The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-01-04
The PULPIT.
/ SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON By
TIE RsV. EDWARD NILES.
Subject: Godliness in Form.


BROOKLYN: y. y.-The Rev. Edward
Niles preached at the White Church
Sunday evening from II Timothy iii:5:
Holding a form Of godliness, but hay
ing denied the power thereof" he
said:
That distance lends enchantment
to the view" is true Of time as we'll
as space. The older we grow, the
more immaculate appear the imagined
days of,youth. Christian believers are
purer in our eyes in proportion 10 tne
number Of centuries that intervene:
Ayithin the covers Of every volume OF
sermons whether written II one age
or smother. are the well-nigh certain
;eremiads over these time Of extreme
worldliness. unequaled love of money.
peculiar Indifference to spiritual
things, followed by laudations OF
TIE apostolic age as the golden era or
Christianity.
4. reconstruction CT conditions exist
inc in those New Testament churches
from materials Saforded US IN the
episttes warrant no &sueh Assumption.
Heresies then were rampant. neon
sistent lives numerous. oackslloers
distressingly frequent. The things or
sense mace cogent appeal. The husks
of the gospel often satisfied to the dis
regard of it's kernel. ! PauEs' descr1p-
zion of ssthe last days" was based upon
fucfs about him AS he penned the
sentenee<of our text, he probably had
in. mind fellow communicates wne
held the form Of godiiness, but denled
$h, fhorp0f
Since then outward changes have
been many, Kingdoms have come and
gore. languages have died and been
born church order and ritual been met
amorphosed. Human nature IS un-
affected by time or cline. So the New
Testament is not a graveyard. Win
epitaphs Of only antiquarian interest,
but is Photographic Of contemporary
heart throbs.
IN our Borough of Brooklyn are 1885,
6I9 people holding to the Protestant
form Of godliness. While statistics
are unable to figure out how many
hold to the Protestant power thereon.
IF form and power were Identical, not
one of the buildings where divine wof-
shin is being held tonight would have
a vacant seat and every theatre and
hall would be utilized for overflow
meetings. ~
root meaning mot TO seek" Hold
ing form Of godliness, they have not
snnght for its power" The world has
much to say about hypocrites. I be-
lieye the outcry against them IS out
OF all proportion 70 their numbers.
The conscious hypocrite to-day is q
rare bird. have made frequent hunts
sor him. Despite the most dlilgent
search, have seldom found MIN.
The number Of those called hypo-
critics. who would rightly be catalogued
as Journalists, is legion. They are not
striving to deceive others. They sue
csed in their striving to deceive them
solves. Satisfied with the appurte-
narces. the, trappirgs Of goodness.
they INQUIRE no further. Attendants
NOON the services OF the church, mem
bers Of it, supporters Of its outward ac-
fiyities. they fancy themselves to pc
godly. Branded as Christians. they
but feebly apprehend what disrepute
they bring upon the name By their IN
feriority to the real article. Their
gullibility is wrongly taken Tor ny
pocrisy. They submit to the drudgery
OF religion to pacify troublesome tcon-
sciences and impose upon themselves.
An important reason for so many
lapses from church membership Is be
cause so many become dissahshed with
form, yet fail to seek the reality. so
give up all.
Almost every one in this congrega-
ton has form Of godliness. You look
good. I find little to criticise in What
You do. for there is so little you do on
which to base criticism. The trouble
lies in what you do not. You may
have called me here to predigest your
spiritual food. to relieve you from
first-hand study Of the Bible, to rep
resent your church not only IN classIs
but in+ the tenement. to be your proxy
in heart to heart work for souls, your
substitute when the battle is on be-
tween good and evil, while you go
Your business and household ways dur
ing the week and on Sunday enjoy
your cushioned pews, criticise the ser
mon and singing.
The Lord never called me to any like
task. If there has been ony such tacit
agreement I now repudiate it. am
called of God to point out the forms,
OF godiiness as means Of obtaining It's
powe:.
The imperative needs Of our invent
i've age have almost bodily transferred
to our language the Greek here rem
dered power in the word dynamo.
I believe in forms, just as the railroad
engineer believes in the third rail. as
he believes in the elevated structure on
the Williamsburg Bridge. But the
mass of iron is q senseless eyesore un-'
til it is connected with the main line.
Even then it is useless until related
ito the power house, until the power.
the fire-fed dynamo, sends forth the
electric current, enabling the cars to
carry thousands Of wage-earners to and
from their places Of everyday toll.
What private. concern would be: so in
tane as to sink for two years such a
wealth Of money in an enterprise; for
accumulating rust?
TTsse forms OF religion are essential as
prelimiparies to the accessories OF
power. Churches ministers; Bibles
were instituted and have been perpet-