Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-06-07
den. when we least expect 1t there is

us Sdcslllce nearness 10 trOn. Wntfl may
not necessarily be sinful. only questionable.
is an idol. That which make US indifier.
ent to spiritual advantages and Indifferent
to Bethel is an ido.. Your reputation.
your fortune, that unworthy friend upon
whom you lavish your affection, these may
be idols, for no man can serve two mas
tiers, for either he will hate the one and
love the other. or will c,eave TO the one
and depart from the other Therefore
put away the strange gods. and if we really
want to be near to God how easy it will
be TO find out the thing that binders US.
and vet as matter of fact who can nut
away his idols? | cannot, | am sure. hut
there is deliyerance. DO YOU remember
the story of David and Nathan. when Da-
vid forgets that he is A king and father
and sins. and Nathan is the messenger OF
God who comes to rebuke him with the
touching story of the eve lamb. When
David acknowledges his sin Nathan imme-
diately responds. THE Lord also hath put
away thy sin" and there is in this express
sion a reference to the scapegoat of the
Old Testament on the dav OF Atonement.
when the priest confessed the sins of the
people. and the goat was represented as
staggering away under the load of Israels
sins. down through the valley. up the
mountain Wonder until he is lost to sight.
and then finally. according TO tradition is
pushed over into the abyss where no man
Is. He can put away our sins on whom
the Lord hath laid our iniquity.
Second. be clean. This refers TO inner
cleanness. which is only brought about by
the indwelling of Christ. God puts away
our sins. it Is true. when He forglves us.
but it is one thing to be set right concern
ing the guilt of sin and quite another thing
to be set free from the pollution Of sin. This
second privilege is ours when Christ comes
in to dwell with MS. We are very much
afraid OF the word holiness" in preach.
ing and teaching. yet we have as much of
holiness as we have Of Christ. no more or
no less. Let us be clean in heart. This -
possible bv the word OF God which Is
cleansing in It's very touch. Let Ts be
clean in what We say. making a covenant
with Christ to guard our lips. asking Him
to keep our ewes. Let us not do the things
that will grieve the spirit. remembering
that God can only use that which il clean.
Third. let us change our garments. This
must refer to the outward practices os orr
life; in other words our habits. What Is
the garment we are wearing to-day; With
some OF US il is robe OF our own weaving.
the robe of selfshneSs and pride. and mark
you this. where self comes into life Christ
passes out. There is another robe which
we may wear to-day woven in the loom of
heaven bearing the red mark OF the blood
of Christ.
travelled the other day with mission
airy from Wisconsin. who told me how he
had reached a drunken man in the woods
of Wisconsin. told him the story of Christ
and won him. and later had the JOY of re-
ceiving the man and the six members or
his household into the fellowship of the
family went with him. Let Us arise and
go up to Bethel.
IL 80. 4 ~,
the people were afraid of Jacob and his
company. for the terror of the Lord was
upon them. Matthew Henry has said that
when sin was in Jacobs house he was
afraid of his ne:ghbors but when the
idols were put away his neighbours were
afraid of him. When shall we learn the
lesson that we have power over men by
the way of God. The world does not fear
worldly Christian, nor does the devil,
and we need expect no triumph over men
until we have prevailed with God first
Second God appeared and talked with
Jacob. This we read in verses nine and
ten. OF course no man can see God as He
is and live. Moses asked this of God and
He said. II will put thee in the cleft OF
the rock and cover thee with My hand
while | pass by" and he saw the glory OF
the garments of God and His face did
shine. but we can see Christ, and when we
behold Him in His tenderness with little
children and His ministerlng TO the sick
md suffering everywhere we hear Him
say. He that hath seen Me hath seen Ny
Father also" God still speaks to us; II
we did but have our ears open we should
find Him speaking in nature. | can remem-
Der as a boy out in the country putting
my ears up against the telegraph pole and
listening to what / was told was the
whirr of the messages flashing from city to
city, and l used to wonder il it might be
possible for some one TO hear what might
even then be passing through the air. and
now to-day we have accomplished this IN
the wireless telegraphy. and if we did but
have our ears open / am sure that with
every rising sun. with every running
stream. with every singing bird. with every
thing in nature we should hear God speak.
And He speaks to us in the Bible. but the
difficulty with US Is that We have not
faith. 1t has long been my desire 70 own
one of the large old ia shioned clocks used
by our forefathers. and recently 1t became
possible for me TO gain possession OF one.
The works are perfect, the pendulum IA
perfect, and the whole clock is a thing of
beauty. and | started it, but the pendulum
would swing for a moment and then stoD,
and l thought i had made A poor bargain
in the purchase of my clock but at last
means of which the pendulum was united
to the works. and ] started the clock once
more. and it is keeping perfect time. Here
is this Old Book truer than ever. If that
were possible certainly more precious than
ever. We have called it uninteresting: we
have let it alone when we might have been
listening to its heaven born messages, none
other than the voice of God, If we had but
he'd faith. God said to Jacob. II am God
Almighty" and that was enough for Him
to saw Il will walk with thee" IF God
be for us who can be against us?'
Third. in this 35th chapter of Genesis are
four burials There is the burial of the
idols, the burial OF Deborah. the burial of
Rachel ard the burial Of Isaac. It is
chaDter of sorrow, but what a difference
Bethel must have made in the way that
sorrow was endured. I stood not long
ego in the home OF a man whose child was
dead. and 7 heard him say. although he
had once been a Christian. that he all hut
hated God. and recall another experience
where a woman with 4 breaking heart said
with the tears flowing down her face that
was shining. The Lord gave and He hath
taken away" and she was dwelling at
Bethel. 1t is a beautiful thing to know
that over the body of Isaac. Esau and
Jacob clasped hands and were united once
more. II we did but live at Bethel Old diff
farences would be put away, trying expe-
riences would be easily met Come. let us
arise and 60 to Bethel. We have all of us
had Bethel experiences. so let us go back
and pray as we used to pray. work "a we
uead m tyorl, and p-aach az wa mead 70