The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-05
THE PULPIT.
M ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
REV. !. w. HENDERSON.
Subject: The Christ Life.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Preaching at the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church
on the theme, "The Christ Life" the
Rev. I. w. Henderson, pastor, took
as his text Philippians i21: 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
full, 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
to you 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
q 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 Chris. "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
Philippi. His utterance states the
sum and substances of the complete
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
fourfold thought. Broadly speaking
we may say that men have four rela-
tions in this life-tc God, to society,
to the home and to themselves. To
set forth the same thought different
ly: Men have spiritual, civil, domes-
tic and personal duties. Relation
might be multiplied upon relation;
duty upon duty could be indefinitely
remarked. But that would be to
suggest subdivisions rather than fun
damentals. Indeed, I am cognizant
that the moral duty to the home -,ay
easily be included under the head of
| social relations. But for the pur-
| pose of the moment we will resolve
the ethics of the Christ life into the
aforementioned divisions.
The first, the greatest, the noblest
Ivan in nf
/ desires to conform to the pattern Of
| the true Christ life. WHO wishes to
| make the words of Paul his motto
| for right living, is to love and to
serve and obey our Heavenly Father.
| I may say that the whole duty of
man is bound up in this declaration.
For, Christianly speaking, there is
no department Of life into which the
service of our God does not enter.
Loyalty to God is the basis Of all
purest living and highest thinking.
| To be true to the Father is to be
loyal to society and strong for self.
We may not be true to God and un-
| true to the social, civil and domestic
conditions with which the mere fact
of life confronts us.
THE earth is the Lords and the
fulness thereof" sings the psalmist.
TO be traitor to the world is tu be
craven toward the Maker. We Llay
not praise God with our lips and dis
obey Him in our every act. Our
words, honeyed though they be, will
count naught for us unto righteous
ness. The test of fealty is in action.
We must measure true to the ideals
that we preach. Prayer and praise
are worthy, but they are not service.
Prayer pleases God and it strength
ems us. Praise, no doubt, makes JOY
among the angels who surround the
throne But it is the service which
does things; the prayer which re-
solves itself into action; the praise
that is founded upon the knowledge
of a task, through His grace, we'll
done, which makes most for pleasure
and for Joy in the heart of our King.
The Christ was true to God and to
man and to SELF The happiness Of
His Fathers universe was His hope
and care. To His home, to His
ncighbors, to His country, to all
trusts, the Saviour was faithful. He
had an eye singly toward holy and
hallowing service. Preaching q gos-
pei of life, He lived life of love.
And so, 20 be like Christ we lust
live like Christ. His hopes must be
our hopes; His pleasures must be
cur pleasures. The motive in His
life must be the force which, in our
lives, will make for goodness and
goodness. And godliness is but
goodness raised to infinity.
AS the Christ was, so must the
Christian be, truly spiritual. His
guide and his guard must be the
Comforter who cometh from above.
Divinity, deep down in his heart, will
be the power and the handspring in
his life
Christianity is pure politics, clean
business methods, sturdy honesty
and noble purpose, all rolled into
ore. A clear conscience means a
brave ballot; and, conversely, dirty
ballot means a smeared soul. Up
right business methods earn their
own reward; perhaps not in unde-
served dividends and wrongly divid-
ed or diverted profits, but in happi-
ness Of heart Honesty is but step
toward holiness. Nobility and sim
cerity are mighty forces. And these
facts the civic and the business
worlds are recognizing more and
more. Dishonesty is a bad asset;
and the Christian man, who stands