Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-03-02

Thomas Chalmers had ii, anu Jonn
Bunyan had 1t, and John Newton had
II. They have had it the same as
many Of us have had it. The greatest
trouble with many Of us In Christian
work Is that we are not obedlent 10
the heavenly vision. We do not say
with Paul, God forbid that should
glory. save In the cross Of Jesus
Christ" We are trying to teach men
lessons for this life, but we do not
emphasize and keep re-emphasizlng the
essential doctrine that through the
blood of Jesus and in no other way
can we be truly cleansed OF our sins.
We have had this revelation come to
us. but we have been pushing 1t more
and more into the background or our
lives.
A Young minister once said to MT.
Moody: what makes the difference
between your success and miner Ell
ther you are right and l am wrong, or
| am right and you are wrong"
"Well," said Mr.. Moody, 81 do not
know what Is the difference unless
Won tell me. for I have never heard
vou preach" The minister replied:
"You make a great deal out Of the death
of Christ, and I do not make anything
ont of It. I do not think it has anything
to do with the gospel. I preach about
the life and not about the death OF
Jesus" "Well," said Mr.. Moody,
what do you do with this: He hath
borne our sins upon the treeT What
do YOU do with this He was wounded
for our transgressIons, he was bruised
for our iniqutles, and with his stripes
were we healedr What do you do
with this: without shedding OF blood
there Is no remissionr" "Oh," an
swered the minister, II do not preach
on those passagesW "What do you
preach?" well" he answered, my
sermons are moral essays" Then Mr.
Moody replied, my friend, if you take
the blood out of the Bible 1t Is all q
myth to me-" But" answered the
man. 81 think that the doctrine Is un
true" "Then," said Mr. Moody, Il adj
wise you to get out Of the ministry
very quick. would not preach
sham. II the Bible is untrue, let us
stop preaching and come out at once
and attack it. But If these things arr
true. and Jesus left heaven and came
into the world to save sinners, then le
us Law hold Of 1t and preach 1t In sea
son and out of season" So say al
true ministers Of Jesus Christ.
Fitness In All Things.
Rut there was another fact besidel
that revelation on the Damascus roae
which was driving Paul forward as
minister of Jesus Christ. All men wh'
are converted to Jesus Christ are no
expected to enter theological semlna
ries. There Is a fitness in all things
| Many a good cobbler has been spoile'
to make a very poor preacher. Man.
men who wear the black cloth OF IN
clergy would make a far better sue
cess In building a brick wall than tne'
do in expounding the word of God fror
a pulpit. | have great deal OF syn
pathy with that shrewd father VINO
whom his son came to him and said
"Father. had a divine revelation las
nipht God wants me to be ministe
of Jesus Christ, for everywhere aDou
me I kept seeing the two letters Dia'
ing at me-'P. c., P. c., P. C.-'Preac
Christ" "Oh, no." said the fathe
"Those two letters, p. c., which yo
saw do not mean Preach Christ Ihe
meant for you 'Plow corn God meal
YOU to be farmer. He never cut 20
out to be a minister"
There is no profession, as we
know. about which so many mistake
are made as about the ministry. foun
mon full of zeal, full Of the desire
save souls, full of ambition TO ser'
God. all of which aspirations are lau
able rush into the ministry witho'
considering whether they have the I'd
ents needed for success in that spher
Many n man who would have made
excellent lawyer or physician or stoc
, hrol,or becomes an inefficient mlnlste
and. as a humorous professor once sal
, "rushes against the pulpit and stu
q himself for life" But there never cou
. have been any doubt Of Paurs voc
r ton. He had all the gifts and quall'i
that are needed to make man 81
cessful in winning souls.
paul was more than silver tongue
What he said was just as marVeio
: os the way he said 1t. Jean Baptls
Massillon was the greatest preacn
J. France ever produced. The proud hl
{ Louis XIV. paid him the greatest CO.
nlimpnt that can be given to any m'
sanoer of Jesus Christ. He said'
U have heard many talented preachers
my chapel before and was mucn pie'
cd with them. but every time De
= Won feel much displeased with II
y self" Great was the pulpit eloquer
{ of Massillon. But greater, far gre
e or. was the logical power OF the gosl
% message he brought to the tren
. court. After his sermons had been p'
g lished Voltaire, the great skeptic' US
y TO always keep one of the volumes
4" on his study desk. declaring that IL
le were the words of 1.-The preacher "
,, best understood the world. who
u the eloauence of the academician.
brilliance of the wit and the logic
. ,. the philosopher" So with PauFs W
~ ings. He was not only an orator Q
" an organizer and an ecclesiasti
- statesman, but a powerful ana
~ yincing writer. His epistles VIII
. read by intelligent men for all III
n n.e These powers he held as trust
s. God, and he seems to say: Il m
ri preach. must be a preacher OF Je
ia Christ on account Of my special 81
re Woe is unto me If preach not the
TO pei"
he There Are Not Many Pauls.