The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-12-18
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
An sLoevesr DISCOURSE ENTITIES
~THs eaR'sTlAs,s MISSION"
The Rev. 7. J.,vi.isrs,. one OF the Mo-;
Popular. Cergpen in Indiana, De-
hvsrs Strong Sermon, the Theme OF
Which 4. Evangelism.


which was evangelism HIS subject was
The Christians Mission ~ the Word -
The text was chosen from John XVI II:
As Thou hast cent Ne into the world
even So have | sent them into the world. 70
hr Nl!lsrs sand
he farewell dscourses 70 the disciples
were ended. Getbsemane with ,ts mental
anguish and bloody sweat was but q step
IN the distance. The shadows fuEg from
me cross were deepening and darkening
Jesus knew that before another sun should
set HIS work on earth would be- done. In
sc last moments He be;ook Himself TO
prayer Dying words are undyng words
We emba.m them IN fragrant memories.
With eyes up.iited toward the Father, the
divine Suppllant hrst reviewed HIS own
ministry. Il have glorihed Thee on the
earth; | have finished the work which
Thou gavest Me 10 do Then his mind
turned toward HIS disciples; lie prayed
for them, declaring their mission 10 be a
continuation Of His own. This thought He
emphasized before His death, on the earth.
ward side OF Calvary, while standing in
the deep shade and gloom. As Thou mast
sent Me into the world, even SO have |
also sent them into the world The same
thought emerged with HIM from he tomb,
and dropped from HIS lips on the heaven.
ward side Of the cross, while standing IN
the light reflected from the crown. Then
sud Jesus 10 them again, Peace be With
YOU: az Ny Father hath sent Ne. even so
send i you Thus with the emphasis OF
repetition our Lord announces the Chris.
tian's mission 10 the world.
Jesus Is called the apostle OF our oonies-
son. lie Is Gods sent one, whom we con
fsss. lie repeatedly laid emphasis on this
fact. declaring Himself 10 be the one whom
the Father sanctlhed and sent into the
world. In Johns Gospel alone He speaks
o. Himself thlrty.siX times as being sent
l. l. 81 4.
Ings TO the poor, 10 proclaim release 10 the
captlyes and recovering of sight 20 the
blind, TO set ct liberty them that are
bruised, TO proclaim the acceptable year OF
the Lord. Having finished the work which
God gave Him 10 do, lie formed new
apostolate. dlgniiylng all disciples as Ills
apostles; for while His commission even
so send you may have primary reference
20 the twelve, II applies with equal force
to all who have obtained a like precious
fai... God sent Him; He sends us. In
the Acts We read that when stephen sui
fered martyrdom there arose that day a
great persecution against the church at Je-
rusalem. And they were all scattered
throughout the regions OF .Iudca and Sa-
MARIA except the twelve. They, therefore,
that were scattered abroad not the
twelve, for they stayed at Jerusalem, but
the laymen, the rank and file of the church
they that were scattered abroad went
hbOlI AHt Nblhs
Do you plead your lack o: e,oquencC. al.
frming that you are slow Cf speech and OF
a slow tongue? Listen The gospel Is good
new and good news does not need orna-
mentlng, 1t needs telling. Listen One
light at Corlnth. after q day of depressing
! toll when there had been little TO cheer
| pauIs soul, Jesus appeared 70 him m I!
vision, saying: "Be not afraid, but speak.
| The word which Christ used ~ sign iicdnt
| II Is not the term for a formal set dis,
| course 1t suggests the simplest iors ~
| human language. Ii means mercy TO talI.
! Our Lord did not want Paul 10 sugarcoa,
, his message with poetic, etoricai descrip'
! tlons OF the glory of Corinth's two seas,
| necked with white sails FROM many lands
| did not want him 10 wax eloquent amid
| that pageant OF islands and mountains and
| groves OF cypress and pine bathed IN the
| low of GreCian sunsets, Jesus wanted
Paul just to talk the gospel. At the apos'
| ties feet lay the blue waters OF the
| Aegean Jesus did not want raul TO pre-
pare learned dsousitions, whose proiund'
| lty would equal the Cnpumbed sea. IKE
| the preacher who was said 10 be invisible
| six days in the week and ncomprehehsl bic
on the seventh. Christ only wanted Paul
TO talk the gospel. In the distance
cleaned the snowy summit oi HeIcoh'
whose muses. had inspired Hesiod aud his
school of writers. Jesus did not want pau!,
with a head as cold and n vocabulary as
| ,cy as Heicon's summit, TO SHOW the rhet'
| ,ric loving Corinthians that he was as cui'
| tured as themselves. He wanted Paul Just
| to talk the gospel Towering within sight
stood two-peaked Parnasst .whos. slue
| poets had climued Tor inspiration. Jesus
! did not want Paul TO give the impression
! that his inspiration had been kindled on
| Parnassus lest, coming with the cnticing
words oil mans wisdom his message shou.d
h made of none effect He dnted fau'
simply to talk the gospel
! O beloved his Is what the 'hurch and
J the 5orld need to-day-not moro clergy
| men to expount the gospel. out NOR men
| and women TO talk the gospel. talk u IN
the home talk It in the office, TAX II IN the
| shop. talk II IN the factory. talk II IN me
| store talk 1t on the farm, talk IT on the
streets. talk IT on the trains-talk IT every
where Suppose peop,e call us Ddb5,'is
That is what the Athenians called Paul
Jesus says: BE not afraid keep taking.
| Suppose they say that our speech - con
temptible. That - what the Corinthians
said Of Pau. Jesus says: BE not alTald
keep talking Suppose they affirm tha'
the old gospel will not DO IN these modern
days. that It must be refined and lntei!ec
tuaiized. trimmed and Topped md polished
and perfumed Jesus says. BE not AFRAID
keep talking"
II - profoundly significant that when the
| Holy Ghost came on the day OF Peutccos'
! He appeared IN the shape ot tongue
which sat not only on the tweiye, but on
| each member OF the church, and when that
tongue OF fire touched them they began 70
speak az the Spirit gave them utterance
II is by the tongues Of Gods pcop.c tha'
! Hs gospel must bc Published. We may
! try TO excuse our silence by saying that
| actions speak louder than woTdS. and 80
! 4 our life - right speech - unnecessary
| IL /, true that the lie may be eloquent
and ought TO be IL "a true that word'
| without works are ike iaith without works
! dead. But no excuse that We can frame
will satisfy Christ for our dumbncss. Mof'
than once He healed men who were poe
sessed by dumb deyi.s. and it must grove
/ HIM that % many Of HIs peop.e IN oui
! dav are similarly afflicted Ny brother, u
YOU have a dumb spirit Jet Chrsi ca.t II
! ont. that the string Of your tongue beine
.cosed, you may speak the reconciiAtnl
word
A commercial Traveller recently stood ~
| nv study and gave me 4 chaDter In he his
! tory Ten years ago be had fallen % IoN
| through sin that he was utterly tOrbaken
/ cast out even by biz own vile. One nigh'
he wandered into q Chicago mission, whert
| he heard somesIng a.Arut the love q! God
He went back every night for week and
| listened Chords that were broken began
4 10 yIbrste once more. On the seventh
| night after the mission service, Lc grOTed
| hi. way through the darkness 10 an Cd
| hoard fence near the house where MS wIis
| lived. and there behind thai fence threw
! himself down hoping that when morn NJ
i daynsd he might peep through the cracks
| and see al the window yondef h,s it'll
! child. whom be was no longer perm ,ted