Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-08-11

BENEDICT Arnold the traitor. The truth =
that &c is very easy to overload ais tne
joists and timbers of our soul with tnese
defecte. and we may notice in passing. that
a great deal that passes Tor charity y VI
tentimes a thin veneer over unmeasu,eu
masses of s~elfshness, and we may furtne5
notice that sometimes we have credited
ourselves with verytEreat tenderness ana
good will toward men, because, Tor IN
stance, we wept over the grlets ana woes
az the heroes and heroines OF hctlon, ana
ret find ourselves (such is the inertia OF
our %nature1 never so much as lifting up
our hands to relieve the unutterable, woes
that crowd in human souls all around us.
Another defect of the natural love is that
| Il Is simply an unrighteous love: | mean IT
| lacks the quality of Righteousness IN that 1t
| is a mere kindly affection and desire TO 40
| kind things to those who are oDlects OF our
| love, while at the same time there Is no
recognition of that foundation winch up.
| holds the whole process of human lie, That
fundamental truth which only can confer
| any large and permanent well being.
Finally. this natural love is oftentlmes
uneodly. That is to say, it is the recogr1-
| tion in man (the children of God) OF TIM
or that scintiIlation of the infinite good
ness. while it withholds from Him WHO
gathers unto Himself all conceivable ex
| ccellences, all truth, patience, generosity,
| tenderness, temperance, long suffering, All
purity-while it withholds from HIM the
| hearts true loyalty. SO that this native
OF natural love of which we speak IS indeed
| oftentimes a very FAINT reflection and I'M
aee of that perfect love toward winch
Christianity calls Us. And SO we turn back
| TO- the text. and hear the words that st.
Paul said: "The aim Of the command
| ment. the whole aim Of the Christian IN.
| stitution, is love out OF a pure heart, ana
out Of a good conscience and out OF ialth
unfeiened."
First-In this matter OF Christianity, we
have to do with such divine forces IN their
| operation upon human nature as ylelo
| hopes of even this great result. 1t is not
| that we expect ourselves to attain any
such goodness, but is it not possible that
He who made this thing we call the human
soul with all it's varied powers OF observa-
ton, reason, imagination, fancy and mem
DRY, conscience and will, He who MADE
this strange, subtle, intangible thing we
call the human soul, may not lie remaKe
the soul, enter into it's profoundest depths,
so reconstruct, recorder and inspire 1T that
it may shine in all the likeness of God! Is
it not said, "He will do for US lar more e =;
| ceedingly than we can ask or think!
| And that is the warrant in this CHRISTIAN
church, and in all these Christian churches
for the high aspiration toward Whlcn
Christianity points us. 80, 49,.
And the other thing to be said is this,
that however true it is that most OF us
who profess and call ourselves Christians
| come far very far, short of this high ideal
| of character; however true it is that with
many of us our Christianity is simply. as
it were, an attempt to secure self-Well,be-
| ing in the long reaching future-alas! that
it is such a narrow form of Christianity as
that-however true that may be, neverthe-
less I take it for granted that perhaps
every one present has during some Tune IN
H. ~ oron 7 ~ onntont with cnmn
soul, has become intimate perhaps with
| some life, upon whom the divine truth, the
divine providence and the divine insplra-
ton has so operated in Transforming power
that the soul seems to have entered into
the very fellowship of God, even has be-
come radiant with divine life, the features
have been chiseled bt the soul within. the
eye has looked tenderly out toward all
men whom it has met, and o and then
the very habitation and habit of such a
person becomes unspeakably endearing, be-
cause Of this dwelling of the Lord Christ
within.
~Second-The aim of Christianity is love
not only out of a pure heart. but also out
of a good conscience. That is to say, its
aim is not q mere sentimental overflow OF
tears and pity; it shall be a living. and
mighty engine within, under the guidance
of God, as to method, and as to measures,
of a widely instructed moral sense. Chris
tianity is something beside mere happiness
It aims at the great soul of life under thu
guidance and shaping OF an instructed
moral nature.
And finally the love at which Christian
ity aims is a love out Of faith unfeigned.
Let faith return. Bring back your Bible
Behold one living and eternal God. He i
love, and He has loved this poor world 81
that He has effected redemption for man
kind and lifted them across the heavens
Has thrown His arms around man IN or
der that He might lift him up by His Hol.
Spirit. Prayer, so that the broken-hearte
and the sufferer and desolate may go apar
from the eyes of man and pour out thei
: hearts to God, whose ear can catch thei
: ~faintest sigh, and whose eye beholds tn
I falling tear. Providence. No sparrow fall
c to the ground without His knowledge, an
: the very hairs Of your head are numbered
Death; transformation. Life here; intro
duction to the life eternal. Let thes
truths enter and live within human s5uls
n and somehow the human race has becom
transformed by these facts: | cannot NEE
a man, woman or child, but at once [ kno7
;: there is one whom God loves. Why shoul
e I not love that one? And so it comes t
pass that wherever Christianity is there
still love where it was not.
r Two differences are interesting. Their
may seem to you to be various defects j
n the historical parts of the Bible, but If 70
n WILL OA1y VOl 1IO WnOl CLClC ID " SNSCCl
whose breath is love, whose inspiration
,e love, which makes this earth a paradis
and a very heaven of love. If you tell N
It where that comes from [ am sure I sha
re know how God comes down to our wor]
a. in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
it Second. How much Christianity hay
you? Not how much religion. The Bra.
min, the Mahommedan have religion; tn;
ne is common to all nations, but how mue
e. Christianity have you? There is one a
ne swer. So much Christianity as we ha,
e, self-forgetfulness, self-sacrifce, charity;
much and nc more. May God help u
if There is infinite resources for us. Let
,e- look to heaven, and let us look to earl
and do the little things at hand in ord
is that when the opportunity may come '
IT. may nourish within ourselves the victc
IS ious forces of helpfulness until at lengt
if it please God, we shall be like our Lo,
It Jesus Christ, who was the very fitness
Of love toward man.
is
ow What to Preach.
nd DR.. Theodore Cuyler tells us that
zee never preached a sermon in defense of +
Scriptures. He preached the Scriptu1
themselves; and they proved to be ct
1lV mower Of G0d INTO so 1,o+;oo VIZ. -