Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-10-16

Judgment Matthew l3: 4l.42. "The Son
of Man shall send forth His angels, and
they shall gather out of His klndom all
things that offend, and them which DO mi.
guilty and shall cast them into a furnace
Of fire; there shall be wailing and snashine
of teeth"
It is nv purpose to show something con.
corning angels visits in days that are past
that I may make application OF the truth
to the present time.
Their visit to Abraham. Genesis IL:
r. "And the Lord appeared unto him IN
the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the
tent door in the heat of the day. and he
lifted up his eyes and looked, and 10, three
men stood by him; and when he saw them
he ran to meet them from the tent door,
and bowed himself toward the ground.
We have here the thought Of communion
of which the Christian Church is so much
in need in these days. 1t Is not so much
service that is demanded now as fellow
ship with Him and waiting upon Him by
means of which we may know His will. j
like to picture this visit of angels. Abra.
ham at his tent door during the heat OF
the day, when suddenly the angels APP
peared. There were three Of them, the
angel of the Covenant being their leader
I.stood Oh the very spot where it Is said
according to tradition, the tent of Abra
ham stood and the place seemed holy
ground. doubt not the tent was ever
more beautiful to Abraham and Sarah, for
as a matter of fact homes are TRANSPORTED
and lives made beautiful just in proper
ton that Christ, the Angel Of the Cove
nant, fills us, and He still comes to us to-
day, and in His coming He is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever He entered
the home of Zaccheus and gave him new
and co1vatipn RI his pntlr-
household. He filled the heart Of Peter &C
that when Paul was converted he came
down Just to visit him that he might know
concerning his Master. Doubtless he saw
the couch where He rested, possibly the
room where He slept, and have no ques
ton at all but Peter and Paul journeycd
together visiting the scenes that were
made sacred by His gracious. presence. He
walked with the two on their way to En-.
maus and illumined the Scriptures and
also made their hearts burn. We r,ay
have angels visits in these days iii unex
pected ways.
like the story OF the German boy who
sat place at the table for Christ. and
suddenly there was knock at the door.
When the child opened the door he found
there peasant poorly clad; babe him
take the seat, feeling that since Jesus could
not come He had sent this man in HE
place.
Whatever may be the dispensational
Interpretation of the 2Sth chapter OF
Matthew. the 35th to the 4oth verses
are at least most striking in this conncc
ton. "For was an hungered and We gave
Me meat; was thirsty and We gave Me
drink, was stranger, and We took Me
in; naked and We clothed Me: ! was sick
and We visited Me; was in prise, and We
came unto Me. Then shall the righteous
a,I ,y,lo
Thee an hungered and fed Thee? or thirsty
and gave Thee drink? When saw we
Thee stranger and took Thee in? or
naked and clothed Thee? Or, when saw
we Thee sick or in prison and came unto
Thee? And the King shall answer and
say unto them. Verify, | say unto you, In
,smuch as We have done it unto one of the
least of these. My brethren, we have done
it unto Me-" As a matter of fact we
say a kind word, we never lift another's
tlrdcn for the glory of Christ that VIC do
not do these things unto Him.
Their visit to Lot Genesis 49, l,3.
And there came two angels to Sodom at
even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodon;
and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them,
and he bowed himself with his face toward
the ground and he said, Behold. now. my
IOTus, tuIIl L you, luto yCul sciN'
ants house and tarry all night, and wash
your feet, and We shall rise up early, and
90 on your ways. And they said, Nay,
but we will abide in the street all night.
And he pressed upon them greatly, and
they turned in unto him and entered into
his house, and he made them feast, and
did bake unleavcned bread, and they did
eat Will YOU notice the difference be-
tween the number of angels in the first pic.
sl,n., Il. Gr-t
in the second
Lot is type Of worldly Chris.
tian, man who had good start and
made a miserable failure. With such
man the Angel of the Covenant can have
little fellowship, while for his soul he may
have a great longing Note the steps in
Lots downfall. He pitched his tent To-
ward Sodom. They moved into Sodom.
Then Sodom gained possession OF him;
then he lost his influence with his own
household. his fellow-citizens and with the
angels of heaven. He is like the man who
came into a service after he had been wan
derng from Christ for thirteen years
Once he had been faithful and true,
brought face to face again with Christ he
renewed his vows and then started out tc
win his children, but returned at the close
of the day after he had been in their beau
tiful homes to say that they had every one
Vi them ldpstu lHJO lnHutIltN. anu nt wax
powerless to move them. There may be
such a wanderer here who is saying, il
there any hope. In answer | give you the
picture of Jacob and the angels guarding
him when he was supplanter and cheat,
Genesis 80: IL. And Jacob went on his
way. and the angels of God met him,
And when Jacob saw them he said, This is
Gods host, and he called the name of that
place Mahanaim." and of Peter concerning
whom the. angels said as they. gave the
Masters invitation for the disciples tc
meet Him, He told His disciples and
Peter
These angels went into Sodom and
that is the way to work. not to s'
with folded hands in the pew and expect
the unsaved to come to us; they FASTENED
Lot, for they were dead in earnest. The
church needs baptism of enthusiasm
They laid hold upon the hand of Lot
Preaching is not enough; there must be
personal contact with those who are lost.
III.
The angel of strength Matthew 4: II
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold,
angels came and ministered unto him
There is no reason why We should fail ir
these coming days granted the fact thai
the flesh is weak, the tempter strong, our
appetite awful, but still ] Corinthians the
10th chapter and the 18th verse is true,
There hath no temptation taken you,
but such as is common to man, but God ia
faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that We are able, but will
with the temptation also make a way to
escape that We may be able to bear it,
In travelling through the country yester.
day friend called my attention to the
fact that the leaves which have been upon
the scrub oak all through the winter
months were now falling away. The
wind of the winter did not make them
fall nor the weight of the snow could not
make them break away from the branches,
but now they were falling because the new
life of the spring in the tree is pushing
them off This is the secret of victory
over sin with the new life within, and