ROAD STREET WORKER
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BROAD ST. BAPTIST CHURCH. SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CAUSE OF CHRIST IN GENERAL
Vo^" I- No. 3.
WINSTON, N, C, DECEMBER, 1892.
Price 5 Cents.
Boad Street pulpit.
SEKMON I3Y XliE F>ASXOI?.
The Pnipit and What Shall It Teach.
The great cry today of the more
conservative worshippers is “Preach
Jesus and Him Crucified.” They
say that it is a general panacea for all
the ills to which we are heir, political,
social and religious. I’m glad to see
this clamor for the gospel. I too
believe that the gospel is the seed
germ of reformation and revolution.
But I am fearful that those who
would rejoice so much over the
preaching of the pure and unadul
terated gospel as they call it, have a
very imperfect conception of what it'
means to preach the word. It has
been truthfully said by a preacher
of late that “if the gospel of today
was preached as Jesus Himself
preached it, our churches would be
deserted.” I repeat again those who
make most to do over the preaching
of Jesus and Him Crucified, would
like to interpret what is the word —
for instance, a young friend of mine
who became very nervous as to my
' mistakes when asked what he tho’t
of Jesus standing in the temple and
whipping out the money changers,
said he didn’t know whether to
believe that or not, that it looked
strange to him that Christ should
have been allowed to have whipped
out a crowd of hurley fellows who
had no regard for themselves or any
one else. Now with all due respect to
his friendship •'.id Hs interest, I
don’t think that he is just yet ready
to preside as President of a Theolog
ical Seminary, unless it be one of
Prof. Briggs’ kind where they don’t
use any Bibles. I mention this case
to show you something about the
general make up of most men who
cry for the preaching of Jesus and
Him Crucified.
WbsLt then does it mean to preach
Jesus a nd Htm CruciSed?
THE UNIVERSAL GOSPEL.
Don’t understand me now to apply
remarks to the ministers alone—to
them they apply first, but I wish them
to have a broader application. They
must apply to every Christian be
cause every Christian is in a sense a
paeacher.
. 1. It means to preacha full, free
and universal salvation to all who
will come to God by Jesus Christ
His son.
The beginning of the gospel dis
pensation was ushered in by John
the Baptist preaching, repent every
one of you-for the kingdom of
Heaven is at hand. Jesus took up this
same universal gospel and preached
it wherever ho went. Not being
satisfied yet, the mind of,old John on
the Isle of Patmos was inspired to
close the book of inspired tpth,
with those glorious words ‘ Whoso
ever will let him come and take ot
the water of life freely.” This is how
much of,the doctrine of electionl kno w
and it is . just as much as I want to
know. But you say can a man come
unless the father draws him, is this
will to come not the gift of Qodf I
answer most assuredly. But not in
that narrow contracted sense in
which electionists would have us
believe. All will and all power to
exercise it is the gift of God in a
general sense
The other day a man started to N.
Y. While en route he was told of
the fearful daager there was attached
to a mere going to New York, by
reason of the cholera there. The
man thought awhile then got off the
oar and took the next train for home.
The will which here controlled his
action was the gift of God and the
power to govern it belonged to man.
If there was no inspiration on this
subject I would be forced to this
conclusion. The other day I touched
my finger to a lighted match. There
was a double action. Up through the
sensitive fibres to the brain went the
news of pain, and immediately down
through the mortor fibres came the
news to move. Tue will could have
said stay there and burn but it chose
differently. And so it is upon the
grand principal of free will action
is based man’s salvation It
is the axis upon which revolves
the plan of human redemption. It
is the goldeu link in the gift of eter
nal life It .should therefore be pro
claimed wherever and whenever
God’s truth is spoken.
’ THE WORLD LOST.
