Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-08-23
MUST GO FORWARD.
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Christian Life Should Be One
of Continual Development in Good
Works.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Preaching at the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church
on the theme, ''The Christ Iife,'' the
Rev. l. w. Henderson, pastor, took
as his text Philippians i:21: For me
to live is Christ He said in the
course of his sermon:
1t is my desire to convey to your
minds and to press lastingly upon
your hearts some homely, yet help
ful, truths relative - the Christ life.
Persuaded OF the similarity of your
cares, trials, difficulties, problems, to
my own, and recognizing the COM
mon needs of all men, I would talk
toyou about this text
Horace, the old Roman poet, sings
the praises Of him to whom it is
sweet and honorable to die for his
country. I bring to you from the
Book of Books no note of death, but
psalm Of life. For me to live is
Christ and to pass beyond the veil
is but - enter into life more abund-
ant Thus says Paul. For him and
for us there is no death. To live the
Christ life here is to dwell within the
glory of His presence there For
me to live is Christ "a plan of self
dedication to His service here, al
earnest of our entrance into joy
eternal there. For apart from Me
ye can do nothing" saith the Lord.
St. Paul, the most strenuous of
Christians, epitomizes the Christian
life in these words to the church at
Phlllppi. His utterance states the
c,I1, ,,f 80 I, ~
spiritual life. Our aim and our
pleasure it should be, as it is our
DUTY, as men and women who love
our Lord, to SO live, that men, look
ing upon us, may view in us the
risen Christ.
The text presents to our minds a
1ourfold thought. Broadly speaking
We may say that men have four rela-
uons in this life-tc God, to society,
10 the home and to themselves. To
set forth the same thought different
": Men have spiritual, civil, domes-
Tic and personal duties. Relation
might Oe multiplied upon relation
uuty upon duty could be indefinitely
remarked. But that would be to
suggest subdivisions rather than fun
uamentals. Indeed, I am cognizant
mat the moral duty to the home ray
easily be included under the head OF
social relations. But for the pur-
pose of the moment we will resolve
'ne ethics Of the Christ life into the
aforementioned divisions.
The first, the greatest, the nobles1
imperative in the life of the man who
ueslres to conform to the pattern OF
lne true Christ life, who wishes te
make the words of Paul his motto
iof right living, is to love and tt
serve and obey our Heavenly Father
may say that the whole duty O.
ND ,lah IS bound up in this declaration
roF, christianity speaking, there il
~ department Of life into which tht
SSef?ice of our God does not enter
Loyalty to God is the basis of al
Tpufest living and highest thinking
10 De true to the Father is to b.
Iv!ai Wy TO society and strong for Self
W. we may not be true to God and un
uue to the social, civil and domesti
eondltlons with which the mere fac
VI NE confronts us.
D., Inc earth is the Lords and tn
1@iness ~ thereof" sings the psalmist
~ De traitor to the world is tu b
naen maSen toward the Maker We la,
op np. praise God with our lips and dis
Uuey Him in our every act. Gu
not1s, honeyed though they be, vii
nou Ount naught for us unto righteous
WS' WTss' The test of fealty is in action
the. te must measure true to the ideal
sro aV we preach. Prayer and prais
b. b. worthy, but they are not service
aver pleases God and it strength
am. Us. Praise, no doubt, makes jo
thaols thno the angels who surround tn
due. But it is the service whic
sues sues things; the prayer which re
ss9olves itself into action: the prais
ma mat is founded upon the knowledg
task, through His grace. We