The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-04-07
PRACTICAL RELIGION
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Arguments of Some Who Profess
Christianity Are Not in Accord
With the Truth.

BROOKLYN. n. Y-The Rev J. A. Ira
ey, c. NJ. OF Germantown, Pa, preached,
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." (Apo
calypso H. l0), and said:
j can imagine no sight mere inspiring
or more consoling than that which l be-
hold before me to-day. Hundreds OF sous
have listened obedienty to the voice of
God speaking through Us and hundreds of
hearts have been opened to the infusion
of grace from on high. Checrfully and
bravely you have looked into the condi.
ton of your consciences and on detecting
the marks of sin there you hastened to the
tribunal OF pcnance, you exposed the guilt
contracted by sin, you resolved that with
the help OF Gods grace you would never
compromise yourselves i'll the sight of God
again. The absolution OF Gods represen-
tative 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
Paul to the early Christians.
Hence l have no hesitation in saying
that the congregation assembled here to-
day, pure, holy, unspotted, cleansed from
the detlement or sin, is N object Of COM
placency to the blessed and adorable Trim
ity; to God the Father, becau|e He secs
His people, the work OF His hands, faith
full, loyal and obedient;; to God the Son,
because His tremendous Sacril.ce 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,
.or they see the glory given to God by His
faithful people Yes, from the heights of
heaven above the eherubim and seraphim
their Master for His mercy N You and
sor the wonders OF grace wrought in your
souls.
And We. too, bless God and fan 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 th't this
change is the work of the right hand OF
the Most High" But We have in His
name received your confessions; we
havo listened to your sighs OF repent
arce; we have heard your resolutions OF
amendment, and have satisfied ourselves
cf your determination to persevers in grace
and holiness. BY your own free act you
declared an eternal divorce from sin. That
resolution was registered III heaven. and
when you stand before the throne OF God
in judgment it shall be brought forth as
testimony-for your everlasting joy ii you
have kept it; for your eternal confusion
if you have failed.
Now. there is no doubt aboat your pres
ent dispositions We know that as you
now stand your hearts are for God and
against sin. Bdc We cannot close our eyes
10 the melancholy fact that the flesh is
weak. When the present religious feryor
has passed your old enemy, the devil, will
return to the attack and You must be pre-
pared TO meet him. You must not deceive
yourselves, but look the situation straight
in the face and take measures according
ly. In 4 matter so serious it will be Of
immense service to, US to consider what 1t
means to fail
Think. first. of the base ingratitude to
Christ implied in a return to sim With
eyes Of faith. YOU have been able to dis.
cern as nevt before the significance Of
the life and G-ath Of your Redeemer. You
nave maue PSsSiGi aPpAcdIoi Vi INC
lessons YOU have seen. You realize that
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 torn
upon the cross. The thought that you
would appreciate His sacrifice and profit
by it. and through it be enabled to obtain
mercy and forgiveness from His heavenly
Father reconciled Him to the cruelty OF
which He was victim. If our Lord ad.
dressed You personally to-day He would
assure you of this and tell You that the
thought of your conversion made His suf-
ferings sweet. Moreover, He took the
most effectual way of making you compre-
hend the infinite love Of His sacred heart
ten in characters OF blazing gold across the
heavens; it might have been proclaimed
throughout the universe by an archangsi,
and man would have still remained skepti-
cal. He would ask for further proof. But
when the Son of God Himself takes aesh
and suffers and dies for man. what heart
can be so hard and stony, so insensibie to
gratitude as to. refuse to be drawn to God
and return love for love.
What baseness, then, and what treach-
cry it is to receive the gifts of God aud to
turn over to His enemy that which should
serve His honor and glory. How migrate
ful the heart made for God and virtue
which uses the power that God gave it
in self-indulgence and sin. How wicked
the soul redeemed by Christ which renews
again His terrible passion. For We do re-
new Christ's sufferings when we sin. We
wave aside the marks OF His love
for rs and as Tar as we are abe we
say. these things mean nothing to me.
have passions which must De satisfed,~sa.-
bitiens which must be attai".5ii avarlce
which mast be satiated. The teachings.
the passion OF Christ stand in the way Of
these and must give way before them"
And is 1t possible after all the manifesto.
tions of Christ's goodness that you will
again join forces with His enemy, the de-
cil; Shall You again take up the scourge
and shed the blood OF your Saviour. Shall
you again press down upon His head the
crown OF. thorns? Shall you make Him
cry ont in bitter complaint, "Of what use
was My blood!" Oh. God forbid: God pre-
serve you from such cruelty and treach-
cry.
Again. remember that return to sin
will replunge you into the pitiful state
from which you have just emerged Bear
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