Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-04-14
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN INTERESTING DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. J. A. TRACY.

Subject: Perseverance-The True joys OF
Religion-Impressive is the Cheerful
ness Born Of the Testimony of q Good
Conscienee-No Compromise With Sin.
BRooKLYN, N. Y.-The Rev. J. A. Ira
Sunday, in the Church of the Visitation,
on Perseverance" Father Tracy took
as his text, ''Be faithful until death, and
will give thee the crown of life" lApo-
calypso ii: 10), and said:
can imagine no sight more inspiring
or more consoling than that which I be-
hold before me to-day. Hundreds of souls
have listened obediently to the voice Of
God speaking through us and hundreds Of
of grace from on high. Cheerfully and
bravely you have looked into the condi-
tlon OF your consciences and on detecting
the marks of sin there you hastened to the
trlbunal OF penance, you exposed the guilt
contracted by sin, you resolved that with
the help OF Gods grace you would never
compromise yourselves in the sight of God
again. The absolution of Gods represen-
tatlve was pronounced over you and you
went forth with light hearts and pure con-
sciences and grace filling your souls. By
the reception of Holy Communion the seal
was set upon your resolutions and the act
recorded in the book of life. Your bodies
are now the temples of the Holy Ghost,
your souls are burning with His grace and
in your present condition you are worthy
to be called saints, the name given by st.
Paul to the early Christians.
Hence I have no hesitation in saving
that the congregation assembled here to-
day, pure, holy, unspotted, cleansed from
the deflement of sin, is an object of COM
placency to the blessed and adorable Trim
lty; to God the Father, because He sees
His people, the work of His hands, faith
ful, loyal and obedient;; to God the Son,
because His tremendous sacrihce has not
been in vain; to God the Holy Ghost, be-
cause your souls are the receptacles Of His
grace and you show the work of His
mighty hand. And the guardian angels of
this church participate in the common joy,
for they see the glory given to God by His
faithful people. Yes, from the heights Of
heaven above the cherubim and seraphim
look down upon you to-day and bless God
their Master for His mercy to you and
for the wonders of grace wrought in your
souls
And we, too, bless God and fall down
in humility before Him at the thought of
having been His unworthy instruments
in this mighty work For it is not we
that have done it. Irresistibly the convic-
ton Is borne home upon us that 'this
change is the work Of the right hand of
name received your confessions; we
have listened to your sighs of repent
ance; we have heard your resolutions OF
amendment, and have satisfied ourselves
OF your determination to persevere in grace
and holiness. By your own free act you
declared an eternal divorce from sin. That
resolution was registered in heaven, and
in judgment it shall be brought forth as
testimony-for your everlasting Joy if you
have kept it; for your eternal confusion
if you have failed.
Think, first, of the base ingratitude to
Christ implied in a return to sin. With
eyes of faith you have been able to dis
Germ as never before the significance o1
the life and death of your Redeemer. You
have made a personal application of the
| it was all done for you. Yes, our Saviour
had you in mind when He was subjected
to outrage and ignomy in the court of Pi
] late; when the fierce scourges descended
upon His face and back; when the thorny
crown was cruelty pressed upon His sacred
brow; when He hung bleeding and tori
| upon the cross. The thought that 20,
would appreciate His sacrifice and prof
by it, and through it be enabled to obtair
mercy and forgiveness from His heavenly
Father reconciled Him to the cruelty O
which He was victim. If our Lord ad
dressed you personally to-day He woult
| assure you of this and tell you that tn,
thought of your conversion made His suf
ferings, sweet. Moreover, He took tn,
hend the infinite love of His sacred heart
Gods love for man might have been writ
ten in characters of blazing gold across tn
heavens; it might have been proclaimed
throughout the universe by an archangel
and man would have still remained skepti
cal. He would ask for further proof Blu
| when the Son of God Himself takes flesl
can be 80 hard and stony, so insensible t.
gratitude as to refuse to be drawn to Go,
and return love for love-
What baseness, then, and what treach
cry it is to receive the gifts of God and t.
turn over to His enemy that which shoul
serve His honor and glory. How migrate
full the heart made for God and virtu
which uses the power that God gave
in self-indulgence and sin. How wicke
the soul redeemed by Christ which renew
again His terrible passion. For we do r
new Christ's sufferings when we sin. w
wave aside the marks of His lov
for us and as far as we are able W
say, "these things mean nothing to me-
have passions which must be satisfied, an
bitions which must be attained, avaric
which must be satiated. The teaching
the passion of Christ stand in the way
these and must give way before them.
And is it possible after all the manifest;
tions of Christ's goodness that you wi
again join forces with His enemy, the d.
vii? Shall you again take up the scourp
and shed the blood of your Saviour? Sha
you again press down upon His head tt
crown of thorns? Shall you make Hi
cry out in bitter complaint, "Of what u
; was My blood?" Oh, God forbid; God Or
serve you from such cruelty and treac
cry.
Again, remember that return to 81
will replunge you into the pitiful sta
from which you have just emerged. Be;
m mind the significant words of Chris
'f;o man putting his hand to the plo
and looking back is fit for the kingdom
heaven" We have begun the good wor
why should we look back? Can you aga
; face the misery and remorse you expe1
| enced while under the guilt of sin? w
| it not difficult enough for you to summe
! | up courage to break away from sinful ha
its, to confess the sins that oppressed yo
soul, to triumph oyer the concupiscen
. that held you captive? Would you aga
place your souls In the slavery Of the e,
one who seeks your destruction! Y,
} are now healed; take to heart, then, q
!. words of Christ, go now and sin !
! more lest some worse thing befall thee
Strengthen your resolution. remain faithf
: and do not fall into the happy conditi,
: of him of whom our Saviour spoke VIII
!. He said: Cali who shall see him shall
= l. u