USA > West Virginia > The West Virginia pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sermons from living ministers. With personal sketches of the authors > Part 12
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"For now, as through the artist's intervening glass Our eye observes the distant planets pass, A little we discover, but allow That more remains that art can show; So whilst our mind its knowledge would improve, (Its feeble eye intent on things above), High as we may lift our reason up, By Faith directed and confirmed by Hope, Yet we are able only to survey Dawnings of beams and promises of day. Heaven's fuller effluence mocks our dazzled sight; Too great its swiftness and too strong its light : But soon the mediate clouds shall be dispelled ; The sun shall then be face to face beheld,
In all his robes with all his glory on,
Seated sublime on his meridian throne."
The light is increasing. That which was dim, and dimly seen through the types of Solomon's time, is now being revealed through Jesus Christ. As I look at the evidences of man's determination to go beyond the lines of his past discoveries, I wonder that so few are found who are willing to put their barks into this broad sea. I am sure our indifference is offensive to God, and grieves his spirit. An incident in the life of the great George Whitefield forcibly illustrates this truth. Near the close of one of his impressive ser- mons, he made a solemn pause, and then said : "The attendant angel is just about to leave the threshold and ascend to heaven. And shall he ascend and not bear with him the news that one sinner among all this multitude is reclaimed from the error of his ways?" To give greater force to his words, he stamped with his foot, raised his hands and his eyes to heaven, and, with gushing tears, cried aloud, "Stop, Gabriel ! stop, Gabriel! stop, ere ye enter the sacred portals, and yet carry with you the news of one sin- ner converted to God." The infidel, Hume, heard these burning words, but walked away without giv- ing his heart to God, and, in all probability, never felt as much like doing so again. In like manner many to whom the blessed Savior sends us with the message of salvation, treat the subject with cold and heartless indifference.
" The half has not been told." We cannot divine the wonders of salvation. We may describe in glow- ing colors the scenes in nature and the works of art around us, but we cannot draw faithful pictures of
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the Valley of Repentance. We can never tell the bitterness of "the wormwood and the gall," nor the darkness of the dark hour that precedes the hour of deliverance. We would hardly undertake to tell all about the "hunger" and " thirst" that penitent sin- ners and humble Christians both endure and enjoy as stepping-stones to the fullness of righteousness in Christ. Human language will never be competent to fully portray the struggles of a trembling faith to find something in the promises on which to stand, while all other hopes pass away forever, nor of its victories as it stands and rejoices in the full assurance of the Gospel. And then
" Tongue can never express The sweet comforts and peace Of a soul in its earliest love,"
Nor press into the limits of a short lifetime the happy experiences of the Christian pilgrim as he passes up the shining highway of holiness to his home in the skies.
There is nothing to which we can compare these spiritual and heavenly things. Comparisons are made, but they all fail to reach the reality. The sun breaking through the clouds and flooding the earth with light; the day chasing away the darkness of the night; waking from a long and exhausting sleep; rising from the grave and bounding into a vigorous life, and being born again, are familiar expressions oy which experimental religion is illustrated ; but all of them put together fail to fully show its complete- ness.
The vision of grandeur enjoyed by the happy queen at Solomon's court was too much for her spirit and nerves; but what was that in comparison with the grandeur of that spiritual kingdom which is fore- shadowed by our theme? Some people think we make too much noise about religion, but I do not believe that we make enough. There may be false and hollow professions, which are loud only for the sake of noise, but when true and earnest Christians learn to invoice their spiritual possessions as carefully as they do their worldly wealth, they will rejoice
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with exceeding joy, and the long-prayed-for day of the Lord will then soon be ushered in.
In the volume of inspiration there are descriptions given of future blessedness suited to our present faculties; some of these are so beautiful that the finite mind can soar no higher. The crowns of glory, the streets of gold, the gates of pearl, the walls of Jasper, the crystal river, the living fountains, the company of angels, the harps, and the songs of triumph. These figures of speech are imperfect rep- resentatives of heaven.
