The Canton times., 1902-09-05
One Of the Prophets of Old Voices
a Message for To-day.
sermon by the "HIghway and Byway"
Preacher Emphasizing the Cer-
tainty Of Meeting God, and
the Need of Preparation.

A Message for To-Day.-Thes
words are addressed to Israel by tn
prophet Amos, after the nation ha
persistently refused to hear an
heed the message which God, ha
sent unto them. The days of grac
are past and judgment has fallen
No longer does God stand pleading
that Israel will repent and turn from
its sin, but the thunder-tones OF Hi
wrath send forth the message
+'Prepare to meet thy God" In these
five short, simple words flashes the
keen, two-edged sword of Gods
Spirit. and, falling, pierces "even to
the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit" God has patiently borne
with His people. He has sought by
every circumstance of life to arouse
them to sense of their obligation
to Him. He sent scarcity of food
and famine, "yet have We not re-
turned INTO Me-" saith the Lord. He
sent drought, and then let rain fall
on one city and not on another,
upon one piece of ground, and not
upon another section lying adjacent
thereto, so that two or three, cities
were compelled to go unto one city
to drink water, "yet have We not re-
He sent the mildew and the blasting
upon the growing grain; and the
devouring worms ruined the gar
dens and vineyards and fig and olive
trees, ''yet have We not. returned
unto Me-" saith the Lord. The
pestilence of disease had swept over
their land, and in conflict with the
nations about the young men had
been slain with the sword, and the
scandals and evils growing up out
of the military camps had shocked
the whole nation, ''yet have ye not |
returned unto Me-" saith the Lord. |
The iniquity of some in the nation
was so great that God had to de-
stroy them as He overthrow Sodom
and Gomorrah, and those who es-
capped the fire of Gods wrath were
as brands plucked out of the burn
ing yet have We not returned unto
Me- saith the Lord.
therefore (because all this is
true) thus will 1 do unto thee, o
Israeli: and because will do this
unto thee, prepare to meet thy God,
o, Israel"
"For, 10, He that formeth the noun
tains, and createth the wind. and de-
clareth unto man what is His
thought, that maketh the morning
darkness, and treadeth upon the
high places of the earth, the Lord,
the God of Hosts. is His name"
This is the message which God
sent to His self-willed and self-seek-
ing children by the hand of His
prophet Amos. We read it. We
readily see the iniquity and sins of
The children of Israel. We marvel at
heir indifference to the solemn
warming and pleading of God. We
zee them rejecting the message of .
iod's prophets and doubling the
ruth of their words. While the ter
'ible judgments of Gods wrath are
ranging over them they refuse to be- /.
ieve anything but that they will con- :
;inue to eat, drink and be merry and !
yield to every desire in the days to
ONE. as they have in the past- We
zee the certain judgments of God fall v
lpon them after they have persist a
ntly and willfully refused to hear b
iod's last call. We see the awful S
courge of war sweep over the land, e
ve see the wives and children, the h
onng men and maidens wearing the y
-oke of their conquerors and going h
nto captivity, all coming to pass just a
s God said it would. We see all This. il
We know that when God speaks il il
hall surely come to pass, notwith- W
the ease and luxury of our b
ONES, and the influence of our friends, "
nd the prominence of our position in ii
ociety, and our business and profess 81
ional success, and the size of our bank V,
ccount; notwithstanding our vigor al
t health, and our fullness of Joy as b,
'e delight ourselves in the attractions d.
nd luxuries of the world. We know
hat nothing we have or are, that .,
othing which our friends have or are. !,
1at not even the loved ones in Heaven a
no are awaiting our coming can G;
lange one jot or little of Gods word =,
nd prevent His judgment falling upon a
: if we refuse to hear and heed. And !.
moving this, let us stop in the ma, q,
lsh of life and reason together out h,
Gods Word, so that we shall not he :;
iught as athief in the night when our 70
ord comes and exacts final account =;
g with us. e.
Face to Face with Eternity.-Do you Or
alize that %ou are face to face with of