Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-14
A DAY OF DEVOTION.
Seekers for knowledge at Chau-
tauqua Treated to a Brilliant
Programme.
LESSONS FROM J0NAH'S LIFE.
Rev. DR.. McRobbie, the Eminent Scotch
Divine, DiscOurSes on the Power and
Bounty of Christ'S Love.
LESSONS FROM JONAH'S. LIFE.
MONSTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SESSION.
Excursions, Personals and Minor MentiOnings at the
Famous Lake Resort
rsprcrAr rELEeRAMs TO THE pIsFkrcH.l


rsPrc1Ar rELEeRAss TO THE DrsPkrcH.l
CHAUTAUQUA LAKE, July 13.-Would
you believe it? the programme on Sunday
at the Assembly grounds is the largest one
of the seven days in the week. Not only
every hour is taken up, but there are three
or four meetings at single time and all are
we'll attended. The Bible students on the
grounds were out in full orce this morning
at to hear DR.. Harper, the famous Hebrew
student, expound on the "Story OF Jonah. !"
In the history of Jonah we must draw the
line between the story, the event and the
account. The book was evidently written
200 or 300 years after the event. as 1t was
written not In the classical, but In the later
Hebrew. There are four things to be con-
sidered, viz: Was it literal or allegorical,
amyth or q legend or idealized history.
Every Bible account of myth has its coun-
terpart in Babylonian and Roman stories
and legends. This has none. There are
many wonderful omissions in this book,
and many irrelevant things 1t tells moth
ing of Jonah or his place OF residence.
Where cast up or what his fate after being
rebuked. nothing relative to Nineveh or his
journey TO Nineveh.
JoNAH's PLACE IN HISTORY.
There is no book of the Bible as artistic as
the book OF Jonah and it has an acknowl-
edged purpose. The New Testament, allud-
ing to this fact, iudorses the character of it
and decides that the mission Jonah had
tends to point directly to Christ's resurrec-
tion He took two views, typical and SYM
bolical The first was the typical fate and
future of the heather and to do away with
the narrow views of the prelates The SYM
bolical view intended to teach us moral
lesson. 1t meant to show that God was not
a God of the Jews only, but for other nations
also. The condition and treatment of the
heather was q warning to Israel.
A mighty congregation! A splendid
choir! This was the sentiment of everyone
as they came away from the amphitheater
after morning worship. To all who have
never attended a Sunday service at Chau-
tauqua let me say thatit is simple and beau
tiiul. Everyone takes part in the impress
sive responsive service and the great au-
dience sing with one voice that makes the
amphitheater shake and the grove echo and
re-echo again and again with its mighty
volume of sound.
THE MORNING SERMON.
DIR. William McRobbie preached the SER
mon, taking for his text Paul's Epistle to
the Thessalonians, iii, 4: "To know the
love of Christ which passeth all knowl-
edge" At first sight these words seem to
imply direct contradiction. But we may be
sure that it is only apparent contradiction.
What is the explanation? How can we
know God? How shall the finite know the
infinite? In the very nature of things we can
know but very little of what lies before
us undiscovered. A little child may know
a person well enough to confde in his love
and nestle in his hosom, and yet know moth
ing about that person. In the same way we
may learn to know God. One man loves
another because he has received some favor
or kindness from him, hence there is moth
ing strange about human love. What rea-
son has man then not to love God? For
God has given him life and everything con-
nected with it. To the redeemed man He
has given much more. God is under no OBJ
legation to save us, but by His grace we are
to be given eternal life if we follow the right
paths.
THE POWER OF CHRIsT's LOVE.
The love of Christ as to its motives or
reasons cannot be known. Were we ade-
quate to know how this love will raise us
we would have to scale the height of heaven
itself. Human language falls short of the
description. The love of Christ can be
known by his sacrifices for us. We esti-
mate the love of friend not by what he
gives us, but by what he sacrifices for us.
God gave his son ''That whosoever believes
In Him shall not perish" That son was
the very jewel of his heart. A greater
sacrifice could not have been bestowed on us.
Behold how munifcent His love. Christ |
gave His life for not only his friends but 1or |
those who were His enemies. In the suffer- |
ing on the cross He was suffering not for His |
own sins, for He had none, but for the sins |
of others. Everywhere we are struck with |
the manifestations of the Savior's love. So |
much different from any other love that we |
have ever seen. His love was not like the |
human love. In the story of Lazarus we see /
how He preferred to let things reach the |
worst that they could that the more brilliant |
would be its glory.
FAITH IN CHRIST.
How may we come to know some of the |
reasons for the love of Christ? Before we
can In any way know the love OF Christ we
must know the words of the apostle. We |
must have faith in Christ. Here the mes
sage o salvation is addressed to us nowhere
else in the universe. There it will be i'm /
possible for one to become, surety for his |
brother. Make everything depend upon the
love of Jesus Christ Then in some way
may we understand that love. Our meat
and our drink shall be with Him and in that
way shall be workers with Him, and
know Him. When we become rooted and
grounded in that love we may alone know
how to comprehend it
Rev. McRobbie is from Scotland and is
one of the church examiners in the minis
terial requirements in the Greek language
in his native land. His sermon was typi-
cat argumentive Scotch discourse and deliy-
cred in the broad Scotch accent. His style
was plain and simple the way OF Scotch ser
mon far different from the "sky-rocket''
style of many American ministers.
MONSTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SESSION.
In the afternoon at 2:30 President
Lewis Miller presided over the assembled
Sunday school meeting in the amphitheater
and discoursed upon the lesson in q practi-
cal, illustrative way. He leads 8 prayer
meeting in the same sturdy style that he
does all OF his work-the style that accom-
plishes the best results.
Dr. w. A. Duncan led the Sunday school
meeting in his own inyincible styIe. When
ever DIR. Duncan leads you can depend on
the presence of all the BOYS and pirls. Mr.
Potter, oil Cleveland, led the young mems
meeting and c. L. S. C. vespers were held
in the hall at the same time. There was no |
sermon IN the evening but songs and an
address by Mr.. Duncan.
A. L. kean and family, of Allegheny
City, Robert Chrlsty and wi e, OF Pittsbure.
at the Grand to-day.
a large excursion went over the lake on
he steamer jamestown this afternoon. 90
ouys season ticket and everyone takes ad-
7antage Of It.
The camp OF the American Canoe Assoc;-
ltion. situated not far from here was robbed
o-night of some 5000 worth of iewelry
Fatches and valuables. The burglar made
he attempt at one camp aud not succeedinr
proceeded to that OF the Canoe Association'
Ehere he was successful. He lett small ]
rsveling bag as menentO of his call.