The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-04
X WOMAN'S WILL.
INTERESTING SERMON BY REV.
 fl. J. SMITH YESTERDAY.
"when She wiIIs She TiII and When She Wont She wOnI"-Outiine of Sermon Delivered Last Evening.

Sermon Delivered Last Evening.
 The following is a brief outline of a sermon preached by Rev. Arthur J. Smith. pastor of Grace M. E. church. last evening. The speaker selected for his text Ruth l., 16:17:
 16-"And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from toiloW- ing after thee, for whither thou goest will go, and where thou lodgest Will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" 17-"WheFe thou diest will l die, and there will be buried; the Lord GO so 10 me, and more also, if aught but death 1 part thee and me-
 The Book of Ruth opens with There was famine in the land" No scourge in the hand of the Almighty, neither pestilence nor the sword, is more terri ble than famine. Look at the prophets picture of a starving people:
 Their visage is blacker than coal; they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is with cred, it is become like stick.
 '"They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger; for these pine away stricken through for want of the fruits Of the field.
 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children; they were their meat in the destruction or the daughter of my people"
 It was such a scourge as this that drove Naomi and her husband from Bethlehem to the land of Moab. where the family could find bread and where the two sons found their wives. And so it is written that Elimelech Of Beth lehem Judah went to sojourn ill the country of Moab, he and his wife ana his two sons, but though they fled from famine, they could not flee from sick ness nor death, for shortly after enter ing the land of Moab Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, dies. The two sons, Mahlon and Chiffon, marry the daugh-
 ters of idolitry, Orpha and Ruth. and , after short interval of ten years the
 two sons are taken sick and die, and , Naomi is left a widow and childless. Then 1t is said she arose With her , daughters -in-law that she might return
 from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab how that s the Lord had visited His people in giv- s ing them bread; She starts to retrace
 her steps to Bethlehem and her daugh- ters-in law offer to go with her. She
 tests their faith and puts to very se- r were trial their professed devotion to - her. Orpha kissed her mother-in-laW { and turned back and left her, but Ruth l positively refused to go saying: "En' r treat me not to leave thee, or to return t from following after thee, for whithei thou goestsI will go and where thot . lodgest will lodge; thy people shall bt - my people, and thy ! God my God
 Where thou diest will die, and there t will be buried; the Lord do so to me r and more also, if aught but death par # thee and me-
 a We have first a fine illustration O l. woman's will and the old saying "Whet e a woman will she will, and when sh' r, won't she won't and that is the end O l- it."
 '. Ruth's determination to join Naom
 and the Lords people was the result 0
 deliberate resolve: there was no half ', heartedness about it. She would g $ with her mother-in- law; she woul 5 share with her the fortunes of the peo 3. pie of God; absolutely nothing coul e swerve her from her purpose The shi .- may sink, but, mailing her colors to tn
 mast, she will sink or swim with ii
 Death only shall part them; nor death
 the last favor her life shall ask tha .e they lay her in Naomi's grave. d Ruth teaches us, by her tremendou ,f will to cling to Naomi and her people n how we should cleave to Christ and Hi t. church or His people.
 Jesus once said to His disciples, "Wi
 ye also go away?" Peter made repl
 equal in devotion to that of Ruth wine ,- he said Lord, to whom shall we go 1s Thou hast the words of eternal life. I, Again Christ said to Peter, Simon. so D. of Jonas. lowest thou Me?" and Pete 70 said, Lord, Thou knowest all thing ot and Thou knowest that love Thee"
 The passion of our life should be lov
 to Christ The world and the churc
 are already too full of milk-and-watt :, Christians who sing, Do I love tf a4 Lord or not? Am His or am I not? ,,t What is needed to-day is more profe " sors. like Esther, who will say in e' "A pousing the cause of her people. "1f d perish perish" or, like Ruth. who wi ,a exclaim, "Whither thou goest will go ~ or, like some of our twentieth centui S converts to Christianity, sing: no :. "Ill go where you want me to go, de' st Lord,
 7" Over mountain, or plain, or sea; IT. I'll say what you want me to say, de;
 Lord,
 I'll be what you want me to be-
 Nobly did Ruth redeem the .pledg
 she made in the heathen land, and ric or lv was she rewarded for forsaking u eo worship of Chemosh and Baal-peor, u ao gods of Moab, for Jehovah, the tr re God, for she became in the land 'h' Israel the wife of Boaz, and, by hi ge mother of Obed, the anoestress of D tt- vid and of Christ. The heather woma St. an outsider, Gentle, became proge
 itor of Gods own Christ. Do you thil
 that Ruth ever regretted her choic
 Are there not some who Will act t
 Ruth and will say to Christ, "Entre
 me not to leave Thee?" l have been ith Christian in disguise too long. l mu el- bear testimony for Him who died Ite lme. will go with Thee. Where Tn ln- lodgest I will lodge, and where Tn of diest I will die. Buried also with Tn the will be in order that l may be rais