The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-30
VOLUNTEERS FOR GOD.
new. Ed f. Cooks Eloquent sermon
Mt Wesley Monumental


DIV Ed f. Cook, at Wesley Monu-
,,,ental Church last night, preached an
a,oouent sermon on the duties to God
- the church of young manhood. The
+axt was taken from Psalms, 6O:3: Thy
o,,,a shall he volunteers in the day of
Thy power"
Mr.. Cook began his sermon with the
s+atement that never in the history of
che world. in the course of any single
century, had Gods power to save and
regenerate the world been displayed
,19re perfectly than in the last. Never
rad there been a more willing and
numerous response to the Divine ex-
bortation to follow Him in the conquest
of the souls of men.
God has been leading men and wom-
en- who are imbued with the proper
spirit. who are inspired by Gods eter-
nal truths, who are volunteers in the
great fight against the armies of sim"
Mr.. Cook said that all the armies of
the earth were made up of two class
es of men, the volunteers and the
conscripts. He had noted, he said, that
in the great army of human beings,
in the struggle of humanity, there are
only these two classes. Those who la
Dor in the marts of trade, those who
X
against evil-all are either conscripts
or volunteers. They either do their
work and fight their battles willingly,
or they are forced into a conflict by
necessity, the force of public opinion,
or the iron hand of the law.
There has never been a time" said
Mr.. Cook, when men were required
to such an extent to declare them
selves on public questions, as the
present. The citizen OF to-day must
line up either for or against the forces
of right. That man deserves well of
his country who sacrifices his own
comfort and risks his own safety In
order to do his duty to his country
and his God"
Mr. Cook told the story of South
ern lad, who during the Civil War,
had become very anxious to give his
services to his country and enlist I'M
der the Stars and Bars He was scarce
ly of the required age, and for year
his father and mother succeeded in
keeping him at home. At last the
cause of the South became more des-
perate, and its need for volunteers
more urgent, and the boy went again
to his father and told him he must go.
my country needs me, my country
calls me; 1 am able to go, am willing
to go. You must not stand longer be-
tween me and my duty" he said.
Mr.. Cook said the father thought the
matter over for some hours and then
called his son to him.
My son." he said "the principal
reason your mother and 1 have been
unwilling to have you go, is that you
are not a child of God. We are not
sure that you are prepared to make
the sacrifice to which your spirit urges
you. l want you to apply your own
arguments to your duties to God. The
kingdom of God needs you, the king
dom of God is calling you; you are
able to serve. Are you as willing to
serve the Heavenly Father who gave
you life, as the country you lover
Mr.. Cook said he had forgotten the
sequel of the story, which he told with
tender sympathy. 1t had made always
a deep impression on his mind, and
contained in it the germ of a solemn
and precious truth. Upon it he based |
his sermon.
It's trend and effect were that God |
needed volunteers to fight the battle |
for the right. DO you know of any |
town." he asked, where men are more |
needed for the advancement of Gods |
high purposes than this? Oh. that |
thousands of young men, brave, high
spirited and determined, would enlist |
under the banner of the Lord of Hosts. |
How speedily would the liquor traffic |
and gambling and the kindred evils |
that infest our city, corrupt the NOR
ais of our people and destroy the hap
piness of our homes, be driven awayi
1.-The army of God needs volunteers,
with the spirit of the volunteer in their
hearts. If the young men of this city |
would feel the same responsibility to
their God that they do to their coun-
try, they would answer the appeal that
God is making for their services and
their lives"