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THE VALUE OF CHRIST TO THE BELIEVER.
A SERMON PREACHED BY
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Rev. W. 11. ()(H’Klt, (’oiliirtown. (la.
-'lnto you thci'tore, who boll'ive. lie Is
ijirec oun,‘ ' Pel r
It is of (Jhrist the text is speaking.
Manx expressing the < hristinn's
ccln.g toward Jehovah are used, but
this term is never applied to him.
'i'hrist approaches nearer to us. meets
is nt every point w here we need him.
ai:l does for «s al! that our conditions
reunite Because of these close rein
tioiis, tin New Testament warrants us
<n the ns> of the term precious asap
plied to him
This ward has its root notion in
rit'u suggesting price, worth The
idea is ihat Christ is of great worth to
certain characters herein described.
58>- is precious, however, not to all
No man cures for medicine who does
mit feel his need of it The man who
has air«i<ly eaten too much, does not
long food So Christ may be of
grett value, but the fact is not apple
<•. is tied by all To many he is as a root
out -of dry ground, having no form or
c.nneliness that one should desire him.
U'Le careless sinner, the profligate, the
•wnrMly minded do not care for Christ
IV. Ito them who biliiri he is precious.
There are those to whom has come a
c onsciousness of guilt a feeling of con
•denmation. xvh > in their struggles for
relief, have found themselves utterly
helpless. In their distress they have
heard the sweet invitations of Jesus,
and as he promised the relief they
needed, giving such evidences of his
ability and sincerity, their hearts have
been won. they have committed the
keeping of their souls to him. they
have believed on him. and as they real
ize the blessedness of all he has done
for them, they feel he is inexpressibly
precious.
It is important that we notice here
that the belief here mentioned is not the
belief of a principle, a proposition, or
theory, but the belief of a person
Paul says: ‘ 1 know ir/mm 1 have be
lieved," not in whom as he is so fre
♦inonlly misquoted Christ asks us to
trust no shadowy, visionary, unreal
thing, but to trust him.
This thought is helpful A personal
•sinner who knows his ruin, coming to a
personal Savsor who has promised to
help and to save A Savior that feels
for man m his need, that becomes his
tdvo ’ate before (lie Father, and who
gives himself continually to the care of
those who look to him. and who in con
mecti in with the Blessed Spirit gives
them the inspiration of his own heart
itn the fearful struggles they are called
to make in this life This is what the
■sinner feels he needs, and his h art is
full of gladness that there is for him
such a personal Savior To all such
'Christ is precious
.Having said this much 1 desire to
present some reasons for this state
noent
J . CHRIST IS PRECIOUS.
I Because of what /« is in himsi 11.
It is an axiom that will not be con
troverted that a lovely object should be
lloved. As a limn he was holy harm
tteea. xandefiled and separate from s n
men,. He knew no sin. neither was
rgude found in his mouth Pilate, be
•fore whom he was brought for trial,
having heard all the evidence which
his bitterest foes could bring, said • 1
•find no fault in him His most ardent
friend could paydiim no more beautiful
"tribute than the infidel Rousseau has
• done How true and how beautiful he
was in all the relations of life. But
Testis is also Divine. All the beauties
•of the Godhead show forth resplendent
in him.
“ All human beauties, all divine.
In our Beloved meet and shine."
In heaven the angel 'hrong cry
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive riches and power, and honor
and glory and blessing " The great
host of the redeemed sing "Thon wast
«lain and bast redeemed ns. to (rod by
thy Idooi Salvation to our God who
■ssitteth upon the throne, and to the
La mb.”
The great Gol said " This is my be
loved son in whom 1 am w»|l pleased. "
At •! to all who have had experience
xxit.h him “He is chiefest aim ng ten
th< usand and altogether lovely."
he is precious because of what he
is in his own gracious character.
2. He is precious because of what he
has done for us in becoming our Savior.
A noble vessel steams out of the har
bor Many things gain the attention of
the passengers as they go out of the
bay but only a few notice the piles of
life preservers pile i up here and there
on the deck. But the next day when
the cry of fire is heard an 1 all see that
the vessel is doomed, and the few life
boats a r e filled, then the life preservers
are in demand, and as they safely bear
the wearers up above the waters, while
ne ah boring vessels come to their relief,
they become the most precious thing in
the world.
You are drowning. A man rescues
you, and you love him always. You
are sick, and helpless, and your house is
on fire and somebody rescues yon and
y >ur wife and child. You never forget
him Somebody waits by your bedside
in a lingering illness, and with tender
assiduity watches you back to life and
strength His name is enshrined in
your memory You are wrecked in a
strange, barbar ms land, and reduced to
slavery, somebody purchases jour liber
ty with a great price, and his name is
ever on your lips But (Ihrist has done
more than all this for ns, for he has
saved from sin sin in its deteriorating
effects here, and sin in its awful and
eternal consequences hereafter.
