The Penn's Grove record., 1906-06-29
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV. DR.. ALLAN DOUGLAS cARLlLE.
Subject Christian Growth.

@hNOH ANDO Aoh
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 iii:18: But grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Sa-
yiour. Jesus Christ" and he said:
In the Greek the article is before the
noun in both cases: "Grow in the grace
and the knowledge" Grace is defined,
t~heologlcally and abstractly, as Gods
loving favor; unmerited by u.s." The
"grace" of our text is definite and spe-
cifc: "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 Christ's like
ness, and not by the acquisition or Eow
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 no more important question than:
Are we growing at Il 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 a thing. But mark
how it grew from Pentecost to John,
| and fhQn pQmQmhoI flaF Tra hora- f1,0
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-
feet upon US if we had not advanced
upon them? In the days of Ahab, the
darkest period i'll history, Elijah want
ed to die because he was no better
than his fellows.
In the church. as in nature, there is a
tWofold growth: One from without
and the other from within. From with
out the development of what l call cor
poration in numbers and in wealth and
III h consequent influence upon the
world which 1t has gained in the same
way and maintained for the same rea-
son as any other world power. The ill.,
ward growth is development from the
heart outward; growth Of character,
and, necessarily, q growth of individ-
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
the perfection Of each several member
for its perfection. One, you see, is
growth 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 a 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
tits our day. l do not wish 10 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 meal nothing beyond the
Whitewashing of the outside of the sep
ulchre, save only in so far as they are
the natural and inevitable evidence Of
the working of a GOd-like character.
Are we growing in character at a 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
Their apart. So are the church and the
world growing together, but more and
more unlike until the harvest. At SOW
ing time, even, was not the dividing
line clearly marked? Is it so to-day .:
If not it shows change of character OH
one side or the other. 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 a corresponding
change Of life? Look back to the SOW
ing time, when to cross the dividing
life meant martyrdom. We have a
harder task to perform than any mar
tyr had who died for Christ. There are
hundreds here to-day who would dc
that. 1t is not hard TO die for Christ,
but 1 tell you it is hard to live fol
Christ; to plod on day by day on our
unheroic way, persistently. 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 catechism 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 n perfect baby.
l once knew a beautiful child, the de-
light and Joy Of the household, but,
alas! She grew up 10 the age of twen-
ty and was still a babe. A babe of
three is q child of promise, but a babe
of twenty is a 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 it is by the truth
that you will be liberated; by the truth
you are sanctified.
1t is not enough. therefore, TO say:
81 know l have not done as well as
know; | will try to do better" You al
ways do as well as you know. The
truth you know has been making you
what you are. To be holy you must be
wiser; to be better you must know
more. for truth is not a thing you can
record in a book or formulate in a
creed. Truth is a great living charac-
ter, a life-determining principle: LAS a
man thinketh in his heart, so is he"
Take the Bible and follow the word.
Like growth in Christ growth in
knowledge must be gained individually.
You cannot know another's knowledge
any more than YOU can go TO heaven
on another'S faith. Some years ago in
a theological seminary a young man
was being examined. He got along
.yell until one of the examiners asked
him a certain question. which tool hin