The Brandon news., 1903-07-30

could have overcome all oppression anG
have reached the land of light and peace.
1hee, rejection of Christ, the rod of Jesse
also Illustrates the significance of the first
truth: Christ was cast down, thrown aside
by Israel. The results of that rejection are
known to the world. The spiritual life was
atrophled, but something more than that
resulted In the path of that people stood
Christ IN divine opposition to the fulfill
ment OF their selfish hopes. He, the helr
Of GOD, became to them, or, rather, tc
SO remain until they reach forth theil
hands and accept Him.
The third thought we would emphasize
as the teaching of the miracle of the rod
Il that no man can be equipped to do great
things for God who is filled with feal
and trembling. Moses was afraid TO do the
bidding of God-afraid Of the reception the
the consequences to himself. I The trans
formed rod revealed the secret of his hesi
fancy; ne fled from before it; fear was
within his heart. God gave him mastery
over, that weakness. He reached forth his
hand and grasped the menacing serpent
and 1T became rod again. Moses was
taught, and,. as his. after life revealed
and his truth. IF God be for us who can
be against us?'
The. relation of fear to all life and truth
is an interesting study, one on which more
light is now shed than at any other time
in the worlds history. Fear is altogether
detrimental to the health and growth OF
the physical body. Professor Sully tells
us OF children dwarfed and ruined in body
and mind through the shock and power
of simple fear. Psychologists tell us, and
we know from experience that fear hinders
digestion, that it brings mental collapse
The changing of the color of the hair in
one night through the paralysis of fear is
well established fact. That which can so
radically change the color Of pigment must
and direct parts of the body. Fear de.
stroys mental and spiritual development
Every book on pedagogy and the spiritual
training of children now recognizes and
emphasizes this truth. Dickens powerfully
illustrated this truth to all England in his
Nicholas Nickleby." Fear has worked
havoc in the religious life; it has distorted
the, vision of God and frozen the genial
and natural expressions of worship. It has
triumphant march. It has transformed
many of the messengers of God into poor
whining and ineffective apologists It is
this fear in religion and for religion that
our God would have us overcome even as
he had Moses overcome. A right concep-
ton OF God is assurance that He must
triumph in the work of His hands, that
truth prevail everywhere. God would have
His children confident in the presence of
difficulties, assured in the presence of
nerils, calm in the mighty storms of preiu-
dice and doubt, certain in the midst of I'M
certainties. He would have us obey Him
as implicitly and lovingly as the gentle
child obeys the loving parent. In all this
Ia ynyIId hnx-a
direct in the meeting of it and sure in the
mastery of it.
To-day the church, as whole, is more
possessed of fear than we like to acknowl-
edge. A dominant mate-ialism and world
illness freeze the faith and hope of great
number-evangelical zeal and enthusiasm
are at a low ebb in these trembling chill
ship, with all the presupnositions of the
higher criticism, stands before the church.
It must be met. Some fear that dire and
dreadful results to the cause of God must
ensue. The scien ifc spirit stalks abroad
in the land and has seized the people with
a mighty grip. Many a child Of God,
knowing that his most precious possessions
come through or. be esta blished by such
spirit, but that they are the gifts of faith
is fleeing with fear from before the imag-
ined terror. 10 all such fearful believers
God says-even as to Moses in the miracle
of the rod-'meet the difficulties, seize
them in their vitals and fear not"
There can be but one result to the child
Of God, The Apostle Paul knew this when
he wrote: "All. things work together for
good to them that love God" There can
be but one result to the Kingdom of God
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom"
All things shall be put under His feet.
In the preparation of His church our
Saviour gave great attention to the eradica-
tion of the elements of religious fear. His
addresses to the seventy and the twelve
were supreme emphasis upon confidence
in God and fearlessness toward man and all
things that were or might appear in OPP
position to the work Divine. "Benold !
give unto you power to tread on serpents
and scorpions and over all the power of
the enemy, and nothing shall by any means
hurt you."
In His relation to them on sea and land,
alone or with the multitudes, before and
after death, there constantly appears di-
rectly or by inference the injunction: "Be
not afraid" The Master would have His
children joyfully expectant of His presence
in every place and under all conditions
and to realize that that Presence was the
ultimate solution of every problem, the
resolution. of every difficulty and the full
fillment of every promise; that the fearless
challenge of the church should ever be:
If God be for us, who can be against
u.s."