The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-05-29
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
Az ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
DOING THE WILL Or COD"

80 tho Lilo aud Lnhora Of Our Lord
Dangers Of tho Spirit OF Matsrlalisn.
- NEw YoRK CITY.-'Doing the VIII Of
God was the subject of the sermon
/ preached Sunday morning by the Rev.
! John Ersklnc Adams, pastor of the Ross
! street Presbyterian Church lie took az
/ ms text John A. 81 NV meat is 10 do
,,hhe viii OF Him that sent Ne. and TO finish
/ lis work" Mr.. Adams said
Ihese words express the profound pur-
pose which animated the life and labors OF
our Lord. lie has been engaged in that
/ wonderful conversation with the sinful
woman Of Samaria. and IN her Tie has nm.
folded truths which have in part at least.
/ been Kept up TO this hour even from His
! ialthlul followers. Things which had been
hidden from, the wise and prudent are re-
! yealed unto babes Some OF the most won
/ deriul truths that Jesus uttered were to
sinners; some of the most gracious prom
uses TO those who, like Himself. were de.
/ spised and rejected of men, To this OUT
| cast woman whose life was branded with
shame, lie not only reveals His willingness
TO lmpart the gift Of God, the living water.
.pringlng up into everlasting life, i" but He
| reveals 70 her His divine nature and Mes.
/ am He"
The woman has gone from His presence
/ Eith a new, hope in her heart and a new
| llgnt upon her face, and the disciples an.
| proach their Master. He must be hungry
| Tor the fast, like the way, has been LONG
/ and they offer Him meat. He replies: II
nave meat to eat that We know not of: Nv
meat Is to do the will OF Him that emit Me
ana to finish His work" Again does our
Lord declare that man shall not live by
Dread alone. There is a deeper satisfac.
.lon than that which comes from grati6.
cation OF the carnal nature: the satisfac.
ton OF outreach toward lost souls men
and women in famine wayward children
OF the Father, and in that outreach; doina
the Fathers will, who desires that not
one OF these little ones shall perish. Thai
philosophy, which proved too profound for
those disciples IS, we fear, lust az incom.
/ prehenslble to the commercial and mater.
lalistlc spirit of this latter age. The oues.
ton What shall we eat and what shall we
9Tlnk! Is more lmperious to-day than ever,
Eplcurus has his disciples still, and Nam.
mon us shrine before which countless mul.
ntuGes bow To eat, drink and be merry,
mat IS the worlds definition OF life
| l have said that the words az the tevt
express the purpose of Christ's life. They
are the motive of all His deeds: the norm
/ Dy winch bis every action is Judged ON
the volume OF the book it is written of Me.
10! come to do Thy will. o. Nv God y
The will Of the Father was the actuatino
power of His incarnation. He knew me
other lmpelling force. 1t was this which
turned His face toward Jerusalem for HIS
maj trlal and triumph; it was this which
gave TO Him the victory in the garden of
1ethsemane, and enabled Him to put the
cup 20 hls lips and drain it to the dregs.
~ ITS glow all lesser lights paled to its au.
thority all His powers were brought snb.
lect and through its power all temptations
were beaten down, all personal ambitions
were destroyed, earthly distinctions and
emoluments rejected. His responsibility
TO the Father pressed upon Him when only
d BOY OF twelve years, and deepened in His
consciousness till it became the overmas.
terlng impulse of His life. Responsibility
TO Almighty God was Webster's definition
OF the profoundest thought that could
come TO man; the Fathers business"
was Was the supreme business of Jesus life:
tie knew no other mission or message.
And we are speaking truly when we saw
that 1t was this supreme purpose which
gave power and dignity to our Saviour's
character and work Without II. His life
however beautiful. would have been at best
an aimless one. Without that purpose al
doing the Fathers will and manifesfins
his glory there would have been no coher.
eh2e to Christ's deeds or teachings. but in
the will Of God we find all that He was
ana ala brought to the focus; to do that
Will was His meat and His drink
Now what was true Of Christ is in ike
measure true of every one of us. What
purpose was and gave to the life of our
Lord, 1T must be and give to US We can
no more live hives OF strength without the
deep impulses of noble purpose stirring
WlChn them, than can the vessel reach
her destined haven without the comnass
or the pole star. Behind all things are the
infinite purposes, Tennyson gives us the
thought:
Yet l doubt not thro' the ages one in
=, creaslng purpose runs,
And the thoughts of men are widcned
with the process of the suns"
God takes no delight in chaos or confu-
sion. His works are ordered according to
q divine purpose. Not only His works OF
creation, which move in the harmony of n
perfect plan, but those of redemption and
grace. st. Paul asserts that His manifold
wisdom Is declared according to the ter
nal purpose which He purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord" And if God manifests
dis glory in the accomplishment of His
purpose in nature and in grace. and If
Christ's life was lived in the light of a no.
bic purpose, how essential is It for us to
move onward in accordance with we'll de-
fined plans, under the inspiration, ave.
compulsion of some aim in life, that shall
give to life de6niteness and Conference.
Saint Bernard had over his study table
in illuminated letters these words: "Ber.
made, ad guild venisti" Bernard, why are
you here?' The reference was not to the
routine tasks of his life. These were de-
termined for him. But it was: What is
the animating purpose of your life? What.
IS the meaning Of your existence? Is
every pleasure and every task made sub
seryient to the one purpose; the one SUI
preme motive of your being? AmieI in his
journal records, life is a mass of begin.
nlngs and endings" We have all expe.
rienced his meaning We have begun to
build, but did not finish We have laid our
plans and found them broken in upon and