"The wide and unbounded prospect lies before us, But shadows, clouds and darkness rest upon it."
The day is coming, and to some it is not far distant, when hope will die in full fruition, and faith will be swallowed up in sight. Then we shall meet our blessed Savior and the loved ones with whom we parted at Jordan's brink, and see them in the clear radiance of heaven. Then we shall comprehend " with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the fullness of God."
My prayer is that the writer of these lines and all who may read them may ultimately rise from these "shadowy visions" to the substantial realities and deathless joys of heaven.
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PERSONAL SKETCH.
THE REV. SAMUEL E. STEELE was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, February 19, 1832. He was the fifth heir of Wil- liam and Jane Steele. There were nine children in all, and they are all living except the eldest sister, who died in 1856. His father departed this life April 14, 1844, but his mother still sur- vives. .
The subject of this sketch was converted and connected him- self with the M. E. Church in October, 1850, under the labors of Reverends Woodruff and Clagg, in Salem Church, Washington county, Pa. It was here that the arrow of conviction first pierced his young heart; but the balm of Gilead was applied, and he was enabled to exclaim with the famous author of "Night Thoughts":
" With joy, with grief, the healing hand I see, That formed the skies, and yet that bled for me, That bleeds the balm I want."
His elder brothers, having married and gone from home, when the father died, the care of the farm, and the family, as well, largely fell to Bro. Steele. He was yet young, but pos- sessed of industry and a robust constitution, he was well fitted for the task before him. Here he labored for two years, and then entered Bethany College, not far from Wheeling, where he began the studies of the regular course preparatory for the min- istry, which profession he felt it his duty to enter. But the transposition from hard work on the farm to hard study in school, was too great, and the result was ruined health; so, in the spring of 1852 he returned to the farm to regain his strength or die, as many thought he would. This terminated his college course; but after a while he grew strong again, and for four years engaged in school teaching in his native county, among his kin- dred and friends.
October 12, 1855, Bro. Steele married Miss Mary Lee, second daughter of John and Mary Lee, of Marshall county, West Vir- ginia. In March, of the next year, he received from the hand of Rev. William Lynch, Presiding Elder of the Wheeling Dis- trict, license as a local preacher, and in April, 1857, with sixteen other young men, he was admitted to the West Virginia Confer- ence. Most of Bro. Steele's classmates are still living, but some have fallen asleep. Among the latter I mention Rev. G. W.
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Richmond, D. D., of precious memory-one of the purest men, and best preachers I ever knew. He died young, and his pure spirit went to the land
" Where saints of all ages in harmony meet, Their Savior and brethren transported to greet ; While anthems of rapture unceasingly roll, And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul."
Bro. Steele is just in the prime of life; but when he thinks of the numbers about him these twenty years, who have fallen in the fight, I do not wonder that he realizes
" The years are rolling on."
The different posts of duty to which Bro. Steele, in the course of his ministerial life, has been assigned, are as follows: Spen- cer Circuit, two years; Elizabeth, two years; Middlebourne, two years; Sistersville, three years; Harrisville, three years; Guy- andotte, three years; Hartford City, two years; Charleston Dis- trict, as Presiding Elder, four years, and Huntington, one year. He was transferred to the Kentucky Conference about two years ago, and was stationed at Ashland, Ky., where he is now ministering to a faithful and zealous people.
During these years of toil in the Master's vineyard, about two thousand souls have been converted under Bro. Steele's preach- ing and added to the church. He has been a faithful, efficient and earnest minister of the Word. He preaches well-often with great power: I have heard him move large congregations to tears. May he live long to call men to repentance, and at last, when the great battle is fought, may he hear the welcome applaudit :
"Servant of God, well done! Thy glorious warfare's past, The battle's fought, the race is won, And thou art saved at last,"
11
SERMON XIII .*
BY
REV. SAMUEL E. STEELE.
