The Penn's Grove record., 1905-08-25
THE PULPIT,
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. A. H. c. MORSE:
Subject: Powerful Promises.

Strong Place Baptist Church. the mas
TOT, the Rev. A. II. G. Morse. had as
his subject, powerful Promises" The
text was from III Peter ia: WHEREBY
are gwen unto us exceeding great and
precious promises; that by these We
might be partakers of the divine ma.
ture, having escaped the c%orruptjou
which is in the world through lu@"
MI. Morse said:
AT any rate the Bible is frank. II
says the plainest things about mans
sin. But it also holds before him a
wonderful hope. To-day he is mired in
corruption. Tomorrow he NAV have
escaped from this and become like
God. The whole gospel is found in
these few words.
we nave here a statement of the fact
OF san n its origin. The fact is ''cor-
ruptlon" and the origin through lust"
l know that there are worldly-wise
men who sheer at the third chapter of
Genesis. But this 1 have noticed. that
tney are uniformly unable to give us n
simpler solution of the mystery Of evil.
somewhere and at some time the race
must have sinned. The stream of life
a beer poisoned, and this must have
taken place at its fountain head. for
we cannot find any divisions which do
not have the entire characteristics Of
h 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 10
MIN, and that by his disobedience be
iell from a primal %innocency, and
urched the race, and entailed a cOndi-
ton OF corruption. And that we have
aggravated this calamity by repeating
sin and deepening the ruin.
But l am not so much concerned TO-
day about the origin of the condition.
we can leave that with a single word.
But there are certain facts that cannot
be brushed aside. A man may oues-
ton the story as it is written in Scrjp-
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 a repulsive sick
ness and an intolerable loathing so
that you have known what is the
meaning of this phrase, ''the corrup-
ton which is i'll the world through
Iust? 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
nave to make and renew resolves. and
lash the will to the sticking placer"
Why is it that a man never backslides
into holiness? Why cannot we take off
the brakes and find ourselves gliding
into the highest moral living? Every
thing. We are told, tends to move i'm
the line of least resistance. Do we
find that we are drifting toward char
lty and holiness and benevolence 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 s%elf-deniaI. And
that word ~"self-denial'' contains a fos-
sill history OF primal sin. 1t tells us of
All 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 a little closer to this
subject. Let me hint at the 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, and 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 pestiIence
from a death-dealing bog? Do they
not bespeak what this Scripture calls
a corruption which is in the world
through lust?" l suppose that the an
gels before the throne of God would
shirk from having their thoughts pro-
claimed with the trumpet of Gabriel.
l know that Jesus has torn open His
heart and flung out q challenge which
no man cal accept. (Which Of you
convinceth Me of sin?" said He. But
we cannot do that. We hide our
thoughts and cover our faults with &
crimson blush, and walk among our
nearest friends with a towards step.
But what has befallen man? If God
made him innocent-and nobody cues
lions 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 i'll mans
attempts TO assert his worth. We
speak. for instance. Of the Majesty OF
conscience" ard the Dignity of hui
mar 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 consciencer.' 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 i'll remonstrance.
1t can he 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 a 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
things, and it is 10 use to talk to him
about them. for there is 10 correspond
ence, no basis of affinity, no ground of
fellowship. But man was made in the
image of God, and it was possible for |
God to take upon Himself mans ma
ture; and it is within the power of
every man, by the grace of God. to
take OIL also the divine nature, TO be
made like God.
That is what is said in the word be.
fore us. And this is done by n single
act. Man fell, we are told, by reach
ing after the divine attributes. 'Yc
shall be as God" was the lying promise |
Of the tempter, and by listening to that
we were caSt to thp level of haaste