USA > West Virginia > The West Virginia pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sermons from living ministers. With personal sketches of the authors > Part 5
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6. Heaven is a better country with respect to its supplies. It is a land of abundance. There is no scarcity there. No famine can ever reach it. There, poverty is unknown. There, none has ever felt, or ever will feel, the pangs of hunger or the pains of thirst. "For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." There, every want is supplied, every desire gratified. The inhabitants lack no good thing. "In our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare." "There is a river, the streams where- of make glad the city of God."
7. Heaven is a better country with respect to its duration. There is nothing certain in this uncertain world. The brightest flowers fade, the dearest friends part. Wealth makes to itself wings and flies away.
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Honors and pleasures are ephemeral. The earth itself, will finally disappear.
" The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve! And like this unsubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind."
"The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up " But " the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever." When we read in the Scriptures of " the saints' secure abode," we usually find everlasting dur- ation associated with it. It is "a kingdom, that can- not be moved ," " a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens ," "an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away ;" " a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God ;" it is " life eternal," and everlasting joy. There is, therefore, freedom from all fear of falling, from all fear of suffering, and from fear of loss. There is a feeling of perfect security and, consequently, of perfect satisfaction and peace. It is no wonder, therefore, that wise and good men desire this country, and that sometimes they even " languish and sigh to be there."
Let us consider,
II. WHAT THE CHRISTIAN'S DESIRE IMPLIES.
1. It implies faith in the existence of a better coun- try. "Desire," says Webster "is a wish to possess some gratification or source of happiness supposed to be obtainable." It would be absurd to desire some- thing that is unattainable, and that has no exist- ence. But the good and wise "desire a better country," and God, our maker, is too good to raise hopes, or ex- cite desires, which he does not intend to gratify.
" Whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, This longing after immortality ?
*
'Tis the divinity that stirs within us ; 'Tis heaven itself that points out a hereafter, And intimates eternity to man."
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The more enlightened heathen believed in a future life. The polished Greeks had their Elysium for the good and virtuous. And even
" The poor Indian, whose untutored mind, Sees God in storms and hears him in the wind ; His soul, proud science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk and milky way. Yet simple nature to his hope has given,
Behind the cloud-topped hills, a humbler heaven."
But life and immortality have been brought to light by the Gospel. He, who gave evidence that he is the Son of God, said to his disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me." Now, as rational beings, we believe on evidence. We receive the testimony of credible witnesses. We believe there are such quarters of the globe as Asia and Africa, and such countries as Russia and Turkey, although we may never have been there; but we have read the histories and geographies of these countries, written by men who have been there, or who, by some other unmistakable way have become acquainted with them. Now, if we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. The truth of the Scriptures has been established beyond the possibility of a doubt, to the minds of thinking Christian men, and they reveal to our faith a heavenly world. To say nothing of the testimony of the patriarchs, pro- phets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself assures us of "a better country." He came from that country and returned to it again. And before returning, he said to his disciples, "In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you un- to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." An old divine remarks, "If it were not so, he could have told them, for he gave evidence that 'in him were all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' If it were not so, he would have told them, for he proved to them, and to the world, that he was a being of boundless benevolence and unwavering truth. But it was so, and, therefore, he assured them of the fact." such, then, is the evidence for our faith to rest upon,
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that not to believe is unreasonable and wicked. Dr. Young says,
" Believe, and show the reason of a man ; Believe, and taste the pleasures of a God; Believe, and look with triumph on the tomb."
A sacred writer says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
2. This desire implies knowledge of that country. A man desiring to remove to some country, for the purpose of making his home there, evidently knows something of that country, which makes it desirable. It is reasonable to suppose this. The Bible is the first and principal source of our information concerning the better land. There we read of its character and attractions ; its intelligent and pure society ; its freedom from sin and sorrow; its uninterrupted peace; its undisturbed rest; its pure pleasure ; its ceaseless songs; its endless happiness, springing from the communion of saints and angels, and the vision of God. A dying Christian once said, "I am going to heaven, and I shall be no stranger there. I have been there a thousand times by faith, and many of my friends are there ; and above all, my Savior is there, whom I have known for lo, these many years."
We know there is a heavenly world by experience, or the foretaste we have of it. We " taste the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come." When the spies brought of the fruits of the land of Canaan, the people knew that. it was a goodly land, and a land to be desired. The fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, temperance, patience, gentleness, which are found in renewed hearts, are not indigenous to this world. They are exotics, and are impeded in their growth by unfavorable influences. But they grow to perfection in that better land.
We know there is a better world than this, by the testimony of dying friends. They often tell us of the sights they see, and of the sounds they hear. They have glorious visions and revelations of their heav- enly home. Angels stand around their beds, and they see loved ones that have gone before. As
"The world recedes and disappears, Heaven opens on their eyes; their ears With sounds seraphic ring."
