Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-12-18
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| tenn. Yet it is all the lime changing and
will keep changing uura the hour OF its
demolition. OF this beautiful weFld this
lustrous world, this glorious world. it
may be said, "Ye have not passed this
way before
What is the practical use Of this sub
| ject? Instead Of putting 50 much stress
upon human advice and instead Of asking
of the past Whist we ought TO do. follow
1 the diviae leading as the men of Joshua
followed the golden lidded chest of ata-
| cha. which was the symbol Of the divine
presence. Not human. but divine. leader
ship, Joshua not consulting with his colo
nels and lieutenants, but consulting with
! God-the God of individuals, the God of
nations, the God of worlds.
The Lesson of Reverence.
That three-quarters of a mile distance
between the ark or sacred box and the
| front column of Jeshua's troops nightly
| impresses me. 1t was a forceful way of
| teaching reverence for the Almighty.
| They needed to learn that lesson of rev
! erence, as we all need TO learn it. Irrev-
erence has cursed all nations, and none
| more than our own. Irreverenee in the
! use OF Gods name. Hear you it not on
| the streets and in social grodps, and is
not a profane word sometimes thought
necessary TO point jocosity? lrreverenre
for the Scriptures. the phraseoiogy Of the
| Bible often introduced into the most friy-
| olous conversation and made mirth pro-
| voking. Irreverence for the oath in court
room or custom house or legislative hall
| by the conventional and mechanical mode
| of its administration. Irreverence for the
holy Sabbath by the way it is broken IN
| pleasurable excursion and carousal IT.
reverence on the part of children for
! their parents, insolence being substituted
| for obedience Irreverence for rulers,
| which induces vile cartoons and assas-
! sination Irreyerence in church during
prayer, measuring off song and sermon by
cold artistic or literary criticism, and in
| prayer time neither bowling the head nor
| bending the knee nor standing as one
| does in the presence of earthly ruler. thus
! showing more respect for man than to
| the King of kings. We ask not for genu-
| fiexions or circum1exions or prostrations,
| but when prayer is offered let US either
bow the head or bend the knee or let us
in some way prove "a. we are not indif-
| ferent. In how man, places have pre-
sumption and foolhardiness taken the
| place of reverence. That three-quarters
| of a mile between the chest of acacia
covered with gold aud mounted with
| wings--a symbol of the divine presence
| and the marching regiments of Joshua
| suggests reverence that is woefdliy
| lacking in social life, in legislative hall
and religious assemblage A farmer went
to The wheat field, taking his son with
him. The child said These stalks that
stand straight up must have the best
grain. Those stalks that bend over can
not be worth anything" Then the faher
broke off two of the tops of the stalks
and said, Child, tnat one that bends
clear over has the grain 1t is the soul
that bows in deepest reverence which is
| the best soul
But though Joshua's host observed the
| three-quarters of a nile command, they
followed the ark, and you will do well to
| follow the divine leading, as the path you
tread now has not yet been trodden. '.Ye
have not passed this way before" Many
of you are suffering from just such an
noyances as have not occurred in all your
history. There have been meannesses
practiced upon you or you have received
pretations or you are in the midst of sore
disappointments or there are demands
made upon your strength and time mere
than you can meet or some physical III
ment is laying siege TO your castle of
health or you are under embarrassments
that you cannot mention even to nearest
friends. You say: well, l never saw
anything like this. never expected such
treatment as this. never thought it pos
sible to be placed in such circumstances.
And when you say all that you are only
translating the words of my text into
your own phraseology. If you had suffer
ed something like this before, you would
have known what to do, but here is a
flank movement for which, you are not
ready.
Ask Coils Help
As you have had no experience of this
kind upon which TO draw for wisdom and
as you cannot fully state all the circum-
stances to any human ear, go to. God and
tell him ali about it He knows already.
but it will relieve you and help you if you
tell him. That is what he has been doing
ever since the world got into trouble by
ilisobndient behavior on the banks of the
Euphrates. If "a the first chapter of the
Bible we see the gate through which the
woes of the world entered. in the third
chapter of the Bible we see the opening
of the gate through which they are to be
driven out Promises by the score and
hundreds and thousands. Sacr fetal
lambs foretelling the Lamb of God. Rock
stricken into ssshing floods. typical of
the fact that the worlds thirst is going TO
be slaked. Pillar of fire hoisted above
wilderness march. Star of hope over
birthplace in barn. Sepulchers rent
open. Trumpets of deliverance sounded.
All heaven to take part in the rescue of
or planet The Infinite God listening
with an ear in which whisper 10000
miles away is as audible as thunder
Perhaps it is bereavement You have
felt sorrow for those who lost children
or thought you did. but now that the sor-
row has come 10 your own nursery ii IS
n different thing. You never could have
imagined the silences about the house
now that the little feet are quiet and the
infant voice has ceased its prattle. What
sensation at eventide with no one to put
to bed. What toys put away 20 be looked
at on anniversary days! How Christmas
day is Swallowed and the world is chang
ed, Get over 1t? You never can get over
it in this world. Perhaps it is your first
sorrow. .Ye have not passed this way
before God grant that You may never
pass this way again.
But follow the ark, and if will lead yoa
10 rivers Of consolation. You will find
that your child has gone into heaven Of
children, land where children are il
l.