The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-01
BREAK TYRANNY,
 MACSPORRAN SAYS
Says Only Religion of Messiah Can Accomplish
 Defiance

1 stir upl" was pr. MacSnorran
 subject for stirring sermon at the
 First Presbyterian church yesterday
 morning. He based it on Paurs ap- peal to Timothy, whom Dr. MacSpor l ran pictured as e precocious, emo l tional, dynamic sort of youth, gifted and full of quick achievements. At
 middle age Timothy is not advancing,
 is simply repeating on the same high 1 plane what he did 10 years ago. Con servation is replacing growth. And that" declared Dr. MacSpor- l ran, lis a dangerous condition to be in.p It is the fringe of old age. We stop trying, accept our lmi tions. I And that is the deadiine. There is l the most serious crisis and danger. l We settle down.. We have lost the | desire to go on, to get our zest from | making gains. We stop going ahead 1 and are merely going on. It ought not to happen. God has not designed 1 life for any of us so that we come to any such plateau. He keeps the best wine for the last He has higher | Joys and keener satisfactions always ahead.
 50 many of us fail to discriminate between the physical and the spiritual | powers; that the failing of the first need never entail a pause in the sec ond. It Is never too late for the great essential things, the growth of the | spiritual powers.
 How can we break the tyranny of old satisfactions and inertia? Only the religion of Christ can do that for any man, can keep hope singing in our hearts always. His life has for I us power for endless growth. Paul writes to save Timothy from this. If we could all only learn from Paul the consummate skill with which he goes about arousing in Timothy
 this new effort Faith of my fathers, living still is the note in it that stirs Timothy's blood It is on him
 as an inheritance and a responsibili- ty. Past successes are only the evil
 dence that the power Is there-not bed to rest on, but call to go forward to greater ones. . Self imposed limitations,-our trouble and Timothy's
 We hate monotony, we look for
 something always that will banish it
 and stir us. We follow the biggest
 crowd and the loudest noise in this hope. But it doesn't last. The vision fades and the excitement passes. We
 end up little more jaded and bored for it. But you see being stirred isn't the thing. The vital thing Is stir yourself. Then it can last. It will only last when you yourself do it, through the gift of God.
 And what did Paul see that called l this forth? Was it that Timothy | would shrink from conflict com
 promise and accommodate? What
 matter? We need only the point that the gospel of Christ cannot work l where there is fear. That is what
 makes me blind and cruel-fear and all that it carries with 1t. Fear not. ] I am with you You are in your I Fathers house. His res-ces are
 adequate. This gift of God that ban 1 ishes it is in you, too. Unless you stir it you, too, will be smothered in your own ashes. It is love. not fear. This gift Is love. His religion will
 deliver you from fear and mediocrity. ] It will give you a new set of work l ing assumptions. It takes magnifi- cent courage to love one's kind with l the love of the Master Are you and
 ready to undertake it with love
 and sanity? Let us stir up the gift
 of God that is within us!"