The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-06-27
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] Sunday Sermon
! A Scholarly Discourse BY
Rev. DR.. A. D. Carlile.

ate OF the Throop Avenue PRESBYTERIAN
Church. In this borough. made vacant
by the death of Dr. Louis Ray Foote
in December last. preached for the first
time to the congregation of that church
Sunday morning He is now the pastor
OF the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church
in Pittsburg. Pa. where he is highly
esteemed. The subject Of his discourse
was "Christian Growth" His text was
II. Peter HE'S: But grow in grace. and
in the knowledge of Our Lord and Sa-
Ylour. Jesus Christ, aud he said:
In the Greek the article is before the
noun in both cases Grow in the grace
and the knowledge" Grace is defined,
theologically and abstractly. rs Gods
loving favor; unmerited by us The
grace" of our text is definite and spe-
cilic: the grace of our Lord Jesus
and. for our purpose this morning may
be taken as the sum total of the graces
that make up Christ's matchless char.
acter. our development in ChriSts like.
ness. and not by the acquisition OF new
graces. but by a growth of those with
in us already received Growth nor
NAL growth. is necessary to health: il
life be checked it argues serious NAL
ady. Christian maturity is nothing
short of Christ.likeness. This we have
not yet attained: until we do there can
be 70 more important question than:
Are we growing at normal rate!
Are we better than our fathers? Is
the Church to-day better than the
Church Of the Reformation? Or in the
Apostolic day? Perhaps you doubt the
possibility OF such thing. But mark
how it grew from Pentecost to John,
and then remember that we have the
same things before us still undone We
have the same spirit of God TO guide
us. and we have had 1900 years more
time. Would IL not rather seriously re.
fleet upon us If we had not advanced
upon them? In the days of Ahab, the
darkest period In history, Elijah want.
ed TO die because he was no better
than his fellows.
In the church. as in nature. there is o
twofo!d growth. One from without
and the other from within. From with
out the development of what | call cor
poration in numbers and in wealth and
in the consequent influence upon the
world which ii has gained in the same
way and maintained for the same rea
son as any other world power The in
ward growth is development from the
heart outward; growth of character.
and, necessarily. growth Of indjvid.
ual character. The development Of the
church in character only through the
development Of the individual charac.
Ter. For the church is like other cor
porations; it has no character apart
from its members. and il depends upon
the perfection Of each several member
for is perfection. one. YOU see, is
grow tn in bulk, the other in character
-one OF the corporation. of the corpor
alton indeed, but only by the growth
OF the individual, and one is the re
building of the temple Of God One is
the progress OF the kingdom Of God
wherein we have citizenship, and the
other the progress of the Kingdom Of
God. which is within you. The first
we read of constantly. the second we
near OF rarely, The last is the most
important and the less continuous in
this our day. do not wish to be mis-
understood. l glory in the outward
growth Of the church and the mighty
works done for Christ in the world. but
all our works mean nothing beyond the
Whitewashing Of the outside Of the sep.
ulchre. save only in so far rs they are
the natural and inevitable evidence OF
the working Of GOd-like character
Are we growing in character at a nor,
nal rate? We know ,he standard
Ihrist gave 1t the parable Of the tares
aud the wheat tares and wheat grow
ing side by side, but further aud fur
ther apart. So are the church and th
world growing together. but more ant
more unlike until the '"rceSt. At sow
ing time. even, was not the dividing
line clearly markedf Is it 50 to-day
If not IL shows change of character OF
one side or the otIer. Whjch is it
You ask: Is not this spiritual develop
ment Of so subtle a character that W,
can hope for its continuance ever
though not recognized in ourselves
others? How can there be change
character without Il corresponding!
change Of life? Look back to the sow
ing time, when to cross the dlyidinl
life meant martyrdOm. We have {
harder task to perform than any mar
tyr had who died for Christ There ar,
hundreds here to-day who would d,
that. 1t is not hard to die for Christ
but / tell you it is lard 20 live fm
Christ; to plod on day by day on ON
uuherolc way. persisteutly. consistently
living with God In this world. AuC
that is your tas, and mine Get the
character that VIII enable you TO dc
that and you may LEI the works take
care Of themselves.
That question comes What Is the
use? Does not the CatechlSm say we