The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-05-29
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
Or. c. D. CASE, Ph. D.
Theme: Perseverance.

mon before going 10 Buffalo to be-
come the pastor OF the Delaware Ave-
nue. Baptist Church, the Rev. c. ID.
Case, Phi. D., in the Hanson Place
Baptist Church, took as his subject
THE Rewards OF Perseverance,. The
text was those passages found
in the Book of Revelation, 2:7, IL,
II, 26, 27; 3:5, IL and 21. describing
the rewards OF overcoming. DR.. Case
said:
The word overcome" is a martial
term. II implies an enemy, conflict,
a victory. 1t suggests the soldier of
Christ fighting against spiritual
forces of wickedness and arrayed ip
the helmet of salvation, the breast
plate OF righteousness. the girdle of
truth, the sandals of the gospel OF
peace, the sword of the Spirit and the
shield of faith. 1t presents the Chris
tian life, not in terms OF rest and ell
joyment. association and service, but
of struggle. 1t is word for the pres
ent, a clarion call to achievement.
The victorious crusade of the Chris
tian is not here pictured as coming
only at the end of life. A desperate
encounter with evil is to be met with.
not only at the time OF conversion and
the time OF death, but increasingly
through life. There is no thought OF
truce or furlough, no suggestion OF
recuperation or dress-parade. There
is to be no day OF retreat.
1t Is the contest of the individual
against his enemies. The message is
to the church, the task is personal.
proaches are the source OF constant
attack. The flesh is weak. even
though the spirit is willing. There is
a conflict between the law Of God and
the law Of sin in our members. Even
though Christ be enthroned in the
life, the outposts will be repeatedly
assailed. The success of the church
depends upon the faithfulness of the
individual members.
The seven promises to the churches
as given by Christ repeat the history
OF the race up to the founding of the
throne of David, the period of Is
raelitish history most symbolical of
the kingdom of God. The world S
history begins with the tree OF life
which is forbidden to the parents Of
the race. Then follows as striking
providences of God the punishment of
death and the promise of the Deliv-
erer, the giving OF the tables of stone
and the heavenly mama, the repeated
victories over the national enemies,
the enrolment of the heroes Of war,
the building Of the great temple and
the establishment OF the throne of
David forever. Gods plan is one and
the salvation TO be given in the filal
award is but the elimination of God s
eternal purpose. What God will do
for us at last is to be seen In the his
tory of the race in prophetic promise.
The first promise, found in Revela-
ton 2:S, is: ITO him that overcom-
eth, to him will l give to eat of the
tree OF life, which is the paradise of
God" Thus are connected the be-
ginning and the end of history even
as Christ Himself is the Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last. Yet
the second Paradise differs widely
from the first. In the passage of the
text, Paradise is Heaven, not the in
termediate state, and IL is presented
not as garden where two human be-
ings are surrounded by the Injuries
of nature, but a city throbbing with
lfe, teeming with multitudes. Not
ISOLATION but association, is the strik-
ing feature. The tree of life is the
fulfillment of the spiritual meaning
Of the prayer, "Give us this day our
daily bread" AS the tree of life bears
| twelve manner of fruits, yielding it's
fruit every month, so life abundant
is the reward of victory. And life is
more than mere existence; IL is
wealth of thought, IL is richness Of
companionsnip, it is the acme of un-
selfishness, L is the larger life when
comes the statelier Eden back TO
man." when family, society, govern
ment, national and international, is
the creation of God-fed and Cooled
children Of E..e,.
The second promise is that the VIC
tor shall not be hurt. OF the second
death Thsre is first death and a
second death, though the term second
death is not mentioned In the Gospels
or epistles But Christ Himself tells
us not to fear him who can destroy
the body, but ratner fear Him who
can cast both soul and lody into hell.
! The first death is the heritage OF the
race, and is not directly the punish
inert OF individual sin. Even Christ
| became obedient unto death, though
| Ee knew no sin. Neither sickness
nor death may mean that either a
man or his parents have sinned. The
| second death IS the exact result OF
sin. 1t is for the fearful and unbe-
! lievilg and abominable and murder
| Gus and who're mongers and sorcerers
ard idolaters and all liars. The first
is momentary in IT'S effects, the Sec
| ond eternal.
The Smyrna Christians were BIT
/ terly prosecuted, but Christ promises
them freedom from the second death.
! The church is challenged because IL
( makes its rewards future. Wrongs
need present righting, SAYS the critic;
| what we want is Heaven on earth.
True, very true, but the ideal for
earth is Heaven. AS long as the sense
of Immortality is in man, as long as
there remain unavenged wrongs on
earth, as long as any individual life
passes out into the great unknown
/ with present hopes thwarted, as long
as the successes OF transitory years
| dissatisfy, so long shall We need the
prospect of a Heaven where neither
| the first nor the second death shall