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And we then say, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."
3. This desire for the better country implies, efforts to reach it. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after," says the Psalmist, "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." If a man truly and earnestly desires to go to some country in this world, which he considers better than his native land, he will take steps to gratify this desire: in other words, he will make ar- rangements to go, and will start on his journey. The Christian manifests his desire for the better country by his holy walk and godly deportment. He says, by his heavenly conversation, that his " kingdom is not of this world ;" and they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country "-" a better country, that is, a heavenly." They "look not at the things which are seen, and are temporal, but at the things which are not seen, and are eternal." They "set their affections on things above, not on things on the earth." A good man, now in heaven, whose children had left him in England, to come to this country, said that he had a longing desire to come after them, and as soon as he could make the arrangements, he followed in their steps, and found a home with them till he went to his home above. Good men on earth, are "followers of them who through faith and pa- tience inherit the promises."
4. The Christian's desire for the better country, im- plies efforts to induce others to seek it. Moses said to Hobab, " We are journeying to the place of which the Lord hath said, I will give it you. Come then with us and we will do thee good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel." Those who are going to heaven themselves, desire others to accompany them. First, because they are social beings-they love congenial company. Good company makes the way still more pleasant. Secondly, because they are unselfish and loving. They love their neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and fellow-beings in general, as themselves. Finding the way to heaven peaceful
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and pleasant, and knowing that it leads to joys im- mortal, they say to the wanderers from God as they pass along, "Come with us." "The Spirit and the Bride"-God and the Church-"say come."
I cannot conclude this sermon better than by giv- ing the beautiful poem of Mrs. Hemans, on
THE BETTER LAND.
"I hear thee speak of the better land: Thou callest its children a happy band : Mother! O where is that radiant shore ? Shall we not seek it and weep no more ? Is it where the flower of the orange blows, And the fire-flies dance through the myrtle boughs ? -'Not there, not there, my child !'
" Is it where the feathery palm trees rise, And the date grows ripe under sunny skies, Amid the green islands of glittering seas, Where fragrant forests perfume the breeze, And strange bright birds on their starry wings, Bear the rich hues of all glorious things? -'Not there, not there, my child !'
" Is it far away in some region old, Where the rivers wander o'er sands of gold, And the burning rays of the ruby shine, And the diamond lights up the secret mine, And the pearl gleams forth from the coral strand ? Is it there, sweet mother, that better land ? -'Not there, not there, my child !'
"Eye hath not seen it, my gentle boy: Ear hath not heard its deep songs of joy; Dreams cannot picture a world so fair: Sorrow and death may not enter there. Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom Far beyond the clouds and beyond the tomb, -It is there, it is there, my child !"
Yes, my brethren, it is there.
"When the good man yields his breath (For the good man never dies), Bright beyond the vale of death Lo ! the land of promise lies!"
There are gathered the good, the pure, and the true, who have departed this life. Among them are some in whose company we once delighted, who lessened our pains, and enhanced our pleasures, strewing flow- ers of love and kindness in our pathway, and helping to make our lives cheerful and bright. Much of the sunshine left our homes and our hearts when they passed away, and we have often felt lonely without them. They will not return to us, but we may go to them. They are now within the beautiful gates, awaiting our arrival. But the best of all is, our
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Saviour is there. He is the great attraction. He is the light and joy of the place. "All, all we want is there." "Then where our treasure is, let our hearts be also."
To the unconverted, let me say, Live no longer in the indulgence of " worldly lusts." Pursue no longer the pleasures of sin, but seek the joys that never fade. You are going to your " long home;" you are traveling to the grave. Will you not turn your feet to God's testimonies, and journey to the " better land ?"
PERSONAL SKETCH
REV. J. WESLEY WEBB, D.D., was born June 5th, 1826, on Mossy creek, Augusta county, Virginia. When the subject of this sketch was but twelve years of age, his father died, and, in consequence of which, he was thrown upon his own resources to procure an education. Availing himself, however, of the ed- ucational advantages, for which the Valley of Virginia has al- ways been noted, Bro. Webb made rapid progress, and at the age of nineteen, became principal of the Middlebrook Academy. He remained in this position for three years, when he was chosen principal of Roller's Seminary, a position which he filled, for a considerable period, with great acceptability. His tastes, how- ever, were not in the line of teaching, so he took up the study of medicine at Harrisonburg, Virginia, with the renowned Dr. Clay of that place.
Dr. Webb was the subject of early religious impressions, and united with the Church under the pastoral care of Rev. B. N. Brown, of the Baltimore conference. Shortly after his conversion, the call to the ministry was very plainly heard and felt; conse- quently he closed his medical books, and gave himself to the Master's work. In 1850, he entered the Gospel ministry, and for more than thirty years has been a herald of the Cross. Like him who wrote one of our most beautiful hymns, Bro. Webb can, no doubt, say :
"I love to tell the story ; For those who know it best, Seem hungering and thirsting, To hear it like the the rest. And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new, song, Twill be-the old, old story, That I have loved so long."
