The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-16
"CHRISTIAN MTSSION"-
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon by Rev.
T. j. viIlers.
Most Popular Clergyman Ia Indiana Delivers
Strong Discourse on Evangelism.

lNDIANApoIIs, Ind.-.Thc Rcv. Thomas
j; Nillers. pastor Of the First Baptist
Church, OF this city, preached Sunday
morning strong sermon, the theme OF
which was evangelism. His subject was
The Christians Mission 10 the World"
The text was chosen from John xviii: lS.
As Thou hast sent Me into the world.
even so have ! sent them into the word.'
MIR. Villers said:
The farewell discourses 10 the disciples
we're ended. Gethscmanc with its mental
anguish and bloody sweat was but n step
in the distance. The shadows flung from
the cross were decDcniDg and darkcning.
Jesus knew that before another sun should
set His work on earth would be done In
: ,se last moments lie bctook Himself to
prayer. Dying words are undying words.
We emba,n them in fragrant memories.
With eyes uplifted toward the Father, the
divine Suppliant first reviewed His own
ministry. 81 have gloriiird Thee on the
earth; | have finished the work which
Thou cavest Me to do" Then His mind
turned toward His disciples; He prayed
Tor them. declaring their mission TO be a
continuation OF His own. This thought He
emphasized before His death, on the earth.
ward side, Of Calvary, while standing in
the deer shade and gloom. "As Thou hast
sent Me into the world. even so have |
also sent them into the world The same
thought emerged with Him from the tomb,
and dropped from His lips on the heaven.
ward side OF the cross, while standing in
the light reflected from the crown. "Thcn
said Jesus to them again, Peace be with
you: as My Father hath sent Me, even su
send | YOU" Thus with the emphasis OF
repetition our Lord ammo inces the Chris.
tian's mission TO the world.
Jesus is called the apostle of our confes
c.on. He is Gods sent one, whom we con.
fess. He repeatedly laid emphasis on this
I.- I.zf ..... I.
the Father sanctifed and sent into the
world. In Johns Gospel alone He speaks
OF Himself thirty-six times as being sent
OF God. He was sent to preach good It'd
ings to the poor, to proclaim release TO the
cantlves and recovering OF sight 10 the
blind. to set at liberty them that arc
bruised. to nroc!aim the acceptable year OF
the Lord. Having finished the work which
God gave Him to do, He formed a new
aposto,ate, dignifvinq all disciples as His
apostles: for while His commission "evcn
so send you' may have primary reference
to the twelve, il aDpies with equal force
to all who have obtained like precious
fai-... God sent Him; lie sends MS. IN
the Acts We read that when Stephen suf.
fered martyrdom there arose that day
great persecution against the church at Je.
rusa.em. And they were ali scattered
throughout the regions OF .Iudea and Sa.
maria, except the twelve. They, therefore,
tndf were ScdtteTeu dDrOHU - HOJ 1Ht
twelve. for they STAYED Mt Jerusalem, brt
the laymen. the rank and fi'e Of the church
they that were scattered abroad went
about preaching the word.
Do Won pIead your lack of e,oQuence. af.
firming that YOU are slow of speech and OF
slow tongue? Listen! The gospel is good
news and good news does not need or1a.
menting. it needs telling. Listen! One
nioht at Corinth, after day of depressing
toll. when there had been little to cheer
PauPs soul. Jesus appeared tn him in
vision. saving: "B" not afraid. hut sneak"
The word which Christ used is significant.
1t is not the term for a formal set dis.
course. 1t suggests the simplest form .ot
human language. II mears mercy to talk.
Our Lord did not want Paul to suoarccat
his message with poetic. rhetorical descrip-
tons of the glory of Corinth's two seas,
Herked with white sails from manv lands
did not want him to wax eloquent amid
that pageant of islands and mountains and
groves of cypress and pine hathed in the
~low of Grecian sunsets. Jesus wanted
Panl inst to talk the Gospel At the apps.
ties feet lay the blue waters Of the
Aegean. Jesus did not want Paul to pre-
nare learned disquisitions. whose profund-
ity would equal the unplrmbed sea. ike
the preacher who was said to he invisible
six days in the week and incomprehens
on the seventh Christ only wanted Paul
to talk the gospel. In the distance
cleaned the snowy summit OF Helicon.
whose muses. had inspired Hesiod and his
school Of writers. Jesus did not want Paul,
with head as cold and a vocabulary as
icy as Helicon's summit. to show the rhett-
oric loving Corinthians that he was as oul-
tured as themselves. He wanted Paul lust
to talk the gospel. Towering within sight
stood two-peaked Parnassus. whose side
poets had climbed for inspiration. Jesus
did not want Paul to give the impression
that his inspiration had been kindled on
Parnassus, lest, coming with the enticing
words of mans S wisdom his message should
be made of none effect. lie dnted Paul
simply to talk the gospel,
o beloved. Ibis Is what the church and
the -5orld need to-day-not more clergy
men to expouni the gospel but more men
and women to talk the gospel talk it in
the home. talk it in the office, Ia k it in the
shop, talk it in the factory. talk it in the
store. talk it on the farm, talk it on the
streets, talk it on the trains-,ta.k it every
where, Suppose people call us .babblers
Jesus says: BE not afraid; keep ia king"
Suppose they say that our speech is con.
temptible. That is what the Corinthians
said OF Paul. jesus says: BE not afraid
keep taking" Suppose they affirm that
the old gospel win not do in these modern
days. that it must be refined and ntelec-
tualized. trimmed and Topped and polished
and perfumed: Jesus says: BE not afraid;
keep talking"
1t is profoundly significant that when the |
Holy Ghost came on the day OF Pentecost |
He appeared in the shape of tongue, |
which sat not only on the twelve. hut on |
each member of the church, and when that |
tongue of fire touched them they began to
speak as the Spirit gave thenr utterance. |
1t is by the tongues of Gods people that
His gospel must be published. We may
try TO excuse our silence by saying that
actions speak louder than words, and so
ii our life is right, sneech is unnecessary.
and ought to be. II is true that words
without works are like faith without works
dead But no excuse that we can frame
will satisfy Christ for our dumbness. More
than once He healed men who were pos.
sessed by dumb devils, and it must grieve
Him that so many of His seople in our
day are similarly afflicted. Ny brother, il
YOU have a dumb spirit, let Christ cast it
out that the string of your tongue being
loosed, you may speak the reconci,iating
word
A commercial traveller recently stood in
my study and gave me a chapter in his his
tory. Ten years ago he had fallen so low
through sin that he was utterly forsakeu,
east out even by his own wife. One night
he wandered into Chicago mission, where
he heard something about the love of God.
He went back every night for a week and
listened. Chords that were broken began
10 vibrate once more. On the seventh
night after the mission service, lie groped
his way through the darkness TO an Old
board fence near the house where his wife