Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-11-13

The Presbytsrian congregation
are pleased with the preaching of
their new pastor Rev. Mr.. Raven.
He 10 . fluent speaker; has . pleas.
ant delivery, and his sermons are on
tertaining, and are rich in historical
data and thoroughly Christisn in in
struction.
He breaches without manuscript
and without notes and announces his
texts without reading them from the
book from which they are taken.
Last Sabbath evening, he preached
from 3rd Philippians, 18th verse.
"Brefhren, l count not myself to hsve
apprehendsd, but this one thing / do,
tergetting those things whieh are BE-
hind, and reaching forth unto those
things ,Oh,eh are before."
From the text be presented an in .
teresting historical narrative of TIE
birth Of two Hebrew baby boys.
The one in Nazereth amidst Jewish
surroundings. The other in the city
of Tarsus with its Greek assosia.
tions and surroundings. He drew .
vivid description OF tho Jewish boy
Saul amidst tho Greek surrounding
at Tarsus, going to the race course
to see the foot races where only the
youth Of the purest Greek extraction
and unsullied character could enter az
contestants for the prize of honor,
which was q wreath Of leaves to bs
won at the end Of the race course.
Paul was SO impressed with the
races and their significance that they
became to him figure with which
to illustrate his teaching after he be
came q convert and Jealous advocate
snd sxpoundsr of the Christian relig
ion, and in no place in his Epistles
has he set forth his impressions more
clearly than in the text where he ex.
presses determination to forget ey.
erything behind him, just as the
Greek contestants in tho race couree
were wont to do, and to press for
ward to the things which are before
Paul's whole life was an every day il
lustrstion of the effort to forget The
past and press forward to win an
honorable and glorious future.
From that historical Introductory
the preacher produced the theme o1
his sermon namely:
"Forsstt'"s the things tAat are te
hind"
From the thsme he developed g
sermon that was intently listened to
by his congregation, under the fol-
lowing heads:
LIST. Paul in his race for the
Christian goal left behind and for
got his prejudicss. Mr.. Raven here
lsarnedly dwelt upon the blightine
influence of prejudice. how it may b
excited and kept adame by design
ing people, and how difficult it mus,
have been for Paul to divest himself
of race prejudice, and leave them al
behind him in his race for Q better
and higher life.
End. Paul loft behind him bright
prospects when he entered The
Christian race course. No man Of
the Jewish race of his time, had
brighter prospects than Paul. He
was learned, he was eloquent, and hi
prospect for place and power among
the Jews were unsurpassed, but ht
put them behind him to run tn,
Christian race that was before him.
3rd. Paul when he entered ths
race for q new and better life, put be
hind him and forgot his success. II
is difficult thing for the average
man and woman to forget their sue
cesses, but Paul did it. He pu,
them behind him and pressed for
ward, never once looking back to the
successes that once were 60 near and
dear to him.
4th. Paul loft behind him and for
got his past sins. That was the
grandest achievement Of all his ca
resr. What q glorious achievement
for a man and q woman to make to
put behind them and forget their
sins. God had wiped out his sins
and whom he wipes out ones sins
they are wiped out. Everything oi
the past was wiped out, and the past
having been wiped out and left BE-
hind, Paul looked forward to the
psrfecting Of his life in Christ.
Paul looked forward for new op.
portunities for Christian work.
In closing his sermon Mr.. Raven
urged bis congregation to follow The
e1asnpls of Paul, forgetting the
things that are behind and reaching
forth unto those things which arc BE-
fore.