Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-04-24
CalnaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmsec. ID. ID.


appropriate to spring, the preacher
speaks encouragement to those who are
now dropping into the soil the seed
that viii yet bear fruit in good deeds,
gospel teaching and noble sacrifice foI
others. The text is John iv. 30: "Say
not We there are yet four months and
then cometh harvest? Behold, / say
unto you, lift up your eyes and look
upon the fields, for they are white al
ready to harvest"
III these words were true when Jesus
uttered them to his disciples nearly
1000 years ago, how much more true
are they when spoken 10 the men and
women of the present generations
These nineteen centuries of gospel
preaching and gospel sacrifices have
not gone for naught The preaching
and the life labors of the twelve apps.
ties, followed by those of Polycarp
and Athanasius and Augustine and
Luther and Calvin and Wycliffe and
Wesley and Whitefeld and Savonarola
and John Knox and David Livingstone,
were not all useless. Have no harvests
come from the myriads Of gospel SOW.
ers who have been scattering their
seeds everywhere In every generation
have we no harvests from the self
sacrifice of our modern missionaries as
well as from the patient labors of the
hundreds and thousands of Christian
ministers scattered all over the whole
world? What would we think of n
man who, having endless life and un.
Hn1itod yx-no1fl
and millions of dollars to a work that
after 1000 years showed no signs OF
completion? We should say that man
was In a fools business Well, nv
brother, do you suppose God Is en-.
gagged In any such business as thatl
Do you suppose all these labors for
nineteen centuries have gone for
naught? Nay, nayl In every genera.
ton the toilers have been cheered and
encouraged by seeing the results of
their labors. The word has never re.
turned void. Wherever and whenever
II has been sown men have listened
and have turned from the husks of the
world to seek eternal life. Sowing and
reaping have gone on simultaneously.
The work is still ready for the worker,
and we in our day have the additional
stimulus of seeing what our predeces-
sors have accomplished by the very
means we have at command. Let us
consider this morning what those
means are that have been effective In
the past and will prove effective in the
future
The Meaning of the Sacrifice.
First there are the facts OF the COS
pei. Christ himself was born in n man.
ger. He suffered and died and rose
again and assembled from Mount Olivet
for our atonement, our redemption and
our coronation. By his shed blood he
has paid all the price for our emanci-
patton from sin. By his shed blood he
has made it possible for us TO be pure
as he Is pure, perfect as he is perfect,
and TO sit upon throne at the right
hand OF God His redeemed saints are
at this hour singing his praises I'm
never ending hosannas amid the eter-
nal joys OF heavenly reunion, where
there is no sickness, no pain. n&Dpart-
ings. no sin, no death. Though we
should have the silver tongue of the
most eloquent nreacher that-ever lived
and all the mental grasp of a Paul
himself, yet today we would give the
chief praise for this glorious expecta-
ton TO the atoning sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. 1t is the blood-the divine
blood-of our Saviour shed for the re-
mission OF sins that has made all this
harvest OF the gospel fields possible.
And this truth is the more emphatic
because it is just here ut the atoning
cross that the orthodox gospel minister
and all other teachers separate. The
crucial question is not, as some sup
pose, as to the garden OF Eden OF the
book OF Job or the experience of Jonah.
The one great issue which every Chris
tan has to decide is not whether Moses
wrote the Pentateuch. 1t is not who
was the author of the Psalms or of the
book OF Ecclesiastes. 1t is not whether
the Bible itself Is verbally inspired. 1t
is not as TO the meaning OF the Mes
slanic prophecies. 1t is not whether
God created the world in six DAYS or
In 5000 years. The great question at
Issue is still that which was put to the
apostles. what think We of ChristY'
DO you believe that he died to save
men from their sins? Do YOU believe
that he is able to give eternal life to
those who put their trust in him? Are
you willing to make him the guide of
your life, your. king who shall control
your thoughts and actions? That is
Inc main point at issue. and that alone.
FOR IL you can believe and do believe
that and put your trust In him you
have the essentials of Christian faith.
and the other questions are of minor
Importance.
The Essentials of Faith.
Do you believe that Jesus was I'm
very truth the only begotten Son OF
God and that he came into this world |
10 save us by his life and shameful
Death from our sins? This is the vital |
place where all true Christians and |
raise believers separate. / am not TO. |
day asking you one OF the interesting |
Cot unessential questions 7 might ask.
am trying to find out where Won are
IN the great foundation truths. The |
center right, the circumference of your
spiritual faith, will be right. What ia |
your answer In reference to the blood |
the divine blood-shed for the remission |
OF sins? Can you not perceive that II |
d this doctrine Of the cross that has |
been the basis of the triumphs of Chris. |
tianity? The harvest of souls that has
come In every generation as q reward |
TO the faithful preacher has been won |
oy that doctrine and no other, and we
therefore go forth to preach the same
doctrine, assured that we shall have
the same success.