Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-09-28
p. c. COLLINS, Cashier.

Qled fOr want OF roots OF CONTINUOUS
power-evolution. I Go not like that
word, but we will use it now.
Now, as opposed to both Of these peo-
pie, those who give the world no new
truth and those who give the world
nothing but new truth. The Christian
church at large represents the latest
truths, as well as the first truths, and
the first as well as the last. There is
no fault to find with these new doc
trines. Of course not. On the con-
trary. For instance, the dynamic pow
er-that capital and most useful thing,
the dynamic power of the forces of
nature prayerful desire for the heal
ing Of the sick. All right. The power
of altruism, sacrificed for the healing of
the sins of society. All right. Ny
good friends, they are plucked straight
from the branches of the tree of the
gospel. There is no fault to find with
these. On the contrary, it is for the
sake of their production that we in
sist that they be taken in connection
with the tree that has grown them
Jesus Christ and His sacrifice from
which they sprang. Every institution
springs from some root or other. There
is the font at the door of the church.
w Gil, IL 1CpA CSSAlS anu oOAlN-
body says it is a good thing to have
a conventional symbol of purity or i'm
provement. But do you suppose it
conventional symbol of purity or i'm.
provement? Why, my friend, that
font reaches down and down through
all the strata of history; through the
darkness of the Middle Ages, down to
+ha ,,cf ,ictio f11ri 6nvUn tn
Jewish rites; down to the ancient
pagan and prophetic mysteries; all OF
which had their thought, OF what an
swers to it, under the direction Of Him
who lighted, not merely Jews and
Christians, but "every man that COM
eth into the world"
This baptism is a reality in the uni
verse forever, because it lives by it's
roots. I might prove the same thing,
if I had time, with regard to the cross
or the altar, which goes down through
the centuries, lack to. time and space
before the foundation of the world.
These, with other Christian doctrines,
illustrate the Divine method, which is
continual progress without any loss.
In other words, as the apostle says,
mot unelothed, but clothed upon" The
principle is equally true Of ourselves
and our whole existence, for apparent
ly there is never real break in the
progress of humanity. The Christian
is never ripe, he is always ripening.
Even in the moment of death he is still
growing. Obscurely, but just as stead
lily as when he. was a babe. When
passing by death through the blessed
gate like the newborn infant he is be-
ing clothed upon with new senses,
new power and understanding, new
ways Of looking at things, so that hav-
ing died, as we call it, he stretches out
the arms and limbs of his being and is
''clothed upon" like a tree in spring
time. Life is worth living. Aye, in
deed. it is. Don't you ever imagine
for a minute that it is not. Life is
worth living to degree you have no
conception Of because the glory that is
coming upon us, that is to be put upon
us, may be measured, by the highest
standard the world has ever seen, the
sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nothing is ever lost; it would be con-
trary to the laws Of nature to suppose
such thing but it is glori6ed to a de-
gree that passes understanding to con-
ceive: "Not unclothed, but clothed
uDon."