2. It means to declare salvation to
i lost and down trodden world. De
clare it like a courier would declare
a message from his general. I shall
never forget a scene which was
impressed upon my mind in the
cyclorama in which the battle of
Atlanta was vividly portrsyed on
canvas. It was so real that it looked
like a genuine battle. There was a pic
ture of a courier on his horse. I was
specially impressed by his appear
ance, his hat was off, his horse was
running at full speed while he was
lashing him at overv jump. I inter
rupted the guide and asked what it
meant O, said he that piece of paper
you see in his hand is an important
order which he has been given by
Gen. Hood to take over the hill to
the f*itv to get mo'e men. Gen
Hood wants to capture that battery 1
of the enemy and he needs men. Ah,
said I to myself I’ve got it. I’ve got
an illustration of the minister or of
the individuhl Christian and the
relationship which sustain they ot
God’s word. The Lord Jesus has for
a long time been arrayed against the
Devil, some time the battle has waxed
very hot. A few months ago I was
commissioned as a courier in my
Lord's ai my. God gave me a dis
patch to take over the hills, into the
city everywhere, it’s an important
message-angels and ark angels anx
iously watch it. More than the great
heart of the Son of God beats and
throbs with anxiety for its faithful
delivery. God wants men, men to
capture the battery of Satan. 0,
gracious Father, give me the voice
of a Demosthenes, the strength of a
Sampson, the faith of an Elijah and
the speed of angels that I may wing
my way from shore to shore and
nation to nation and ring out the
glorious message the Lord wants
men.
.SAVE him! save him!
Yes it means to declare this doc
trine as if we really had faith in its
usefulne.ss. Some time ago a vessel
was coming across the waters, a
fearful storm was raging when the
cry was heard “man overboard!” tho
lightenings flash lighted up the
darkness and beating towards the
shore a human form was seen. But
the mighty strength of the waves
beat him back and above the roar of
the water and the noise of thunder
rose high a heart rendering cry. It
was an agonizing moment with bated
breath and anxious cheeks every
eye was turned toward the struggling
I man. A life boat was let down-two
i strong men seized their oars and
I manfully pulled toward the scene
I but of no avail, a wild shriek and all
was over. But save him-save him
came a cry from the ship, a thou
sand pounds to save him ho is my
brother. 0, brother some of us are
on tho ship of safety, but 0, our
broiher is overboard. He’s beating
against the waves of ruin-save him-
save him should be our continual
crv. 0, lay hold upon the oars of
salvation, launched out into_ the
deep. Pull for the lost and ruifted.
0, yes the chruch of the future if it
wouM preach Jesus and Him cruci
fied must be more that a more Lyce
um' O ’ a men’s social, club it must go
out to save the world.
JUDGMENT AND MERCY.
3. It means to preach the judgment
and mercy of God. I was. talking
the odior day to a man who said he
couk’ not understand how God being
the embodiment of mercy could
punihu a soul. But whether we un
derstand it or not it is true. These
are t".o attributes of God which can
not bo separated. They are like two
streams which with their separate
waters form tho mighty river. They
are li ;e those two devout and holy
men wiio drew the nails from the
Savior’s hands and feet and bore the
body away to the tomb. They are
like t-ose two angels which sat at
the M aster’s head and the other at
his fe?t and kept watch over his
pracit us body. Yes thanks be to
God, 'ustice and mercy are tho co
partnv;rs in the work of redemption.
They .ire the supporters of the shield
on which the cross is emblazoned.
They sustain the arm of our heavenly
advoc.ata. They form the two solid
and ei'ernal pillars of the meditorial
thron i. Yes on Calvary they mot
each other in holy embrace. And
he who fails to declare justice and
mercy fails to declare tho truth of
God.
AN ESSAY ON THE JEvTs.' ' ’
4. It means to declare what man is
and what man ought to be. And in
doing so to denounce the evil in life.
