The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-03

God Has It's Uses--Prevents Many
from Falling Into DEVILS Snare.
! In the First Presbyterian church
yesterday morning, the pastor, Rev.
James Mcleod, d. D., preached SER
mon on Are You Afraid OF God?'
He took for his text the words.
Fear God and keep his command
| ments. for this is the whole duty of
man" words taken from Ecclesiastes
| IL and 49, DR.. Mcleod said:
4 few days ago excellent Christian woman
| said to me. II am afraid OF God. | know that
| His love is infinite, and that lie is my heavenly
| Father. but still I'm afraid of Him. She ct.
| trhutcd this state OF mind and ieclne to the New
| England theology in which she had been trained
She knew better. she said, for she knew that God
| is a blessed Being OF whom she believed nobody
should be afraid; hut yet She could not get rid
OF the carly impress ions that were made upon her
mind. and so, "up to this day" She said, I'm
afraid of God"
The experience of this good woman is 10y 10
| means uncommon. Many people today are afraid
| of God, and their fear OF Him can hardllv he
attributed to their training in Puritan theology
| It may be that the Puritans over.cmphisi1cd the
| doctrine that "our God is consuming fire.;
| but. even granting that they lid so. ii does not
| seem TO have hindercd them from becoming
| mighty men OF yalor, nor did it letard their
Christian growth. nor did it prevent them from
becoming as noble a body OF heroic men and
women as ever enlisted in the army OF the Lord.
| II they afraid Of God. it did not prevent
| them from fighting the Lords battles. nor did ii
prevent them from loving and serving Him with
| pure hearts. tervcn,ly. They feared God, and
| they kept His commandments, because .ncy be-
| lic,c it to be their duty.
4 STRONG DELuSION.
Those who charge Puritan theology with in.
culcating slaviSh fear OF God labOring under
Il strong delilson and a sufficient answer TO this
charge is found in both the preaching and the
practice of the Pilgrims and the Puritan1. Those
| old worthless tower above their critics the
stately cedar towers above the thotns and bricrs
and singing nettics.
The Bible speaks OF the fear OF God under two
different forms, and by two different classes. 1t
speaks Of fear which hath tormtnts''-a fear
that only can he east ont by love: and ii speaks
, Of another fear Of God that is the beginning OF
wiSlon-a fear that is never separate from hal
| affection and confidence and love. This is the
kind Of fear that every Christian should cherish.
for without it there will be no desire aud no
attempt to keep the commandments "t God.
There is fear OF God which is both rational
and sautaty. When the day of rcntcco-t the
thousands who were convicted of sin and of ,i.ht
| eousneSs and Of a Judgment to come. cried out;
N'h ana nre''ne''' "Iat sh''' We do: 'helr
fear was both natural and saluta,v. II is no
dor ,h,, ..f,r c,n. ,,nn, o,or,, .,,,I.. uh,, ,i,
Messed that scene. and who felt the force of the
mighty power of God The fears that
pressed by the Phiiippian iailei. and by saul of
'rars's, were both rational and salutary. They
realized their danger. They ''trcmDed'' with
10 he sayeIy" The ,ue, ner,cru,or cr;.d out.
~ ord what will T,,ou h,r mo n log, In
each ros. ,ho toor wos natural o,l l.; ,,,h
r.s. il was Tho nrecrrsor ,f +, hlo.S,J and ;ovf,,
c>uerirpce If COD. .,,,o,inr 80
We ,ra so,n.t inns ,o,d .h, ,I , ,; .,
J,.us w,s not pr,i,,nic and ti,,t ;,,.,,,I ac in
,ulc,,ipp doct,;n. n, ,c,r II, ran,dia,oJ n nm,
cy.r,o,e nro,cl,a ,h ,,o,r;,,, ~, I c,
uersons r,,., L,,o tua,t,, ,,;..
IIer. .,o .nno -, ui. u,ards -, .',''
nv friends he NOT ,;,,iI a, ,h,, ,h, ,i, ~
bn,v md ,f,.r ,h,, h,v, ma ,nr, ,ht 49,, w
do Rut I w,,l fo,aw,rn Won, ,,ho,, 49,, hii ,r.
Fear linn vL;o,, ,,,a, u ,,,t, ,l,'', ,,i
n,wcr to cost into h.u. ,oa .o,. ,,r,, 49,, t,,,
linn" a. nj. -. 80 '
II ,lern il fo,r =; God ,ho, !; b.,,, .,,i,,,,,
and , s,,utsr ,i,.,o 10 ,,so ,,, ~, ,.I .,,
wIila rotionai ;s not .,,rt,,,, ..r,," Io,,, ",
love and ,ron,,lo ;, Jy,o, foar ,, ,, ,..
n, hone of esc,ns .,uon,,st hor,id s,,,,. a,,',
,bri.l,s ppd s;,I,. ,,,bo,,,, ,,a, .,,i; ,I, . ""
God IL a consrmirg ar. ;, WA
HAS IT'S Uses.
Fear has its uses in the world n, ro,i,.ion
II has preyented many from falling int, ,h,
sn,r. Of The devil ,rhoso who hoyo ma t,,r ~,
God before their eyes are not Desirable ,o,,,on.
ions. nor are they fine h,nnic.t and mos, ,,!c,,,
citizens, Those who's. conccn,,ons -, God orn
su,h thor ,hev ,brl. uohodv S,ou,1 t ,,;,