The Penn's Grove record., 1910-07-22
THE
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. w. G. M'cREAOY.
Theme: Christ's Supremacy.

was greeted by a large audience. DIT.
McCready preached straight, simple,
yet forceful gospel sermon and made
/ fine impression. His subject was
'Christ's Supremacy" He took his
text from I. Corinthians 2:1-5:
"And I, brethren, when I came to
you, came not with excellency of
speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
YOU the testimony of God.
"For l determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus
Christ, and Him erucifed.
"And I was with you in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling.
"And MY speech and My preaching
was not with enticing words of mans
wisdom, but in demonstration of the
spirit and of power;
"That your faith should not stand
In the wisdom of men, but in the pow
er of God"
DIR. McCready said: 1t was a cus-
tom among the Romans to go up once
a veal to Rome, and to renew the
oath which they took as soldiers of
the empire, to Caesar. So we come
to-day to take our sacramentum. and
10 proclaim afresh our declaration of
d " OO41CfC, anu ~ -
Jesus Christ.
In correspondence with that idea,
and also in correspondence with the
practice which I have preserved
through the years of my ministry, l
always preach my first sermon from
this text, because 1 feel that n of
the things which the congregation de-
sires is that the man who stands in
the pulpit and who offers the spiritual
sacrifice of Gods table, shall, without
any ambiguity, make declaration OF
his faith in Jesus Christ, that In this
age, this disturbed age, this age Of
religious distraction, men want some
harbor of safety, men want some an
cher of hope. men want some secu-
rity, that in the evening of life, when
the body is weary, they may lay their
heads on that hope. And so, as year
succeeds year of my ministry I feel
constrained to reiterate these state
ments of my faith, first of all, with
the simplicity of the scheme of re-
1emption. with the simplicity of the
great work of Jesus Christ.
Men to-day care nothing about the
t~echnicalities of ones creed. Mems
creed to-day is Jesus Christ and Him
eruicifed: that in Him-not in some
theory or speculation about Him, but
In Him-men may find their hope and
security. What matters it tO me that
men in their speculation shall discoy-
er in the confines of this book of God
the doctrine of election? That they
find there that God fixed the number
to be saved or to be lost? What mat
tiers it if me find that those that are
of the elect of God can never fall
| away? What matters it il in these
sreeulations men find that I have
warrant of Jesus Christ. who calls me
personally to come unto Him, not
calls me in some aggregation, but
calls me personally to come unto Hin
and be at rest.
Here, friends, here is a warrant fol
my hope. l find warrant also in the
conversation between Christ and Mic.
odemus, who m to Him by night
to ask Him certain question, and the
answer is that "God so loved the
world that He sent His only begotter
Son. that %whosoever believes in Him
shall not perish, but shall have ever
lasting life"
Let men speculate in the cool, damp
prison of Calvinism, and / shall put
the sunshine Of 'whosoever" opposite
1t. to say, it matters not how dis
tracted men are, I shall point them tc
these placid words of Jesus Christ
and so take Him and find peace il
Him.
feel in coming here this morning
that it is a great privilege to stand II
this pulpit. 1t requires but little in,
formation about this church to FIND
how matters have gone in the parish
how men and women have gone home
to God so thoroughly equipped ant
provided for that blessed heritage
which God has promised. 1t has beer
a privilege for you men and women K
live in this blessed atmosphere, 1t is
great privilege to feel that mystic
union. that spiritual relationship be
tween those on earth and those IL
that Paradise where Christ shall sci
mn His kingdom, and His children vii
be with Him. And 1 want to main
tain the prestige of this pulpit. YOU
say that is a difficult thing to do. i
is not difficult, If 1 obtain the prayers
and sympathy of those who worshlI
here. Christ's process is a heavenly
process, and so the process or reJu,
~venation is a heavenly process.
cannot explain to you the coming to
! gether of the people of a congrega
ton. / cannot explain to you how IL
the taking of this blessed sacrament
/ of the body and blood of Jesus Christ
God invested the blessed recipient
with heavenly grace. l cannot ex
plain to you when you are asking {
| special blessing on the rector who Is
ministering to you day after day
That is a spirit-it may seem Old
fashioned, but that is a spirit OF aban
, don which 1 possess when it ome tc
| the things pertaining to God. Notn'
ing is p~aradoxical, nothing is incom'
/ prehensible to me in the scheme OF
Z God. 1 take the Bible from lid to I'D
take the miracles set forth in the
! Bible without question. 1 accept then
in the fitness of my heart, because
God is not God unless He puts into
these works His own power, His owl
spirit, His own love.
have seen men sent from the
transcendent heightsof splendid man
hood down to the dismal depths o.
degradation. l have seen a fact
marred with the marks of sin. and thu
body heavy with the weight OF sin
And 1 have seen this same individual
r~ejuvenated with the spirit OF God
It is transmutation of the elements o
the individual. 1t is bringing TN
whole mar into play, according Il
Gods direction.
believe that to-day the church
stands forth more glorious than it ha'
ever stood, because the Spirit ha'
been operating in its own way IN TIT
hearts of men. The Spirit now is OPP
Grating more than it has since thu
DAYS of Pentecost, and raising up de
vout laymen to a sense of their re
sponsibility in this matter of mis-
siens. This is the work of the churci
of God.
You remember that after the Ger
mans in the war between France ant
Germany. had entered Versailles
they gathered in one of the grea
rooms in the palace; and there on tn
platform stood William, Emperor o
rarmany his son. Frederick, n hi