The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-17
SERMON BY DR.. M'LE0D.
Christian Religion Not Made Up
of q Few Detached and Inco-
herent Doctrines.

"Gamaliel's Cautious Counsel was
| the topic of the sermon preached yes
| terday morning in the First Presby-
| terian church by Rev. James Mcleod,
u. ID. He said in part:
The Christian religion, with it's marvellous his
| tory, and with it's blessed results is not made
| up OF few detached and ncoherent doctrines.
| On the contrary it is, as whole and in al! Its
| parts, coherent and symmetrical. II is life
| as well a creed, and the foundation article
| OF both its creed and its life is Jesus Christ.
So the apostles taught, and so we must teach.
The only ministry that has any right to the
claim OF the Apostolic Succession is the ministry
| that conforms to apostolic doctrine, and that is
imbued with the apostolic spirit. The apostles
did not study to please men; their aim was TO
please God. They did not polish the arrows of
truth so as to take off the barb; on the con-
trary their arrows well barbed, and well
feathered, and well aimed and when they were
shot, they never missed the mark, and hence
their arrows were sharp in the heart of their
Kings enemies. They did not content themselves
with teaching ethics, or with preaching goody-
goody gospel They did not consent to endure
persecution, and to suffer martyrdom, in order
that they might preach about laws, and theories,
and hypothesis, and codes of morals, and more
or less elaborate theology. No indeed. II they
had confined themselves to that sort of preach
Roman lash; they would never have borne in
their bodies the marks Of the Lord Jesus; their
brows would never have been adorned with mar
tyrs crowns. They were not trmmers. They
were not opportunsts. They were manly. They
were courageous They faithful. They were
fearless and valiant soldiers OF Jesus Christ
whose medals were scars, and whose victories
were Won by their heroic self.sacrifce and by
the simple but mighty power of truth. "They
ceased to teach and preach Jesus tnrist.'
As we think of the past and of the present,
are we not fully justified in saying that the
contests and conquests Of Christianity are the
strongest, the mightiest, and the most complete
of any this world has ever witnessed? The
religion of Jesus began with the declaration OF
u war of determination against all other religion.
On the one side were marshalled the majority
and might of all the great powers of the world
Jews, Greeks and Romans The Jews, with their
pride OF birth and their reverence for antiquity;
with their temple and their priesthood, and
with their selfrightcous claim that they were
heavens only favorites; the Greeks, with their
philosophy, and their art, and their strange
mythology and their gross idoatry, and their
high intellectual endowment; the Romans, with
their pomp, and their power, and their pride, and
their laws, and their genius for government; the
great world powers and their gods were ar
iayed one side.
On the other side stood few 'uncarned and
ignorant men," They had no prestige. no social
standing, no wealth, and scarcely friend. But
they had Jesus Christ on their side, and the
whole world knows the result, Judaism burned
out in the fires of its own temple; idolatry fell
like smitten Dagon; heather philosophy is
entombed in what is now dead language; Bar
barians were evangelical and cvilzcd; Spain
heard the Gospel; Britain embraced .hc truth;
Ethiopia stretched out her hands, and Egypt
and North Africa heard the good news Gaul
bowed before the cross the Druids abandoned
their inhuman rites and supcrstiions; the Goths
gave up their war gods for the Prince of Peace;
the light of the gospel shone on India's coral
strand; anthems of praise to Christ were sung
in all languages; and the noble army of mar
tyrs carried the gospel banner farther than ever
the imperial legions had carried the victorious
Roman banner.
How complete the victory False religions were
rebukcd and crushed. and all but annhated.
The idolatrics-Classic, Druidic, scandinavian
Egyptian-arc clean gone from the face of the
earth. The artifcc of priests, the great army of
mighty kings, the reverence for antiquity and
fer old religions that were cherished for thouS-
and years, the combined forces of mighty nl-
tions could not overthrow Christianity. The
sword of truth, in the hands OF a few hero!c
men who We're full of the Holy Ghost prevailed,
until mt last the world acknowledged The truth
OF Julian's reluctant confession when he said:
so Galilean, Thou hast conquered"
Gamalicl was right. Those who fight against
God court defeat. They cannot win the day
The will of God cannot be overthrown. Plots
against heaven are sure to fail. 1t Is folly to
shut doors and put up bars when God has re-.
solved TO remove the bars and open the DOORS
and set His children free.
We need in these days, SUCCESSORS of the apos.
ties who are full OF manly courage, and of holy
zeal. The Church Of God las many such, but
she needs more. and she will have them when
Gods Holy Spirit is poured out upon her in
larger cfusion AS for us, let us see TO il that
we serve our Saviour with greater fidelity; and
if need be- let us he ready 10 suffer with Him. |
and for His sake, having this assurance that if
we suffer with Him here, We will reign with
Him hereafter.