Look for a moment upon the man
who is under the power of sin Sin is
his master. Watch him as he goes
down, down in this lift. See how his
tastes are low. and how his company
changes for t he worse, how his thoughts
grovel, how sensual, h >w worldly, how
brutish he grows See how he gradn
ally breaks away from the good, ami
then becomes its enemy. and how, grad
ually, he espouses all that is evil, and
becomes its champion. From all such
deteriora'ing effects <>•’ sin in this life,
.lesus saves us. But he saves us from
the inijid i'iiisi of sin in tin world I"
eomi His Holy Spirit has come into
the man s heart and convicted him of
sin Under that light he sees his own
heart He knows the evil of sin and its
curse He sees himself, powerless, and
just, as he is ready to despair, he hears
the voice of Jesus bidding him to come
and be saved And then and there he
trustshim and he feels his guilt can
celled and the burden as it rolls away
[Brought free to face with Jesus you
realize his preeiousness. When the re
deemed soul thinks of its value, of the
evil from which it has been rescued,
and the heaven to which it lias been
won. he prizes at an inexpressible price
the blessed Christ who accomplishes so
glorious results for him. As our Sav
ior what offices he fills and what won
derful things he does for us. He is our
wisdom, righteousness, san •tifieation
and redemption. He is our prophet to
teach, our priest to sacrifice for us, our
King to rule us.
8 He is precious as the only and
true revelation of God to men. The
world has always been in pursuit of an
image of God. but in vain "The
world by wisdom knew not God " As
Moses, from frequent intercourse witii
(lod. had his desire intensified to see
God. he cried out ‘ I beseech thee,
show me thy glory And men, renliz
ing that in many ways they come in
contact with God are ruled by him.
opposed by him. directed by him. are
dependent on h in. out of the great
deep of their hearts long to look upon
the Divine Being To all such who are
sincere and reverent. Christ is precious,
because the true image of the invisible
God is known in Christ Jesus He is
the "brightness of the Father's glory,
and the express image of his person."
Christ himself says; He that hath seen
me hath seen the Father I and the
Father are one He was Godmani
fest in the flesh, dwelling amongst
men. and revealing to them the God
head through the medium of humanity.
See the wonderful revelation of God
made by our Lord in the record of the
gospels What pictures of the Almighty
are dtawn there. Do you want to see
G >d".' Look then at Bethany. Two sis
ters are sail because their dear brother
is sick. Soon they -tispatch a messeu
ger to Jesus, now on the far side of the
Jordan from them, witii the meaning
tul message " L >rd, he whom thou
Invest is siek Bye and bye Jesus comes
but not until Lazarus is dead. To
get her they gather around the grave,
the crowd, and Mary and Murtha and
Jesus An 1 looking upon the dead
body of the brother once so dear to
them, they wept, wonderful sight.
Jesus too weeps with them. Hemin
gles his tears with theirs and thus
sanctifies tears forever But this is
God manifest in the flesh.that we might
know how God knows our sorrows and
sympathizes with us in them What a
comfort for us here’ (hid knows our
troubles and sorrows, and the sympa
thies of his great heart go out for us in
e eery time of distress. Some seem in
their bereavements to feel that God is
dead, or does not eare, but as we see
Jesus weeping with his friends over the
death of a brother, we know there is not
a pang that strikes us or a sorrow that
afflicts us but God knows about it and
cares for us in it
Would you see God".' Then look at
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem that we
may know how the great God cares for
sinners, and is grieved that they will
not be saved. Leaning down from the
Mount and looking over where the great
city lay. he wept and cried: "O Jerusa
lem! Jerusalem! how oft would I have
gathered thee, as a hen doth gather her
brood under her wings, and ye would
not!" As the manifestation of God.
Jesus here shows us bow God is anx
ious for sinners, and how he seeks to
save them.
In the heardness of their hearts,
sometimes men feel tint God does not
eare for them, that he is in fact their
enemy. But here we have a striking
lesson to the contrary. God loves you.
God seeks after you. follows you up in
all your wanderings and sins, and sor
rows that you will not be saved.
Is there anybodj’ here who thinks he
is too great a sinner to be saved? Look
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX : THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1810
therein Jerusalem A woman his been
taken in asin for which Moses thought
only death by stoning was the proper
punishment. Jesus looked upon her in
her sin, and her shame, and then as
"God manifest in the flesh" forgave her
sin, and said: “go in peace and sin no
more."
So in Jesus God conies to ns ready to
forgive the worst and to cleanse the
most polluted.
