The Tupelo journal., 1902-09-05
GODS WARNING CALL.
One Of the Prophets Of Old Voices
a Message for Today.
Sermon by the "Highway and Byways
Preacher Emphasizing the Ger
tainty of Meeting God, and
the Need of Preparation.


Amos ALP.
A Message for To-Day.-These
words are addressed to Israel by the
prophet Amos, after the nation has
persistently refused to hear and
heed the message which God has
sent unto them. The days of grace
are past and judgment has fallen.
No longer does God stand pleading
that Israel will repent and turn from
it's sin, but the thunder-tones of His
wrath send forth the message:
prepare to meet thy God" In these
five short, simple words flashes the
keen, two-edged sword of Gods
Spirit, and, falling, pierces even to
the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit" God has patiently borne
with His people. He has sought by
every circumstance of life to arouse
them to a sense of their obligation
to Him. He sent scarcity of food
and famine, yet have we not re-
turned unto Me-" saith the Lord. lie
sent drought, and then let rain fall
on one city and not on another,
upon one piece of ground, and not
upon another section lying adjacent
thereto, so that two or three cities
were compelled to 60 INTO n city
to drink water, "yet have we not re-
turned unto Me-" saith the Lord.
He sent the mildew and the blasting
upon the growing grain; Inc the
devouring worms ruined the gar
dens and vineyards and fig and olive
trees, yet have we not returned
unto Me-" saith the Lord. The
pestilence of disease had swept over
their land, and in conflict with the
nations about the young men a
been slain with the sword, and the
scandals and evils growing up out
of the military camps had shocked
the whole nation. yet have ye not
returned unto Me-" saith the Lord.
The iniquity of some in the nation
was so great that God had to de-
stroy them as He overthrow Sodom
and Gomorrah, and those who es-
capped the fire of Gods wrath were
as brands plucked out of the burn
ing, yet have We not returned unto
Me-" saith the Lord.
"Therefore (because all this is
true) thus will / do unto thee, U
Israel: and because l will do this
unto thee, prepare to meet thy God,
o, Israel"
"For, 10, He. that formeth the noun
tains, and createth the wind, and de-
clareth unto man what is His
thought. that maketh the morning
darkness, and treadeth upon h
high places of the earth, the Lord,
the God of Hosts. is His name"
This is the message which God
sent to His self-willed and self-seek-
ing children by the hand of His
prophet Amos. We read it. We
readily see the iniquity and sins OF
the children of Israel. We marvel at
their Indifference to the solemn
warning and pleading of God. We
see them rejecting the message of
Gods prophets and doubling the
truth of their words. While the ter
rible judgments of Gods wrath are
hanging over them they refuse to be-
lieve anything but that they will con-
tinue to eat, drink and be merry and
yield to every desire in the days to
come, as they have in the past. We
see the certain judgments of God fall
upon them after they have persist
emily and willfully refused to hear
Gods last call. We see the awful
scourge of war sweep owe the land,
we see the wives and children, the
young men and maidens wearing the
yoke of their conquerors and going
into captivity, all coming to pass just
as God said it would. We see all this.
We know that when God speaks it
shall surely come to pass, notwith-
standing the ease and luxury of III
homes, and the influence of our friends,
and the prominence of u position in
society, and our business and profess
sional success, and the size of our bank
account; notwithstanding u vigor
of health, and our ~fullness of Joy as
we delight ourselves in the attractions
and luxuries of the world. We know
that nothing we have or are, that
nothing which our friends have or are,
that not even the loved ones in Heaven
who are awaiting our coming can
change one jot or little of Gods word
and prevent His judgment falling upon
us if we refuse to hear and heed. And
knowing this, let us stop in the mad
rush of life and reason together out
of Gods Word, SO that we shall not be
caught as a thief in the night when our
Lord comes and exacts a final account
ing with us.
Face to Face with Eternity.-Do you
realize that you are face to face with
eternity, that but a breath is between
you and death? Not a day goes by but
some experience in our own lives, some
item of news, brings this fact to our
attention, and God would drive it
home to u hearts if we would only
let Him. There is no period in the life
upon earth when the soul can a that
it is not face to face with eternity.
AS well might the tiny molecule,
which has to be searched out with the
microscope to be seen, boast itself of
it's size while the great earth supports
it's teeming millions of people and the
stars and planets of the universe roll
IN space, as for you, oh, man, to boast
yourself of life and what it holds for
you, for what is it in comparison to
eternity? In France two or three
weeks ago there went speeding over
the highway the $4,000 auto of the
rich American and his fair wife. How
much life had for them. Rich and in