The Penn's Grove record., 1906-01-12
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BT
The REV. W.. J. THOMPSON.
Subject: Warp and Wool.

j. T~hompson's morning ermon was
Faith III Love in 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 wool consists of the
threads crosswise, and prompted by
the weaver's 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-
changeable. The wool, comprising
pastors and members, by inexorable
necessity and purposeful design
changes and evermore must change.
Faith is a prominent thread in the
warp. Conscious of our spiritual
growth we reach out after God if
happily we may find and be aided by
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-
vealer of God and our relation to Him
as the light of the world.
Absorbed in His talks and walks,
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 distractions
to the tunnel-boring under Manhattan
and the rivers, overcome by the engi-
neers' sacrifice, measure their devotion
to their ~ideal-rapid transit.
ChristS sacrifice of His life revealed
His complete love for His ideal, the
salvation of man, and makes that sal
walton complete. We preach Christ
and Him crucified as the all-suficient
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 a part
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
life and death. Our forerunners in
this are John the Baptist, Peter. and
flaming evangels on to Whitfield and
Moody. Our justification is the wit
ness of sins forgiven, and lives bring
ing forth the fruits of righteousness.
Fear is in the warp. 1t is ours by
generous hereditary legacy, and COM
passes things, beasts. men and devils.
When fear is uppermost it dwarfs.
Neither moral nor religious giants are
the product of fear. What pygmies
worriment, fear of disaster, makes.
Intimidation from eclipses and comets
science shows to be baseless. The fear
of beasts. which vanishes before the
proweSs OF the hunter. Fear of physi-
cal maj departing with war. Fear to
speak ones convictions and advocating
measures he diSbelieves, thus count
ing for less than nothing, and deserv-
ing repatriation from a democracy
these are all unwholesome fears. The
sooner banished the better.
Moral fear. Wordsworth calls duty
the 'Stern Daughter of the Voice of
God" She is a task mistress over us.
Our superior therefore we fear. Her
commands, like a 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
is. when dragged through the streets
of Boston by a mob, said his soul was
devoid of fear"
Fear is the beginning and not the
end of morality. Cody fear. Petro-
MUS argued fear made the gods Some
religions have their devils. We have
ours who goeth about as a d%evouring
lion. The Old and New TestamentS
have 51S references to fear.
1t 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
US tremble. But He draws "a to us
in the flesh as we become n 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 a no longer fear. Fear gives
placs to love ana sinks to tie neither
side Of the warp in tenembrauee OF
the judgments OF the lawgiyer. The
terrors Of the law are replaced by the
grace of the gospel. Fear is the be
ginning az wisdom, IT.. enc is love.
in our naceSsitated helpissspess il IN
fancy and youth we depended upon
our fathers. That dependence met,
brought forth as the foremost flial
feeling. love All men have this IT,
re. aud to then Jesus reveals God
as the Father who excels the most de
voted father in giving good things.
The Cevotee OF many gods may De
sober until he is Intoxicated at the
feast of Diopysius and b. righteous
throughout ali To the same deyotee
wisdom is a virtue il he is 8 states
man aud courage if ne Is a soldier.
There ere different virtues for different
times and different people. Jesus re
ealed Diety as one God and Father,
therefore, virtue is one and love is
Ae fulfilling Of all virtue. To offend
II one point of love is to be guilty OF
II. because Righteousness is q unit.
Tie acknowledged master in my
raft addresses ny ambition with,
You can be an arisen equal to me
nd ! will aid you He has my hearts
EST love. Tie absolutely perfect God
dresses my loftieSt ambition with,
Sc ye perfect es l am perfect and My
offered grace. all-Suticient. is yours
L the asking" 1t follows my hearts
l1reme love wells up TO God The
ost prominent thread in the warp is,
owe God with all YOU heart, mind.
nj and strength"
Sod the Father ~ all-then geog-
phy, national boundaries is E matter
the head and not of the heart and
ierchandise i commodity in things
d not III men. Accordingly, in the
ginning " this ers 1t vas predes-
red a William Lloyd earn son should
Il the death K ell of avery. Bud
Isle love is iDdividuslistie and does
inigaty deeds; Christian love is So
Il and does. 1t incBlcates love 10 the
igabor aud unites 10 the true relig-
4 the loftiest morals and Inspires
lee mightiest deeds Of man Tor nan.
Thomas Hobbies set the English
hiking world aGog with. "Self-love
the only love; we tolerate. but can
{ love another" This eyAie would
the Samaritan's sBccor of the
ouuded man not to mitigate his suf-
eFtngs, but himself to exhilarate in
yer possessed. Adam Smith has
wn with his pen what so many
e with their lives that sympathy
Is an integral part of our nature.
apathy, TO feel with another, is a
: requisite of love. The tragic stimu~
l8 5 it. Accordingly, in the Christian
gion the death OF Jesus is most
B ninent. Els betrayal. triple denial
m DaTar SfriDneR nF His rnha mnorn7