Especially in the tiriiss do we see the
glory of Jenovsh, and have a better ap
prehension of Him with whom we have
to do
In the midst of the suffering, the
ignomy of the crucifixion hour, he 're
members the men who with wicked
hands had naile 1 him to the cross and
he cries out, “ Father! forgive them,
they know not what they do ! "
In the supreme moment of suffering,
when all seemed against’him, his heart
is upon the forgiveness and salvation
of his worst foes. We have heard of
God as of too pure eyes to behold in
iquity. and so inflexiblj’ just as to cut
us of! from all hope, but in Christ and
the cross we see the heart of the Al
mighty,and that heart is love.
Sinai taught God’s holiness to Israel,
and the whirlwind his uowers to Job,
hut Immanuel. God with us, is a reve
lation of Got 1 , dearer and sweeter than
them all
11. WHEN HE IS I'RE' IOtTS.
There are times when Christ is very
dear to us Let me name a few only of
the more important
1. In the moment of pardon. Let
any redeemed soul go back in memory
to the time of his release from the con
v etion of sin. when the day of pardon
! filled his heart How heavy the bur
I den had been ! How dark the night
I through which he had passed 1 How
his sins, so many, so great, cried out for
vengeance, and in his despair he real
s.’.i d the justice of his doom, and its
fearfulness his helplessness. Just
then ill this darkness came a light, and
in that light he realized the freedom of
Jesus, who with outstretched hands
and pleading, tender voice said: "Come
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest ! And
as you looked upon him then did he not
appear the "chiefest among ten thou
saml and nlto<ether lovely Was any
object onearth to be compared to him
ns we felt our sins nil forgiven, and for
given through him Then we could
sing
■".lesus I love thy’ charming mime,
Tis music to my ears
Fain would I sound it out so loud
That earth and heaven might hear
\ es. thou art precious to my soul.
M V’transport and my trust
Jewels to thee are gaudy toys,
And gold is sordid dust."
2. In the time of perplexity and sor
row Jesus is precious See the disciples
on the sea in the raging storm. Fears
overwhelm them,but Jesus draws nigh,
and brings the word of comfort: "" It is
I Be not afraid Everj’ Christian
that has had experience in the divine
life, knows there are times and places
where human kindness cannot reach or
help us. There are sorrows into whose
privacy no friend can ever enter. There
are griefs where words of symparlij"
seem meaningless to the stricken soul.
I go as a pastor to show mv »’ eciathj’
for a good woman whose loi>oaml has
died Ido all I can. but 1 realize how
unable lam to bring any comfort Is
not her hnshmnl dead Are not her
children fnlliirliss '! Is she not without
a strong arm to defend her. a kind
voice to cheer her in moments of de
spondeney ? The light off her life is
gone out. and her world seems so dark ’
But how many realize the precious
ness of Jesus then, as they feel his pres
mice, and hear him say, 1 will never
leave thee, nor forsane thee. " I may
not be able to tell hotc this is, but 1
kmu': that it is.
Away back in the first years after the
war, when prosperity was gone, en
gulfed in one great ruin, ami lamily all
gone, my chilli, then my wife, then my
only child, all buried, it was then m
this the first really great trial of my
lite that I knew bow the presence of
Jesus could make amends tor the loss
of all earthly goo is and the absence of
the dearest friends.
I talked with a good woman not long
ago Her husband, a nobleman he was,
was just dead In the absence of all
wools olTny own to comfort her. 1 re
minded her of her Savior, his love an 1
his promises Her answer was: "If it
were not for the presence of my
blessed Savior 1 could not bear this
great trial a day. But his presence
comforts me. and 1 ku.iw he will take
care of me."
I know another good woman in sor
row now Iler husband is ill Day
alter day wi uh tender, loving assiduity
she has watched his wasting form. The
doctors give her no hope. Ami now as
she begins to feel her great sorrow, it is
beautiful to see her resignation and to
witness the trust in her Savior. and the
comfort his presence aftords her
There is no secret sigh we breathe
But meets thine ear divine;
And every cross grows light beneath
The shadow. Lord, of tliine.
Life's ills without, sin's strife within
The heart would overflow
But for that love which died for sin
That love which wept with woe."
II In the dying hour Christ is prec
ious.
In this solemn hour when creiture
helps all flee, 1 think it will he a sweet
reflection that we have served Christ
faithfull)/ that we have been steady in
our adherence to him-that our lives
have been consistent and useful that
we have been a service to our day and
generation. But these things will not
be the basis of our hope. AVe wilj not
trust then to what U't have been, or
what we have done, but we will look
only to Christ and his righteousness.
