The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-24
DR.. JORDAN'S MESSAGE.
The High and Important Things OF
Life Discussed.

"A L
his text Micah, WIS.
"He hath showed thee, o man, what
! is good: and what doth the Lord re-
quire of thee, but to do justly, and to
love mercy. and to walk humbly with
thy God?"
Here" said the speaker, lis a mes
sage from the Lord to the people-all
people of all ages. a question is ask
ed and the answer is given for our in
struction in all that is high and impor-
tant in life.
What doth the Lord require of
thee?
who is the Lord and what right
has he to require anything of thee?
Few are they so dull mentally or so
dead spiritually as not to acknowledge
the Lords personal being whether
they own and honor Him or not.
ITO some misty hazy minds He is
the Supreme Being only. If He is
being and Supreme He must have re-
lations to and right over other beings.
Other beings must be subject to or
servants of Him-subject TO His power,
His teaching, and His government, and
dependent upon Him. OF such the
Lord has a right to require something,
anything
ITO others the Lord is the Supreme
Architect of the Universe If He is
the supreme designer, or planner He is
also the supreme executor of His plans.
He appoints, assigns and diverts His
means. His plans are not to be criti-
cised nor their authority questioned.
All other beings are materials or agents
to bring to perfection of form and
beauty the architectural plans of the
Supreme Master. To such persons His
word is law and wisdom and His right
to require of each and all in unques-
toned.
TO others the Lord is God, our cre-
ator, defender. and ancient of days, pa
vilioned in splendor in all His ways.
He is our rock in WEAKNESS, refuge in
storm, strength in weakness, light in
darkness, joy in sorrow, comfort in
distress. river of water in dry places,
king eternal and blessed for evermore.
OF such il may be said, their delight
is in the law of the Lord Speak,
Lord, thy servant heareth' They not
only recognize the Lords right to re-
quire, but His requirements are their
| supreme delight.
That the Lord has a right to re-
quire-none can question and that He
quires nothing questionable is made
clear by the things which Ele re-
quires. His requirements come under
three heads, to do justly to love
mercy and to walk humbly with thy
God Can any one reasonably object
to either of these requirements?
To do justly is a reasonable re-
quirement, but difficult to fulfill. In
the eager pursuit of wealth men are
tempted to gather from their fellows
without giving an adequate return.
"The principle of honesty is involved.
| None can question the duty of men to
be honest That all are not honest is
/ 1T fat
| thousands can testify. Some men are
so dishonest that they not only try to
rob their peers in business, but they
| rob preachers, churches, widows and
orphans, and that often in a way that
amounts to stealing. Not only has the
| Lord a right to require men to be hon
est, but common deeency requires it.
1t is a pervertion of justice and dis
! graceful weakness not to be honest.
! TO do justly is a calm and sober
recruitment and to comply with it one
must be sober. Insobriety builds it's
own monuments out of its wrecked
or distorted loves.
1--WE see them built of hoary heads
that ought to have been glorious, of
| strong manhood made imbecile of
| youth whose fair morn has turned to
| darkest night of homes whose hopes
| and happiness have fled. We see them
| in fortunes wrecked and in widows
| weeds and orphans rags. The man who
does not live soberly is unjust to him.
self, his family, his friends, his coun-
| try and his God
!" To do justly one must be truthful.
full of truth, the very embodiment of
| truth. He must search for truth till
| he finds it and then plant himself upon
it. pillar of strength four-square to
every adverse wind that blows. Ones
highest elevation for himself and
greatest inspiration for his fellows
consists in being the embodiment of
| truth. To many
Truth is unwelcome, however divine,
| Go forth and preach, impostures, to
the world,
But give them truth to build upon
"A second requirement is, To Love
Mercy How sweet the words of truth
| breathed from the lips of love- Mercy
is a beautiful word. Exercised towards
| our fellows it means kindness, towards
| God it means piety, and from God to
us it means grace, or graclousness.
Kindness and gentlenes5 in no way inn
pair the strength or force of character.
but they are necessary elements of the
highest character. You may subdue an
enemy by brute force, but he will
hate you all the more, by kindness you
may both subdue him and win him as
a friend.
"The lover of mercy cultivated the for
| giving spirit. He who would be for
given must forgive. The merciful shall
obtain mercy. The merciful man has
the same charity for the faults and fol-
bles of others as he has for his own.
| He seeks to be God-like IN all his
ways. He lends help to the needy,
comfort to the sorrowing and kindness
to all.
being all fashioned of the self-same
dust,
Let us be merciful as well as just"
"The third requirement of the Lord
is, To walk humbly with thy God The
inst and merciful man is nigh to God
and we'll in the way to walk with Him.
To do this faith is necessary. Enoch
| and Abraham walked with God by
faith. Unity is also necessary. How
can two walk together except they be
agreed?' o, for religious union, CHI is
tlan unioni Love is also an essential
element in walking with God. 4 de-
lightsome companion aship is one of love
and sympathy. Gods ways are not our
ways hence 10 walk with Him we
must enter into His ways. The light
of His word and the ordinances of Ills
which to- walk.
"The embodiment Of all that the Lord
would have us be Is found in Jesus of
Nazareth. Whether he be the Messiah
of God or not, / would have all exam
inc and try not only Gentiles. but Jews
also. sthat greatest OF all nation, the