The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-06-05


resurrection.
What is an idol? 1t may be very little
thing That which tends to usurp an un-
due place in our affections. which gives us
more pleasure than the thought OF God. is
an idol The thing in our life which makes
us sacrifice nearness to God. which may
not necessarily be sinful, only questionable,
:S an idol. That which make us indiffer.
ant TO spiritual advantages and indifferent
to Bethel is an idol. Your reputation,
your fortune. that unworthy friend upon
whom YOU lavish your affection, these may
be idols. for mo man can serve two mas
ters. for either he will hate the ore and
love the other. or will cleave to the one
and depart from the other" Therefore
put ava the strange gods, and if we really
want to he near to God how easy it will
he to find out the thing that hinders us,
and yet as matter of fact who can put
away his idols? I cannot. am sure. but
there is a deliverance. 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 irnme-
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 Israeps
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.
Cooo,l ha c1aan This referS f0 inner
cleanness, which ia only brought about by
the indwelling of Christ. God puts away
our sins, it is true, when He forgives 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 us. 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 IS
No nossible by the word Of God which is
cleansing in its very touch. Let US be
clean in what we say, making covenant
with Christ to guard our lips, asking Him
to keep our eyes. Let US not do the things
that will grieve the spirit. remembering
that God can onlv use that which is clean:
Third. let us change our garments. This
must refer to the outward practices OF our
life; in other words, our habits. What IS
the garment we are wearing to-day? With
some of US it is a 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 winch
we may wear to-day woven IN the loom OF
heaven bearing the red mark OF the blood
of Christ. -,
ary from Wisconsin who told me how he
had reached 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 OF
his household into the fellowship OF the
church. When Noah entered the ark his
family went with him. Let US ARISE and
90 up to Bethel.
Results. In the 5th verse we read that
the people were afraid of Jacob and MS
company, for the terror OF the Lord was
upon them. Matthew Henry has sald thas
when sin was in Jacobs house he was
afrsid OF his neighbors, but when the
IDOLS were nut away his peighbors were
afraid OF him. When shall we learn the
lesson that we have power over men oy
the wav of God: The world does not tear
a 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 ana
ten. OF course no man can see eoa as ne
is and live. Moses asked this OF GOD ana
He said, "I will put thee in the CLEFT oi
the rock and cover thee with My, nana
while I pass by" and he saw the glory OF
the garments OF God and HIS taee ola
shine. but we can see Christ, and when we
behold Him in His tenderness with little
children and His ministering to the sick
and suffering everywhere we hear Hum
saw. HE that hath seen Me hath seen NY
Father also" God still speaks to us; II
we did but have our ears open we shoulo
find Him speaking in nature. can remem-
her as a boy out in the country putting
nv ears up against the telegraph pole ana
listening to what I was tol ID was the
wb;rr of the messages flashing from city 10
citv, and I used to wonder if it might De
possible for some one to hear what mlsht
even then be passing through the AR. ana
now to-day we have accomplished TINS IN
the wireless telegraphv, and II we dlo put
have our ears open | am sure that WIN
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 to own
one of the large old-fashioned clocks used
bv our forefathers, and recently 1t became
possible for me to gain possession OF one.
The works are perfect the pendulum IS
perfect, and the whole clock is thing OF
beauty. and I started it. but the pendulum
wonld swing for moment and then stop,
and | thought l had made poor bargain
in the purchase of my clock. but at last
discovered there was little catch by
means of which the pendulum was united
to the works. and 7 started the clock once
more. and it is keeping perfect time. Here
is this Old Book truer than ever, II that
were possible. certainly more precious than
ever. We have called it uninterestlng;: we
ha,.e LET Il alone when we might have been