The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-09-30
CHRISTIAN CERTAINTY"
l Brilliant Sunday Sermon by Rev. Regl.
maid J. Campbell.
klb In Beautiful Language Of the Assur.
suee Of Devine Mercy Which Bnoy
the Hearts Of Believers.

corning to listen to the Rev. Reginald
John Campbell, pastor of the City TEN.
Ne, London. His subject was The Ground
q Christian Certainty" He said
bund, one in the third chapter and four
senth verse and the other in the fourth
thapter and nineteenth verse Of the First
Epistle of st. John: I'VE know that we
have passed from death unto life, because
We love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth for death" 1--WE love
Him because He first loved u.s.
The thought is not one Of simple graft
tude. The text teaches us hat the power
Of loving comes from the fact that God is
bye. The writer of the fourth gospel,
whether he was or was not the Apostle
. John. was probeulv one of the greatest
theologians that ever lived, because his
piritual insight is so prol 'und, and the
. nwardness 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
IS 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 sanctifed soul to
the Redeemer. What beautiful phrase
Is this: "The disciple whom Jesus loved"
This man of wouderf.l 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 his 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 nitL.
Mark that occasion when James and John
we're 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,
''Ye know not yet what spirit We are Of"
Again, the mother of James and John
comes to the Ma. ter 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 comest 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 rebuking them the Master turned
to the two men and said: Are YOU able
:, drink of the cup whereof shall drink.
and and to be baptized With y, the baptism
swered eagerly and with confidence, I'VE
are" Then said the Master. "Ye shall in
deed drink of NJ cup, and be bautzed
with the baptism whereof am baptized"
The other disciples were mucn displeased
with James and John. Thy could have
spared themselves the trouble. The Master
knew at once-coming as a Master of the
truth He very well knew-what was in
ha
crown that was corruptible, and that fad
eth away; the other was to live in history
as the apostle Of love. What a long way
John must have Travelled before this pas
sionate,. ambitious man was abe to de-
serve this title, "the Apostle of Love"
John gave the greater. part of his young
life to the preaching OF the gospel of love.
Toward the close of that long and wonder.
full career the beloved disciple was carried
,ne 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 through 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-
ience which makes possible the other, 1--WE
love the. brethren because Christ first
loved U.S."
kind. Some of you might be inclined to
say: This is all well enough in its place
70 talk about the Apostle John as being
the anostle of love-" But we are not John.
There are some other people who deserve
the title. What about Peter, the impul.
sve fisherman? Peter was undoubtedly
impulsive and selfish and no. without his
ami ..NA 30 he,
in the upper room. after the Master has
performed the foot washing He begins to
prepare His disciples for His coming in.
He says: eye shall all be confounded be.
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
breast. Perhaps if crisis came he might
not be as much use as l would. II these
should betray Thee, yet will not l." 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 thon Me-" Peter an.
swered, "Lord, Thou knowest that / love
Thee" The last time, grieved because Of
the question. he replied, with. deep. emo
shon, ton. expressive, only OF the love IN h
Thou knowest that / love Thee When
was given to this. fisherman the grand
promise, Eye are OF Christ" And the an
swer of Christ was, "If I will that ye
strive and achieve and he stand and wait
What is that to thee, follow thou Me-"
These two men, not long since rivals, came
tSCsether SHsSs to witness Tor the Master. Peter
are prepared to suffer in the name OF Jesus
Christ of .azareth.
The grand certainty in the heart oi
every one of these men was that they had
passed from death unto life, through being
made capable of loving. And they 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 oi
christian certainty has been-through thr
love oi God. There is no other ground o!
Certainty to-day.
And the witness Of the spirit is seen in
nothing more than this that those who
are the sons of God show it in their dc
meanor.
mls loved ones know, and your American
Whittier, writing yesterday, as it were
says for us this morning: Immortal low,
forever; full forever, flowing free"
>, But, brethren, John Wesley was one o.
,he greatest preachers the world has evei
known; the greatest preacher of the eros
since the Apostle Peter. There never wai
man fuller OF love for the Master, fullel
Of inspiration than John Wesley. How Il
y with Methodism to-day? We will max,
the question bigger. How is it with thu
church Of Christ to-dayy What is our an