The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-01-11
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON Bf
THE REV. w. J. THOMPSON.
Subject: Warp and Woof.

J. Thompson's morning sermon was
Faith and LoveIn the Warp. Pastors
and Members in the Woof:" The text
was from l., TheSsalonians i:3. Mr..
Thompson said:
The warp consists Of the threads
running lengthwise through the entire
fabric. The woof consists Of the
!: threads crosswise, and prompteS by
the weavers fancy, may vary with
each shot of the shuttle.
The warp Of Simpson Church is that
which through these sixty-one years
has remained unchanged and is un-
& lchangeabfe. The woof, comprising
pastors and members, by inexorable
necessity and purposeful design
changes and evernore must change.
q Faith is prominent thread In the
warp. Conscious Of our spiritual
growth we reach out after God II
happily we may find and be aided oy,
Him God is not found out by search
Ing. The futility of the quest ADDS
welcome to Jesus who reveals the
sought-for God as the Father. we
hold forth Jesus the authoritative re-
realer of God and our relation to Him
as the light of the world.
Absorbed in His talks and walks,
1--WE are caught: up in His life, and by
that life conformed to his likeness.
Thus Jesus saves men by His life.
Also BY His death. The obstructions
] to the: tunnel boring tnder Manhattan
and the rivers, overcome by the engi-
&neers' sacrifice, measure their devotion
: to their idealrapid transit.
Christ's sacrifice of His life revealed
3 His complete love for His ideal. the
\ salvation of man, and makes that sal
:yation complete. We preach Christ
and Him crucifed as the all-suhcient
saviour of men who receive Him.
Philosophers reason men into disciple
ship. Without violence to reason, and
Invoking it only so far as it is part
4 OF conscience, we command men every
where to repent and believe. Repent
by ceasing to do evil; believe by the
trustful appropriation Of the Christ
6 life and death. Our forerunners in
4 this are John the Baptist, Peter and
flaming evangels on to Whitfield and
Moody. Our justification is the wit
1 ness of sins forgiven. and lives bring
s lag forth the fruits Of righteousness.
Fear is In the warp. It is ours by
generous hereditary legacy, and COM
{ passes things, beasts, men and devils:
When fear is uppermost 1t dwarfs.
Neither moral nor religious giants are
Il the product Of fear. What pygmles
s s worriment, fear OF disaster, makes.
Intimidation from eclipses and comets
science shows to be baseless.: The tear
OF beasts, which vanishes before the
prowess of the hunter. Fear Of physi-
cal man departing with war Fear to
4 sneak ones convictions and advocating
: measures he disbelieves, thus count
% ing for less than nothing, and deserv-
inc repatriation from democracy
( these are all unwholesome fears. The
Saoner banished the better.
Moral fear. Wordsworth calls duty
! the Stern Daughter Of the Voice OF
God She is a. task mistress OYER. US.
Our superior therefore we tear. Her,
commands, like chrysallis, metamor-
phoses into the pleasures Of duty. Fear
OF the law drives the criminal to out
ward legal acts. The best citizens are
& moved without fear. William Lloyd
Garrison. the great moral champion.
the centennial of whose birth this day
G is. when dragged through the streets
of Boston by mob, said his soul was
devoid of fear" ~ 4 ~
Fear is the beginning and not the
I end of morality. Cody fear. Petro-
MUS argued fear made the gods. Some
religions have their devils. We have
ours who goeth about as devourinG
s lion. The Old and New Testaments
have SIS references to fear. .
s II may be needful for the beginnings
and salutary with certain tempera-
ments, but fear is only the beginning
+ OF wisdom. .,
The almightiness OF Jehovah makes
as tremble. But He draws near to us
( in the flesh as we become one with
Him. His power is for US. Fear from
! the least to the King OF Terrors is
abolished. All power is for our. good
and we can no longer fear. Fear gives
! place to love and sinks to tue neither
! side of the warp in remembrance OF
the judgments Of the lawgiver. The
terrors of the law are replaced by the
grace Of the gospel. Fear is the be-
7 ginning Of wisdom, its end is love.
y In our necessitated helplessness in III
fancy and youth we depended upon
our fathers. That dependence met,
5 brought forth as the foremost flial
feeling, love. All men have this III
telage, and to them Jesus reveals Gcd
as the Father who excels. the most de-
voted father in giving good things.
The devotee of many gods may be
z sober until he is intoxicated at the
feast of Dionysius and be righteous
throughout all. To the same ydevotee
wisdom is virtue if he. is a states.
man and courage IT, he is soldier.
There are different virtues for different:
times and different people. Jesus re-
vealed Diety as one God and Father,
therefore virtue is one and love is
the fulfilling OF all virtue. To offend
{ in one point Of love is to be guilty OF
: aH. because Righteousness is unit.
,I The acknowledged master in my
craft addresses my ambition with.
] ...You can be an artisan equal to me
and will aid you" He has my hearts
best love. The absolutely perfect God
8 addresses my loftiest ambition with,
''Be ye perfect as am perfect and My
proffered grace. all-sufficient, is yours
for the asking" It follows my hearts