The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-10-27
REv.MR.P UGHIS
HEARDBY LARGE
CONGREGATION
MANY FRIENDS OF FORMER PAS
TOR OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
LISTEN TO STRONG DISCOURSE
DELIVERED SUNDAY NIGHT.

Rev. A. p. Pugh, pastor of the First
Baptist church in Pensacola sixteen
years ago, was in the city yesterday
and was heard by large numbers of his
old friends and Pensioners at that
church Sunday. Last night the church
was crowded to the portals and an ex-
ceedingly interesting and timely dis
course was delivered. His text was
taken from Col. 3:4. s"Christ Who is
our Life" and he spoke in part as fol-
lows:
'In one of our noted forms of wor-
ship we have the sad declaration that
in the midst of life we are in death,
but we may as truly say, and with far
more Importance that in the midst of
death we are in life. Death, it is true,
Is about US on every hand and at all
times.
Leaves have their time to fall.
And flowers to wither at the north
But all. thou hast all season for thine
own, o DEATH
hBut our Lord the ruler Of life and
death boldly asserts in defiance OF all:
He that believeth on me shall never
see death He that believeth on the
son hath everlasting life.' The vital
flame of salvation is reduced to single
glow when the beloved disciple de-
clares: He that hath the son hath life.
whatever else he may not have. And
ne~that hath not the son hath not life,
whatever else he may possess.
Need of This Life.
Our subject for a short while is
Christ our life. First, the need of this
life. To have natural being we must
have physical life. To possess spirit
ua1 being we must become new crea-
lures in Christ by spiritual life. Our
Lord in his first #utterance positively
asserts 'Ye must be born again. The
rich young ruler who came to our Lord |
and asked, Good Master, what good
thing must / do that / may have eter- |
nal 1ife?' had all the qualifications Of
a salvation measured by the rule of
the law, for when the Lord said: What |
saith the law? And do this and thou |
shalt live,' he sincerely answered, All |
these things have [ observed from my |
youth but the Searcher of hearts |
kindly declares Thou laclxest one thing
The sad deficiency was that power of
an endless life which yields an un-
conditional surrender to the higher
will of God The watch to mark the
time correctly, whatever work and orr
1lamentation it may have, must have /
II We light SQCc6SS-
fully the good fight our slogan must be,
Christ liveth within me.
Second. The power of the Christ
Life. The Holy Spirit names it the
power of an endless life, when Christ
reigns in our hearts by faith we are
quickened with might by His spirit
in the inner man.
Age of Reform.
This is an age of reform. We have
civic righteousness social righteous
ness. mems forward movement, and
many other devices for the improve
ment of our race, but the essential base
Christ life This is well expressed in
the old adage: The soul of reforma-
ton is the reformation of the SOUL
has done much to advance
civilization, but this is accomplished
first by doing much for the Individual
heart. The pure in heart shall not !
only see God but shall see plans for
the relief of man who is made in the
IMAGE of God. What steam is to the
engine and the electric current is to
the wire, the Christ life is to social |
reform. We see men go out as social ;
and political reformers; they brandish !
their Damascus blades to put to fight
the army of grafters. They are the
Samsons to destroy the three thou
sand Philistines of social pollution with
the jawbone of an ass, and carry off
the GAIA gates of political corruption.
But to our grief and dismay we see
them fail and fall because they lack
character. They do not possess the
Christ life, and as the sword without
the temper is turned when shifting the
foe, so these fall away from the hope ,
full work begun. In them as in all it is !
Christ in you the hope of glory
Third, the culture of this life. The ;
giver of all gifts has given eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord that it /,
may grow in us till the whole lump of ,
our social being is made pure. Work ,
out your own salvation and the reason :