Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1910-06-30

men in the place yof Cod. what was
that but-the natural recoil3 ola great
soul froma responsible task? sWhy
ola Jesus choose Judas?y Jospeh
Farker was once asked. II do not
Know, replied the doctor, .sbut i
nave a harder question, why did
he choose me?" This it was that
puzzled Paul. Why did He choose
me! Me-" he exclaims. "who am
less than the least" why me?
= course you know the word sshu-
uilty mas changed its meaning. IN
olden times it was a sinister word
9 word OF slaves. Hardly could YOU
oHer q man a greater insult than to
call MIN humble. On the upturned
statue OF Rameses. unearthed the
otner day amid the ruins Of Mem
pnls' IS found this inscription: 81 am
hlng OF Kings. If any one wants to
AnoW now great / am, let him try to
surpass n OF my works" That was
tue oid appraisement. The world ac-
GSpted you at your own valuation.
therefore, put the price as high as
ma. To-day it is a commitments.
Christ took the hateful word and
made It honorable. It is the Chris
tlan's loveliest virtue and his crown
ing grace. The old order of chivalry
mas passed away. IT'S the meek who
are mighty now.
Can a life become humble apart
from God? I will answer that ques
zion by asking another. Can a straw
berry ripen without the sun? The
strawberry will grow and get Juice
and color; but no berry ever had it's
sour sap changed into sweetness
without the shining of the sun. It
takes the whole solar system to grow
a berry. And it takes the power OF
the Holy Spirit, the third person of
ne trinity, to grow a simple grace
like humility. Ruskin says that If
you were to cut a square inch out of
Turner's skies o would find the in
finite In it. Just so, the lowliest
grace is rooted In the Infinite. Where
Is boasting then? It is excluded.
Grace shows boasting to the door and
bows it out. ~
II. He's a man characterized by
the gift of grace.
"God resisteth the proud but Civ
eth grace unto the humble" unto
me was this grace given" "Was;"
past tense. The great apostle to the
Gentiles preached not because he was
oAASO0 dtOA1 Cdl1y. 4HOL USCduS0 liz
felt-a JOY in the exercise, but because
he had been anointed. "To me was
this grace given The preacher
may have the strength of a Hercules,
the heart of a Howard, the tongue
OF a Cicero, the courage of a Luther,
the passion of a st. Francis. He may
have all these things and fail. Not
until he is given an JUNCTION from
above is he equipped for his work.
His success depends not on the depth
Of his thought or the sparkle of his
style, but on the baptism of his Lord.
He must be sure that God has spoken
to him before he can venture to speak
to others. Does he come from some
university? Then he can lift us to
learning. Does he come from some
school Of music? Then he can lift US
to art. Does he come to us from
some Parliament? Then he can lift
us to politics. But if he would lift
us to God he must come from the Sc
cret of His presence. He must have
the fragrance of the Kings garden.
II he would lead us to Zion he must
.t~know tho-uap@there. Ae should
wear the halo of the Infinite.
, Now what is grace? Let us be
; quite sure that we are travelling on
familiar lanes. It is not an aesthetic
! outfit. Gracefulness is, but not
) grace. 1t is not a mere soft senti-
!: mental emotion. It is not simply
: good will. It is a greatltidal flow.
! 1t is the divine heart at work in the
world. Gods love as an energy go
ing out to the sinner-that is grace.
You do not know much lof village
I pumps here in New York; Perhaps
you have never felt their Interesting
romance. Do you remember those
old wooden pumps in the! country?
You had to work hard I'd get any
t water, and sometimes YOU had first
to pour water in to get any out. How
different from a spring! A pump
3 labors, but a spring bubbles. Grace
is not love that is pumped out. Il
e is love that bursts out. It is a spon
taneous, gushing, artesian. 1t is tht
S outrush Of the love of God. Love
with us is a passion. Love with U.
is an attribute. It is the great care
attribute of the Divine Essence.
III. He is i~ntrusted with a mes
e sage. And he must not change the
S message-not a dipthong Of it. Ca.
the telegraph boy change the tele
gram? No; that is not his province
!? The Apostle to the Gentiles is on
model. Never for n moment We
t he in doubt as to what he ought t
IS proclaim. 1t was not always pleas
e ant. Sometimes it. was f&npleasan
e and unwelcome. The fafsA he say
a was once delivered to the saints. I
was not invented by them. It wa
handed down to them. It was deliv
3 cred. Nay. stronger than that. !
was "once for all" delivered-deliv
cred, he means, in it's completeness.
nj The minister is a voice. The mes
IS sage does not belong to him, He be
longs to the message. Preaching !
not a man using the truth; 1t !
truth using the man. He does nc
possess it. He is possessed by It. Il
bears the burden of a divine urgency
Ever should we be on guard les: "
b forget that the true minister ~
Is prophet, not a soothsayer; not 9 Iore
:? teller-a forthteller. He Is not mos
II ing away over there in the realm :
a. the remote. He is living here u u
present. He deals with the TWEEN =
ID eth century, not the twentv-nrsI: =
is a mar of his age. He ls a AVN
Po~ HcH HI