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Show SUNDAY SERMON The following are extracts from a sermon preached by Rev. Christian R. Garver at the Methodist Episcopal church Sunday morning. The theme was: "Tho Soldiers Fire." The text was found in Matthew's Gospel, third chapter and eleventh verso: "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghos and with firo." "In our text we find men and women who aro about to receive tho promised gift of the spirit of God. They have been waiting as their Master directed, waiting In prayer, waiting In trembling tremb-ling watchfulness and expectation. Then the much hoped for day arrives and their spirits receive tho Infinite re-inforcement of tho Holy Spirit. The spirit of man receives the gift of the spirit of God, and the two dwell together to-gether in glorious and mystic communion. commun-ion. Tho thing that happens to the human uplrit is suggested to us under the familiar symbols of wind and fire. "Like a rushing mighty wind." The wind dispels tho fog. it freshens the atmosphere. It is the minister of vitality. vi-tality. Just so the breath of God's t i " 1 j spirit acts upon the life. "Now as to the symbol of fire: Fire is the antagonist of all that Is frozen. The wind changes the atmosphere and the temperature of man's soul. And when the spirit of man and the spirit of God come into blessed communion the result will be expressed in terms of action. We wish to show this morning morn-ing how it acts on the common hearthstone hearth-stone of human love: "Tho first thing warmed up Is the heart, Tho intimate friend of tho Holy Spirit Is known by the ardour of his affection. He loves with a pure heart fervently. It Is not necessary to convince con-vince you of the existence of cold hearts among you. Some hearts are so cold that their temperature is zero; others havo a little fire of love burning but It Is very dull, uninviting, unattractive. unattrac-tive. Thore is a little sputtering and crackling, but no real glow. Their temperature Is about ten above freezing. freez-ing. They aro not frozen, neither are thoy comforting. "How profound Is the need of tho world for warm glowing, affectJonal fires. What awfully cold loves there aro around us, just waiting for tho cheer of 'tho Bacred Uamo of love.' There aro souls whose fires have died down at the touch of death, others whoso glow has been chilled by sorrow, others whose hearts are cold In the midst of wealth. Wealth can buy attention; at-tention; it can nover puchase love." |