On the threshold of eternity, impelled
forward by an irresistable force, what
shall be the solace of the soul in this su
preme hour ? On the verge of two
worlds, to what shall it look Only to
Christ. To Christ, the wonder of the
ages the admiration of the angels the
beloved of the Father, the supreme ob
ject of the Christian's affection As
the gloom of death thickens, the gloom
of eternity dawns upon him. and in the
light reflected from the throne, there
appears in unspeakable beauty the
form of the well beloved, and in the
strains of the heavenly music brought
dawn to him, his soul goes out with
the utterance: " Thanks be unto God
who giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ." You have heard
the story perhaps, but let ,me tell it
here An aged Presbyterian minister
was dying. They watched by his bed
side in the last moments. They would
obey his last request. They would catch
his last words and remember them for
ever. At last his eyes opened, his hands
were thrown apart, his lips moved, and
then he spoke but one word : “ Bring"
and ceased. AVliat could he mean ?
What could he want ? AVife and chil
dren drew nearer, and stooped closer
over that they might catch his last
words, and obey his last request.
AA’hen for quite a time he had been en
tirely quiet, with great energy he threw
apart his hands and looking up towards
heaven he exclaimed with earnest, tri
umphant voice:
“Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.”
4. And so Christ will be precious in
heaven. Many people want to go to
heaven from various considerations.
Great numbers wish to go simply to
avoid a burning pit. Many want to go
there to meet loved ones who have gone
before Many want to go because they
are told that there will be no pain there.
The thought of eternal rest is very
sweet to many whose lives here, are
lives of toil. Nor is it wrong to be
moved by these prospects, for the word
of God holds them out as incentives to
strive earnestly for the heavenly home.
Moses had respect to the recompense of
the reward," and Jesus “for the joy set
before him endured the cross, despised
the shame, and is forever set down on
the right hand of God ' Yet one may
be entirely selfish in all these things.
Every wise man certainly wishes to
avoid the pangs of despair, and it only
accords with the dictates of wisdom
and the feelings of our nature that we
should wish to be free from pain that
our bodies should rest from labor, and
that in a better land we should meet our
friends who have been dear to us here
These • feelings however are no eridewes
of piety, no proofs of a savsd state.
Let us ask ourselves the question:
“ Why do I wish to go to heaven ?”
What is the great attraction there ? Is
it to be with Jesus '! Is the heart bur
dened to see him, the best and most
precious of al I ? If s>, then you have a
very strong evidence that you are a
Christian
The Bible has but little to say about
meeting loved ones in heaven, but it
has a great deal about the Lamb that
was slain. Not for wife, not for bus
band not for children merely would
we wish to go to heaven, but to be with
Christ. To be in him is to have sa'va
tion begun. To be with him is to have
salvation completed. Tobe like him is
to have a sure pledge of endless bliss.
The great AVelsli Baptist preacher.
Christinas Evans, speaking al >ng this
line said he thought in his desire to see
Jesus, if on his entrance into the pearly
gates his wife an 1 children should be
waiting to greet him he would gently
detain them, while he hurried up to the
great white throne to see his blessed
Lord first, whom he had served s > long
to look into his eyes, and then he would
go back to receive the embraces of his
wife and children and together they
would spend eternity in his presence. A
good man was once asked how he ex
peeted to spend eternity when he got
to heaven. He replied: “If it be my
lot to enter the goodly land. I expert to
spend the first ten thousand years in
looking at the right hand of Jesus that
was nailed to the cross for me The
second ten thonsmd years I expect to
spend in looking at the left hand of
Jesus that was nailed to the cross for
me. Ten thousand years each will be
spent in looking at the right and left
foot of Jesus, and all the balance of a
never ending and blessed eternity lex
pert to spend in looking upon the bless
ed face of him who loved me, and gave
himself for me. ” Our Savior in all his
desires for the good of his people seems
to have had no higher idea of their hap
piness than that of their being with
him “ Father I will that those whom
thou hast given me be with me, where
I am, that they may beh >1 1 my glory. "
No man can make too much of Christ.
He is precious. Paul says: “He is all
and in all." “ AVe are complete in
him." Let us praise him here, and we
shall be permitted to praise him here
after. i
‘Oh could we/ speak the matchless
worth 14
(>h could we sound the glories forth,
AVhich in our Savior shine,
AVe’d soar and tench the heavenly
strings
And vie with Gabriel while he sings
In notes almost divine.
We'd sing the precious blood he spilt
Our ransoni'from the dreadful guilt,
Os sin and wrath divine;
We'd sing his glorious righteousness
In which all perfect heavenly dress
We shall forever shine.
AVe'd sing the characters he bears.
And all the forms of love he wears.
Exalted on his throne;
In loftiest songs of sweetest praise,
AA r e would to everlasting days
Make all his glories known
AVell, the delightful day will come.
