The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-06-11
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN INTERESTING DISCOURSE BY
DR.. HOWARD DUFFleLO.
Su biect. Heat Failure The Autobioc-
raphy of Our Souls is Often Stained
With the Very Faithlessness Which
Blots the Memoirs of the Apostles.

W. NJ
with the Very Faithlcssness Which
Blots the Memoirs of the Apostles.
New YORK CITY.-Dr. Howard Duffie!d.
pastor of the Old First Presbyterian
Church. Fifth avenue and Twelfth street,
preached Sunday morning on Heart Fail
ure.' He took his text from Mark NV
SO: And they all forsook Him and fled"
DR.. Duffield said:
Whas towards! Comrades of Jesus,
shall a three years friendship with the
Master come to such an end? Shall the
intimacies of man months go swlrllng
like leave in the wind before a puff OF
manic fear? Apostles of Jesus, why Will
We be pilloried for poltroonery? When
defeat brooded over the hills of Gilboa
and the remnants of the armies OF Israel
law strewn through the Judean valleys,
Saul and Jonathan died together. When
Socrates kept tryst with death the prison
ward in which he sat became like a hall OF
~banQuesing and the Jail stones echoed with
the converse OF devoted friends wlstiui OF
sharing with him the cup OF hemlock;
Wien the sun of Austerlitz that had
bathed the earth in glory at its rising, sank
eclinsed in blood behind the plain o: Wat
er,oo. the flies of the imperial guard drew
up as on parade and died beneath the flag.
But in the hour of His EXTREMIST need the
comrades Of Christ 'forsool, Him and
fled" Those that had seen Hin walk the
storm swept lake; conquer disease with a
fngcr-touch and dethrone death with a
syllable. when a squad of hirellnCs win
swords. and the riffraif OF the city with
slaves. came out 10 take him, tney loTsooA
Hin and fed.
Jesus walked the pathway OF tears,
no one kept step with Him. The hour
has sounded for chivalry. and His friends
exhibited poltroonery. The call was tor
heroes. and those He loved showed their
backs to Christ. instead OF their faces TO
the foe. Occasion beat the long roll. hnt
the battle line became a rout. Imagine
that scene reversed. Imagine that Gordon
of apostles buttrcssinG Christ against as
sault as with a citadel of rock. We can
almost sec them roofing themselves IKE
storm-desying oaks. and opposing the
metal c~orslets of Christ's foes with the
breastplate Of their invulnerable affection.
We can almost see them converting Getb.
semane into a Gibraltar of affection, and
SCATTERING the onset of emhlttered perse-
cution upon the impregnable front or a
devotion that was stronger than death.
We are we'll nigh cnvious OF their oppor'
tunity of renown.
The possibility Of such loyalty has not
vet passed away, it has not yet become I'M
possible for one to show a stalwart allie
| glance to Jesus Christ in the face of con.
tempt and antagonism. They are not yet
dead that seek the young child's life"
Christ does not recede with the ebb or
passing wears. The men of His age are
sleeping in their sepulchers.
The first element of heart failure is dis,
| appointment. The apostles had a very well
defined theory as to what Christ had come
to do sor them, but they had thought very
- H.. ,ln,. ,-orn 70 do for. Him
They had a clear conception of the prere-
quiSite OF discipleship. They were deeply
| concerned as to the pattern OF their
They knew TO a nicely the comparative
altitude of their thrones, and they were
anxiously parcelling ont the cities over
which they were to rule. With their feet
treading the very ascent to Calvary they
were badgering each other as to which OF
them should be greatest. Jesus had come
to give them a life of ease and selt.satls-
faction. No more stormy nights out upon
Gennesaret; no more tngglng at the nets
and pulling the wet cordage OF their boats;
no more weary days brawling in the Caper-
naum market place to get salt for there
meat and butter for their bread. Christ
had a whole cornucopia OF sp!endors to
empty into their lap-kingships. and dig
mites. and thrones, and scepters. When
as with a lightning stroke all these fond
dreams went whistling down the wind,
and their cloud palaces vanquished like
mist 1T sunrise, disappointment thrust Its
iron into the soul, and away they went,
spurred by an impulse which for the mo.
ment was irresistible. Their thought had
been centered on the good they were to
get. not upon the good they were to do.
1t is not impossible that YOU and
should Just as mistakenly interpret the
purpose OF Christ's mission. In some plv-
otal moment the consciousness of sin I'M
eynectedly leaps up and chills us with its
| shadow. We are dashed by the scorpion
whip of conscience. We shudder at the
thought of death. The awe. of eternity
overshadows us. With timid fingers we
open the Book OF God. With eager eye
we scan the page OF Scripture. A wondrous
gospel ~salutes us. Glad tidings ring like
music through our hearts concerning One
who has a welcome for the ~outcast. who
can whiten the most soiled soul, who will
uplift the fallen and recall the wandering:
| and who has planted His mighty heel upon
the head of death. We kneel rejoicingly
at the foot OF the cross. We surrender our
life into the keeping Of Jesus. We Weld
| Him the ready homage Of our hearts. Then
comes the danger hour. Then we are liz
peril of thinking how much Christ has to
give, and too little of what He is training
us 10 give. linen we are pIOlie W u"el III
| imagination with the spirits of just men
| made perfect, and the companies of the
| shining ones who walk with Christ in glory.
until we lose touch with the men and
women who throng about us warped and
stained with the sin and sorrow: of the
world. We forget that forgiveness is
not the last word but >the first
word of the Gospel. We forget that
pardon is not the last utterance but
the first utterance that Jesus has spoken.
We overlook the fact that there is a culture
of character which demands the energy Of
a hero and the patience of a devotee. that
| there is a service of others that calls for
| the c%ruciixion Of self.
Another element CT heart failure is
doubt. How was it possible for the apos-
ties to recognize a Messiah under arrest:
| Was this the upshot of centuries of proph-
ecy! Was this the story that the messen-
gers of God had been telling of majesty
and glory and of victory? Was the Prince
! of the house of David to be dragged away
in chains and the Lion of Judah to be
thrust into a cage? Clouded in their per-
ceptions, confused in their thought. con.
founded by the inrush of doubt. Jesus
| disciples hurried away beneath the shad-