The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-09-28
Observation-Disclosures NISSSIt1NsS1ESNN,Sly5V
Gburt Geruluus| !
FOR A
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Theme:
PAUL'S TEARS.
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BY REV. ADOLPHE MONOD.

BY REV. ADoLPHE MoNoD.
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Text ceased not TO warn every.
one night and day with tears.-Acts
2o:31.
address myself to those of you,
my dear hearers, who charge us with
exaggeratlon, and to whom the faith
we preach appears too strange in It's
maXims, too exclusive in It's asser-
tions, and too severe in It's threaten
ings. Let me put to you one question
which l beseech you to answer Impair
TALLY. You honor Paul, equally with
myself, as the faithful guardian of d.
vine revelation; now did he under
stand the Gospel as you do, or as /
do?
And to answer this question, con-
fine myself to this simple feature.
Paul cannot see his Gospel rejected
without shedding tears of bitterness.
That sufiices me. What must be the
value Of Gospel truth In the judgment
Of this man, who urges you with
tears to receive It?
Yes, tell me the meaning of those
tears of Paul, II he had only to pro-
claim to the world a probable faith,
such as you might do in his place;
tell me their meaning II he announced
anything less than the truth itself,
alone true, alone necessary, alone saw
ing, outside Of which there Is only
sin, error and perdition! Let others
discuss the critical meaning of the
word Eternal let them find out that
1t is sometimes employed to signify
finite duration; let them ransack
the writings and discourses of Paul
for this purpose; we have no need of
all this, II is enough to see him weep
ing at our feet.
Yes, tell me the meaning of those
tears of Paul. supposing him merely
to possess that sensibility of disposi
ton Of which you boast, II he does
not see before him the dark shadow
Of some fearful punishment reserved
for those who reject, or turn away
from the truth; If he does not see
awaiting them misery most fearful
and tnconceivable, described in his
own terms as, "a certain fearful look
ing for of Judgment and of fiery In
dignation, which shall devour the ad-
versaries."
You perhaps congratulate your
selves on being able to explain the
tears Of Paul. because his Gospel is
yours. Congratulate ourselves! Ahi
have we not more reason to smite
upon our breasts? II we can explain
the tears Of the apostle, then are we
only the more miserable because we
are not able TO shed them. Tell me
how 1t is that you and l, who have so
many tears for physical maladies,
tears for family disappointments,
tears for public calamities, find their
source dried up when we contemplate
the loss Of souls, and OF the glory Of
God.
Church Of the living God! when
thou shalt arise in the midst of this
erring generation. with the tears Of
Paul IN thine eyes, thy voice. and thy
heart; when thou shalt Take the in
firmities" of this great multitude
see whether thou art unheeded. But
these tears, when shall they be thine?
| It is day OF colossal movements,
fraught with tremendous conse-
quences. 1t is a wondrous time in
which to live and work. I want to
see the love to God and man which
we profess expressed in a flaming
and united effort to make the
churches do something big and splen-
did for this generation. The church
cannot afford to yield to any other
agency, the leadership Of the forces
which are working for the solidarity
of the race. The church must not
close its ears to the voice of God
which is speaking so insistently to-
day. The church must follow the
CLEAN of Gods increasing revelation
or be superseded.
Spiritual freedom has been given to
us as II has not been given to any
other generation Of the human race,
but 1t has been given to us not to fol-
! low along the lines Of least resistance,
It has been rather given to US as
! pledge of individual trust IN Gods
children that they will live justly.
Do not think that we are going to
get salvation any cheaper than our
forefathers did. There Is no 10Y in
life that is easy Of access, nothing
that does not take a personal strug-
gle every day. You and l are not
| really living in the world we are not