The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-14


witness an biz property his political POI
Eiton. his influence over men, over hia own
family and even with God Abraham was
very different God choose for him. Gene.
sis 49, 1915, "And the Lord said unto Abra.
ham, after that Lot was separated from
him, Lift up thine eyes and look from the
place whore thou are northward. and
southwark, and eastward and westward
For an the land which thou secst, TO thee
viii ] give 10 and 10 thy seed forever"
How ike this is 90 our own inheritance
Ephesans 81 1919, "That Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; that ye being
rooted and grounded in love may be able
60 comprehend with AN saints what b. the
breadth, and length, and depth. and
height. and to know the love of Christ.
which plsseth knowledge that ye might
be filed with All the fulness of God" The
story Is told OF a man who was confined IN
a prison cell Being an artist his paints
and brushes were given him, and on the
wall of the cell he painted the picture OF
the cross with Christ on It,. Over the cross
he painted the word love, at the top and
the bottom of the cross the words height
and depth, at the cross beams the words
length and breadth and indeed, it is true
that no one ever quite appreciates what the
love of God is to him until he has this pic
ture of the cross clearly in mind.
Have YOU ever noticed the differences in
che ending Of the lives Of Abraham and
Lot! Lots story is written in Genesis 10.
IL is an awful picture. His wife is taken
from him. his daughters are disgraced and
he is in despair, while with Abraham the
picture is exactly the opposite. and to my
mind is most beautiful Genesis %: 7-8,
And these are the days of the years OF
Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred
| .three-score and fifteen years. Then Abra-
/ ham gave up the ghost and died in q good
( old age. an old man. and full Of years, and
/ was gathered to his people"
Second. Moses was an Illustration of
| the text. In Hebrews IL 81. He endured
/ as seeing Him who is invisible That eX-
! plains the mystery of the burning bush
/ and this vision Of Christ explains how it
was that when your hope seemed to be
! consumed and the dearest plan of your
! life was burned as in the fire you rejoiced
/ David has learned the secret of happy liv-
/ ing when he says in the text, II have set
/ the Lord always before me; because He is
at my RIGHT hand. | shall not be moved"
This vision enabled Moses to surmount
| every difficulty. What did he care that
the mountains were on every side, certain
of the Egyptians behind him and the Red
Sea before him. He marched like a con-
| QuerOr until the water parted in advance
of him and dry shod he went over to the
other side But such pictures as these
| have been realized in our day when men
have passed through Red Seas of difficulty
where other men of the world have gone
down in defeat and all because thev en-
dured as seeing Him who is invisible"
Third, our Saviour is an illustration. He
always set God before Him. As He came
into the world He said, 10, l come to do
Thy WILL" as He sat on the well curb OF
Jacobs well My meat is to do the will
of Him that sent Me-" as He bowed
in Gethsemane, "Not My will. but Thine
be done" At the beginning of His minis.
try. in the midst Of it and near to its close
He gave forth the same music. What a
life it was.
"Ihe strong mans strength to toll fol-
Christ,
The fervent preachers skill.
l sometimes wish, but better far,
To be just what God Wills.
No service in itself is small.
None great though earth it fill.
But that is small that seeks it's own
That great which seeks Gods will"
Fourth. Paul was certainly an illustra
ton of the spirit of our text. He caught
that vision in the sky as he made his way
to Damascus and he never forgot it. HI
said truthfully. 81 was not disobedient un
to the heavenly vision" This made hin
insensible to him surroundings. There il
really nothing more pathetic than his re
enumeration of his trials. ii Cor. Il: 2427
"Of the Jews five times received l forty
stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with
rods, once was ] stoned thrice / suffered
shipwreck, a night and day have beer
in the deep; in journeyings often, IN perill
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils o
mine own countrymen, in perils by TIT
heather. in perils in the city, in perils II
the wilderness, IN perils in the sea, il
perils among false brethren in WEAKNESS
and painfulness, in watchings often, il
hunger and thirst, in Hastings often, Il
cold and nakedness." And yet here h
says, II have learned with whatsoeve
state I am, Herewith to be content. i'll
was with Paul to the very end. IL Timoth,
A; rs, 81 have fought good fight | hav
finished my couHse, | have kept the faith
henceforth there is laid up for me a crow
IF Righteousness, which the Lord, tn
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day
and not to me only, but unto all then
also that love His appearing"
That was the secret of his victoriou
life, and that the secret of his triumphan
death
If He is before me no path is too har
for me to travel since He walks in ever
way in which He would have me go; no
shall I ever walk in darkness, for "He
the light of the world and in Him is n
| darkness at all, " nor shall l ever be moved
Have you never noticed the difference
between the second and sixth verses in tn
! Sixty-second Psalm. The second vers
} reads, "He only is my rock and my salvt
T ton; He is my defense; l shall not b
r greatly moved" And the sixth is the sam
5 with the exception of one word. 'He onl
5 is my rock and salvation He is my d.
tense; shall not be moved" That word
8 greatly" There is deep meaning in til
! omission of greatly" Confidence hG
grown evidently. In the first, hope wa
{ that the waiting heart should not be niue
+ shaken that the tottering fence shout
t not be quite thrown down; the second