The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-07-18
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV. DR.. ALLAN DOUGLAS CARLlLE.
Subject Christian Growth

by the death Of DR.. Louis Ray Foote
IN December last, preached for the first
lime to the congregation of that church
Sunday morning. He is now the pastor
IF 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 ii:18: But grow in grace. and
in the knowledge Of our Lord and Sa-
viour. Jesus Christ" and he said:
In the Greek the article is before the
noun in both cases: Grow in the grace
and the knowIedge..s Grace is defined,
theologicalIy and abstractly. rs Gods
loving favor; unmerited by u.s." The
grace" of our text is definite and spe-
citic: "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 Christs matchess char
acter, our development in Christ's like
ness, and not by the acquisition OF new
graces, but by growth of those with
in us already received. Growth. nor
NAL growth. is necessary to health; u
life lie checked it argues serious mnl.
ady. Christian maturity Is nothing
short of Christ-likeness. This we have
not yet attained; until we do there can
be no 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? o. 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 it not rather seriously re-
tiect upon US if we Ind 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.. rs ia nature, there is
twofold 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 it 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
neart outward; growth Of character,
md, necessarily, a growth or 1ndiVid-
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 it depends upon
.he perfection Of each several member
for its perfection. One, you see. 1s
growth in bulk, the OtheI in character
one of the corporation, of the corpor-
alton indeed, but only by the growth
If the individual, and one is the re-
building of the temple Of God. One 1s
The progress of the kingdom Of God
wherein we have n citizenship, and the
other the progress Of the kingdom OF
God, which is within you. The first
we read Of constantly, the second we
hear 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 as they are
the natural and inevitable evidence or
the working Of God-like character.
Are we growing in character at nor
NAL rate? We know the standard.
Christ gave it the parable Of the tares
and the wheat; tares and wheat grow
Ing side by side, but further and fur
ther apart. So are the church and the
world growing together, but more and
more unlike until the "arreSt. At SOW
ing time. even, was not the dividing
line clearly marked? Is it so to-day?
If not it shows change Of character on
one side OF the ot1er. Which is it?
You ask: Is not this spiritual develop
ment Of so subtle a character that we
can hope for its continuance even
though not recognized in ourselves or
others? How can there be change Of
character without corresponding
change of life? Look back to the SOW
Ing time, when to cross the dividing
life meant martyrdom. We have
harder task to perform than any mar
tyr had who died for Christ. There are
hundreds here to-day who would do
that. 1t is not hard to die for Christ,
but I tell you it is hard to live for
Christ; to plod OH day by dny on our
unheroic way, persstently, consistently
living with God in this world. And
that is your task and mine. Get the
character that will enable you to do
that and you may let the works take
care Of themselves.
That question comes: What is the
use? Does not the icatechism say we
are not going to be perfect in this life,
but will be when we die? What is the
use?" Suppose the death angel sum-
moned you to-day. In order to stand
worthily in the presence of Jesus every
thing that defleth must be stripped off.
What would there be left? A babe is
perfect, but it is only perfect baby.
I once knew beautiful child, the de-
light and Joy of the household, but,
alas! She grew up to the age Of twen-
ty and was Still babe. A babe of
three is child of promise, but babe
Of twenty is monstrosity. And is Fl
not possible that in the holy city there
are babes of three score years and ten
whose only place is among the chill
dren? Would that satisfy you? No?
Then "Grow in grace and in the knowl-
edge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ" But how? Two things are
necessary: The spirit of God in our
hearts and the knowledge Of the truth
as it is in Jesus. The spirit Of God you
have; the knowledge of the truth you
must acquire. For 1t is by the truth
that you will be liberated; by the truth
you are sanctified.
1t is not enough, therefore, to say:
II know l have not done as well rs
know; will try to do better" You al