The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-09-29

as II that was what We profoundly De"
lieved). God loved the world" does not
mean the elect. me and my wife. my son
John and his wife: We four. no more,
amen" Not the people We like, but the
heather Chnee 1t does not mean simply
that God made this world-that is wonder
ful-but the gospel says the world Is not
simply a law world, but it is a lave world.
If any man says it is easy to believe. he
does not know much about it. II you lose
one whom YOU love better than your
self it is not easy to believe it is love
world. When some bitter trouble comes,
when pain racks your body, when the one
thing YOU lived for is taken away. in the
hour of trouble and toll and PAIN 1t is not
easy to get up and say: Il will be man
after the heart OF Jesus Christ, for L be-
lieve that God loves the word; 1t Is love
world"
I do not believe there is one mother or
father that has had experience, VINO does
not know it is not easy to beiere at times
that God loves the world. But it is the
gospel, the great gospel Of Jesus Ihrlst.
The second thing is this: God 40 loved
the world that He gave'-what is the mes
sage of Jesus Christ abou. God giving! IL
simply means that God does not superln,,
tend the world at distance. like the old
Greek idea of gods set up there IN O,Em-
pus, where the waters are cooi and the ar
sweet. ard there is shade from the burning
sun and all that the world needs to Crafty.
the senses. That is the Grecian idea OF
God 1t is not my idea OF God at all. we
still think of God on His throne. not
dwelling down here. As Tennyson says.
"a god into whose nostris the steam OF
life hardly comes" God is not away above
the word; not experimenting the ~oTld
somewhere outside the world, but the IDEA
is, God is right there where HIS chlidren
are. Where they suffer, God Is; where
thew rejoice, God is; where life is sweet,
God is: where love is. God is: God SO
loved the world that He gave Nothing
costs like giving A mother gives her babe
life. but it costs her much. We give our
children the best we have. We give them
our main. the result of hours of toll; we
piye and are glad to give because we love
them. I say: "What will you give for your
SOM" You say: II am not talking about
those things; it is sacrilege; l will give all
| for nv SON." There is not mother IN
| this church who would not give her lite for
| her daughter. There is not a decent man
| in this church who would not give his last
dollar to save his boys he or hoh9r.ihe .ie
would give his hand, his life, TO make the
how what he ought to be. God SO loved
the world that He gave How did God
giye9 I do not know. How could God feel
paine l do not know. How could He en-,
dure? do not know. But it is the gospe,i
| Of Jesus Christ: "God so loved-He gave:
Then can 90 out into the world, and 1t 70
| NOT so hard to give. do not want to suck
the world like an orange. / know every
now and then temptation says: Get that
sweet thing. But life is giving. not tax
ing" That means pain, toll, disappoint-
ment-it may be, death. God 80 Iovea-
that He gave" Then | begin to under'
stand. If the God and Father OF Jesus
Christ is giving, cannot give! Cannoi oI
that boy, who is thinking only OF good
time. begin to give? remember, long ago,
in the Old study at home making up my
mind what my life was going, to be-
longed to be a soldier and follow IN the
footsteps of my forbears, but 1t flashed
| upon me that only wanted Just to have
good time. and prayed God for grace to
| lead a useful life. We have got to make
| choice between giving life and getting life
one is the worldly life and the other Is 7 the
| Christian life. The whole purpose OF eoo
comes out in giving. God Himself Is :, a
| civer: "God so loved the world that he
gave" ,, :. :.
something looking down, but something IN
|
soften Son. What is third? Love victor
ious. The love of God is not Simply. beau.
tiful. oatient pain, universal thing, but
an ana almighty thing. Back of the love- love OF
God is all mighty, all wisdom, all resource .Sst
saws "Shall not perish" He says whose
ever believeth shall not perish. Not the
hero, the great, the wise, the strong but
| the whole world of men, II there IS any, any
thing in me that is worth living, God viii
keen my life; if nothing, l do not want 70
be kept alive. I can 60 on working, trying
to love. trying to be patient and true; and md
at at last G can 60 to sleep, for "God so loved
the world that He gave His only oegotten
Son that whosoever believeth in him HIM!
might not perish: but have ever!aitns m u ns
life" Universal life. NOW, tnat 'fu gu '' the
world. Let us try to give it, for the world
wants it to-day just as badly as it did nine
teen hundred years ago.