Jesus has given us tho example of
the perfect mac. He became flesh
and dwelt among us and lived the
perfect life and has told us plainly
to be perfect as he was perfect. Je
sus has also taught us to denounce
wrong in man. Hear Him as he
denounces the scribes and pharisees
and calls them Devils and
thieves. See Him in the temple ap
plying tho lash to money changers,
and yet if a man today dares talk
about a modern Pharisee or money
hog, a great cry is made of “person
alities,” the preacher is off. I heard
some time ago of a preacher who
was advised by one of his good
brethren to stop preaching on a cer
tain line, that there was a young
lady in the congregation who was
getting sore over it-woll I will stop
said the preacher. The next week
another brother said don’t preach
any more about the gormans, tho
great majority of our church
are society people and engage in
the germans—(Great God save the
societychurchof Doncers ) N oxt he was
approached and told not to preach
about whiskey for they had a good
paying brother who run a hotel and
was bound therefore to sell a little
whiskey. Then said the preacher
what shall I preach about? Well said
one ■ old brother just so you arc
preaching, that is all right, suppose
you give us a few sermons cn “The
Jews I don’t believe we’ve got a Jew
in the crowd.” Well you know what
I would have told that band of old
hypocrites. I would h«ve said get
you a man who will aid you in sha
king hands with the Devil.
JOHN AND IKE.
I heard once of a man who wont
to the army and he had a brother in
the Union army and ho was so afraid
that ho would hit his brother that
when he would shoot ho would hold
his gun straight up so the only
chance at hitting his brother was
with the ball as it returned. That’s
the way with some preachers. They
are so afraid of hitting some special
Ike in the congregation that they
blast off into the air and the only
chance at getting hit by them is by
a return ball. I believe in taking de
liberate aim, I don’t see any use in
wasting powder and shot on as mean
a thing as sin.
THE SOCIAL FADRIC,
5. It means not to grapple with
tho sin of the individual but with
the entire fabric of social life.
Whatever concerns the individual
concerns the church, and whatever
concerns society concerns the church.
Why is it that oranges, bananas and
cocoanuts won’t grow in our country ?
Because the climate is too cold and
as the different atmosphere will af
fect the growth of fruits and vege
tables. So is the growth of the truth
as it is in Jesus Christ affei^ted by the
social atmosphere surrounding it.
The preacher then has a sphere
which is not prescribed by a sickly
punny society, but he becomes the
mould in which society itself is
shapened.
A LECTURE ON THE MORMONS.
I had a letter the other day from a
good friend of mine in the ministry
who said you are young now and I
will tell you how yon can be a popu
lar preacher if you.want to bn. Don’t
preach against dancing, card playing
whiskey, gambling, horse racing,
rottenness in politics, licentiousness
and he might have said negro “spar
ring matches.” Bat on the other
ihe icormoos ,down the
country acid talk about .ludas tsca>
riot and Pontius Pilate. Well I
don’t expect to try it. It don’t suit
me besides I don’t see any use in go
ing to Utah to talk about mormon'
ism, when here iu our own city there
are plenty of them, only they are
not married, and as for Judas and
Pilate I see folks a good deal meaner
than they were, every day. The
only thing I see about Judas which
specially differs from the modern
Judas is that he was so ashamed of
his'meanness that h& went off and
killed himself, and the modern Judas
looks upon his betraying Jesus as a
sharp thing. I don’t care about Ju
das Iscariot he is dead, I'm after his
kinfolks who are here in Winston-
that man or woman who is ashamed
to be found walking the streets with
a poor woman who is a Chri.stian is
a twin brother or sister ot his and
betrays Christ afresh.
The man who visits- the house of
ill fame, gambling hell, whiskey sa
loons, dancing halls etc., and. then
goes aronnd end brags about it, is
worse than Judas. Oh, the magni
tude of such a sphere. Who can
prescribe its limits. Who can say to
the pulpit thus far and no further?
God help the pnipit to lay its hand
upon all things which concerns the
kingdom which Christ come to estab
lish, and when all of creeds and isms
which do not find application in the
individual character will be num
bered among the stumbling blocks of
Christianity. And when religion
will truly become a thing wo live and
net a thing we profess.
Sooond Tiia. 4;2; ‘•Fr.-ach the word; l>e
iiidlantiii 8#^f»nn,outof Beasou; rc-prove,rc'ouke.
exhort wUh all long suffering and doctrine.”
In our next issue we hope to
chronicle tho fact that our Infant
class room has been equipped with
an organ of its own, and that Bro.
Cooper is fast teaching tho little
ones to “Sing out.” Singing is an
important part of religious worship
and aaorgan is an important adj unct
[to its proper execution.