The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-16

of the powers of his own God-endowed
soul Mans experience affirms Gods
revelation in this, as in all things else.
Let us ever give this purpose and will
OF God due consideration in all of life's
endeavor, for success in any calling is
absolutely dependent upon our intelligent
recognition of ii and our unquestionIng
obedience to its requirements and COM
mandS. But most especially is this true
in following the Christian calling, in run
ming the Christian race or in waging the
Christian warfare. For in this pre-emi-
nelly we follow, we rum we fight, to lay
hold upon that for the accomplishment
of which Christ has laid hold upon us.
And do not hesitate to say here this
morning that only by virtue of conscious
or unconscious strict observance of this
truth upon our part during the six and
one-third years of our common endeavor,
have we been enabled to do for God and
fellow man and self what the record ac-
credits us in the Masters name. We
have worked singly, we have worked to-
gether, we have worked together with
God. And every undertaking accomplish
ed we have considered but another stone
laid in the foundation of Gods purpose
and will that we should go on and on,
and build higher and higher and
do better and better, as the days
Of our first acquaintance grew into the
months of our mutual encouragement and
confidence, and these months of our mu-
tual encouragement and confidence be-
came the years of our present perfect
love and reciprocal esteem. What
strength has come to us in the path of
o1edience TO Gods purpose and will! Not
the strength of self sufficiency-thank
God, not that-but the strength of mutual
recognition of each others worth and
willingness to do for the Master and His
II.
that the Master Himself will do for us
Exceeding abundantly above all that
we can either ask or think as we press
toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in" Him.
Weight of Responsibility.
When I came to you in the years that
are gone, l remember well the feeling
that possessed me. With the Apostle,
/ can truthfully declare, 81 came to you
in weakness, and in fear, and in much
trembling" inexperienced In the work
of such a parish, and in so many ways
unfurnished for the accomplishment of
that work, my only hope of discharging
my duty in a manner fairly acceptable
to you, and In such a way as to merit
and secure the blessing and inspiration
of God S presence with us ALL was in
the fact that Il determined not to know
anything among you. save Jesus Christ,
and Him crucified." And whatever of
self distrust l experienced then is in
creased forty-fold now. The weight of
the responsibility of the work of God,
and the necessity of complete surrender
of all plans to His purpose, and the alb
negation of all action to His will, have
grown upon me from year to year, and
am over-awed In the presence of the in
sufficiency of self to bear the burden,
make the surrender and exercise the en-
deaVor. Ingrained in every soul that has
been subjected to the experiences of life
and death, is the conviction that there
are crises when vain is the help of man
and only Gods voice can cheer and only
Gods hand uphold. So intensified has
that conviction become with me that 1t
embraces not only the crises but also
the ordinary events of human existence.
We need God always. And the better we
know Him, the more we need Him. An
occasional visit to and from an ordinary
acquaintance answers every demand of
etiquette and desire. But we must live
with those we love and who love us in
turn, or the heart is hungry and the
soul sad. We do not depend upon those
who are not engaged with us in the pur-
suit of a common object, but find abb
solutely necessary the assistance of all
whose work is our own, and with the
Leader of that work we must ever be in
touch God has laid hold upon us for the
accomplishment of a great and glorious
work. We must lay hold upon each
other and together lay hold upon Him
for the realization of this accomplish
ment That we have thus done, I repeat,
/ believe to be the secret power of such
achievement as we have made together.
And now as | am about to go out from
you to look for the same cooperation
among another people desire to express
my appreciation of all you have been to
me. as well as to all NINE
Last Words.
AS I have carried you in my heart
through all the days of every week since
| first came among you, not only looking
into your faces. but also endeavoring to
fathom the needs of your heart realizing
your claims upon me and recognizing the
issues of life and death dependent upon
my leadership of you, my dominant
thought has ever been, who Is sufficient
for these things?" And this morning In
my last words to you. my utter Insult
fciency impresses me even as Il has
never done before. Not in me can sut-
hciency be found. But my trust is in
God and my prayer for US all is that He
may through me, speak such word of
thankfulness upon my part for the joy
you have given me in my work for the
Master and His church, and such words of
petition and love for him who Is to take
my place among you In the near future
as shall find an echo in the determination
of you all that what you have been to
me you will, by the grace of God and
obedient to His purpose and will concern
ing us all, be to him, my successor.