Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-12-06
&eadiua fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
FOLLOWING THE LORD.

In the G3rd Psalm, at the Sth verse, David
says, "My soul followeth hard after thee"
From the preceding context, it is manifest
that it is God, reconcied in Christ Jesus,
that the pious Psalmist was following. The
verb translated "followeth," >" means "to stick
or cling to-" Hengstemberg says, "Cleaves
to him, as a bur to coat" Adam Clarke
renders it thus: "N1y soul cleaves is glued
after thee" Waterland translates the pas
sage thus: "My soul hath kept close-hath
adhered to thee" The idea is welleXpress-
ed by ourcommon English version. Every
one knows what is meant by following q
thing, or person; and every one knows whar
ismeant by following hard after Il person or
thing. Worldly minded men follow hare
after wealth ambitious men follow hard
after fame; but the Psalmist says his soul
follows hard after God.
When the Psalmist gave utterance to these
| words, he expressed the soul-yearnings of q
vast multitude of the human family. In
the days of David there were many Others
whose souls followed hard after God, and
ever since that, there have, in every period
of the worlds history, been many whose
experience was similar to David's and to-
day there are many who are literally follow"
ing hard after God. Such will be the case
so long as the world lasts. Two things, sug-
gested by these words, demand our atten
ton 1st Why followhard after God? and,
2nd, How can any follow hard after God? =?
The overwhelming majority of our race
follow hard after things for no good reason.
The man whose soul is set on the things of
this world, wears out his body and vexes
his soul for that which observation and eX-
perience teaches will profit him but little,
and but for short time. Anxious thoughts
fill his mind, and he struggles to obtain that
which is unable to satisfy his souls desires.
Still he struggles on.
The man whose soul is following hard
after fame, can give no good reason for
bending all the energies of his being in the
pursuit of that which will be but an empty
bubble when obtained. The man whose
soul is following hard after God reconciled
in Christ Jesus, has a good reason for pur-
suing such course. Even in this vale of
tears, he finds in God all that his immortal
soul Graves. Communion with God is the
consummation Of all joy and bliss This
the man whose soul follows hard after God
experiences. He finds reason in the char
acter of God. The man whosuffers his soul
to cleave or stick to wealth or fame, follows
after something infinitely beneath himself.
He is crouching to his inferior. An immor-
tai soul is seeking delight in something
which may administer to his carnal pleas
ure, but cannot afford soul delight. Not so
with the man whose soul follows hard after
God reconciled in Christ Jesus. In the vast
and boundless love of God the soul can bask
forever. Here is a fountain pure and spark
ling, deep and ineXhaustible. God-the
living God-is the portion of his soul forev-
er. Whoever follows hard after God iswise.
How are we to follow after God? BY the
restless multitude, the question, GLOW can
become rich, receive worldly ease and world
ly fame?' is often asked. Here and there,
are few individuals, who are anXiously in
curing, Chow can follow hard after God"
10 such it may be replied, in a general way,
you follow hard after God by obeying all his
commandments. The people Of God are
often, in the Scriptures, called soldiers.
They have a leader-a captain-Jesus Chrisl
That soldier follows hard after his captain
or leader, who strictly obeys all his COM
mands in the way and at the time required
Such soldier may be said to stick to his
commander. So the individual who obeys
the voice of the Lord, doing all that he is
commanded, at the time, and in the way he
But to be more particular, it is remarked
that in order to follow hard after God, ac0r-
rect Scriptural knowledge of the character
of God and our own condition is necessary
The mass Of Adams race are following hard
after the gods of the heathen. They know
nothing of the God that made them, and
have no correct knowledge of their own
spiritual condition. They have zeal, but
it is not according to knowledge. They are
following they know not what. David knew
the character of God. He was not following
an imaginary Deity. The being that he had
constantly before his eyes was the architect
of the universe and the God Of salvation.
TO follow hard after God, we must follow
him constantly and continuously.
In another Psalm Q6:S David says: 81
have set the Lord always before me; because
he is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved" So it is with every one that fol-
lows hard after God. He is always before
their face. Their heart is fixed upon him.
Again, they who follow hard after God,
follow him humbly. They are not puffed
up. The greatness of God and their own
insignificance and worthlessness keeps them
humble. They follow him willingly and
joyfully. The commands of God are to them
sweeter than honey, Their delight is in
the law of God.
For all who follow hard after God great
reward is provided. The war will soon end.
The shout of victory will soon be heard.
Then the battle-scarred soldier of the cross
will lay aside the implements of warfare,
and be clothed in robes Of eternal peace and
JOY and bliss. Then he will sit down and
sing forever hallelujahs to him who led him
safely through great tribulation, and crown
olL 10, Nf ri