The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-03-18
Or. TORREy'S BEST SERMON.
Continued from first page)

there are in Berea, leading men, just
like these chief rulers of Jerusalem,
who believe in Jesus Christ in their
hearts, but they do not confess Him
with their mouths for fear what men
will say of them, for they love the
praise of men more than the proise
of God. 1t is moral cowardice
There are hundreds and thousands
and tens of thousands of men
and women just as fully convinced as
l am that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, and yet holding back from open,
public confession of Christ because
of moral cowardice.
Now turn to the third text in 2
Corinthians xii. 10. 1t is a very diff
ferent picture. In the two texts thus
far we have a picture of the moral
coward; now we get the glorious pic
ture OF the moral hero: Therefore
take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in necessities, in presecu-
lions in distress, for Christs sake"
All, there is picture worth looking
at, A man who was reproached for
the name of God, prosecuted for his
loyalty to the truth, but although
they heaped all manner of infamy on
him, he looked up with a smiling face
and said, Il take pleasure in infamy."
Paul went down to Lystra, and be-
cause of his loyalty to the truth and
his outspoken defence Of the truth,
they stoned him, after they had al
most worshipped him; and they drag
ged him outside the city. His dis
ciples stood around him thinking he
was dead. But after while he rose
up again, and went back to Lystra.
Then he went to Derbe. Some Of the
cautious Christian brethren at Derbe,
remembering what had occurred at
Lystra, doubtless said: Now, Paul.
it is all right to be loyal and to believe
on Jesus Christ. but you must be a
little more polite. II is no use run
ming so directly against peoples pre-
JUDGES. Now, Paul. don't you be
quite so ontspoken here. or they
will treat you in Derbe just the same
as they treated you in Lystra. Now,
Paul. be a little more polite and
compromise a little bit" And that
magnificent man looked up and said,
II take pleasure in infirmities and
distresses for Christ's sake" Men and
women what you need in Berea more
than anything else is a few men like
Paul, and a few women with the same
spirit, men and women who will stan
for Christ and stand for Gods king
dom without compromise, no matter
whom 1t hurts or what people say.
Now my subject tonight, derived
from these three texts. is Heroes
and towards"
l wish to say right here at the
beginning that il takes courage to be
a Christian, to be real, true, outspok-
en- follower of. Jesus Christ. You and
l live in a God-hating world; we live
in a compromising age-an age in
which men protesting to be Christians
are trying to please the world and
carry on the Church of Christ so
that there will be no difference be-
tween the church and the world Now
in a God-hating world like this, and
in a compromising age like this, it
takes courage to be an out-and-out
soldier of Jesus Christ. IL takes more
courage than a great many of you
have got. Many a man today who ha
great courage, who has courage en-
enough to go to war, courage enough
to go to the front, courage enough TO
stand on the firing line, and stand in
the face OF a CALLING fire of the enemyis
guns, has not courage enough to go
back to the barracks at night and
kneel down and say his prayers, and
endure the chaff of his fellow-soldiers.
1t takes courage, the sublimest cour-
age to be an out-and-out Christian.
But / will give you tonight five
reasons why every man and woman
should publicly confess Christ before
the world.
In the first place, because He
is such a glorious Lord and Master.
There is nothing to be ashamed of
in Jesus Christ. A young fellow got
up in a meeting (he had been re-
Gently converted), and he tried to-.
give a little testimony for Jesus
Christ But he was inexperienced in
public testimony and could not talk
very well; and, after he had sat down
an old gentleman got up and said,
Young man, you ought to be asham-
ed of yourself You cannot preach,
and you ought not try; you ought to
be ashamed of yourself" Then the
young man rose again and said:
We'll. / am ashamed of myself, but