-said pathetically the world
hath no joys to give like thosetit takes
away Then have you thought of the
poignant sorrow of a truly noble spir-
it before he is fully given over.
Now the dark work goes on apace. At
first the evil doer gives himself over
then the world gives him over, then
good people surrender hope for him.
we must believe that at last God gives
him over and says Epraim is joined
to his idols let him goi Saddest words
of holy writ! OF all the thoughts that
visit the souls of men none is so awe
inspiring as that of God-forsaken
man. Think of Saul on that dark night,
on his way to the cave of the outlawed
witch, crying, God is departed from
me, and will hear me no more.
1.-THE rapidity with which this des-
perate soul-hardening is done is most
appalling. The text says they work all
uncleanness with greediness. I am
overwhelmed, as l think of the swift
ness with which all passionate greed
of the flesh grows.
"Now final word as to the remedy
when one is past feeling. One passage
of scripture cannot do everything.
There is nothing said in this verse of
the remedy. 1 think we may in all
justice say that however perilous de-
lay may be, that still there are some
who are now past feeling, who may
come to feel, turn and live.
20 then, hardened man, awakei
Retrace thy steys. Pray for the Holy
Spirit to come and take the veil off
thy darkened mind, to open up the
doors of the SOUL and let the divine
life flow in. All things are possible
with God. Come back to childhood,
live in the old home, catch it's purity
and again hear mothers voice, and
and look again into that first heaven,
your mothers blue eyes. You remem-
Der those words of Thomas Carlyle
| when grown old: 20 pious mother
kind, good, and brave and truthful
soul as l have ever found, and more
than I have ever elsewhere
found in the world, your poor
Tom, long out of his school days
now has fallen very lonely, very lame
and broken in this pilgrimage of his.
and you cannot help him or cheer him
by a kind word any more. From your
grave in Ecclifechen Kirk yard yon-
| der you bid him trust in God, and
that also he will try if he can under
| stand and do?
Take this one word with you wher-
ever you go and cleave to it whatever
may betide you in life, it is simply to
~ "a NA HH n