Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-10-11
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON ~
THE REV. DR.. e. TRuMBULL LEE.
Subject: Gods Plan of a Christian.

Subject: Gods Plan OF a Christian.
Brooklyn, N. Y.-Sunday morning
| the union services Of the Central
! PRESBYTERIAN. Nostrand Avenue M. ~.
| and Puritan Congregational churches
( were transferred to the first m
| church. The preacher was the Rev.
e. Trumbull Lee, DID,, pastor OF Il
| Chambers-Wylie Memorial Presbyte-
| rian Church, Philadelphia, VINO is
| prominent in all the work OF the de-
| nomination. His subject was Gods
| Plan of a Christian and the text
was taken from Ephesians iii:l9,
"Filled unto all the fullness OF God.'
(R. W
DR.. Lee said in substance: AS the
| apex of a pyramid is that point TO-
ward which the upright lines OF the
shaft converge, so our text is the Gull
mination of the teaching in verses
1913, inclusive. & At
In these verses the sacred writer
gives in outline an inspired sketch
of a Christian as God would have
him. k. sn
The writer would have his readers
understand him, and also be enabled
TO Hi OUT CuS plan III tLCll 11NCo, ~
he makes the matter the subject of
prayer. See verse ID. He prays
(16-19) that the whole family Of
Christian believers may be character
lied by power, faith, knowledge and
love in an unusual degree, as the text
says: "Unto all the fullness Of God
That is, an overlooking measure. By
this is meant hat if in order to meet
the requirements of God in the Chris
tian life it is necessary to have
power, then we must overflow with
power, or faith, overflow with faith,
or knowledge, overflow with knowl-
edge, or love, overflow with love,
1.-The love of Christ" the redemptive
love. In a word, Gods plan of a
Christian is that a Christian is a be-
lever in Christ overfowing with
these constituent qualities of the
Christian life.
This raises the question of re-
sources. When I was living in Colo
RADIO the Arkansas River, running
east from the Rocky Mountains, car
ried a large volume of water, as it
now does. The river was drawn on
to supply canals branching from the
river and laterals from these canals,
which for extent and capacity would
soon have exhausted the river but for
vast stores Of snow and Ice piled up
In the basins or great pockets of the
mountains. which the daily toll of
the summe sun distilled into count
less streams, which flowed down and
supplied the river. The ability of the
river to supply the large draughts of
water required by the canals was in
resources which the river drew upon
in the mountains. God is character
lied by infinite resources. In Him
is an infinite reserve of power, knowl-
edge, love. He, therefore, plans that
christians shall overflow with those
qualities herein enumerated. namely,
power. faith. knowledge, love. See
the plan unfold under the master
hand of the inspired apostle. Study
with me the passage, first, the over
flow of power strengthened with
might through the Spirit, in the inner
nan + = unto all the fullness
of God"
This means that the entire moral
nature comes into touch with God at
conversion and becomes strengthened
SO that it becomes the expression of
the power of God to save. In this
city is a vast electric car system.
Each car has a known carrying ca
pacity and moves, empty or filled full
or passengers, not only on the level
at the City Hall, but up a steep grade
as when passing up Fulton street
past Fort Greene place. But such a
car is a unit in a system, let us say,
of 5000 cars. Now the company does
business on the basis always of more
than enough power for all the cars
to their united carrying capacity.
} These cars are strengthened with
might by coming into contact with
that overflow of energy. And each
a in the system is the expression of
the totally of the company's electric
power. So when We become Chris
tians we become such by coming into
| contact with God. through the Holy
Spirit, and we become the expression
on earth of Gods power to save.
This is the reason why, again and
again, vast systems of wrong and OF
unbelief have been toppled over, why
no force Of evil can ever come tC
stay.
The first question any one needs
to ask is, "Am I a Christian
Heaven Ant kell are fixed according
to the answer to that question: But
the next question is, What kind of q
Christian am II" Am I a unit Of Da.
tient, persistent, unconquerable pow
er? Counting Professionals in this
country, we are forty millions il
number. Twenty millions Of these
are members of churches. It is i'm
possible to estimate the vastness O
the victories of our religion if eacl
unit were the expression of overflow
ing power in Christian activity. Paul
however, grasped the dynamic posi-
| bllities involved, and exclaimed: &c
can do all these things through
Christ, who strengthened me-" Thi
assurance Of superlative ability O
accomplishment can be cultivated b,
us If we make use of all the agencies
instrumentalities, ordinances and in
stitutions Of our religion, just as
man in the physical world can max,
himself a hundredfold the master @
situations by laying hold Oh steam
electricity and the like.
Second-The overflow of faith
'Inat Christ NAV dwell in yo,,