Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1903-08-15
A SUNDAY SERMON.
SCHOLARLY AND ABLE PREACHING
Srtl-et: The Greatest Thing in the
World" Handled In an Interesting
and Practical WAY.

Laurin. OF Rochester preached Sunday /
morning in -. Johns Nj. r. Church 70 a
large audience. His sermon was the nrst /
an series on "Ine Greatest Thing in the |
WOrl /" DR.. Maclaurin sand:
L have most earnestly sought TO bring I
you on successive sundays the best min /
istry I have yet been able TO give you, /
that your lives may be broadened and |
dcepened and lifted up into higher realms I
OF spiritual achievement; and 4 could md /
no theme ot greater value. as saw n. than /
that which n suggested by the chapter I
which 1 read 20 YOU. the thirteenth chap /
ter of Paul's first cpistlc OF the church az
Corinth And 90 for eight weeks. we shall |
have our tex from tins chapter; and tins
morning YOU will hnd our text iu the first |
verse OF the hrst chapter Of First CORN
thians. I'll . speak with tine tongues %
men and angels. but have not love. / am
become sounding brass or changing
cymbai.
Nor must we not think that we shall be-
come tired of this wonderful theme. Did
you ever know any one 20 become weary OF
a di1mC-ut Among the gems OF the Lord
God rs found this chapter. and though !
do not profess 90 ice sSiiliul lanidarv O.
bring ont Its ha shinc facets. I think. with
The aid oi the divine spirit. wc shall find
an each service something fresh and helpful
and new.
This chapter has been in al aces Of the
church especially admired, would that 10
had received ma All the ages OF Christian
history that more practical and valuable
appreciation which would have been ex-
pcricnccd 10y q practice OF It's PRINCIPLES
and an acceptance. OF ITS precepts. Ter
tuihan SAID. "lt IS uttered with All the
force Of the spirit and the great thinker
is right. As ] have pondc~ed IL for several
years with ever growing interest. / have
come 60 feel that, indeed. mortal faculty
could never have written It. IL never
could have sprung from The brain or heart
of even so great n man rs Paul. unless hea-
ven had given him the inspiration IL -,
dear friends. an utterance OF heaven.
through Paul. a servant of God, % the
It Is a glorious hymn or pean in honor
OF Christian love. sung. as We have inti-
mated. by the Apostle Paul when soaring
M on the WINS of inspiration into the
very heights az Christian eloQuence. Like
the Forthwith iea.m. 10 may be httng'y
called the 'h-rIm OF Love and not in-
frequently your speaker VIII SO designate
Il in these >rntaF morning services. II
has the form OF poetry. 90 has tho insnra-
ton oi poetry. o. has the co.oring Of the
finest poetry. And if YOU could read 10 in
tho Greek YOU would cltch the fulincss of
It's imagery. as &c D. impossible for YOU 90
do IN che best English version. IL seems
prolana' ION 60 attempt its exposition
IL seems like ana,yzing rose or dis-cct
Ing nightingale 20 take these principles
apart ore from another for the necessary
analysis in the progress OF our work. Bu,
II ls 30 iuI oi the very heart or tlc GOSPEL
message that we would be cowardiy were
we not 90 attempt Che exposition.
The position of the psalm m the book
in which D. is found hcghtcns It's effect
You hnd Dc IN the midst Of lengthy argu
ment. 10 reminds ms very much Of an
oasis az towering palm trees and spring
ing flowers and running brooks in tbs
midst or n dcser, OF sand. On either side
a. argument. is tumult. and right in thl
midst Of an bursts forth his sublime song
It is very much like the song OF the sweet
voiced school children in the midst O
their hard work and the babel OF thei
games. Or better like the very sound O
the song Of heavcn's choir in the pat o
Wall Street on a paniclly day. We cas-
easily IMAGINE the deepening hush tina
must have fallen on the C0rinthian churcl
a. they read this chapter, and We ca
imagine. too. the confederation produce
in the minos of those Christians as the
discovered one after another their favort
gifts or tavorlre possessions swept ava
by the great teacher For Paul her
shows that love Is the one essential q
Christian life. Love did YOU saw Love
that soft sentiment that hard-headcd me
Eay belongs 90 women and children. ID
you mean 90 say that this is the spirit
ms language That Is precisely what th
apostle formulated. llc afiirms most Is
phcitly the absolute worth,essncss OF d.
without love. Love 40 the beginning OF II
love at the end OF Dc. love filling the who
snacc between. Love at the end Is IA,
the same as love at the BEGINNING. IL
without the FIRST love the other could new,
be. The blossom and the fruitage b
speak the rootage. and the seed and q
flower AND the tree. And unless y0u ha'
the FIRST loVc-'ove Tor God-in Your hear
the love that shall engage our attention ,
Sunday mornings VIII be q stranger 20 yo'
experience. III / speak with the tongu
OF men and angc.s. but have not love.
am become sounding brass or a clangii
cymbal.' Ii would seem as II all q
Corinthian church were eloquent speaker
or ut least were eloquent hearers. and
me say 1 10 eloquent hearers are as esse
tai as cir 1uent speech. The Corinthl
Christi $50 re distinguished for their gii
IN this detection; and SO the apostle kno
ing It. krn~ing them right well, for
was their father in the gospel, he suppos
them bic al speaking IN every tong
that rose from the lips of men or ange
That We're they 20 have all and were d
tltute of love they were nothing but sour
aug brass or Changing cymhals. How ha
tins must have been on those people "
cherished eloquenee as more easy TO /
aglne than 10 describe. for they plac
great store 10y their gift of tongues a
their clOQuencc OF speech. And do y
know we are often placing the empha
At their wrong place. We are often Gun
Of that characteristic folly. These Cor
thians were oiten putting the emph9
where the emplals should not be. WI
Paul afiirms and what the Gospel affir
over and over again Is that it Is not spec
that II Is not doing but being, that God
CARDS. Being Is finer than doing: N
than saying; finer than any express
which IL Is possible for il 20 make of its
So 10 - not speech but reality that G
socks for and the church waits for.
the world Is hungry for IN YOU and IN
Now, let Us consider, If YOU please
the first Place. wherein love is superior
the most eloquent speech. If 1 SD,
. - 4 -.