The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-05-21
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
Or. c. D. CASE, PHI, D
Theme: Perseverance.


nue. Baptist Church, the Rev. G. d.
Csc, Pb. D., in the Hanson Place
Dtlst Church, took as his bject
g. re Rewards OF Perseverance. The
te was those passages found
In ne Book OF Revelation, 1:7, IL,
l. 20, 81; 3:5, 12 and 81, describing
the rewards OF overcoming. DR.. Case
said:
The word Overcome is a martial
term. 1t implies an enemy, a conflict,
a victory. II suggests the soldier of
Christ fighting against spiritual
forces of wickedness and arrayed in
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. II presents the Chris
tian life, not In terms of rest and en-
joyment, association and service, but
of struggle. 10 is a 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.
The heart is the citadel, and the ap-
proaches are the source of constant
attack The flesh is weak, even
though the spirit is willing. There is
q 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 final
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 1t is presented
not as a garden where two human be.
ings are surrounded by the luxuries
of nature, but city throbbing with
life, teeming with multitudes Not
isolation but association, is the strik-
ing feature The tree of life is the
fulfllment 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 its
fruit every month, so life abundant
Is the reward of victory. And life il
more than mere existence; it is
wealth of thought, II is richness oil
companionship, 1t is the acme of un.
selhshness, 1t Is the larger life wher
comes the statelier Eden back tc
man." when family, society, govern.
ment, national and international. is
The creation of God-fed and God-led
children of men.
The SECOND promise Is that the vic
tor shall not be hurt OF the second
death. There is a first death and &
second death, though the term second
death is not mentioned In the Gospels
Dr epistles. But Christ Himself tell.
us not to fear him who can destroy
the body, but rather fear Him whC
can cast both soul and lody into hell
The first death is the heritage of thu
race, and is not directly the punish
ment Of individual sin. Even Chris
became obedient unto death though
He knew no sin. Neither sicknes.
nor death may mean that either
man or his parents have sinned. Tht
second death Is the exact result o.
sin. 1t Is for the fearful and unbe
lieving and abominable and murder
Gus and who're mongers and sOrcereri
and idolaters and all liars. The frs
Is momentary in its effects. the sec
ond eternal.
The Smyrna Christians were bit
terly prosecuted, but Christ promises
them freedom from the secoud death
The church IS challenged because
makes its rewards future. Wrong
need present righting, says the critic
what we want is Heaven on earth
True, very true, but the ideal TO
earth is Heaven. AS long as the sens
Of immortality is in man, as long a
there remain unavenged wrongs oi
earth, as long as any individual lif,
passes out into the great unknown
with present hopes thwarte6, as lonl
as the successes OF transitory year
dissatisfy, 80 long shall we need tn
prospect OF a Heaven where neithe
the first nor the second death shal
enter.
A third reward of perseverance /
the hidden mama, and the whit
stone inscribed with the secret new
name. The very name of mama
carries the mind back to that perlol
Of hunger when God ralned dow
from Heaven the sustaining food
The real meaning of this miracle 1
revealed when Christ says Il am tn
bread of life which came down out o
Heaven" 1t is Christ that sustains
Not only is His life the ideal but Hi
companionship the inspiration. Chris
is unseen, but His presence no les
real and more vital than the frienl
seen at our side. Christ as the breai