The Penn's Grove record., 1909-08-20

T Che pulpit
@DDAS&
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. ROBERT BRUCE HULL.
Theme: The Power of Christ.

Peter 1915: "We have not followed
cunningly devised fables when we
made known unto you the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eye witnesses Of His majesty"
Dr.. Hull said:
Human life does not end at the
grave. OF this fact the conscious
ness of the race is itself a proof. But
this future life and the present life
are not to be controlled and directed
by guesses. We ought not to risk
the future on a perhaps. We ought
not to condition our eternal state on
a hypothesis. For such tremendous
issues we should demand not fables.
but facts. This demand Christianity
meets. Christianity is not afraid of
the light. 1t is not a dark lantern
religion. It welcomes all investiga-
ton, whether scientific or unscien-
tihc. 1t deals not in hypothesis but
in verities. This is the thought OF
the Apostle Peter IN the text. The
apostles were not deceived. In fol-
lowing them we shall not be trusting
to the wild vagaries of unverihed
speculations.
Notwithstanding all reverent and
irreverent critics have said, the Bible
Is d lTQolHO LILY ICNC4GlAOA VI 0Oo
and from God. Suppose we grant to
our skeptical friends that the inspir-
alton of the Bible is the same in kind
as the inspiration of other books Of
eminent authors. Still the degree
Of Inspiration is SO manifestly greater
in the authors of the ~sixty-six books
of Scripture that it amounts to q DIFF
ference in kind as we'll as in degree.
AS a rule, the men who wrote the
books of the Bible were not what we
would call educated men. They were
shepherds, fishermen, herdsmen, sok
diers, kings. They lived IN a nation
which neye had q literature, and yet
these sixty-six books written by more
than forty different authors living
more than 1900 years apart, all have
one theme, and they wrote upon 1t
with a power, a nobility and a sub
Unity unequalled in all literature.
From that eldest day in Genesis to
that last moment when Johns pen OF
holy power fell from his hands, we
move down the ages in the presence
of one and the same Being. in the
beginning, God," and at the close
the God man saying, Behold, ]
come quickly" If such a book under
these circumstances is not divine, II
is still more wonderful. So many
authors could not have had such
thought and such harmony unless
their writings were presided owe BY
One and the same Being. Even Rosf
seau, infdel though he was, speak
ing of the four Gospels, says: I'll
you say that four men agreed to in
vent this story of Jesus, the inventors
would have been more wonderful
than the hero"
We are to bear in mind also that
this book is the most ancient book In
the world. The ancient books of tbs
Persians and the Hindus do not com
pare in antiquity with this ancient
document. We are also to remem<
Der that Notwithstanding I'll thai
critics have said, its text is purer than
that of Shakespeare. Fewer changes
have crept into it by errors OF tran.
scription than there are in the works
Of the great English dramatist. We
can therefore feel that when we trust
to the teachings of the Book, when
we rely upon its promises, when We
comfort ourselves with its hopes, We
are resting on the solid rock of g
proved revelation from God. We dc
not follow cunningly devised fables
when we trust the Bible as a revela,
ton from God.
The character Of Jesus Christ ID
not mythical. Rosseau well said
ut would take a Jesus to forge q
Jesus" Whatever comes, jesus
stands the test. For nineteen hun.
bred years His life, character and
teaching. have been studied and He
stands to-day more indubitably ths
C11 4Hor A-O haFaro II hos
been well said that from this trf-
lemma there Is no escape. Either
Jesus was a conscious fraud or He
was uneonsciously deceived, or He
was the Son of God and equal with
the Father" Listen to Him saying,
Come to me all We that labor and
are heavy laden and I will give you
rest" Behold Him saying to the i'm
potent man, "Son, thy sins be for
given thee" Hear that wonderful
assertion, HE that hath seen Ne
hath seen the Father" and again.
ST and the Father are one" He
claimed equality with God, for He
was God. Yet He vas human also.
His perfect humanity was in union
with His divinity.
He was intensely human so that
He could be tempted in all points
like as we are, yet without sin This
is Jul hope.
Jesus, the Goldman is Saviour.
The rocks may meet, but the Rock
of Ages abides.
Away with doubt and fear. II
men should say we will carry away
the Hudson. River in our buckets, we
should smile at their folly. When
men seek to pluck from the crown
OF the Christ either His God-hood or
His Manhood We may well hold them
in derision.
We have not followed cunningly
devised fables when we accept apos-
tolic teaching concerning the future
life. Jesus said, 81 go to prepare q
place for YOU" He has done it.
Heaven Is a reality. From the brow
of Olivet through the rifted skies a
human form went up. A cloud re-
ceived Him out of the sight of those
amazed disciples. Then came the
message, s'This same Jesus which Is
taken up from you into heaven shall
so come in like as ye have
seen Him go into heaven"
The intuitions of our souls are not
to be disappointed.
Then in heaven there is the human
body Of Jesus the Christ. Stephen
saw Him as He was about to be
stoned to death. Paul saw Him on
that Damascus road. John saw Him
in that wonderful revelation which
has been a comfort to all generations,
There is life beyond. Science now
tardily teaches that which revelation
long ago declared, that death does
not end all. In all this we as Chris
tians have not followed cunningiy de-
vised fables. We have the proved
word Of God.
We can therefore confidently say.
1T know whom I have believed and
am persuaded that He Is able 80 keep
that which have committed to Him. >