Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1903-09-03
The Love
OF CHRIST

A largo congregation turned out at
Mahonng Presbyterian church sun
day morning to hear Rov George j..
Mingins, u. d, OF New York City.
DIR. Mingius is not a stranger in Dan
Vile, having preached in Mahoning
Presbyterian church at least twice pro
yiously, the last time in January.
Since his last visit here he has passed
through long siege of illness, being
confined to his bed for eleven weeks
He has not yet fully rogained his
strength and announced yesterday that
ho will rest in Danville fol few
days, conducting the prayer meeting
Wednesday night
DR. Miugins is unqucstionahly ono of
the ahlcst divines that visit Danvillc
\ master of language, deeply learn
ed, earnest and at times impassioned,
| he has the faculty of presenting the
truths OF scripture in a light which
makes them sclf-eyidcnt and conyinc-
ing.
The offering yesterday was for
Church Extension and in making the
announcement the speaker INDUCED in
SOmo remarks which will no doubt
serve aS food for thought He drew a
melancholy picture OF many sections
of the wide west where church stec-
pie Is an object that never greets the
| eye and the return Of Sunday brings
no opportunity 10 hear the gospel, off
| setting it with a picture of the great
! cities where churches crowd each other
and wealth out of all proportion to the
needs i lavishod upon them. Nearly
| every town and village in the East, he
| said have moro churches than are nood
| ed, and become heavy and unnecos-
sary burden which the worldly are not
slow in taking advantage of as an
excuse for remaining away from
church altogether. lie dcpIoTed that
the money needlessly spent on Churches
in the East could not bc diverted to
the West where the great fields for re-
ligious effort lie He encouraged lib
eral, conscientious giving, but not
giving that was done for show. Per
sons who give beyond their means may
he giving the butchers 5 and the bak-
ell : money and not their own.
DR.. Mingins' sermon was founded on
Ephesians Bird chapter, 18Th verse
And to know the love of Christ
which passeth understanding.
The sermon was an exalted picture
of Gods boundIess love The text is
a part of a prayer offered by St Paul
for the Ephesian Church. There is
nothing i'll the subject, however, to
limit it to the Ephcsians Speaking
of Christ and his love DR. Mingms
said:
Everything connected with Christ is
great and extraordinary. His twO-fold
nature, His glorious pcrson-IIis di-
vine perfection, His wondrouS offices,
His peerless titles, His amazing work.
But the subject OF the text is His sur
passing love, which is greater than all
the rest The love Of Christ i'm All its
greatness and mfnity is hoyond the
scope of creature minds and none can
ever know it to perfection.
Can you conceive Of an intellectual
person of pure and lofty morals, of Il
strong and righteous Judgment, of an
exalted sense of justice compassiona-
ting creature Of unmixcd viIenrss, of
sclf-imposcd misery, of deep hate and
malignity of spirit and one who
sought no elevation, desired no mercy.
Yet the reality Of the picture Is more
striking Think of the High aud
Lofty one clad in purity, OF infinite
truth and Justice, yet fixing his re-
CARDS and love ON sclf-ruined and
polluted creature The depth of God ;
love can he measured only by the
depths of sin and the still deeper mis-
cry from which it has redeemed us.
None are too low or vile for the en-
brace of that love. 1t stOopS to the
verge of hell and lifts to the Glories
of Heaven.