AATien our dear Lord will Kring us home.
And we shall see his face.
Then with our Savior, brother, friend.
A tdest eternity we'll spend
Triumphant in his grace "
Pen Droppings.
UY 1. L. V.
"The law Os averages" ignores both
reason an I passion as motives of human
action, and regards men and women as
creatures driven on blindly by an ir
resistable fate. This theory would de
mand no further explanation of the
present “suicide epidemic" than the as
sertion that so man}’ out of every mil
lion will w Jhin a given period resort to
self destruction. Statistics may be
relied on to establish almost any prop
osition. and when one proves by "un
lying figures" that a thing must be so.
he has not stopped inquiry on the part
of those who believe that every effect
must have a cause. AVe believe that
the large number of suicides that have
taken place of late may be accounted
for without an appeil to this law of
averages. AA’e do not know that the
pessimistic philosophy was ever so
much presented as at this time. That
life is a poor play a flame not worth
the candle—is preached by those who
claim to have studied the matter in all
its aspects. The inequalities in the lots
of men are ever exagerated by those
who hope to derive some personal ad
vantage by the inflaming of passions.
All the drift of sentiment seems to
be in the direction of materialism, and
from this philosophy the conclusion is
drawn that our planet, with all to it ap
pending. is drifting rapidly to eternal
night It is being almost continuously
urged upon the poor that there is no
resource for them but to get poorer.
When men and women have these hope
less doctrines preached to them and
sometimes indeed presented in ' ‘ object
lessons" that seem little capable of
being controverted, it is no matter for
wonder that some grow desperate and
hasten to end the tragedies. The duty
of patient resignation to the decrees of
an over ruling providence is not urged
upon the a ’tention of people with suf
ficient emphasis. The habit of patience
is the surest safe guard against tempta
tions to suicide.
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ASKED AND ANSWERED.
BY C. E. W. DOBBS, D.D.
Dear Bro Dobbs: Please answer
through the Asked and Answered col
umn of the Index the following;
1. Was Adam in possession of the
Spirit of God while in the garden be
fore his transgression?
2. If so, is not the doctrine of apos
tasy a Bible doctrine?
8. Please explain Gen. 1:27.
4 Did Adam lose his image by his
transgression?
5. Please explain Rom. 8:28,29.
M. W. C.
1. Adam was created sinless and
placed under a covenant of obedience,
or works. He was to keep the law of
God or die. He had no need of regen
eration; hence did not have "the Spirit
of God” in the sense in which we now
use that phrase of the regenerate .and
sanctified.
2. He fell from his sinless state; not
"from grace,” It was a case of apostasy
from the former, not from the latter.
Before his fall Adam was on a very dif
ferent basis from that occupied by the
justified soul now. We do not apostatize,
I because we ' 'are kept by the power of
God” — "preserved in Christ Jesus."
(Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:5; Jude 1).
8. Adam was created "in the imageof
God' that is, "in the moral disposi
tions of his soul, commonly called orig
inal righteousness" sinless. "As the
new creation is only a restoration of
this image, the history of the one
throws light on the other; and we are
informed that it is renewed after the
I image of God in knowledge, righteous
I ness and true holiness (Col. 3:10; Eph.
4:24)." We quote the Portable Com
mentary. Adam Clarke remarks: “God
was now producing a spirit, and a
spirit, too, formed after the perfections
of his own nature. » * * God is
holy, just, wise, good and perfect: so
must the soul bethat sprang from him
* * * Hence man was ift.sc in his
mind, holy iti his heart, and righteous
in ins iniion.t. Probably the Methodist
annotator presses the points too far. but
it may be said that "the image of God"
here represents man as endowed with a
moral nature, whereas meie animals
lack such a nature
4 No. not absolutely, though it was
sadly marred by his fall. We have seen
a silver coin, a denarius from Ciesar s
mint. Through the centuries it had
come down to our day with the once
clear outlines somewhat defaced; but
the "image and superscription" of Ca
sar were still there. So the soul yet re
tains some marks of the divine image
in which God created it So Jesus il
lustrated when he spoke the parable of
the lost piece of silver
5 The task is too great Such ex
planation would require a sermon But
the precious passage seems to be very
clear. It reveals trie eternal, sovereign
love of our Father working all thihgs
for good to them who love God God
does not work without plan or purpose
What he does in providing salvation
and in saving men, he always in his
purpose of grace intended to do. Re
demption’s work is a golden claim
reaching from eternity past to the in
finite heaven of glory to come Predes
tination. calling, justification and final
glorification are inseparable links in
that chain. The likeness of .!• bus is the
ordained end of sanctification, and
when the blessed work of grace is com
plete every regenerate soul shall be like
him. Then shall we attain again, in a
higher sense than Adam knew, the "Im
age of God."
