Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-08-08
CHRISTIAN SERVICE"
Sunday Sermon BY the Rev. Dr..
George D. Adams.
Islls OF the Spiritual Uplifting Which Abides
With Those Who Walk Constantly
With God-Chris,ian Suffering.


| Adams. the new pasto, OF the First Bap-
! t.sJ Church, Lee aveas.e ana keap street
| preached his FIRST sermon a. pastor OF the
church. he selected To-. his AeAt: hebrews
XII: ! and :: - as~eiore. let US also, seeing
we are comprised about with 50 great
I cloud OF witnesses. lay aside every weight
| and the sin which is admired by many ana
| LIT us ran with patience the race NAT Is
sui before Us. looking unto Jesus. the au-
! thor ana perfecter of our faith; VINO, ior
the Joy that WAS betor" Him endured the
| cross. despised the shame aud hath sat
d'.wn ~ the right hand OF The throne OF
God" IN. NJ. and sad: =, ~
\ very cnsua, observer could easily tell
! that many Christians have lost the Joy OF
| the Christian service which Trey once had:
Ii lakes no scholar. nor. indeed. crl'ic; oI
| Christian lie or human llvi;@. 10 see that
| many. who one day rejoiced with un-
! speakah,e 10Y" in the service OF Jesus
| Christ are to-day indifferent Indeed, we
ourselves lind some times. when TO come TO
| the house OF God Is d burden. ana we drag
n 1rearv body or reluctant sotl INTO the
presence OF the Almighty and try 70 wor-
SHIN Him in the beauty OF holiness we
find again and again. ii we should follow
the inclination OF cur hearts and MINDS
THAI we shoIid stay NJ home. Tut those
! are new experiences comparatively. O'ce
! we could give up any pleasure for ar hour
with God. and when :" have cen IN HIS
presenoe and fee! that He was hearing us;
10 enjoy the touch of kindred spirits; to
! have eniOyed the song and the PRAYER ana
the service. ont of Gods heart. would have
been better 10 US than riches and more
precious than fine gold But that Is gone.
| We lind ourselves sometimes coming be-
| cuse we think we ought; dong tins or
! that service because il Is customary; enter
ing into this form or that because 1t Is 4
habit 30 do so. and III the saner .-.oments
| of our conscience we come sometimes 70
~ aha rrart
| Has the power OF the old gospel TO ale
viate human life OF its brudens and suffer
ings gone? Is there less of power and eff
cacy in the saving grace o. Jesus Christ
now than once: After all. is Gods service
really and truly a; bottom nothing but 4
drudsery: Or. has something taken place
with u.: Have We left behind something
we once had aud hare we passed beyond
that moment OF exultant spirit when in the
! presence of Jesus or heart bounded with
the JOY OF new faith and the experience
of salvation? We'll. we are perfectly sure
! Col has not changed We are perfectly
sure Jesus is ''the same. yesterday, to-day
and forever" We have no; 4 dorht that
the cd gospel will save men to-day. and
when we come to think OF it after all is
not the matter of being saved 4 subject nj
just a much joy in the twentieth century
as in the first century: Has there been
! any change in the attitude of the gospel!
We are bound 70 confess there has been
none. and ii that Is true. then the trouh.e
! i with us Somewhere we have lost some
| thing. and ! am looking into faces this
! morning that know better than | 90. IN
their experience. that that something i
the priceless treasure OF Christian hope.
Now. 20 get that back. When l was n
boz | wept when first I saw the wrinkles
corning on my mothers lace. wanted
! her 10 remain always NoanG. ana there arc
/ thousands OF thrI- IAN hearts. some repre-
scented here douai .eSs. inst nave wep: M
the loss OF their Christian cNi'erisrce-lt i
dead JOY Is gone. on, what wou,d we give
to &C; 1t back. | am persuaded that we
would Give great deal - ger ~ rack. NIX
am more !h3FoG2a.N Hetsm dSd Ht 'he
way 10 ger II paVN - 10 se' h'o 'ae a. a., !
tudc o. me tnat Hi'S>'s II coz, tat. ! ne
best thing Is not 70 get ;'@sk me Nhtist ian
experience ~ Ve3ts ago "7t 3et M? me
at.ltuuf % ne s.i"- 'aa--es t""' e-'i'e4 'e'i0o
perehhia..
am going. therefore. t, discuss the
sources O; Joy. The thin. lhat mos; lies
behind tina, experience md the first th!n;
that CONFRONT. the Christian il the mat.
tex is dlty. We d noS like THAI word
dug. We asscsl5fe with ne word dntF:
sacrifice. and ave surprised when we nna
that Ii Is in itse,t terra OF freedom.
! Naen | sav % you. Il want Won - do
yo.r datv. You say; "l,oa t1ik to ne
ah0a. DUTY; do3 I IKE that word. That
- idi 49, htNstt4>N ttt ~ "a - les III ~ go
to mean matter o. hona"ge, When ~ re-
ally It ought To rcoan a matter OF freedom.
| " ny It was oWtr ehiad the text: Let Us.
therefore. seeing. we are compassed anort
with 80 great e.cld ct witnesses lay asicc
every weight and the SIN winch Is admired
by many tor 81 delight in--.orle special SIN
OF the age. SUPPOSED ans. let us r:ln with
pa-ience the race that tx set before Us.
locking unto Jesus the author and nertect-
! er CT our :alth. who. Tor tie. JOY that was
set before Him. endured the, cross. de-
spised the shame, and hath sat down az the
right hand OF the throne OF GOO: mat
Is iuty. In the light with which Jesus de
spised the cross we ought not TO stop and
reason about duty. | want YOU 10 notice
that duty Is IN ethical term. not a legal.
which j called the ethical religious idea. |
do not mean that At all. Duty is ethical.
Eot legal. Duty resides in the recesses Of
\ mans character. not IN the external leg
is,ation concerning him. | am a moral
being. therefore | ought. y dog or a
! horse can ssvcr be called upon because OF
ought1ess-they eve not moral beings. They
are within the ;rict;ons OF master and
that is legal ! ere is something in man
that i an oYzhine.s. II ought. therefore
] mist" Because | am moral being L
ought therefore duty is ethical. Many a
man fulflls the law ard breaks every pos
Keeping the letter Of the law. but he j.
dong an immoral thing. 1t is not A matter
OF legality or notifies Int OF moral ought
ness. Until that moral ouchtncss Is obeyci
/ am in bondage but when l oncv the
moral ouchtness | am free. | ,,assed
Through a great sewing machine works in
| Belvdere. ILL.,. and saw the machine called