The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-08-07
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN INTERESTING DISCOURSE BY
DR.. HOWARD DUFFlELo.
Subjects Heart Failure - The Aut0bfog.
raphy Of Our Souls h OMEN stalsed
with the Very Faithlesanesa Whiah
Biots the Memoirs 81 the Apostles.

Dlots tho Memoirs q the Apostles.
New York CITY DR.. Howard Duflield,
pastor OF the Old First Presbyterian
Church, Fifth avenue and Twelfth street.
preached Sunday morning on Heart Fail
ure." lie took his text from Mark xiv:
so. "And they all forsook Him aud He'd"
DR.. puttield said:
What towards! Comrades Of Jesus,
shall a three years friendship with the
Master come 90 such an end! Shall the
intlmacies of man months 90 Bwrhng
like leaves In the wind before a puff OF
panic fear2 Apostles Of Jesus, why will
We be piloried for poltrooueryy When
defeat brooded over the hills Of Gilboa
and the remnants Of the armies OF Israel
lay strcwn through the Judeau valleys,
Saul and Jonathan died together When
Socrates kept tryst with death the prison
yard in which he sat became like a bah OK
baaqueting and the Jail stones echoed with
the converse of devoted friends wisttu OF
sharing with him the cup OF heml0ck-
Wien the sun Of Austerlitz that mad
bathcd the earth in glory at its rising, sanl,
eclipscd in blood behind the plain OF Wat
erloo the files of the imperial guard drew
up as on parade and died beneath the flag.
But in the hour of His EXTREMIST need the
comrades of Christ "forsook Him and
fled" Those that had seen Him walk the
storm swept lake; conquer disease with a
finger.touch and dethrone death with a
syllable, when a squad of hirelings with
swords, and the riffraH OF the city with
slaves, came out to take Him, they forsook
Him and fed.
Jesus walked the pathway Of tears, and
no one kept step with Him. The hour
has sounded for chivalry, and His friends
exhibited poltroonery. The call was for
heroes, and those He loved showed their
backs to Christ, instead Of their faces to-
the foe. Occasion beat the long roll, but
the battle line became a rout. Imagine
that scene reversed. Imagine that Gordon
of apostles buttressing Christ against as
sault as with a citadel Of rock. We can
| almost see them roofing themselves IKE
storm-dcfylng oaks, and opposing the
metal corslets Of Christs foes with the
| breastplate of their invulnerable affection
| We can almost see them converting Geth.
semane into a Gibraltar of affection, and
! SCATTERING the onset of embitteied perse-
cution upon the impregnable front OF a
| devotion that was stronger than death.
! We are well nigh envious of their oppor.
! tunity of renown.
The possibility Of such loyalty has not
yet passed away, it has not yet become i'm
! possible for one to show a stalwart ale
! glance to Jesus Christ in the face Of con-
tempt and antagonism. ''They are not yet
! dead that seek the young child's life
! Christ does not recede with the ebb OF
! passing years. The men of His age are
sleeping in their sepulchers.
The first element Of heart failure is dis
appointment. The apostles had a very vel
defined theory as to what Christ had come
to do Tor them, but they dad thought very
little Of what they were to do for Him
They had a clear conception of the prere
quisite of discipleship. They were deeply
concerned as to the pattern Of their crowns
They knew to a nicely the comparative
altitude of their thrones, and they wer'
anxiousy parcelling out the cities Cvel
which they were to rule. With their fee
treading the very ascent to Calvary the!
were badgering each other as to which 0
them should be greatest. Jesus had CONF
to give them a life of case and self-satis
faction. No more stormy nights out upoI
Gennesaret; no more Juggling at the net
and pulling the wet cordage OF their boats
no more weary dcys brawling in the CaDer
naum market place to get salt for thei
meat and butter for their bread. Chris
lad a whole cornucopia of sp,endors t.
empty into their lap-kingships, and dig
mites and thrones, and scepters. Whel
as with lightning stroke all these font
dreams went whistling down the wind
and their cloud palaces vanquished lik
mist at sunrise, disappointment thrust it
iron into the soul, and away they went
spurred by an impulse which for the me
ment was irresistible. Their thought ha
been conferred on the good they were t
get not upon the good they were to do.
1t is not impossible that you and
should just as mistakenly interpret tn
purpose of Christ's mission. In some ply
otal moment the consciousness of sin III
expectedly leaps up and chils us with it
shadow. We are lashed by the scorpio
whip of conscience. We shudder at tn
thought of death. The awe of eternit
overshadows us. With timid fingers W
open the Book of God With eager ey
we scan the page of Scripture A wondrou
gospel salutes us. Glad tidings ring lik
music through our hearts concerning On
who has a welcome for the outcast, VIII
can whten the most soiled soul, who wi
uplift The fallen and recall the wandering
and who has planted His mighty heel upo
the head of death, We kneel rejoicingl
at the foot of the cross. We surrender OF
life into the keeping of Jesus. We viel
Him the ready homage of our hearts. The
comes the danger hour Then we are
peril of thinking how much Christ has I
give, and too little of what He is trainr
us to give. Then we are prone to dwell
imagination with the spirits of Just me
made perfect, and the companies of II
shining ones who walk with Christ in glor
until we lose touch with the men an
women who throng about US warped ar
stained with the sin and sorrow of Il
world. We forget that forgiveness
not the last word but the fir
word Of the Gospel. We forget tn
pardon is not the last utte2ance b.
the first utterance that Jesus has spoke
We overlook the fact that there is a culLu
of character which demands the energy
a hero and the patience OF devotee tn
there is service Of others that calls f
the crucihSion of self
Another element OF heart failure
doubt. How was it nossib,c for the ape
ties to recognize a Messiah under arres
Was this the upshoo Of centuries Of prop