The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-27
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. c. /. PALMER.
Subject: Gods Unspeakable Gift.

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impressive discourse, appropriate to
the season, was delivered here Sun
day in the Reformed Church OF the
Comforter, by the Rev. c. L. Palmer.
The subject Of his sermon was Gods
U~nspeakable Gift" preached from
the text 2 Cor. 9:15, Thanks be to
God for His ~unspeakable gift He
said:
1t would increase u gratitude to
recount the blessings we have re-
ceived during the past year. God
has been very good to us as families,
communities and states. Even the
distant lands have not escaped His
Fatherly consideration. Our senti-
ment for Pr%ovidential care finds ex-
preston in the words of the Psalm
list, BLESS the Lord, o my soul, n
all that is within me; bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, o my soul,
and forget not all His benefits toward
me-"
But God has bestowed upon US
another blessing which is not tenn
poral or material. He has given lis
His Son, the Lord Of Glory, to be.
our greatest treasure. While we
SllOulo AOI SCooC W AAAS ~
daily comforts, and constantly thank
the Giver for them! nothing should
make US silent respecting the great
est of gifts in the person of the
beloved Son. And if recalling the
material blessings which have come
to US from the hand Of God has the
effect of making us more thankful
for them, surely a short study Of the
text will have the tendency to make
US more grateful to u Father in
heaven for the incarnation of the
Eternal Son. It is to Him that
Paul refers in this text, Thanks be
to God for His unspeakable gift"
1t will not be a breach Of homiletic
law to Intentionally disregard the
context, because the text bears but a
| general connection with it, since this
passage is an abrupt expression of
thanksgiving which is not unusual
with the apostle. For example, in
Romans 1886, "Oh, the depth of
the riches both Of the wisdom and
knowledge of God; how unsearchable
are His judgments and His ways
past tracing out; for who hath known
the mind Of the Lord? or who hath
been His counsellor? or who hath
first given to Him? and it shall be
recompensed to Him again. For of
Him, and through Him and unto
Him are all things. To whom be the
glory forever and ever" 1 Cor. Is:
81, Thanks be unto God which Civ
eth US the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ" Gal. is, ITO whom
be the glory forever and ever" Eph.
$3.50, "Now unto Him that Is able
to do exceedingly ~abundantly above
all that we a ask or think, accord
ing to the power that worketh in US,
unto Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus unto all genera
tons forever and ever"
An examination of the immediate
Scripture in which each of the above
examples are located, confirm the
assertion that it is the habit OF
the apostle to introduce praise-songs
into his writings without logical ref
erence to. the context. II we are as
thankful for the material and spirit
ual blessings of life as we ought to
be, like the sacred writer, we, too,
will break forth in dozologies Of graf
itude to the source of every good.
And the one gift to which most fire.
Quent reference will be made is the
Lord Jesus Christ u Savior.
I. In What Respects May Christ Be
Considered a Gift.
The term gift" is employed by
Paul to teach that Jesus vas given
to be Redeemer, and to invalid
ate the excuse that salvation is too
expensive. The Savior being a gift,
makes it possible for every n to
obtain His benefits, and impossible
for the sinner to blame any one e2-
cept himself for being unsaved.
A gift is presented voluntarily.
Jesus is, therefore, such, because He
is given to us as our friend and de-
liverer without the Intervention of
man. 1t was an act Of the divine
volition alone, that the Son should
become man, that He should reside
on the earth for a season, that His
time be occupied in teaching the fun
lamental principles of His Kingdom,
and that the cross should satisfy the
justice of the Almighty. The most
acute human intellect could not have
thought of such a means of making
our salvation possible, and even if it
had flashed in some mind its " ap-
parent impossibility would have
smothered the spark. We can claim
no credit for this gift. Divine Volt
ton deserves all the praise.
A gift is often presented unde.
servingly. 1t often occurs in the re-
ception of a gift that one feels too
unworthy to receive it, but on &C
count Of circumstances is %indisposed
to decline it. Christians constantly
realize that the daily return of Gods
goodness is more profuse than they
deserve. Absence of this feeling in
dicates a lack of appreciation. But
if consistent disciples feel unworthy
to receive the material blessings OF
life, because of their dissemination
to honor God as they should, how
much more undeserying we should
feel of the great gift of the Son OF
God. This is not mere language; it
Is fact.
A gift is gratuitous. 1t is free.
This is true of Jesus; He cost US
nothing. His coming to earth has
encountered us with no financial OBJ
legation, but has made possible the
liquidation Of a debt we W God
which otherwise could not be can
celed. God so loved the world that
He gave" Herein is love, not that
we first loved Him, but that He first
loved US, and gave His Son to be the
Precipitation for our SINS" The best
Of gifts cost us the least. The in
vitation of both the Old Testament
and New is Ito come every one that
thirSteth, come We to the waters, and
he that hath no money; come We buy
and eat, yea, come buy wine and
milk without money and without