The Penn's Grove record., 1903-10-02
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A DISCOURSE ON THE GROUND
OF CHRIS TAN CERTAINTY"
The Rev. Reginald John Campbell Tells
in Beautiful Language of the Assur-
ances of Divine Mercy Which Buoy
the Hearts of RaIiavars.

ances of Divine Mercy Which Buoy
the Hearts of Believers.
OCEAN GROVE, N. J.-Ne rIy 10000 peo-
pie filled the Auditorium here Sunday
norning to listen to the Rev. Reginald
1oh9 Campbell, pastor of the City Ten.
pie, London. His subject was "The Ground
OF Christian Certainty" He said:
-1y text, or rather, my two texts, will be
found, one in the third chapter and four
teenth verse and the other in the fourth
chapter and nineteenth verse of the Frat
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 n of simple graft
tude. The text teaches us hat the power
Of loving comes from the fact that God is
love. The writer of the fourth gospel,
whether he was or was not the Apostle
John, was probsplv one of the greatest
theologians that ever lived, because his
spiritual insight IS so pro- und, and the
inwardness 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
as 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
est and most beautiful truth concerning
the relationship of the sanctified soul to
the Redsemer. What a beautiful phrase
Is this: 'yThe disciple whom Jesus loved"
This man of wonderful ability who re.
members all that Je.us and and writes it
downlpr our benefit. BY that he did not
mean tAat 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 a passionate, ambitious nla4.
Mark that occasion when James and John
were 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 Master 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 CONTEST into Thy
kingdom" She thought, and taaey thought
and they all thought that the kingdom
was to be an earthly one; that Christ was
to grasp the sceptre of the Caesars and
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 I shall drink
and to be baptized with the baptism
whereof / am baptized" And they an.
are" Then said the Master. "Ye shall in.
deed drink Of Nv cup, and be baptized
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
their hearts. The one was seeking the
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
%slonate, ambitious man was abe to de
serve this title, 'the Apostle of Love-
j5hn aNEgruate part of his youns
life to the preaching of the gospel Of love
Toward the close of that long and wonder
full career the beloved disciple was carried
me Sunday morning to the congregation o.
the faithful. 1t was his last appearance
benediction to tie little flock comes dowr
to us through the history of the ages
Little children, love one another"
We know that often the words of on
text were on the lips of the Apostle John.
1--WE know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love tht
brethren And again, the higher exper
fence which makes possible the other, Wv,
love the brethren because Christ frs
loved us"
This is not the only experience Of thu
kind. Some of you might be inclined t.
say: eThis is all well enough in its plac,
the APOSTLE of love-" But we are not John
There are some other people who deserv'
the title. What about Peter, the impul
sive fisherman? Peter was undoubtedl,
impulsive and selfish and not without hi
ambition, too. Listen to the conversatio,
in the upper room. after the Master ha
performed the foot washing He begins t.
prepare His disciples for His coming in
He says: "Ye shall al be c~onfounded be
cause Of Me this night" And Peter re
plies: Though all should betray Thee
yet will not l." What he meant to sd,
was this: "You have made a great deal o
this man, who is allowed to lie on You
breast. Perhaps if crisis came he Nigh
not be as much use as / would. If thes
should betray Thee, yet will not l." Tn
| time came when John admitted Peter t
Pilates hall. John stood silently by
ready perhaps to die for his Master. Pete
was hiding somewhere in terror because o
the Jews and Christ was dying. And the
in secret. Peter wept out his penitenc
and the Master lifted him up again. Thre
times he was asked, "Simon, Simon, sol
Of Jonas, lowest thou .Mew Peter an
swered, Lord, Thou knowest that 1 Low
Thee The last time, grieved because 0
the question. he replied, with deep emo
ton, expressive only of the love in hi
heart, Lord, Thou knowest all things
Thou knowest that | love Thee" Whel
promise, "Ye are of Christ" And the an
swer Of Christ was, IF I will that v
strive and achieve and he stand and wait
what is that to thee, follow thou Me.
These two men, not long since rivals, cam
together to witness for the Master. Pete
does the talking and John is silent. Bot
are prepared to suffer in the name of Jesu
Christ of Nazareth.
The grand certainty in the heart o
every one of these men was that they haI
passed from death unto life, through bein
made capable of loving. And they wer
| capable of loving because they loved tn
brethren. Now, brethren, in every age
since John wrote these words for us, tn
| same thing has held true. The ground o
Christian certainty has becn-tnrOugh tn
love OF God. There is no other ground o
certainty to-day.
And the witness OF the spirit is seen il
! nothing more than this: that those VIII,
are the sons of God show it in their de
meanor.
The love of Jesus, what it is. hone blu
His 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 0
the greatest preachers the word has eve
known; the greatest preacher of the eros
since the Apostle Peter. There never wa
a,nan fuller Of love for the Master. fulle
I Of lnye etion than John Wesley. How j
Il with Met65dism t6-aay2 We vii! max
the question bigger. How IS nSw7th tn
church Of Christ to-day What is our an
Il swer to be? To-day | notice, or seem t
notice, two tendencies at work in tn
/ world. BY the world / mean the Wort
al YOU and / know 1.-THE English speak
ing world. One tendency the new, cage
ard ever wistful doubt in Jesus Chris
| tlk Christ that was; on the other hand,
/ disposition TO question the Gospel of Jesu
aid suggest that even He Himself Nigh
Id ses been wrong
In this side of the water is a well-know
wffter, Dr.. Sheldon, who has given us
| bdok which has been sold on my size {
fhe water. entitled, What =. ould Jesu
n@g have known many men in Lor