The daily gazette., 1879-07-16
Trust Obedience an d Courage.
REV. GEO. r. BRIsTOR's SERMON AT MT.
SALEM CHURCH, LAST NIGHT.

Trust obedience an d Courage.
REV. GEO. R. BRIsroR's SERMON AT MT.
SALEM CHURCH, LAST NIGHT.
When Rev. Geroge X. Bristor, just re-
turned among his brethern of the Will
mingtOn Conference for Q brief respite
from work in his field of labors in the
South, was introduced to the congrega-
ton at the Mt. Salem chui ch last evening,
he faced an audience that we'll filled
the church building.
Pievious to the CONNER cement OF the
sermon, ths hymn had been sung, COM
mencipR:
"Come thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart 10 sing thy PRAISE"
And Rev. John France, q former pas
tor of Mt. Salem had LED in prayer.
Mr.. Bristor took ~ his text the 1lth
and 18th verses of the XIX chapter OF
LIST Kings:-
"And he said 20 forth and stand upon
the mount before the Lord. And, be-
hold, the Lord passed by, and great
and strong wind rent the mountains Ind
brake IN pieces the rocks before the
Lord: but the Lord was not in the wind:
and after the wind an earthquake; but
the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And afer the ear, hquake, a fire; but the
fire still small voice."
The preacher commenced his ser
mOn by saying that the passage quo
TED in reference to The Prophet Elijah,
leads to an illustration, which gives
great contrast between him and the man
who IL religious meekness goes steadily
up the slope In order to aid the cause Of
success, fees from duty though some
trifie, we know that his faith
at the moment of his flight was deep
enough. The speaker then went on with
the thinning force of the vivid and des-
criptive orator to relate the circumstan-
ces which brought the prophet Elijah to
the point in which he Is found in the
text. Flushed with success, he was rum
ming ahead Of the chariot Of Ahab to
the entrance of Jezereel, having slain
the eight hundred priests Of Baal. He
run 10 meet Jezebel, thinking that his
greatness would be lauded aud his pow
or acknowledged among the people.
The fate Of the priests had been heard
OF, and meeting Jezebel in its manner,
he expected his deeds to be received
with attention commensurate with their
| impO tance. But the word sent to him,
alter Ahab had told Jezebel all Elijah
hsd done, wss different from that. "As
thou hast done unto my priests, SO let
the gods let me make thy life % the life
time." And now what . change comes
over him,-so different from his recent
boldness and fullness Of successl The
man who could do so many wonderful
and godly things, the man who could de-
fy Ahab, the man whose power was SO
great through God, fed from the pres
ence of the threatener. He did not stop
him, but fed in terror for his life. He
hnrridly passed from the limits OF Judea
INTO the land of his enemies, ,and wearied
and detected, lay down under q juniper
tres. Here the angel of God came to
him and fed him and from the strength
of the meat he received, was able to
journey forty days aud forty nights In
the wilderness, led by the hand OF God
At last, he stands with his form in the
, shadow and his feet upon the side Of
Mount Horeb. He must have remem
fyfa mdst th165 6ate Y Tas tfbat Wa
, here before. that God had come to an.
, other recreant one and bid him lie to hi,
duty; that Cop had made fire burn abou
a bush here IN the pSst and the bush wa
not consumed; that the Lord had said te
one before when he came into His pres
ence here, "draw nigh and take offthine
shoes, for 1t IL holy ground" Who the
word Of the Lord came to Elijah al
length, his conscience reproached him
and he acknowledged his fault and told
of ghis supposed danger,-it was the
repenting cry Of dissatisfied soul. When
. he had needed the command of God to
stand upon the Mount, a "great and
, strong wind" In the language the text,
came sweeping up in terrific fury and
the Mount, all about him, YVES cracked
and rent. The book shows us that there
was a manifestation of power In the gale
but God did not, accompany it, although
: 1t was his force. The mountain stood
tie force Of the gale and illustrates how
= firm q man can stand, while he keeps
, l tpnh h1H3a n.
! quake and fire had passed from before
, the prophets gaze, the manifestation o.
, God came.
We do not know whether it came will
iu or without the man. 1t may hav'
; been that God spoke to him through hi
! conscience, for he 70 t and had acknow
; lodged his weakness. The Lord tOl,
) him to 60 at once, and when Elijah com
planned that his work had no good re
suits, informed him that He had lef
seven thousand whose knees bowed no
to Baal.
, The preacher said that be understood
: the text to be the keynote in the valua
Mount Horeb. In the first place he CAV.
r it to be understood that man in his worl
q | needs only leader. The church dot
: not fully realize this when adversit.
comes. Israel had not entered into 1t
o full meaning, and not having Kept look
| ing and WORKING properly nau AWAY
8 fallen, and had said, "Ahab, our enem,
J is mightier than God, will manifest him
] SELF" God to Elijah simply said "GO,
l and obedience to his command was O.
a that was needed. Ifyou look in the Nev
\ Testament you will find it distinctl
!. stated that God delights In obedienc
more than in anything else. He says, 81
:, you love me keep my commandments.
u Often people are made believe tina
d Gods favors are withdrawn from theI
y when their labors do not meet with grea
9 and evident success. His plan is that W
II must simply obey Him and not know re
. suits, but labor and trust to Him. Br
= how hard it Is for us to keep up on
:, faith often times when in the midst {
contention and when we feel beset on a
e sides! Gods idea of courage IL carrie
out by an adhearauce to the sense to d
right. People say that man is BRAY
when he faces cannon on the battlefield
A unfiinchinRly, and that he is courageor
~ when he goes to the scaffOld without
:, tremor. / do not call foolhariine
3 bravery, or holding the nerves courag
y True courage Is that which will do rigl
d. in all that God dictates, spite cons
Quences.
Another fact taught. BY the text Is tn,
humane estimate of success is not
n, correct one. A man who hos preache
I'd for thirty years and has had no sweepir
TX success saws he he's failed; but If he lOol