The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-07-03


I Still we need 20 understand that God cx.
/ poets righteousness from us, and nothing
/ less will satisfy Him. In later Judaism
/ there came the greater message. No longer
| God as a powerful just God, but God aa 0
/ God who will HELM YOU 20 be righteous.
1 The message of the later prophet was
mercy Mercv. 60 back 90 Homer, COnlu.
/ ciue, Seneca. Marcus Aurelius; do you find
| IL thores No. Some time ago ] made that
statement and a professor said 10 me.
Are YOU quite sure OF thatF ] said: y
am not sure but YOU are a student OF the
/ Orient and ] wish you would look II NJ
/ and tell me II ] am wrong" Three week.
after received a letter saying. THE only
/ revelation OF the mercy of God in the old
/ Hindoo religion is this: o. Veruna, art
/ To-day IN my country home they are suffer
/ ing from drought. and yet. II l were 10 90
/ on the hillside and run a tube down little
way into the ground, / should strike a
spring full Of water. So God Is tull OF
/ mercy. This is the revelation OF the New
/ Testament. and whatever your troubles,
/ sorrows. sins. YOU can 60 10 Him and find
! His loving Kindness and tender mercy You
/ don't find that in any other religion
/ thou not also mercifulP" Put that along
4 side what can senarate man from the love
/ Of God" The distinct characteristic OF
/ Christianity is this mercilulness OF God.
| A man falls into pit and cannot get out.
/ Presently Confucian comes along and says,
/ my dear fellow. / am sorry you have tal-
len down there II you could only get
out Confucius would show you how to walk
so TRAIT Won would keep ont" Then a Brah-
min sees him and saws. Il am sorry, hut
there is no help for you YOU never can get
out. The only chance for you is 10 tall
into an eternal sleep ard forget your mis-
| ery." Next comes a Alohammedan. who
saws III am so sorry to see YOU there. but
Allah Is inst, and you deserve it. He IS
not merciful. and Won will never get ont
Last comes a Christian, who saws II my
sell have been down there. l tumbled down
! there once I know Just how You can get
out" And he gets q rope and pulls the
man out Of the hole and puts his feet upon
n rock That is the difference between the
Christian and the PAGAN religions. Inc
Christian religion is the only religion in
the world that offers to help men out ot
the burden of their sins and the conse-
1uepces Of their misery. But, q. the pity
Of it. men don't want it. Napoleon said
Scratch a Russian. and YOU will find a
Tartar" Scratch a Christian and You VIII
find a pagan. 1t seems to me that Chris.
tan congregations are full OF paganlsm. |
receive letters every week from men and
women who never vet have learned that If
they have made biunder or committed
sin, and perhaps involved Others IN peril
because of their mistake. God can take care
of it all. and they can trust Him to help,
il only they will turn from their evil ways.
Helpfulness is the secret OF Christian the
ologv. So it is the secret Of our Christian
ritual. It is Mt the heart of all worship
We come to church, not driven by fear or
compelled by custom. and not by .convic-
ton Why? Not to be entertained by an
amusing lecture. Then. why? At the heart
ST it all is this: Some sense of the truth 81
that message that God is love and that,
somehow or other, we are dependent On
His love and have had something from
His love, and we want to give Him some
thing in return. do not say that is true
OF all but still II it were not for the sense
Of the love of God and the desire to be
thankful the church would close its doors
and the chimes cease to rinc. What is the
Roman Catholic service? First confession
and then absolution. The Same thing Of
the EPISCOPAL service, and OF the Congre-
Fational. We don't go into the confession
al; we don't stand IN az a priest pro-
nounces an dissolution. but d, L. Moody as
truly preached absolution as any Catholic
priest or EDiscopalian rector. If you want
10 know,what men believe, don't go to the
creeds or oatechism. Go to the HYMN
books. They express our faith and real ex.
Oerienee; they are our creed, sung oTer
and over and over again. And what does
the hymn book say?
love divine, all love excelling" Thanks
be TO God who giveth lis the victory"
Imagine, this Sabbath morning a citizen
of Mars coming down and entering differ
emit churches He would 60 into Catholic
church / see the altar and the candles
and the rC5ed nriest and the incense, and
he would say, what are YOU doing here?"
The answer would be: eve are here to
worship the Lamb who hath redeemed us. -"
In the Episcopal church he would see no
candles and incense, and would again ask
the question. The answer would be- we
have come to praise the Lord Christ, who
hath redeemed u.s." In the Congregation
al. BAPTIST or PRESBYTERIAN church he would
see no altar or candles or vested priests.
"What are you doing here" he asks, and
the reply is: eve have come here to sing
the praise Of the Man of God who hath re-
deemed us" And in the Quaker meeting
house he would see no choir or preacher or
service and hear no singing, but they
would all be sitting still doing nothing-ab'
same question would be: "Weare giving our
, rrase to Christ, who hath redeemed Us by
, His blood We cannot find any utterance
, which will express our gratitude, and we
are simply speaking in the silence OF our
: hearts," He would 60 hack and say: They
, were all drawn together by a sense OF
]. Gods love that had given His Son for their
redemption" 1t is the love OF God That
makes us. one, and only that. I was once
in a Catholic church in Paris and after
watching the service for time ! walked
around behind the altar and found there a
service Of deaf and dumb people, The ser,
: vice was the same at heart; the love of God
inspiring the thanks of men
] remember an old English divine begin.
ming his sermon: at can do all things
see. what is this: through Him that
, strengthened me- All. that is another
thing: that I can do" it was quaint way