The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-10-08
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
a DISCOURSE on 1.-THE GROUND
OF cHRisTIA CERTAINTY"
The Rev. Reginald John Campbell Tells
I'm Beautiful Language of the Assur-
ances Of Divine Mercy Which Buoy
the Hearts of Believers.

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I'm Beautiful Language of the Assur-
ances Of Divine Mercy Which Buoy
the Hearts of Believers.
OCEAN GROVE, N. J.-Nearly 10000 peo-
pie filed the Auditorium here Sunday
morning to listen to the Rev. Reginald
John Campbell, pastor of the City Tenn
pie, London. His subject was "The Ground
OF Christian Certainty" He said:
Nay text, or rather, my two texts, will be
found, one in the third chapter and four
teenth verse and the other in the fourth
chapter and nineteenth verse of the First
Epistle of st. John: 1--WE know that we
we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth for death" eve love
Him because He first loved u.s.
The thought Is not one of simple graft
tude. The text teaches us that the power
of loving comes from the fact that God is
love, The writer of the fourth gospel,
whether he was or was not the Apostle
John, was probably one of the greatest
theologians that ever lived, because his
spiritual insight is so prol rund, and the
lnwardness of his master mind so com
plete. The writer of the Fourth Gospel is
plainly the. writer of these epistles. He
was undoubtedly John the Divine. He
never refers to himself by name, but only
as the disciple whom Jesus loved, None of
us would be willing to spare out of our
Christian experience the fourteenth chap
ter of St John. In this the disciple sets
forth what we believe to be the profound
est and most beautiful truth concerning
the relationship of the sancti6ed soul to
the Redeemer. What beautiful phrase
IS this: The disciple whom Jesus loved +"
This man of wonderful ability, who re-
members all that Jesus said and writes it
down for our benefit. BY that he did not
mean that he was the only disciple whom
Jesus loved, but he meant to say that he
got has own spiritual experience from the
same foundation that we get ours.
There are signs in the New Testament
that the disciple whom Jesus loved was at
one time passionate, ambitious man.
Mark that occasion when James and John
were called the Sons of Thunder; when
they came to Christ and said, Master,
shall we command fire to come down from
heaven and consume these adversaries;
yours and ours?" And Christ replied,
~ e know not yet what spirit We are of"
Again, the mother of James and John
comes to the Master and says, Master,
grant that these, my two sons, may sit the
one on Thy right hand and the other on
Thy left, when Thou CONTEST into Thy
kingdom" She thought, and they thought,
and they all thought that the kingdom
was to be an earthly one; that Christ was
rule over the world, and that those who
stood nearest Him would occupy the
places of greatest honor in His kingdom.
Without rebu1ing them the Master turned
to the two men and said: Are you able
tt drink Of the cup whereof / shall drink,
whereof | ana baptized" And they an
swered eagerly and with confidence, 1--WE
are" Then said the Master, Eye shall in
deed drink of Nv cup, and be baptized
with the baptism whereof | am baptized"
Ihe other disciples; were mucn displeased
Tp1f Il oh
spared themselves the trouble. The Master
knew at once-coming as a Master of the
truth He very well knew-wnat was in
their hearts. The one was seeking the
crown that was corruptible, and that fad
eth away; the other was to live in history
as the apostle of love. What long way
John must have Travelled before this pas
slonate,. ambitious man was able to de-
serve this title, "the Apostle of Love-"
John gave the greater part of his young
HE to the preaching of the gospel of love.
Toward the close of that long and wonder
full career the beloved disciple was carried
Cne Sunday morning to the congregation of
the faithful. 1t was his last appearance
at any earthly gathering His parting
benediction to TIE little flock comes down
to us throHgh the history of the ages:
Little children, love one another"
We know that often the words of our
text were on the lips of the Apostle john
I'VE know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love the
brethren" And again. the higher exper-
fence which makes possible the other, 1--WE
love the. brethren because Christ first
loved U.S."
This is not the only experience of the
kind. Some Of you might be inclined to
say: This is ali well enough in its place
to talk about the Apostle John as being
the apostle of love-" But we are not John.
There: are some other people who deserve
hn f1t hof ohnr1t ~ h.
sive fisherman? Peter was undoubtedly
impu1sive and selfish and not without his
ambition, too. Listen to the conversation
IN the upper room. after the Master has
performed the foot washing He begins to
prepare His bis disciples for His coming in.
cause of Me this night" And Peter re
plies: Though all should betray Thee,
yet will not l." What he meant to say
was this: "You have made a great deal of
this man. who is allowed to lie on Your
breast. Perhaps if a crisis came he might
should betray Thee, yet will not II The
time came when John admitted Peter to
Pilates hall. John stood silently by,
ready perhaps to die for his Master. Peter
was hiding somewhere in terror because of
the jews and Christ was dying. And then
after the resurrection Christ came to him
IN secret. Peter Wept out his penitence
and the Master lifted him up again. Three
times he was asked, Simon, Simon, son
of Jonas. lowest thou Me-" Peter an
swered, Lord, Thou knowest that love
Thee" The last time, grieved because of
the question, he replied, with deep emo
ton, expressive only of the love in his
heart, Lord, Thou knowest all things,
Thou knowest that love Thee" When
was given to this fisherman the grand
promise, ".Ye are of Christ" And the an
swer of Christ was, eff I will that We
strive and achieve and he stand and wait,
what is that to thee, follow thou Me-"
These two men, not long since rivals, came
together to witness for the Master Peter
does the talking and John is silent Both
are prepared to suffer in the name of Jesus
Christ of :, azareth
The grand certainty in the heart of
every one of these men was that thew had
passed from death unto life, through being
made capable of loving. And thew were
capable of loving because they loved the
brethren. Now, brethren, in every age.
since John wrote these words for us, the
same thing has held true The ground of
CHRISTIAN certainty has been-through the
love OF God. There is no other ground Of
certainty to-day.
And the witness of tho shirt &c coox -