Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-01-15
SERVICES WERE HELD IN THE
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SUM-
DAY AFTERNOON.
THE REV. DR.. r. M. WOODS
PREACHED THE ANNUAL.
SERMON.
NEW OFFICERS ELECTED-$5O
APPROPRIATED FOR THE
PARENT SOCIETY.

At the First Baptist church Sunday
afternoon at 3 o'clock the fiftieth
anniversary of the Berkeley County
Bible Society, or the Berkeley Coun-
ty Auxiliary of the American
Bible Society, was held. The
meetinb was presided over by
the Rev. G. G. Smith, pastor.
After singing the doxology, the Rev.
Smith offered prayer, and the Rev.
Woods read the scripture lesson,
which was followed with prayer by
the Rev DIR. Charles S. Trump, pas
tor of st. Johns Lutheran church. The
Rev. Smith then gave short talk.
The Rev. DR.. +. M. Woods. pas
tor of the Presbyterian church,
preached the annual sermon, taking
his text from II Peter, 1:16-21. DIR.
Woods said:
In the preceding verses the apostles
expresses his readiness w. 12) to re-
mind his readers concerning their
salvation. He esteems it a sacred
duty as long as he is in this taberna.
Gle OF flesh to stir UP their pure
minds by way OF remembrance f2;D.
that after his departure they may
still have their minds fixed upon
these great matters. The reason of
his great earnestness in this matter
is his profound conviction that the
things of which he speaks are true
beyond all question.
There can be no possible doubt
regarding the life beyond death, and
the character of Jesus Christ as that
life had been made known to them
by the preaching of the apostles and
others, and possibly also by the Cos
pei of Matthew. He AYERS that he
and his companions did not follow
cunningly devised fables, whether
heather myths about the appearance
CT the gods among men, or the ignor-
ant Pigments of agnostic dreamers
concerning the emanations of aeons
from the Divine.
The prophecies concerning the pow
er and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ were powerfully certified unto
Peter and James and John in that
wonderful display Of the Divine glory
In the holy mountain of the transfig-
uration And so, in consequence of
that vision, we have the prophetic
word, (the o. T. scriptures) made
more sure unto us. We believe the
inspired word before, but now we
have very heaven itself unveiled to
our view, the door has been opened
and we looked within and we saw
the very things about which prophets
and the holy bards Of old have said
such glorious things. Our faith is
now stronger than ever.
Surely then we do well to give earn
est heed to this powerfully evidenc-
ed prophecy, as unto a light shining
in dark-squalid place, such as this
poor old world is, with its oceans of
sorrow and it's burdens Of care and
trouble. Sin has brought only sur
fering and distress into the fair Eden
which God intended for holy and hap
by men,. Take heed-until the day
dawn and the day-star arise in your
hearts. Without the Light of Divine
Truth this world is indeed a wretch
ed place verify habitation of cruel
ty. This sad estate of man in his
natural condition is made all the
more obvious by the light which the
Bible sheds abroad both in the heart
and upon the deformity OF sin itself
The difference between what is and
what ought to be is very startling
Thus the light points out the way
of escape from the deadly miasma
which we are here breathing ever
into the soul. Take heed thereto
Let the light guide you amid this
dark worlds labyrinths until the
dawn of the eternal day breaks in
all its glory upon your enraptured
vision. and the daystar of the indy