The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-09-13
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. A. H. c. MORSE.
Subject: Powerful Promises.


tor, the Rev. A. H. q. Morse, had as
his subject, Powerful Promises" The
text was from IL Peter id: Whereby
are given unto US exceeding great and
precious promises; that by these we
might be partakers of the divine ma
ture, having escaped the corruption
which is in the world through lust"
Mr.. Morse said:
At any rate the Bible is frank. 1t
says the plainest things about mans
sin. But it also holds before him q
wonderful hope. To-day he is mired in
corruption. Tomorrow he may have
escaped from this and become like
God. The whole gospel is found in
these few words
We have here 4 statement of the fact
of sin and its origin. The fact is ''cor-
ruption" and the origin through lust. -
I know that there are worldly-wise
men who sneer at the third chapter of
Genesis. But this l have noticed. that
they sse uniformly unable to give US a
simpler solution of the mystery Of evil.
Some ewAere and at some time the race
must have sinned. The stream of life
has been poisoned, and this must have
taken place et its fountain head, for
we cannot fI d any divisions which do
not have the entire characteristics of
the whole. The Bible says the event
took place in the first man, before a
single son was born, and he lusted af-
ter something which was forbidden to
him, and that by his disobedience he
fell from primal innocency, and
lurched the race. and entailed condi-
ton of corruption. And that we have
aggravated this calamity by repeating
sin and deepening the ruin.
But am not so much concerned to-
day about the origin of the condition.
We can leave that with single word.
But there are certain facts that cannot
be brushed aside A man may ques-
tion the story as it is written in Scrip
ture, but he cannot deny it, for it does
not come within the region of denial.
Neither. can he deny the story as it is
reproduced in life to-day. Have you
never plucked forbidden fruit? Have
you never lusted for pleasure which
has been distinctly forbidden? And as
a consequence Of transgression, have
you never experienced repulsive sick
IIcS5 anu dll lulOlClOUlC IOoluiuS, ~
that you have known what is the
meaning of this phrase, "the corrup.
tion which is in the world through
lust" Do you not know anything at
all Of the lashings of remorse?
Let me ask you another question.
How does it happen that the heart is
so constantly running DOWN." Why
must it be repeatedly wound up and
fastened with ratchets? Why do we
have to make and renew resolves, and
lash the will to the sticking place."
Why is it that man never backslides
into holiness? Why cannot. we take of
the brakes and find ourselves gliding
into the highest moral living? Every
thing, We are told, tends to move in
the line of least resistance. Do we
find that we are drifting toward char
ity and holiness and beneyolence and
virtue? Nay. but to all of us these
graces are the fruit Of serious toll.
They are magnificent possessions, more
precious than gold and sparkling gems,
but they are gotten only by struggle
and privation and self-denial. And
that word "self-deniap contains q fos-
sill history OF primal sin. 1t tells us of
an evil self that must be constantly de-
MED, because its desires are wrong.
But whence this evil self, and whence
these wrong desires?
But let US come little closer to this
subject. Let me hint at tire things that
we cannot spread before the public,
our secret thoughts and faults which
are hidden. The thoughts that creep
into the heart and nestle there. Can
you tell me whence they come? Tell
me. for instance, whence come the envy
and jealousy and malice and evil de-
sire, ard the lust for gold that makes
the thief, and the thirst for blood
which crimsons the hand of murder
Do you not think these things arise in
human life as malaria and pestilence
from a death-dealing bog? Do they
not bespeak what this Scripture calls
corruption which is in the world
through lust?" suppose that the an
gels before the throne Of God would
shirk from having their thoughts pro-
claimed with the trumpet Of Gabriel.
! know that Jesus has torn open His
heart and flung out challenge which
no man can accept. (which OF you
convinceth Me of SIM" said He. But
we cannot do that. We hide our
thoughts and cover onr faults with a
crimson blush, and walk among our
nearest friends with a coward's step.
But what has befallen man? If God
made him innocent-and nobody ques-
tons this-something must have hap
pened to corrupt his thoughts and
make them so black that he stands in
dread Of the day for which. all other
days were made, when this hidden his
tory shall be revealed.
There Is something. pathetic in mans
attempts to assert his. worth. We
speak. for instance, Of the Majesty OF
conscience" ard the Dignity Of hu-
man nature" and Of the Brotherhood
of God" and the brotherhood of
man" as if these terms were true and
meaningful. Take the first Of these
and see what comfort there is in it.
THE majesty of conscience" But do
you not know that conscience almost
always speaks in Judgment? 1t seems
to have lost its authority to command
if it ever possessed that authority. 1t
cannot insist upon obedience, but can
only raise its voice in remonstrance.
1t can be easily overruled, and voted
down, and then it can only record a
minority vote. and lapse into silence.
But there is more in this scripture
than statement OF the fact of sin.
Here are also these great and pre-
cious promises whereby we may be-
come partakers of the divine nature"
That is, men may become as God. And
the warrant for this promise is found
in the fact of correspondence between
the divine and the human. The nat
ural man cannot discern spiritual