Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-10-20
NO. 40

Has God had occasion, do you think, to
enter into the diary of your sp1rftual history
such an entry as we find hereby His grace,
In the diary of the man who wrote the
Psalms? l want to get at the root OF the
idea of experimental religion. 1t Is time
the entry was In, for there are black and
shameful entries opposite your name ana
mine to great extent, and 1t Will need
every entry which will avail to redeem the
record. That which / have named Is the
only entry that will save il from being
damning Indictment against Us In the day
when the judgment is set and the books are
opened. The diaries will be brought out,
and our eternal state will be hxed by the
record of our diary that God. with Impair
tial pen, has kept. That will be reading
for some of usl This will redeem it-this
red-letter entry-only this: 81 Thought on
my ways, and turned my feet to Thy testi-
monies. | made hasse and delayed not TO
keep Thy Commandments"
Do not let any one turn away, saying:
Am not included, for have not wandered;
am not prodigal.'' All we, like sheep,
have gone astray; we have turned
of us go laundering on through
the mud and mire of drunkenness,
swearing, RIGHTEOUSNESS and open SHINING;
that is one way to the far country some
of US go along the macadamized road OF
Iself-righteousness, and church going, and
ermon-hearing; that is one way to the
| same outer darkness and the same far
country. Il thought on my ways" The
beginning lies there. Now, speak to peo-
pie who pride themselves, l have no doubt,
''that they are thinkers, and they pride
themselves that dust is not to be thrown In
their eyes, and they examine what Is set
before them" A preacher of the Gospel
asks for nothing better than that. Il speak
unto wise men; judge ye what 1 say, to the
law and to the testimony"
81 thought on my ways" The beginning
lies In serious thoughtfulness. Religion Is
not magic, 1t is miracle; but 1t Is not Jug
glery 1t IS not witchcraft, 1t Is not being
"hypnotized;' it is not any of these things
You never put your intellect to higher
use than when you turned its powers upon
your own ways, enlightened by the surest
guide, the word of God. | rather fear that
many people think that. while yon need to
take your intellect with you when you go
to hear lecture on philosophy, or on
| science, you can bring your added head
when you come to hear the Gospel. Get
rid of that idea. Bring your best brains
with you when you come to hear GODS
word. II thought on my ways" that Is
the beginning of all experimental religion,
and that is the only thing; because it be-
gins there, therefore, conversions are so
uncommon among us.
Il thought ~ that is the beginning; to
think for ourselves. Do not let me do your
thinking for you. No, no; IL Is not Il
thought on my own sermon, but Il
thought on my ways" In Gods providence
/ NAV be n great help to you, or may
not be, but the thing has to be done by
yourselves. 1t is your own soul that Is the
issue at stake, and the thinking that will
| save It must be done by that souls powers
, themselves.
81 thought on my ways'-a man whC
thought for himself that was the begin
ming with him of all his blessings. Are you
doing It? For there Is an essential thought
lessness In all our hearts, naturally. as re-
CARDS the gospel. Yofi will get men who
| sit under the best preaching intellectually,
and from the point of view Of interest and
of power to awaken the heart and the con-
! science and emotions, and they sit, and
they sit, and they grow white and they
grow old, and they die, and leave no sign
thet ever ONCE they were awakened uR to
TffhE Tor themselves about their eternal
drift and destiny.
| Secondly he tells us he thought about
| himself He ceased to think about other
people, and fastened his gaze upon his own
soul; he communed with his own spirit; he
talked to his own heart upon his bed did
this man who wrote the Psalms. To our
selves we ought to be I'm every sense of the
term interesting creatures. And this text
| helps the preacher, 1t relieves him of u
great responsibility that ought never to be
put on him. / do not know your ways;
| you are "A deep mystery to me. You do not
| know nv ways. | can only see the surface
current, and the winds that blow and curl
and crisp the water on the top of it, but
of those deep, strong undercurrents
that flow through what can [ know2
| Think of your own ways, save
your own soul. Do not expect me to work
miracles. don't know your ways; | don't
| knowI the secrets that lie within your ken.
| If did God knows | would use them, God
knows l would preach them to you; would
| spread them out before you till your heart
| stood still with this thought "God Al
/ .frrbt l f.,II hat nIl
ways" Your own waysl
| Two or three channels into which We mas
| run our independent thinking: Who am ~
Where am I? Where am going? All that
is covered by the expression, thinking of
| ones ways" Who am II The Bible and
my own conscience give the only and the
sure answer to that question. What Is
mann Ask philosophy; ask science, and, to
| their infinite shame, they are not quite
sure whether we are gradually developed,
not yet perfectly developed monkeys-Or
donkeys, maybe--they don't know which.
nor whether we are gong up or back.
They have not made up their minds yet.
Notice further, that our text describes
practical thinker. He turned his feet.
After all, perhaps, thinking is not so I'M
common. But practical thinking is very
rare, and it is the measure Of progress of
the kingdom of God amongst us. You are,
some of yoI, concerned about your souls,
your presence here IS a proof of that.
| ieInapS tnat Is Wnat brlnSS you mere.
| You would fain go away and
cannot. 1t is this: Your soul is in the
wrong way, and is wanting to be put right
for eternity. That is what brought you.
| Now, this Is what you have to do neXt-de-
eide for Christ. There is n turning point
| and the turning point Is now. The turning
point Is the Lord Jesus Christ lifted up in
the preaching OF the Gospel. Turn with
Him, turn at Him, In your thoughts, in
your purposes, In your plans, in your
opinion Of him. Believe in Him and your
| soul is turned.
When you have had the common sense I,
| believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, from that
moment your ways are changed and your
destiny determined by the Blessed One.
| think have used this Illustration before:
| How, when we took our Sabbath-school
children into the country, and the little
| ones ran races l went away down the field
| and became the turning point | cried
back to the Intending runners that they
were to run to me. l was the turning point
and they We're to turn round and go back
| again to the goal. Well, Jesus is the
turning point in your life. oh! wish
could f1ll the church with Him, and make
II impossible for you to move out OF this
place without saying to Him, Yes, Lord, u
or mo, Lord"
That is what am trying to dO-so to fill
your souls with the image of Him, and the
idea of Him, and the presence of youf
Saviour, a really human being, and yet
God-having name like you, n being like
you, and personality as you have; not a
mere myth or phantom, but Christ Jesus
who lives, who loves, who wept, who died
who rose, who is coming again.
Montana has new gambling law