THEME :- CHRIST'S GOSPEL.
TEXT :- For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ."- Romans i: 16.
" Observation teaches us, that from some cause or other, a large majority of the human race are ashamed of Christ and his Gospel. For, out of fourteen or fif- teen millions of the race, less than three hundred millions, even, profess to believe in Jesus. Then, when we remember that of this number, a majority are only nominal Christians; and while they may have, to some extent, the form of godliness, they are destitute of the power of heartfelt religion.
Again : Many who are religious, apparently, while surrounded by religious influences, fail to stand firm- ly by their Master, when adverse circumstances are brought to bear upon them. They are seemingly car- ried with the multitude to do evil, and thereby deny Christ, or are found ashamed, to be called his follow- ers. Not so, however, with the author of our text; for, after his conversion at Damascus, he was not only anxious to preach the Gospel in that city, but in Cor- inth, Philippi, Ephesus, and Jerusalem also. He even expressed a strong desire (chap. 15 and 22) to visit his friends in Rome, who believed in Christ, and
*Preached at Union Camp Meeting, near Louisa, Ky., October 16, 1881.
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to preach Jesus and the resurrection, to the inhabit- ants of that great Metropolis of the world, to unfurl the Gospel banner high in air, with that motto which all the ages should adopt : "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." The first thought claiming our attention is
I. THE TERM " GOSPEL."
This term means a revelation of the grace, or favor, of God to fallen man through a mediator; including the whole scene of salvation, as revealed by the pa- triarchs and prophets, by Jesus Christ and his apos- tles, and is called the Gospel of God .* It is thus named because it comes from God, and is accompanied by the influence of God's Spirit.
Again : It is called " the Gospel of the Kingdom," because it treats of the kingdom of grace, and points out the way to the kingdom of glory. In short, the Gospel embraces the whole of God's will concerning man, as set forth in the Old and New Testament Scriptures.
The term "Gospel " also means the history of the Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded by each of the evange- lists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ; for each con- tains a complete history of Jesus-of his miraculous conception, of his birth, life, miracles, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. It likewise reveals to man a future state-a place of perpetual and uninter- rupted happiness; and also a place of misery, sorrow and woe. This term has still a wider meaning. It means, good news or glad tidings; and I may re- mark that it is altogether the best news that ever fell upon the ear of fallen humanity. How it gladdened the hearts of the shepherds, as they watched their flockson the plains of Judea, to hear the angel of the Lord say : " Fear not ; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, "Glory to
*Romans 1:1.
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God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." Thus was made manifest to the world, the hidden glories of God's nature; how man could be reconciled to man, and also to himself ; and offer- ing also to a world of guilty culprits a remedy for sin and uncleanliness ; and extending to humanity every- where the broad invitation, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest." "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come, ye, buy and eat ; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." God be praised, for a Gos- pel that embraces all-that invites all-offers a rem- edy for sin to all, and a free and full salvation " to the ends of the earth." Surely the Gospel is good news, and glad tidings of great joy. We notice in the next place :
II. THE DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL.
1. It is the design of the Gospel to enlighten the mind. God is in his own word by his spirit and power, by whomsoever and wherever preached. The Spirit of God accompanies the Word, and through this Word, or Gospel, man learns that he is a sinner, and through this same medium he forms ideas of God and his attributes ; and if he worships God at all, he en- deavors to worship him in spirit and in truth. For man learns from this same source that "God is a spirit," and they that worship him, "must worship him in spirit and in truth." The heathen worship, and their ceremonies are very imposing; but being without the Gospel of the Son of God, they can have no correct ideas of the author of their being; and being destitute of a knowledge of the Gospel, they are incapable of rendering acceptable service to the God of the Bible. As the sun, the great orb of day, is to the natural world-as his rays of light, chase away darkness, so the Bible, the blessed Gospel of God, is to the moral world ; its rays of light penetrate the dark corners of the human heart, and enable man to walk in the light. We learn from the glorious Gos-
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pel our true natures; and as the light from the sacred page flashes into the inmost soul, we are led, by the wooings of God's Holy Spirit, who forever accompa- nies the Word. We are thus led to discern the mis- takes of life as the results of sin, and, to some extent, a knowledge of God. For Christ came into the world to show us God. This Gospel, therefore, teaches us our true relation to God.
