The digital copies of this book are available for free at First Fruit's website.
place.asburyseminary.edu/firstfruits
FORWARD
This winter, while kept out of the pulpit by illness, I determined to speak. as far as possible, through the press to the people in the form of a series of practical sermons. The sermons contained herein are not doctrinal, but as indicated by the title, "Sermons for the Times." I have a conviction that there is great need for just such proclamation of truth as is 'herein contained.
A few days ago, after the book was set up, proved and ready for the press, I fell upon an address signed by all of the Bishops of the M. E. Church, South. I clipped from that address a few paragraphs which I believe to be startlingly true, the substance of which was in my mind in the writing of the following sermons, and is my apology for sending out this book to the public.
"We have fallen on troublesome times. The whole world is turned upside down. Waves of crime are sweeping over our beloved country. Disregard of the Christian Sabbath and indifference to the sanctity of marriage have become distressingly common among our American people. Even many church members have become 'lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."Selfishness reigns in all departments of life--in the dealings of capital with labor and in the dealings of labor with capital.
"There is but one hope for America-in the religion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For there is no foundation for prosperity either national or individual, except in morality; and there is no sure foundation for morality except in religion. Without religion morality has no compelling sanctions, and no sufficient dynamic.
"Forty years ago Christlieb, a great German preacher, warned his countrymen that their Kultur was separating itself from the Christian religion and, if not cheeked, would plunge Germany into the abyss. His prophetic warning was not heeded. Germany plunged into the abyss and came near wrecking the whole world.
"Let America be warned. Philosophy, science, and even religion have in most of our American universities gone far astray from the principles and practices which have made America great as a nation. The greatest menace to our Republic just now is moral and spiritual bankruptcy."
The only hope for the nation is in the religion of the Lord Jesus and warning of this fact must be brought home to the people by an earnest and powerful appeal from, the ministry. We must return to faith in the Bible, to the fear of God, to the great doc- trine of the New Birth. We must insist that the individual be born again; the people must be brought to hate sin and to love holiness.
Faithfully
H. C. Morrison
--- CONTENTS
The Responsibility of the Ministry
The Church the Bride of Christ
God's Plan for a Revival
National Security
God's Sure Foundation
The Christ of Prophecy
About the Author: Noted evangelist and founder of Asbury Theological Seminary, Henry Clay Morrison (1857-1942) was a Kentucky-born preacher, ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, who served churches from 1878 to 1882. Feeling the call to evangelize with a dynamic message of conversion, entire sanctification and holiness of life, Morrison left the pastorate to focus on evangelism, even to the point of conflict with his own denomination. His evangelistic work was a lifetime endeavor, but reached a high-water mark with a year-long evangelistic tour around the world from 1909-1910. Upon completing his world evangelistic tour, Morrison became the president of Asbury College from 1910 to 1925. At that time, he founded Asbury Theological Seminary to foster the development of preachers committed to holiness and evangelism. From 1925 until his death in 1942, Morrison served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary. He even resumed the mantle of president of Asbury College again from 1933 until he retired in 1940. Henry Clay Morrison was also committed to proclaiming the Gospel through the written word, founding The Old Methodist newspaper (ultimately to become The Pentecostal Herald), which he edited for thirty-five years. Morrison wrote twenty-five books and published many more through the Pentecostal Publishing House, another of his many projects. The assets of this press were left to Asbury Theological Seminary in Morrison's will, and First Fruits is now proud to begin releasing these rare materials once again as part of our holiness heritage for a new generation.
