The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-03-17
THE PULPIT.
a SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON eT
BISHOP D. n, GREER. D. T.. LID.
Subject, Standing Before Christ.


Brooklyn, n. Y.-Coadjutor Bishop
David II. Greer. ID. LID, preached
in Christ Church, his first visit to
Brooklyn since his election to his high
office, Sunday morning. His subject
was, standing Before the Master"
He chose his text from ii. Kings v:25:
He went in and stood before his
Master" Bishop Gres~ said in the
course of his sermon:
You will recall, perhaps, the connec-
ton in which these words were spoken.
Elisha the Prophet had cured u man
of his leprosy, who wanted to give the
prophet some suitable reward, but the
prophet refused to take it, and said:
LAS the Lord liveth | will not receive
it, And the servant of the prophet
is not of the same mind, and when the
man departed he said to himself: Now
| will so and take somewhat of him"
And so he did, and then when he had
stored it away in some secret place,
as he supposed. he came to where his
master was and went in and stood be-
fore him. And as he came my friends,
so we must come to another prophet
! of Israel, another and greater one
i who, although of Israel born, is the
Master of us all. to whom all hearts
are open, before whom there is no
secret, and before whom we must
stand. This is my subject for little
while this morning, standing Before
the Master"
There is great world struggle going
on to-day, which although it assumes
many different forms is yet the same.
1t is great struggle for 9reedom-a
struggle which, to be sure, has been
goinss on to some extent in every age,
but which in this particular age APP
pears on a larger field of action with
greater number of actors partici-
pating i'll it more consplcuously per-
hapS and which is carried on now as
never before with an earnestness more
earnest, with a purpose more resolute,
and its pitiful effort at times, with a
pathos more pathetic human life is
trying to set itself free from misery
and from bondage, and to become SOW
ereign lord of itself. This it is trying
to do by various means and methods,
by weapons of war on battlefelds, by
bullets and by ballots, by social agi-
tations and by political discussions, by
great material and industrial advance
ment and enrichments, widening out
and expanding and thus broadening
more and more its scope, its power, its
dominion, and, through it all, its free
dom from bondage and control.
And within certain limits that is good
and right, and much to be desired.
But freedom is like fire. When guard
ed, restrained and kept within control,
it is good for service and performing
many useful offices and tasks; but
when it is not controlled and becomes
a confagration, then it is no longer
useful and serviceable, but injurious
and destructive. And are there not I
some signs appearing here and there,
sporadcally, in spots in our modern
life, which show that the freedom fire
to-day is getting beyond control, be-
coming a contlagration, burning and
consuming, not only some of those old |
and obsolete traditions which stand |
in the way of progress, but some of
those old and pure and good and eter-
nally true traditions without which |
there can be no progress at all.
A young man in this city, in the Bor7
ough Of Manhattan. young man Of |
culture and refinement and position, |
and the graduate of leading univer-
slty, remarked to me not long ago:
LAS long as l can manage to keep
reputable outward appearance, and |
contriye to live so as not to lose the |
favor and good will of public opinion,
why should l not live to-day precisely |
as | please? Am l not free? Am | |
not the sovereign lord and master of
myself? And if | find in me certain !
natural tendencies, instincts, proclivi-
ties and passions which l love to in
dulge, which L can indulge, why should
l not indulge them? Am l not free,
the sovereign lord and master of my
self? Whose business is it but my
own, and what indeed, shall hinder?
Public opinion? But l am assuming
that public opinion will not know any
thing about it. Religion? Why, who
Knows anything about religion to-day?
The Bible? Well this is the twentieth
century, and the Bible is on the shelf.
Am l not free to do precisely as 1
please as the sovereign lord and master
of myself"
That speech perhaps, was to some
little extent typical of growing con-
d. ion, freedoms fire becoming n con-
fagration, burning down and consum-
ing some of the old, true, eternal, fixed
and established human religions; some
of the old, true and established social
restraints. And if we look at our
modern society very closely we see it
not only appearing here and there
among the young men and the young
women, but also among some others
that are not yet so young, too much
freedom, perhaps, among the old. if you
please, when they throw aside the old
fashioned feminine graces, modesties,
proprieties, too much freedom in de-
meanor and department. hoping thus
to show, perhaps, that they are eman-
cipated. But, as some one has remarked.
such freedom is not the result of high
er education, or culture. or advance
ment, or progress, bat of dull and
stunid ionnrnncn 1t is q rpNnrSian of