2. It is the design of the Gospel to teach conviction ; or, in other words, to convince us of sin. Nature is a grand book to study; but, without the Gospel of the Son of God, without the revelations which God has made of himself to the human heart, through his Son, Spirit and Word, nature would be to us a sealed book, and we would have nothing to teach us our duty to God, or our duty to our fellow man, or, even, the existence of a God. But with the Bible in our hands, with its truths accompanied by the Holy Ghost im- pressed upon our hearts, we can read the existence of a God in every object that comes within the range of natural vision. We can see him in the silvery edged cloud ; hear him in the storm; and read his foot- prints alike in the towering mountain, and valley low ; the running brook and ever rolling ocean ; in every leaf of the forest, and spear of grass which grows upon the green carpeted earth. All ! All alike teach the Christian heart the existence of the God of the Bible. But to the Gospel -- God's revealed will- we are indebted for those wonderful truths, which lead us to feel that we are sinners, and as such we must perish forever, unless relieved in some way ; and in our perfect helplessness, we are led to cry out from within, " What must I do to be saved ?" or with Saul, when convicted, or convinced under the power of truth, " What wilt thou have me do ?" Thus the soul, under conviction, is led to appeal for help from a higher power, which leads us to notice the remedy for sin, as set forth in the Gospel.
3. What a pall of darkness would forever rest upon the guilty soul, sensible of the burden of guilt, with- out a remedy. But God comes to his relief, as reveal- ed in the glorious Gospel, and offers a remedy for the
..
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sin-sick soul, speaking in that still small voice, " Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee." Hence, it is not only the design of the Gospel to teach us con- viction, but also conversion, done for us, and in us, by which we have " peace with God." For, "being justi- fied (pardoned) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." That change by which Saul-afterwards called Paul-was brought into covenant favor with God, while pleading in Da- mascus to be relieved from the burden of sin; and when he believed on the despised Nazarine, "there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he receiv- ed sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized,"- made a new creature in Christ Jesus, the Lord. As an evidence of his conversion, he no longer persecuted the infant Church of Christ; but joined with that little oppressed band of brethren in Damascus, and com- menced preaching Christ, and him crucified-declar- ing that he was "not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." That which he now enjoyed in his own heart he could and did heartily recommend to his fellow men-declaring this to be " a faithful say- ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Oh! we re- joice in that Gospel that brings relief to the troubled heart, and enables each unburdened soul to say,
" To God I'm reconciled; His pard'ning voice I hear; He owns me for his child; I can no longer fear."
4. It is the design of the Gospel to perfect the work. When enlightened, when convicted, when converted, God would have us go on to perfection. "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the founda- tion of repentance from dead works, and of faith to- wards God. Of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God per- mit." Holiness, purity of heart, and sanctification, are terms found frequently in God's Word. And they
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have a meaning which should ever lead us to greater activity in holy living-that we may be "filled with all the fullness of God, and be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." God teaches us in the Gospel, to be holy; to be holy in this life, to be holy now. Trusting, resting in Jesus now.
"Forever here my rest shall be, Close to thy bleeding side; This all my hope, and all my plea,- For me the Savior died."
