The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-10-14

| wrote inc Tospt4 81 st. John TIVE ID uob
/ know who hc wasl knew the very essence
| cf the gospel, and l think cycryba Nv agrees
/ with him--thc Presbyterian, The Raf,tial
the Methodist, the Episopalian-
believes that 1t Is the very heart OF the
gospel Of Jesus That is the very essetc.
Gf the dear Lord love and life and teach.
ing. 1t is what lie began to preach, went
on to preach died 70 preach and rose
again to preach
That verse ssys three things First,
God loved tho world" You say: Il know
it," No, YOU don't know it. 1t is a tire
mendous thing to know. You say: II be.
thing to believe. God loved the word
That does not mean, God loves me; Col
loves the United States 1--WE Americans
as IL that was what we profoundly be-
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 Chinee II does not mean simply
that God made this world--that is wonder
ful-but the gospel says the world is not
simply law world, but it is love 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 1T 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 it is not
easy to get up and say: II will be maR
after the heart of Jesus Christ, for ! be-
lieve that God loves the world; it is love
world"
do not believe there is one mother or
father that has had experience, who does
not know it is not easy to believe at times
that God loves the world. But it is the
gospel. the great gospel of Jesus Christ.
The second thing is this: God so loved
the world that He gave"-what is the mes
sage Of Jesus Christ about God giving? 1t
simply means that God does not superin,,
tend the world at distance, like the old
Greek idea of gods set up there IN Olym-
pus. where the waters are cool and the air
sweet, and there is shade from the burning
sun and all that the world needs to gratlty
the senses. That is the Grecan 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:
IA god into whose nostrils the steam of
life hardly comes" God is not away above
the world; not experimenting the world
somewhere outside the world, but the idea
is, God is right there where His children
are Where they suffer, God Isl where
they 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 pain, the result of hours of toll. we
give and are glad TO give because we love
them. I say: "What will you give for your
son?'' You say: II am not talking about
those things; it is sacrilege; | will give all
for my SON" There is not mother In
this church who would not give her life Tor
her daughter. There is not decent man
in this church who would not give his last
dollar to save mis- boys life or honor-he
would give his hand, his life, to make the
boy what he ought to be. God so loved
the world that He gave How did God
give? / do not know. How could God feel
pain? DO not l-now. How could He en-
dure? do not know. But it is the gospel
Of Jesus Christ: God so loved-He gave.
Then can go ont into the world, and 1T is
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 50 loved
stand. If the God and Father of Jesus
Christ is giving cannot | give? Cannot
that boy, who is thinking only Of good
time, begin to give? ] remember, long ago.
in the old study at home making up my
uind what my life was going to be. /
longed to be soldier and follow in the
footsteps of my forbears, but it flashed
upon me that / only wanted Just to have
good time. aud 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 the
Christian life The whole purpose Of God
comes out in giving. God Himself is
giver: God so loved the world that He
gave
The third thought: First, the world is
love world: second, love is not simply
something looking down. but something in.
dwelling here with us, giving His only be-
gotten Son What is third? Love victor
ious. The love OF God is not simply beat
tiful, patient pain universal thing. but
an almighty thing. Back of the love OF
God is all mighty all wisdom, all resource
God that made the world is the God that
says, "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. If there is any.
thing in me that is worth living, God will
keep my life; if nothing, I do not want to
be kept alive. can 60 on working, trying
to love. trying to be patient and true, and
at last can go to sleep, for God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten
Son that whatsoever believeth in Him
might not perish. but have everlasting
life" Universal life. Now, that you have
got. 1t is the church's heritage for the
world Let lis try to give it, for the world
wants it to-day just as badly as 1t did nine-
teen hundred years ago
NrArIrpI7,c MASsry,r, tcOPECTEp