In 1853, Dr. Webb came to West Virginia to take charge of the Buckhannon Academy (Baxter's Institute); and at the close of a very successful term, he entered the West Virginia Conference, at Fairmont, in June, 1854. Since that time he has supplied some of the best charges in the conference.
As an expression of the esteem of his brethren, he was elected on the first ballot, as a delegate to the General Conference, which met in Brooklyn in the year 1872. He made a very efficient delegate, and was elected a member of the Publishing Commit- tee of the Pittsburgh Christian Advocate, for four years.
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As a preacher, Dr. Webb ranks high. His sermons, though carefully written before hand, are delivered without even notes, and often with wondrous unction and eloquence. Persons who have heard him in his happiest efforts, bear testimony to the thrilling effect produced on the congregation by his earnest dis- courses. He has executive ability of no ordinary character, and makes a first-class Presiding Elder. While Presiding Elder of Morgantown and Guyandotte Districts, fifty churches and par- sonages were built under his administration. He has been in- strumental, as Pastor and Presiding Elder, in the erection of be- tween sixty and seventy churches and parsonages.
As a recognition of his literary and theological attainments, the honorary degree of Doctor in Divinity was conferred upon him by Mount Union College some years ago. Dr. Webb still applies himself closely to reading and study, and keeps up with the times-making his sermons fresh and vigorous. At present he is stationed at Triadelphia-a suburban town of the city of Wheeling.
SERMON V .*
BY
REV. J. WESLEY WEBB, D. D.
THEME :- THE DUTY OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES.
TEXT :- "Search the Scriptures."-JOHN V: 39.
There exists many exalted and infallible proofs of the divine authority and unadulterated truth of the Holy Scriptures, as embodied in the Book called the Bible. And even if these proofs of their divinity were taken away, yet there remains all the marks of genuineness and truth that can be brought in support of any other ancient record, or that may be required to authenticate the circumstances of this generation two hundred years hence. Then, he, who can reject the sacred writings as spurious, may with less pre- sumption and more reason reject any other moral truth. The text, in the original, is ambiguous, and may be translated, " Ye do search the Scriptures," or as it now stands in our rendering, "Search the Scrip- tures." In the remarks we shall make upon the sub- ject, your attention will be directed,
I. LET US EXAMINE THE PROPRIETY OF THIS REQUIRE- MENT, AND THE REASONS WHY WE ARE REQUIRED TO "SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES."
A careful investigation of these sacred records will readily convince us that all the divine claims are founded in justice and sustained by the highest reas- ons. We will, at the same time, be surprised at their wise and beautiful adaptation to all the circumstances
*Preached before the West Virginia Conference, at Charleston, Oct. 6, 1877.
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and relations of man. The requirement in the text is made with reference to the general good that will follow, as a natural consequence, our compliance with it. Our subject, when considered in its consequence, is equivalent to a command or requirement to be wise. And who is not interested in being wise ? Whose present enjoyment and future good is insepar- arable from this ? But this text is a requirement to have the wisdom of God. And who is not interested especially in this? What a curse, what a poverty, what a misfortune is ignorance here. Man might, with a laudable ambition, pride himself in ignorance, in any- thing else, if it would but secure to him that wisdom which cometh down from above. But the wisdom re- commended here is not to be obtained by any other means except those prescribed in the text. The same wisdom that offered the prize, has presented the means of obtaining it.
Apart from the Bible, there is no certain knowl. edge of salvation. Were a Chinaman or Hindoo, who had acquired some knowledge of the English lan- guage, to inquire of us where he might find the knowledge of God, we would not point him to the philosophy of the heathen, or the exercise of his rea- son, nor yet to the works of nature ; but, as a Chris- tian, we would direct him to the Bible as the only sure guide to, and trustworthy means of, heavenly wisdom.
The Bible, as a historical book, is of unparalleled importance to us, not only because it extends its nar- rative of facts beyond the date of all other records, even to the beginning of time, but because these facts, themselves, are of the greatest importance to us as constituting the basis of all our correct and pure moral notions.
Among the great facts made known to man, in that brief, but only sketch of the antediluvian world, are the existence of God, the creation of man, the intro- duction of sin, and the dealings of God toward the old world. These truths are of nameless value to us. They stand the great beacon of the Christian world. while all beyond its effulgence is darkness and gloom,
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The existence of God demonstrated to our first parents, and from them made known to us, is certainly one of the most transcendantly momentous truths ever made known to man. and on the knowledge, as well as belief of which, hangs the eternal reality of all things and the worth of the Bible to us.