The tender rosebud, under the gentle showers of rain, and warm rays of the sun, soon bursts forth, and becomes a full grown rose. So the babe in Christ, as such we are when first converted, but under the hal- lowed influence of the Spirit of God, and following the teachings of the Gospel, as directed by the Spirit of the Master, receiving "the pure milk of the Word," we grow up to manhood, and become able to receive the strong meat, which "belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil," For justification is sanctification commenced in the soul; and by giving all diligence, to make sure work, that will stand the test, we add to our faith, virtue, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in us, and abound, we shall be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowl- edge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is God's order that we go forward,-that we be pure,-that we be holy; and if we do not seek for it, live for it, and enjoy it, even in this life, we disobey the command of him who said, by his Spirit through Paul, to the Ephesians, " Be holy and without blame before him in love." The pure in heart "shall see God;" and live with him forever. This leads us to notice further:
5. That the design of the Gospel is to reveal to man a future state-a place of rest for the pure in heart, and a place of misery for those who know not God, nor obey his Gospel. How dark, and how dreary, would the future be, were it not for the hope we have
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through the Gospel of God's eternal Son ! Through his blessed word we learn that if we die, we shall live again ; and our faith, resting upon and in the eternal promises of Jesus in the Gospel, our hope leaps on; the curtain is removed; and by faith we look up and beyond the shady river, through our tears it may be, and we see the millions redeemed through the blood of the Lamb, washed and cleansed from all sin, congregated before the throne of God, singing the song of redeeming love, in heaven's own melody, "Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and domin- ion, forever and ever, Amen." And as the song of the redeemed of every land, and of every age, rolls up the golden arches of the eternal city, breaking in sweet echo, on the river of life, to be taken up and repeated by the redeemed forever, is no extravagant fancy. This hope of Heaven, by the Christian, has a sure sup- port in the Gospel of the Son of God. Jesus promises a crown of life to the faithful ; and Paul tells us, " For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
"O, would he more of Heaven bestow, And when the vessels break, Let our triumphant spirits go To grasp the God we seek. In rapturous awe, on him to gaze, Who bought the sight for me And shout and wonder at his grace To all eternity.'
What a misfortune, that any should miss entering into rest, when all might be saved. But, unbelief forever keeps the soul away from Christ and out of heaven; and fits it for companionship with lost spir- its in the world of misery and woe, " Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is unquenched."
"Forever wasting, yet enduring still ; Dying perpetually, yet never dead."
Where all moral influence is forever left behind, as the poor, unfortunate lost soul launches out into the black abyss of eternal night. "Immense, where grav- itation; shifting, turns the other way; and to some dread, unknown, infernal centre downward weighs."
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Unbelief ! thou monster evil ! To know thee is to call thee devil ! Since thou the cause of so much sorrow, We demur to-day, and the same to-morrow.
This brings us finally to notice
III. SOME REASONS WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
Shame is a very great passion of the human soul. It was introduced by sin, and sin is the only thing for which we should be ashamed. A sense of wrong do- ing leads to confusion and shame; destroys our moral courage; renders us weak and feeble in our own esti- mation, as well as in the estimation of others. But what is there in connection with the service of the blessed Master, for which we should be ashamed?
" Ashamed of Jesus, that dear Friend, On whom my hopes of heaven depend; No; when I blush, be this my shame,- . That I no more revere his name."
However, there were those (the Pharisees) in the days of Christ, who professed to be ashamed of Jesus, because he ate with Publicans and Sinners; and found fault with Jesus, to his disciples, because their Master showed compassion for erring ones. But what encour- agement Jesus gives to the poor sinner, who feels the weight of guilt resting upon his poor soul, in the an- swer the Pharisees received from the lips of the blessed Christ-withering, indeed, to the self-righteous and self-conceited, egotistical class, but full of the love of God, and help for the sinner, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." *
X " For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Paul bears testimony that Jesus Christ came into the world for the special purpose "to save sinners;" and then adds, " of whom I am chief." If, then, the merits of Jesus' blood could cleanse the lep- rous soul of " the chief of sinners," who need despair? And how commendable, and inviting,-instead of feel- ing ashamed of the Christ of the Bible, and a Gospel so full of invitations, and promises, and effecting so many grand results, he is bold to maintain and defend it.
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