Bro. Dobbs; lam perplexed over a
passage of scripture. It is Gal 2.9.
Three of the apostles are named, and
Paul says "they seemed to be pillars "
What perplexes me is that Paul should
imply that there was any doubt about
Peter, Janies and John being pillars in
the church. Please explain in Aske 1 and
Answered. ,1. <’. H
First of all let it be noted that the
James here mentioned was not one
of the " twelve apostles " He was
neither James the brother of John, nor
James the less the two apostles by the
name of Janies. Rather he was "James
the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1 19) —a na
tural brother of Jesus (Matt 18:35; Mark
6:3 a son of Mary and Joseph, who
only believed after the resurrection of
Jesus (John 7:5, compared with Acts
1.14) He became the honored bishop,
or pastor, of the church at Jerusalem,
and was highly esteemed by the Jewish
Christians. Cephas and John were the
apostles known to us by those familiar
names
By the use of the word rendered
"seemed" Paul does not intimate any
uncertainty as to the standing or au
thority of the three brethren named
The Revised Version and the improved
Bible Union render "were reputed to
be.” The same Greek word occurs in
verse (>, and frequently elsewhere,
where no doubt is expressed. Luke
(1:3) certainly had no doubt of his pur
pose to write his gospel: the apostolic
council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:28) had
no doubt concerning the decree they
formulated, ami there was no intima
tion of uncertainty about the conten
tious man in 1 Cor. 11:16. Paul rather
expresses the certainty of the standing
of Cephas. James and John as "pillars"
of the gospel in Jerusalem They man
ifestly were seen to be such.
CE. Dobbs, D D.: What was the
religion of Constantine, the last em
peror of the Greek Empire? G. S.
He was of the Greek church, but was
inclined to compromise with the Wes
tern. or Roman Catholic church. In
his novel —"The Prince of India" —Lew
Wallace gracefully portrays the reli
giousfanaticism prevailing in Constan
tinople during the last years of the em
pire. Constantine and the leading dig
nitaries of the church were favorable to
an amicable adjustment of the differ
ences between the Eastern and the Wes
tern churches; but the irreconcilable
element, led by Gennadius. made the
last days of the Emperor a season of
anxiety and unrest. The Emperor fell
with the capture of the city in 1453, and
Gennadius was made Patriarch by Mo
hammed Second, the Turkish conquer
or.
Dear Bro:- Please answer thisques
sion for our Sunday-school: Was Saul
chosen king by the people or by God ?
Was Saul regenerated? Was Saul
saved? w. M. Y.
We rejoice that we are not the judge
of men. God only knows who are saved
or lost. We have so recently answered
these questions in this column that we
deem it unnecessary to repeat. As to
the choice of Saul as king, it may be
said that the record is necessarily quite
brief. Did we have a full detailed his
tory of the times we should doubtless
find that God merely permitted the
people to have the king they had al
ready selected as their leader.
The World's Fair Tests
showed no baking powder
so pure or so great in leav
ening power as the Royal.
The Power to do Good.
The Christian who wants to do good
may safely reckon on God's willingness
to give him all the power he needs to
accomplish good. Such power will
come both directly and indirectly to
the person. It will come directly by
the Spirit’s conveyance to the heart of
enabling strength, of an energy above
human might, and of divine wisdom to
direct one s thought and strength. In
directly also the power will come, as by
the individual's efforts to improve his
mind, his heart, his life. He studies,
he struggles to master difficulties, he
puts forth every energy in the direction
of right doing, and thus he gains
greater and still greater power to do
good. To simply prsy for power to do
good, and yet not use all legitimate
means to develop one’s faculties and
secure greater skill for the performance
of good work, is to mock God and de
prive one’s self of much available power
Now, he who yearns to do good will
not only turn his mind in the direction
where he may do good and strive hard
to accomplish the weal of others, but
he will also pray most earnestly that
God will greatly bless all of his efforts.
And nothing pleases him be'ter than
the power to do good. He could not be
persuaded to do harm. If. by mistake
or unintentionally, he should do any
harm he would be grieved yver it. Anil
how infinitely much better it is to have
the power to do good than it is to have
the power and the will to dohaim I
C H. Wetherbe.
