The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-06-26
The REVEALS.
"THE CARNAL MIND"
Powerful Sermon by DR.. John p.
McFerrin Last Night.

rim at the flret MetuOulst OhuiOh snoh
dav night was the most powerful one
ne has vet delivered. dis text was
..For the carnal mind is death. ana the
snirituaI NINA is life everlasting. A
large congregation was IN ATTENDANCE
aud the audience listened to the SPLEEN
aid discourse with rapt attention.
He said that the world OF humanity
was divided INTO two classes. Inc
carnal minded man is the man VINO
subordinates the spiritual Tor tne
temporal things OF life; the man VINO
interests himself only IN the tnlngs
that perish. When we see persons OF
this type our minds go lDstlncuVely
TO the outcasts and the most degraded
of society. of murderers, thieves,
swinulers, etc. There Is NO doubt In
our minds of those characters. Inc
DOUBT lies in another direction. Ut,
McFerrlu spoke in strong terms OF
the man who gives himself up entirely
to his appetite. He said that people
heard the expression In reference 10
men who had allowed their natures to
become particularly debased tnat they.
had descended to the level of brute.
He said that such statement was d
/, bel ON the brute creation. There Is
brute could descend to the level OF
the man who has become debased IN
every part of his nature. There can
not be found In all beastdom single
instance where a brute voluntarily
aebased It's own nature ike some men
debase theirs. He said there was
refined sensuallsm compatible WIN
GOOD breeding and cultivated taste A
high position AMI yet his neeh may
have the overmasterlng spirit OF hlni'
There are thousands upon thousands
in the world today given up TO worlu :.
Illness who know little, if anything OF
practicing the virtue OF SELF oenlai.
The trutn is, said he, that there is so
much danger of having our character
undermined that we must be careful
to keep ourselves pure. Ihere hoVe.
lived a man who did not have to guard
most carefully the border line between
the flesh and the spirit. Paul himself.
according to his testimony was oiteli
sorely tempted to subject the spirit to
the flesh. We can indulge in things
to a legitimate extent, bnt when we
carry them TO excess we commit sin.
What is more legitimate than to see
leloouently the pleasures obtained by
these two senses. The man whose ears
are attuned to the highest harnonies OF
the world nears music un earthly and
divine And yet there are people VINO
carry these senses to excess and make
of them a passion. Under this head
come theatrlcals and spectacular exhl
b1tions. He would not say that all
nlays are demoralizing, but he would
sav that the theater at best is damag
mo and ONLY damaging. The theater
appeals to the sensuous nature OF man.
The drama. high or low, aims at spec
tacular effects. The costumes, the
scenery. the acting, the music, y
thing in theatrical production-appeals
to the sensuous. But, says some one,
If if ia bad to see one Of Shakespear
tragedies. ism t II as bad to read ltf LII
answer tnat question by asking another
Which would you rather do, see a
murder committed or read OF itf Ii
Won hear of a man who is to be sho
down on the streets would you rather
90 and see him killed, than to hear OF 1t
And vet we look upon tragedies on the
stage. Oh, but some one says. the
stage tragedies are not real. Yes, but
thew must be nearly so, that you can
tell the difference. II they were mo-
realistic and so to such an extent thai
Won cannot tell the difference, the
actor would be Kissed off the stage
The theatre appeals to the sensuous II
Y man: it appeals to the spectacular; II
il we see the operation of two grea
laws of our nature-the active ant
massive powers. The active power II
increased by exercise, and the passive
IA diminished and exhausted by 1t
He illustrated this by the work OF
surgeon, whose active power is IN
!, creased by his work and as he grow
: IN skill; but after while he comes u
q regard the cutting of human flesh
. which at first was repulslve to MIN
. as the the cutting Of SO much beet @
7 wood thereby causing diminishing
of the passive power. He ceases u
=. have pity ana mpassion for the un
;, fortunate person upon whom n
- operates. God intended. said he. tina
we enjoy pleasures with the senses b
has given us, but he did not intend TO
MS to let our oesire for the pleasure
Al of lite run into passion. He sal
III that people could be lost right alon
| the most respectable lines OF living
| There are many society women toda
who would be shocked were he to tel
them that their lives are sinful. In
| society woman. he said, was nothin
more than oevotee of pleasure. 81
| rises IL the morning and eats lat
eakfast, goes visiting her friends o
! to card party or receptions and IN tn
evenings it's to the opera or the Tn
theatre. The whole trend of her III
! is away from heaven and thing
divine. God fashioned man for IN
best and noDlest and the highest thing
of this world, but he never intende
j that man SHOULD give himself up to
riot of his passions. The carns
minded man il dead. There are me
who have eyes and see not; who hav
ears and hear not. and II they haV
ewes and see not ana ears and hea
not. the time will come when the
can neither see nor hear. II believ
in being happy in this world. sal
he. .'Religion Is not to diminis
life's pleasures. but to sanctify them
The life OF Christian is not like
funeral march. but it's like the nero
of an uncrowned king to his corona
A.: T ,,ould NOT take awAy from