The creation of man and of the world demonstrates to us the Omnipotence of the Great Jehovah, and opens up to man the mystery and certain truth of his own origin. The introduction of sin declares in fa- vor of God's justice-fixes the period, shows the cause of man's ruin, and reconciles the miseries of man to the holiness of God. The dealings of God toward the men of that age, show the deep corruption of the human heart-reveal the fearful displeasure of God against sin-heightens in its declarations of wisdom and mercy in his protecting the righteous, and then draws a glowing picture of the just destruction of the wicked, and in the plain language of Scripture pre- cedent, fixes our minds on a day of final and fearful retribution.
What supremely important facts are these ? Facts answering the most highly aspiring questions of an immortal enquirer-richly rewarding with their un- dying information the labors of the most diligent searcher after truth, as the precious metals of the earth repay the toils of the faithful miner. Inform- ation that distinguishes us from the heathen around us, and elevates us above them. But where may those ancient and happy truths be found? To what source shall we attribute their origin, and to what instrumentality shall we attribute their uncorrupted preservation to us? In vain may we search through the productions of heathen philosophers, sages, poets, and even historians. None of them claim the au- thority we require, nor record the facts for which we search. Nor will it avail us to employ our reason, and inquire of the various resources of nature around us. They tell us much, but not enough. They lead us far, but stop too soon. They leave us in the labyrinths of doubt on the greatest moral question connected with our existence. In the Bible alone are these
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truths found. It only sheds light on the field of dark- ness. This only shows our destiny. Without it man lives without knowing from whence he came, and dy- ing takes a leap in the dark amidst awful suspense and fearful forebodings, not knowing where he is go- ing.
The Bible, when viewed as a book of doctrines, loses none of its advantages to us. But at this point it increases in advantage to us, and from this consid- eration arises its importance, and as in its history, so in its doctrines, it stands alone, the oracle of the Church of Christ and the light of the Christian World; and all beyond the spread of this light is darkness and every evil work. Then, as the Bible rises in im- portance before the eye of our mind, by confiding in the indispensable advantage of its doctrines, so will the great requirement in the least, increasingly ap- pear. The reasons will accumulate on our hands why we should search the Scriptures.
The doctrine of human depravity is inseparable from any enlarged degree of enjoyment. It is one of the leading and sovereign truths in all our systems of moral education. It constitutes the very foundation of true self knowledge. The old Grecian proverb, "Know thyself," was a great one indeed. Far too great to be fulfilled by any system of Grecian instruction. He only can know himself, who has been taught of God. For we cannot know ourselves until we know how depraved we are, nor will we seek aught for purity of heart, until we see and know our corruption.
The doctrine of our redemption by Christ, is an es- sential feature within the sphere of information. This is not only an offset to the knowledge of sin-a knowledge of the cure of sin, but it is embracing with- in the range of our wisdom the brightest mysteries of heaven. It is seeing the condescending love of God to man. It is beholding the Savior of the World. God manifest in the flesh and reconciling the world unto himself, by transferring the punishment due the guilty to the innocent, without prejudice to any of the divine perfections. Here, the angels would take les- sons of man, for they desire to look into it; but man
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knows it, because it is revealed to him. Here is a store of intellectual and moral worth and excellence, untrav- eled by the thoughts of the most adoring seraph around the throne. But the more than vulture- eye of man has caught this faith and he follows it to . the whole treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Another essential feature in our system of moral education is the knowledge of the doctrine of salva- tion by faith alone. Here is knowledge just in place. The knowledge which, most of all, we need. He that sees and feels that his heart is corrupt and views Christ crucified-views him as a Savior, immediately conceives the desire to know the means by which he may approach him-and how God can be just and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Is man the anxious inquiry of his heart? and as soon as he can be assured of this great truth, he makes the strug- gle, feels the change and knows God and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent, in the pardon of his sins.
The great and mysterious doctrine of the resurrec- tion of the dead, is hailed by the Christian world as their great beacon beyond the grave. That we must die is a truth universally known. All men are ap- prised of this constantly occurring circumstance. In the history of the world the sentence is written on every generation, "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return."
In the language of another: "We carry forth and commit to the grave, the sleeping dust of those whom we love, and the inquiry forces itself upon the mind, will the much cherished flower spring forward and bloom to immortality. And from the bed of languish- ing we, ourselves, look down into the gloomy sepul- chre and inquire, 'If a man die shall he live again?' Reason, Conscience, Nature, Analogy, do indeed, sug- gest the truth, the strong probability of an hereafter, but they furnish no convictions that satisfy. No cer- tain conclusions where the mind pants for immortal- ity." But in the Bible, God declares, he will raise the dead. And this declaration is revealed for our com- fort and support. Here is a foundation, firm and moveless, on which to rest our hopes of the future
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