The following scrap, found among
some old papers, is worth saving anil
perpetuating. It contains the right
sort of instruction for every reader, and
if it is followed, will bring to each a
happy New Year
"No matter who you are, what your
lot. or where you live, you connot af
ford to do wrong The only way to ob
tain happiness and pleasure for your
self is to do the right thing You may
not always hit the mark;but yon should,
nevertheless, always ann for it. and
with every trial your skill will increase
Whether you are to be praised or blamed
for it by others, whether it will seem
ingly make you rich or poorer or
whether or not other persons than
yourself know of your actions still al
ways and in all cases do the right thing
Your first lessons in this rule will some
times seem hard, but they will grow
easier, and. finally, doing the right
thing will become a habit, and to do a
i thing wrong will become an impossibil
ity. S.het.d,
The Genuine "Browns Bron
ihiai. Troches" are sold only in box
es. They are wonderfully effective for
Coughs, Hoarsemssor Irritation of the
Throat caused by cold.
It is a common lament that the chil
dren do not attend the preaching serv
ices of the church as formerly. There
are several causes for this, and it is dif
ficult to define the proper force of each
Some parents do not attend, and the
children go home from the Sabbath
school. When the parents do not at
tend the Sabbath school, their children
become separated from them. The
Sabbath school and the services, the
one following the other, make a length
of time wearisome to voting and deli
cate children. To all may be added a
growing indifference on the part of the
parents to have their children with
them. The result is unhappy Let it
be granted that a little child cannot tin
derstaml the services, but tit form* a
habit If the habit of going to church
is not early formed, it is difficult to
form it at a later time The gap wid
ens with years Children grow into
the services; they imbibe their spirit
even before they understand their mean
ing At an earlier age than is com
monly supposed by parents, they un
derstand the leading thoughts and
truths of the Bible. The gospel of love
appeals to the heart of children even
more powerfully than to older persons
Take your children to the church, keep
them by your side, talk with them of |
the great themes of grace, and you will I
have them with von always. United ;
I‘rexbyterian
THE DOCTOR’S AC VICE.
Barney, Minreappolis 1 suffer very
much from cramps in the feet and legs,
especially at night, should be very glad
if yon would suggest an appropriate
remedy
Take our Febricide pills, one,
three times daily. -Medulline,
extract of the spinal cord, three
times daily.
M . Phila.—A teaspoonful Nat
rolithie Salts, morningand even
ing, to correct digestive disorder;
then Cerebrine, three times daily
for nervousness.
B. F.. Phila —I had a severe fall a few
weeks ago down steps, since then I have
been suffering from dizziness, weakness
and difficulty in walking. Can you sug
gest a treatment ?
Take our Medulline, extract of
the spinal cord, three times a
day.
The Doctor.
The above preparations and other
specialties of the Columbia Chemical
Co.. Washington. D. C., including the
famous
ANIMAL EXTRACTS
and NATROLITHIC SALTS.
At all druggists. Send for Literature
(248)
For sale by Lamar and Rankin Drug
Co., 51 E Alabama Street.
Our Littles Ones, issued week
ly by the American Baptist Pub
lication Society,appears with an
enlarged page for 1896. A
new feature is the introduc
tion of the current Sunday
school lesson in each number,
very attractive and nicely illus
trated, by Miss Juliet E. Dimock.
The chromo lithograph pictures
during the past year have been
very beautiful, and the promise
for 1896 is that they shall be still
better. The Society will gladly
furnish sample copies toany who
are not familiar with this paper.
Address 1420 Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia. Pa.
I think the sober, second
thought of the denomination will
settle dowm on local church
unions, with no conventions, so
I lately understood a national
union brother to express himself.
Obviously, the tendency of all
these extra-church “move
ments '■ is to disparage and un
dermine Christ’s own institution,
to which the evangelization of
the world was committed in the
great commission. We have
heard church members say, they
felt more interested in the Y. M.
C. A. than the church. Endeav
or societies interest the young
people more than the church
prayer meetings, to say nothing
of church conferences. Let old
and young, male and lemales
meet for worship ana service.
E. B. Teague.
A Man with a History.
going «<• <*T “P-
(From th, X'ltMiUe, t'enie. Banner.)
Mr jobnW.ThomM, Jr .of Ihet». lenn. f
it a man with a most interesting history.
■'lt was in ’»4, said he to a reporter
who had asked him for the story of his life,
when I was working in the silver mines »f
New Mexico, that ray troubles began.
“ From simple indigestion ray malady de
veloped iutoa chronic inability to take any
aubstanfia! food, and at times I was pros
trated by spells of heart palpitation. On
the Uth of April, I suddenly col
lapsed, and for days 1 was unconscious,
in fact I was not fully myself until July.
< in September Ist I weighed but .0 pound*
w.iereas my normal weight is 165 pounds.
All over ray body there were lumps from
t ie size of a grape to the size of a walnut,
tn v fingers were cramped so that I cou d not
m >re than half straighten them. I had en
tirely lost control of my lower limbs ana
mv hand trembled so that I could not drink
v ithout spilling the liquid. N ithing would
r main on mv stomacn, and it seemed that
i must dry up before many more days had
pass d.
