Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-09-04
the house and made It clean, the 10TH

fer the burnt offering upon the altar. Ana
when the burnt offering began the song OF
the Lord began again, also with the truni'
pets and with the instrument, ordained by
CATION worshiped, and the singers sang
and the trumpeters sounded, and all this
continued until the burnt Offering was
finished"
Third, all this is typical. We have no
song in the church to-day as once we had.
do not wish to be pessimistic in my view
Of the condition of things; it is my great
desire to inspire the church with a new
hope and conception Of better things,
but no one is so blind to-day but what he
can see that the church is without the old
song she used to have, and beyond all ques
ton it is because the temple must needs
be cleansed. Why should not the work be-
gin now!
Q). 1t ought to begin with the priests
themselves as in the Old Testament story.
Christian Evans tells of the time whr n
one day riding through a wood he dis
mounted from his horse, htched it to the
tree and made his way into the darkening
shadows and stayed upon his face before
God for hours waiting for his special bless
ing or his special work, and when he re.
turned to his horse and mounted it and
the next day began his preaching service a
| leNlNdl was SIuIltu WHICH SNNpt tllS MhoiS
country. Maze spent day and a.night in
New YORK hotter ASKING FOR GODS special
blessing because he needed it. and at last
must needs rise and say, ooh. Lord, stay
Thine hand | can hold no more" Murray
McChcynne was so filled with God that as
he laid his hands upon boys head and
said, II am very much concerned about
your SOUL" the boy remembered it and
when he forgot McCheynne's sermons he
felt the touch of his loving hand upon his
head, and it pushed him into the kingdom.
(2). And the inner part of the house
needs also to be cleansed. There is in
every church a circle into which God has
seemed to call certain persons. To these
now direct my message, to the officers OF
the church of whatever name, to the Sun.
day-school teachers and to those who have
become spiritually minded is the searching
question, as thine heart right in the sight
of God?' In the sd chapter of Isaiah
and the 18th verse the prophet says, BE
We clean that bear the vessels of the Lord"
God pity the man whose life is unclean,
rovet to fill The searching power of Gods
word ought to touch the Sunday school
teacher. One of Mr. Moodys teachers in
Chicago was dying of consumption lie
must leave his Western home and return
to the home of his boyhood in the East,
but before he would leave. entering a car
riage he drove to every home and bcsought
the members of his class to yield to God,
and said Mr.. Moody, when the time
came for him to leave Chicago his whole
class. every one of them saved, gathered
at the platform of the station to wave him
a farewell. and they all sang, 'Blest be the
tie that binds our hearts in Christian
love- In Galatians, the 9th chapter and
,he lst verse. it is commanded. 'Ne which
are spiritual restore the wanderers in the
,prit of mccknesS, and alas, it is true that
men have wandered in multitudes from the
church, and we have done nothing to re-
strain them. let the work of cleansing 20
on.
(3l. The church as whole ought to be
set right with God. In Icchariah. the Sd
chapter and the first seven verses. we have
the picture of Joshua, the high priest,
standing befop the angel of the Lord.
He was clothed with filthy garments, and
The word of the Lord came saying, Put off
the filthy garments and | will clothc thee
with change of raiment.' These filthy
garments upon the high priest arc like the
habits which cling to some OF us. They
nave sapped our spiritual life, and we are
lowere>S in the presence of the world.
We ought to put them off and then put on
lhrist, so that living among men we
night win them to Him by the very way
We live. This will not he easy for the pc
mrc of Joshua is with Satan resisting
aim. | doubt not he is resisting lis now
n the presence of God, doubtless calling
attention to the way we have sung our
1ymns this morning and uttered our pray
.rs, but this picture in Iccharah also
els us that Joshua, the high priest, had
fair mitre set upon his head, and the
bands showed that service was hard, That
air mtre l. like the descent of the Holy
,host. for which there Is great need to-
lay. Then llcZcklah saw that the vessels
If the temple were restored. The church
las had certain vessels committed to her,
vs.. fur example, the Bible. We have
picked 1t to pieces until the faith OF some
las been shaken. win you pray for
theological STUDENT said woman to me
his week, who used to be one OF the most
consistent Christians | ever knew and one
If the most jealous. He doubts much ot
he Scripture, and as a consequence his
lie is not only Indifferent but inconsist.
mt The time has come when the Bible
ought to he put i'll the church III the place
once occupied.
Preaching is another vessel entrusted to
he church As matter of fact, do YOU
oelievc that men would know they were
ost from much OF the preaching they hear
,o-day. The time has come for the old
lime spirit of the church fathers to pre-.
iail
PRAYER is still another vessel. Prayer is
lot performance with which men may he
either pleased or displcased Prayer is
.akjnG to God. viii our prayers stand
Ibis test?
Music is still another vessel, and that
,hurch is to be pltied, If not dcsplscd,
where the music is not in every way to the
80 sol l,,,,, nd
whose hearts have already been yielded to
Sod, but it was when the burnt Offering
vas presented that the song began and
there was this peculiar about the burnt
offering, it was all yielded and it was all
consumed, an illustration of the fact that
when we are entirely surrendered to God,
when He rules in the ministry and controls
in everything in the church, when there Is
no thought but for His glory and no com.
petition but for His approval, then will the
song of the Lord begin once again, If you
will read the 30th chapter of II. Chronicles
YOU will have the story of a great revival,
where people from Dan to Bcersheba came
to Jerusalem to spend seven days, and then
tarried seven days longer, or if you will
read the 3lst chapter Of III. Chronicles you
will have the picture of the priests of God
going up and Down the land overthrowing
the idolatrous places of worship and set
ting up the affairs once more. THIS is the
secret of purifying our cities and Purifying
our land. Let the song of the Lord begin
once again. There is no more fitting close
to Hezekah's life than the Dist verse of
the 3lst chapter Of IL. Chronicles. "And
with every work that he began in the serv-
ice of the house of God, and in the law,
and in the commandments, to seek his
God, he did it with all his heart, and
prospered."