The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-08-07
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
THE JOY OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE"
The Rev. Dr. George II. Adams Tells of
the spiritual Uplifting which Aeides
with Those Who W ak Constantly with
GAL-Pleasure in Chri stiAn Suffering.

with Those Who W ak Constantly with
GsL-Ple.sure in Christian Suffering.
NEw YORK CIrY-When Rev DIR. Geo ID.
Adams, the new pastor Of the First Bap-
tlst Church, Lee avenue and keap street,
preached ms hrst sermon as pastor OF the
church, he selected for his text: Hebrews
XII: and =: Therefore. let us also, seeing
We are eompassed about with SO great
cloud of witnesses, lay ASIDE every weight
and the Sin which is admired by many and
let US run with ps<eence the race that Is
set before Us, looking unto Jesus, the au-
thor and perfecter OF our faith; who, for
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 IN. 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.
lt takes no scholar nor, indeed, critic, OF
Christian life OF human living 10 see that
many, who one day reJoIced with ''uu-
speakable JOY" in the service of Jesus
Christ, are to-day indifferent. Indeed, We
ourselves hnd some times, when 10 come 10
the house of God Is burden, and We drag
a weary body or reluctant soul into the
presence OF the Almighty and try 60 wor'
shin Him IN the beauty of holiness" We
find again and again, II 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 for ar hour
with God, and when 10 have zen In His
presence and feel that He was hearing us;
10 enjoy the touch OF kindred spirits; 10
have enjoyed the song and the prayer and
the service. out OF Gods heart, would have
been better To Us than riches and more
precious than tne gold. But that is gone.
We hnd ourselves sometimes coming be-
"a doing
that service because II is customary; enter
ing into this form or that because II is
habit to do so, aud an the saner .4oments
al our conscience we come sometimes TO
say: "Why is this so" Has God changed?
Has the power of the old gospel 10 ale.
viate human life of It's brudens and suffer
ings gone! Is there less OF power and eiii
Cacy in the saving grace OF Jesus Christ
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 LETT 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 salvationy Well. we are perfectly sure
God has not changed. We are perfectly
sure Jesus Is the same, Yesterday, to-day
and forever" We have not n doubt that
the old gospel will save men to-day, and
not the matter Of being saved a subject OF
just as much Joy in the twentieth century
as in the first century? Has there been
any change IN the attitude of the gospeF
We are bound To confess there has been
none. and II that rs true, then the trouble
Is with us Somewhere we have lost some
thing. and j am looking into faces this
morning that know better than | do. In
their experience, that that something is
the priceless treasure Of Christian hope.
Now. 20 get that back. When / was a
bov | wept when first l saw the wrinkles
coming on my mothers face. ! wanted
her TO remain always young. aud 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 IL back! / am persuaded that we
would give great deal TO get 1t back, but
l am more thoroughly persuaded that the
way TO get 1t back ls to get into the atti-
tudc of life that makes it constant. The
best thing is not TO get back the Christian
experience OF years ago, but 20 get into the
attitude of life that makes that experience
perennial.
i am going, therefore, 10 discuss the
sources OF JOY. The thing that most lies
behind that experience and the first thing
that conironts the Christian In the mat
ter is duty. We do not like that word
duty. We associate with -he word duty
sacrifice, and are surprised. when we find
that Il is IN itself term OF cetom
When j say TO you, Il want YOU to do
your duty" you say. Don't talk to me
about duty; l don't like that word" That
IL largely because the word has con- TO you
10 mean matter OF bondage. when IN re-
alty u ought TO mean matter of freedom.
Why 1t was duty ehind the text: Let us,
therefore, seeing we are compassed about
with 20 great a cloud of witnesses lay aside
every weight and the sin which is admired
bv many Tor so delight in--ome special san
OF the age. | supposed 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. dc.
spised the shame, and hath sat down at the
right hand OF the throne Of Goo That
Is duty. In the light with which Jesus de
spsed the cross We ough. not TO stop and
reason about duty. | 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.
do not mean that at all. Duty is ethical.
not legal. Duty resides IN the rccesses OF
a mans character, not IN the external leg
lslation concerning hIm. j arm moral
being, therefore j ought. 4 dog or
horse can never be called upon because OF
oughtness-they are not moral beings. They
are within the restrictions OF a master and
that is legal. There is something in man
that Is an ouphtness. II ought, therefore
j must" Because | am a moral being
ought therefore duty - ethical. Many
man fultills the law and breaks every pos
sibe moral duty. The saloonkceper is
keeping the letter OF the law, but he IS
doing an immoral thing. 1t IS not a matter
of legality or politics, but OF moral ought,
ness. Until that moral oughtness - obeyed
i am in bondage, but when ] obey the
moral oughtness j am free. j passed
through "A great sewing machine works IN
Belvidere, H.. and saw the machine called
the automatic screw. The ordinary ma.
chine knows more than lot OF men. Men
can't do thing az you tell them 20. You
set a man on a job OF work and he will
change the way OF doing II Just as sure as
he lives-tbat is, II he Is an American. II
ne n a Chinaman or a Russian he wont.
That is why corporations hire that kind Of
man, because ne will do no more nor less
than he is told. But you tell an American
TO do thing precisely IA certain way;
be won't do Il; you can't hire hun TO do IT.
But a machine will. You say that - re
stricted. No, II is not. IL Will take the
pig iron and turn IT out perfect screws as
small AZ piece IN your watch, and do 70
all day long. That % liberty. The iron
was restricted IN the pig iron, u u al lib
erty IN the screw shape because Il - dong
its intended work, aud man u At liberty
only when he Is dong his God-intended
service. Morally speaking. duty is ethical,
then. ! DO my duty before God. not be
cause ] must, out because / ought. ! arm
less a man and less free when / refuse 90
do thing ! was made TO do. The chief
end Of man, says the catechism, - % wor-
ship God and enjoy Him. Exactly. 20
that duty y a part oi IJy in service
selfshness is incompatible with service
The servant j. not the servant when think.