“ 1 made another round of the physicians,
calling in one after the other, and by the
a d of morphine and other medicines they
gave me. I in inaged to live though barely
through the full.”
Here Mr. Thomas displayed his arma,
and just above the elbow of each there was
a large irregular stain as large as the palm
of the hand and of a purple c dor, the spact
covere 1 by the mark was sunken nearly u>
the bone. “ That. ’ said Mr. Thomas, “is
what the doctors did by putting morphine
into me.
“On the 11th of December, 1893, just eight
months after I took permanently to bed—l
shall never forget the date —my cousin, Joe
Foster, of Carters ( reek, called on me and
gave me a box of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills
f r Pale People, saying they had cured him
of partial paralysis, with which I knew ha
bul nil but died. I followed bis directions
a id began taking the medicine, as a result
1 st md before you to-day the most surprised
man on earth. Look at my hand, it is as
s' ‘ ■ ly as yours; ray face has a healthy look
about it;’ 1 have’ been attending to my
d ities for a month. Since I began taking
t ie pills I have gained 30 pounds, and 1 am
a ill gaining. All the knots have disap
peared from mv body except this little
kernel here in my palm. 1 have r good
appetite and 1 am almost as strong os 1 ever
was.
“ Y ••«terday 1 rode thirtv-seven miles on
h >rsi hick, I feel tired to-day but not sick.
1 used to have fr >ru tw > to four spells of
heart palpitation every night, since I be/an
the use of the pills 1 have had but four
spells altogether.
“I know positively that I was cured by
Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills, and I believe
firmly that it is the most wonderful remedy
in existence to-day, and every fact I have
presented to you is known to my neighbors
as well as t<» myself, and they will certify te
the truth of my remarkable cure.”
Our 96-page catalog sent to any
dress, illustrates and prices
■ ■ many patterns of
solid p'ld,
soli
«il an d
gpntle-
nnd nickel AM missea
watches suit^F^ and boys,
for Write to
u. • 1 a W them
■ Tx Barnes &
M 584 West Market
Louisville, Ky.
Thia firm i* reliable.—Christian Index.
FITS CURED
(From U. S. Journal of Medicine.)
'rof. W. 11. Peeke,who makes a specialty of Epilepsy,
r.as without doubt treated and cured more cases than
iny living Physician; his success is astonishing. We
is ve beard of cases of 20 years’standingcured by him.
■le pubhshesa valuable work on thisdisease which he
lends with a large bottle of his absolute cure, free to
iny sufferer who may send their P.O. and Express ad
tress. We advise anyone wishing a cure to address!
W. 11. PEEKE, F D., 4 Cedar St-, New York
CURED w, th Vegetable Remedies
Have ured niany thousand cases called r Tate ~1
• ■■ss in ten >lays at least of all symptoms are I
•moved. Book of tes’imonials of cures ami 10 day* I I I
• Bf- H H Orefin & Sons Atlanta Ga laSd
Aire Mailing and Ornamental Win
Works.
DUFUR & CO.,
No. 811 N. Howard St., Baltimore, Md.,
Manufactur- Wire Railings for Cemeter
ies Balconies. Ac.. Sieves. Fenders, Cages,
■land and Coal Screens, Woven Wire, Ac.,
Klso bedsteads. Chairs. Settees. Ac. 25 febly
MONON ROUTE
LOUISVILLE, NEW ALBANY AND CHICAGO RY.
The Pullman Car Line
BETWEEN
LOUSVILLE O r INDIAN
QINCINNATI, APOLIS,
AND
CHICAGO AND TH: NORTHWEST
Pullman Vestibule Service on Nigh l
Trains. Parlor Chair and
Dining Cars on Day
Trains.
Monon Trains make
the Fastest Time between the
Southern Winter Cities and
Summer Resorts of the North
west
W. H. McDoel,
Vice Pres’t. and Gen. M’g’r.
Frank J. Reed,
Gen l. Passenger Agent.
For further Particulars, address
R. W- Glading, General Agent,
Thomasville, Ga
HENRY S. JONES,
Attorney TV t
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.
Prompt in all business. Disbursements
*ent by first mall. Commercial law and col
lections a specialty. Receipts for claims
indjall correspondence by return mail or
aug22t
Money Mafle Easily Mi Rapidly
READ THIS AND THINK IT OVER.
We want 100 men who have energy and
grit. XVewill give them a situation In which
they can make money rapidly—the labor be
ing light and employment the year round.
Requires no capital or great education.
Some of our best salesmen are country
boys. Young men or old will do. Remuner
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100 men within the next 30 days. Do not
waste time, but write at once to
H. C. HUDGINB|A3CO., Publishers,
Atlanta , Ga