The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-08-19
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
1.-THE JOY OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE"
The Rev. DIR. George ID. Adams Cells OF
the Spiritual Uplifting Which Abidcs
With Those Who Walk Constantly With

The Rev. DR.. George ID. Adams Cells of
the Spiritual Uplifting Which Abidcs
With Those VINO Walk Constantly With
Ged-PIeasure in Christian Suffering.
New YORK C1Ty.-When Rev Dr.. Geo. ID.
Adams, the new pastor of the First zap
tist Church, Lee avenue and Keap street,
preached his first sermon as pastor OF the
church, he selected for his text: Hebrews
xii: and 2: Therefore, let us also, seeing
we are. compassed about with so great a
cloud OF witnesses, lay aside every weight
and the sin which is admired by many and
let us run with patience the race that is
set before us, looking unto Jesus, the au-
thor and perfecter of our faith; who, Tor
the Joy that was before Him. endured the
cross, despised the shame. and hath sat
down at the right hand Of the throne OF
God" (N. W, and said:
A very casual observer could easily tell
that many Christians have lost the JOY OF
the Christian service which they once .had,
Christian life or human living to soc that
MANY, who one day rejoiced with "un-
speaSable joy in the service OF Jesus
Christ, are to-day Indifferent. Indeed, we
ourselves find some times, when to come to
the house of God is burden, and we drag
weary body or reluctant soul into the
presence of the Almighty and try to wor-
shin Him in the beauty of holiness. we
find again and again, if we should follow
the inclination Of our hearts and minds
that we should stay at home. But those
are new experiences comparatively. Once
we could give up any pleasure Tor ar n1ur
with God, and when to have ;een IN Ills
presence and feel that He was. hearing US;
A. of Ii
have enjoyed the song and the prayer and
the service, out Of Gods heart, woul d have
been hetter to us than riches and more
precious than fine gold. But that is gone
We find ourselves sometimes coming be-
c-use we think we ought; doing this or
that service because it is customary; enter
ing into this form or that because 1t IS a
habit to do so, and in the saner :.oments
of our conscience we come sometimes TO
say: "Why is this 500" Has God changed!
Has the power of the old gospel to allie
viate human life of its brudens and suher-
ings gone? Is there less of power and eth,
cacy in the saving grace OF Jesus Chrlst
now than once? After all, is Gods service
really and truly at bottom nothing but a
drudgery? Or, has something taken place
with US? Have we left behind something
we once had and have we, passed beyond
that moment of exultant spirit when in the
presence of Jesus our heart bounded with
the joy of a new faith and the experience
of salvation? Well, we are perfectly. sure
Col has not changed. We are perfectly
sure Jesus is "the same, yesterday, to-day
and forever" We have not doubt that
the old gospel will save men to-day, and
when we come to think of it after. all ls
not the matter of being saved a subject OF
just as much joy in the. twentieth century
=. xL Gr,t napf,,ryo Hac therp hPpn
any change in the attitude of the gospel!
We are bound to confess there has been
none, and if that is true, then the trouble
is with US. Somewhere we have lost some
thing, and l am looking into faces this
morning that know better than l do, in
their experience, that that something ls
the priceless treasure of Christian hope
Now. to get that back. When / was
bow I wept when first saw the wrinkles
coming on my mothers face. I wanted
her to remain always young. and there are
thousands Of Christian hearts, some repre-
sented here, doubtless, that have wept at
the loss Of their Christian experience-it is
dead, joy is gone. Oh, what would we give
to get it back! [ am persuaded that we
would give great deal to get 1t back: nps put
way to get it back is to get into the attl-
tude of life that makes it constant. The
best thing is not to get back the Christian
experience of years ago. but to get into the
attitude of life that makes that experience
perennial.
I am going, therefore, to discuss the
sources Of joy. The thing that most lies
behind that experience and the first thing
that confronts the Christian in the mat.
ter is duty. We do not like that word
duty. We associate wi 'he, word duty;
sacrifice, and are surprised when we lind
that it is in itself a term of freedom.
When I say to you, y want you to 40
your duty" you say; Don't tax TO % me
about duty; don't like that word" That
is largely because the word has com to you
ality 1t ought to mean a matter of freedom.
Why it was duty ehind the text: Let US,
therefore, seeing we are compassed about
with SO great cloud of witnesses lay aside
every weight and the sin which is admired
bv many Tor so delight in. ONE special SIN
of the age. suppose) and let us run with
patience the race that is set before. US,
looking unto Jesus, the author. and perfect
er of our faith, who, for the. Joy that was
set before Him, endured the, cross, de-
spsed the shame, and hath sat down at the
right hand of the throne of GoG: mat
is duty. In the light with which Jesus de,,
sDlSeQ CAe cross we ouSl' ioI w o9oP go"
reason about duty. I want you to notice
that duty is an ethical term, not a legal.
There is a kind of doctrine abroad to-day
which is called the ethical religious idea. l
do not mean that at all. Duty is ethical :.
not legal. Duty resides in the recesses OF
q mans character, not in the external leg.
jsation concerning him. am a moral
being, therefore I ought. a dog or a
horse can never be called upon because Of
oughtness-they are not moral beings. They
are within the restrictions of 4 master and
that is legal There is something in man
that is IN oughtness. Il ought, therefore
I must" Because I am a moral being l
ought, therefore duty is ethical. Many
man fulflls the law and breaks every pos
sble moral duty. The saloon keeper is
doing an immoral thing. 1t is not matter
of legality or politics, but Of moral ought,
ness. Until that moral oughtness is obeyed
I am in bondage, but when l obey the
moral oughtness l am free. passed
through q great sewing machine works in
Belvidere, Ill.,, and saw the machine called
the automatic screw. The ordinary ma
chine knows more than a lot Of men. Men
can't do thing az you tell them to. You
set a man on a job OF work and he will
change the way Of. doing it just as sure as
he lives-that is, if he is an American. 1t
he is a Chinaman or Russian he won't:
That is why corporations hire that kind of
man, because he will do no more nor less
to do a thing precisely in certain way;
he won't do it; you can't hire him to do it.
But a machine will. You say that is re-
strictcd. No, it is not. 1t will take the
pig iron and turn it out perfect screws as
small as a piece in your watch, and do it
all day long. That is liberty. The iron
was restricted in the pig iron, it is at lib
erty in the screw shape because it IS dong
its intended work, and man is at liberty
only when he is doing his, God-lntended
then. I do nv duty before God, not be-