The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-04-16
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"DOlNC THE WILL CF COD."
The Rev. John Erskine Adams Explains
the Profound Purpose Which Aniniat-
ed the Life aud labors of Our Lord
Dangers OF the Spirit of Materialism.

Cod was the subject OF TIE sermon
preached Sunday morning by the Rev.
John Ers!;ine Adams. pastor OF TIC Ross
| Street Presbyterian Charcn. Ec took as
his text John /: 81: M" meat is 10 90
the will OF Him thar sent Me, AID to hnish
His work" NJ Adams said:
These words cXpge>: the profound par.
pose which animated the life and iaborS OF
our Lord. He has heCn engaged II that
wonderful conversation with rhc sinful
woman OF Samgria and to her lie has I'M
| folded truths which have III pare AZ least.
been kept uu 10 this hour even from HIS
faithful followers. Things which had been
| hidden from tie wise and prudent arc re-
vcaled unto bales. Scme OF the most TOn-
Gcriul truths that JesUs uttered were 10
sinners; some OF the most gracious prom
| iscs 10 those who, Ike Himself, were Dc
| spisel and rejected of men. 70 this oat-
cast women whozc life was branded with
;; shame. He not only reveals His willingness
TO impart the gift of God. the living water.
springing up into everlasting life, hut dc
| reveals to her His divine nature and Mes
! sianic character. Il that speak unto thee
an He
The woman has gone from His presence
with q new hope in her heart and 4 new
light upon her face, and the disciples ap-
proach their Master He must be hungry,
for the fast. like the way, has been long.
and they offer Him meat. He replies: Il
have meat to ca: that We know not OF: My
meat is to do the will Of Him that sent Me
and to finish His work" Again does our
Lord declare that mau shall not live by
bread alone. There Is deeper satisfac-
tion than that which comes from gratifi.
caticn of the carnal nature; the satisfac-
Iion OF out-each toward lost souls: men
and women in famine. wayward children
| of the Father, and in that Outreach; doing
| the Fathers will, who desires that not
one of these little ones shall perish. That
! philosophy, which proved too profound for
those disciples Is, we fear, just as incom-
| prehensible to the commercial and mater
| ialistic spirit OF this latter age. The ques-
| ton: What shall we eat and what shall we
| drink! Is more impcrious to-day than ever.
! Epicurus has his disciples still, and Nam
mon its shrine before which countless mul-
| ttudes bow. To eat drink and he merry,
| that is the worlds definition of life.
| have said that the words OF the text
| express the purpose Of Christ's life. They
are the motive of all His deeds: the norm
| by which His every action is judged. In
| the volume OF the book 1t is written OF Me:
| 10. | come 10 DO Thy will. o. My God" 3"
| The will of the Father was the actuating
| power Of His incarnation. He knew 10
| other ilnpelling force. 1t was this which
| turned His face toward Jerusalem for His
| final trial and triumph: it was this which
gave to Him The victory in the garden OF
J Gethsemanc and enabled Him to put the
,, cup 20 His lips and drain it to the dregs.
In It's glow al lesser lights paled; to its au-
| thority all His powers were brought SUD-
| lect. and through its power all temptations
were beaten down. all personal ambitions
| were DESTROYED earthly distinctions and
emoluments rejected. His responsibility
to the Father pressed upon Him when only
boy OF twelve years and deepened in His
consciousness ill it became the overmas-
teriug impulse OF His life. Responsibility
| to Almighty God was Webster's definition
OF the profoundcSt thought that could
come to man; the Fathers business"
was the supreme business of Jesus life:
He knew no other mission or message.
And we are speaking truly when We say
that it was this supreme purpose which
| gave power and dignity to our Saviour S
character and work Without it, His life.
| however beautiful. would have been at best
on aimleSs ono. Without that purpose of
doing the Fathers will and manifesting
J His glory there would have been no coher.
| ence to ChriSts deeds or teachings but in
| the viii of God we find all that Hc was
! aud did brought to the focus; to do that
will was His meat and His drink.
| Now what was true of Christ is in like
| measure true OF every one OF us. What
purpose was and gave to the life OF our
| Lord, it must be and give to us. We can
no more live lives CT strength without the
deep impulses of a noble purpose stirring
within them, than can the vessel reach
her destined haven without the compass
or the pole star. Behind all things arc the
infinite purposes, Tennyson gives Us the
thought:
yet l doubt not thro the ages one in
| crcasing purpose runs,
| And the thoughts OF men are widened
with the process of the suHs.'
God takes no delight in chaos or confu-
sion. His works are ordered according to
a divine purpose Not only His works of
| perfect plan. but those OF redemption and
grace. st. Paul asserts that His manifold
wisdom is declared according to the ter
nal purpose which He purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord" And ii God manifests
His glory Ill the accomplishment OF His
| purpose in nature and in grace, and ii
Christ's life was lived in the tight of no.
bic purpose, how essential is ii for lis to
move onward in accordance with we'll de-
fined plans, under the inspiration, aye,
compaision of some aim in life, that shall
| give W lie QSIlll!lSlSSS anu COueTSnCe.
Saint Bernard had over his study table
in illuminated letters these words: Der
made. ad quid venisti?" Bernard. why are
you here:' The reference was not to the
routine tasks OF his life. These were de.
termined for him. But it was: What is
the animating purpose of your life! What
is the meaning of your existence! Is
every pleasure and every task made sub
servient to the one purpose; the one su-
| preme motive OF your being! Amiel in his
| journal records. Life is a mass of begin
nings and endings." We have all expe-
rienced his meaning. We have begun to
build, but did not finish. We have laid our
plans and found them broken in upon and
destroyed: we have skinned over the sur
| face OF things, but not gotten at their hid
den meaning. And if we ask the reason it
is evident We have failed because no
| presiding pUrposc has woven the tangled
skein into harmony and beauty. We have
been dailying with purpose, we have been
! half wiling. we have been hanging iCrcrer
in the balance. and SO We have bscn losing
our grip on life.
is man purposeth in his heart so is
he The difference between a.mlcssaess
and decision is the difference between the
stagnant pool, lying motioniess. thck and
! Shiny, breathing malaria and brc csding
venom, and the cataract, which rush@s on
ward. a living. moving, plunging thing,
| something destructive IN Its energy. but 4