El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-09-26

Rev. w. o. Millican, pastor of the
First Baptist church, preached yester.
day morning from the text, Break up
your fallow ground" Jer. IV:3. He
poke in part as follows: Judah had
been well cultivated field. Before
the revolt che was the great moral
force of the whole. She refused to
| take part in the rebellion, but chung to
the real capitol and to the heaven APP
pointed line of priests and kings and
prlestly service. The divine favor
so rested ON her that dur
ing period of two hundred
and fifty-fve years she had only twelve
kings while the rebel tribe had twen-
ty. Up to the time of this prophesy
she could boast of Asa whose very
oame meant physician or curing: of
Jehosaphat who was most like David
OF lothian the piOus, and of Josiah
who up to the day of this prophecy and
TO the day of his death waged a
mighty warfare against sin. But
with all this there WAS scarcely
one of her boosted leaders who had
not fallen into grievous public sin. AS
made an alliance with Beuhadad the
heathen. Jehosapnat Joined himself TO
he wicked Ahab. Uzziah usurped the
place of high priest and died leper
Manasseh had to be sent into cap
tivity before he would repent. And
finally the reckless ungodliness of
leaders and people.dragged judah down
to the low plane OF an uncultivated
field whose only product was the wild
growth, thorns and thistles of ungOd-
illness and sin.
Relaxation is the natural tendency of
all exertion. When effort begins to di-
minish relaxation increases. 1t is cas-
Ter to let the ground get hard and
grow up in wild growth than to keep it
plowed and well cultivated. Stop do
ing right once and you are
hurried in that direction with an
Incredible speed. There was a time
when as Christians our hearts were
mellow and well prepared for seeds of
truth and godliness. We could read
the word with all the Interest with
which we now read the latest novel.
We listened to the preachers mes
sage IS we would to message from our
first love sent through our warmest
friend. The message seemed to come
fresh from the lips of God. But now
the Bible and the church services have
grown strangely uninteresting to US.
Every morning our prayers like
sweet incense rose heavenward and
filled the court of God with the rich
perfumes of repentant hearts and holy
lives: while every evening the flames
OF devotion and Thanksgiving and
praise were kindled upon the affairs of
from God and rejoice no more in the
sweet communion that once
rejoiced our hearts. Our heart
has become callous, our conscience
and the soil of our
soul brings forth naught but the wild
growth of sin. We are as a field of
fallow ground. This is sometimes true
also of the church. There WAS a time
when she did run we'll. Truly it was a
blessing to be associated with her.
Her services were feasts of heavenly
love in which mortal man was permit
ted to join. Her purity was every
where spoken of and to be member
Oh her was to carry al
credential even to the skeptic.
But now, sin has sprung up among her
mem bers, her government begins to
weaken, her mission and charitable
beneficence is left Off, her songs OF
praise and words of truth fall on
listless ears and peopleless
fruit. What is the remedy for the
Christian and the church? Jeremiah
says: Break up your fallow ground"
saw field in Kentucky that had
evidently been one of the best in the
border of the bluegrass. But now the
surface was all caked and hard
and covered with thorns and /
pushes. One day however the
landlord employed some men
With grub axes, mules, and plows, and |
put them to work clearing out this |
ield: and within q few months the
lick of the harvest machine could be |
heard in that field and the owner gath |
,red as rich a harvest as one need de- |
ire. That is just what God wants US
o do with the fallow ground of our
hearts. Get the grub ak of confession |
md the plow-share of repentance |
md with the hands and teams |
VI energy and determination clear |
way the wild growth of sin and break |
lp the fallow ground of the heart |
allure does not belle herself When |
.ood seed is sown in loamy ground and |
eaven furnishes copious showers a good |
harvest is inevitable. So will it be |
With everyone who thus prepares the
oil of the soul. God will send the |
1ord. God will send the showers, and |
rich harvest of Joy, peace and Christ
an fruit-bearing will spring up in your
ife.
Presbyterian Church.