Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-07-25
TRAINING OF A WORKER
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon BY Rev.
DIR. O. r. BartliolOw.
Shows the Evil Results That Follow the Afro.
ply Which Has Settled Over The Spir.
ituai Thinking OF Oar Time.

pastor OF James NJ. +. Church. preached
sunday morning on Gods Training of
Worker" His text Was taken from Exc
1u> ~: l. >. , and !: And Moses an.
swcgcd and SAID. But, behold, they would
not believe Inc: nor hcarkcn unto my
so:ce: Tor they will say, The Lord hatn
aot appeared unto thee. And the Lord
said unto him, " hat j. that III thine hand
And hc said. \ rod. And the Lord said.
last 1t on the ground. And he cast il
III the ground and il became 4 serpent; and
Moses fed from heiorcit. And The Lord said
unto Moses. Put forth thine hand and take
II ly the tail. And he put forth his hand
ard caught it and ii became rod IN his
1anG.' br. Barthoow sad:
Our text prc~pats Moses in what many
have considered dn uniavoraolc light.
SANDING, in the presence OF the great God,
The recipient Of a "r!ous revocation ard
divine command N.th promise. lie appears
hcsitating. uncertain and weak. y study
OF the OCCASION and ground OF Moses re.
luciance Gi>>ipateS the uniavorab.c lgh.
and presents Ia Us . study III human life
under divine direction altogether true and
common The cal, oi God to Moses was
certain. Gear aud we'll attcsted. II came
10 man refined aud >chooied Icy abundant
experiences. 10 onc VINO WAS more than
familiar with human nature in lis relation
10 spiritual truth
The shepherd OF Midian knew how lull.
aDathetic and incredu otls toward Jehovah
aud His truth the children OF israel had
become iii their base scvvtude to the
favu.!an Pharaoh ForeSeeing the cruel
skelticism and the all but universal eth.
lrsy oi his peop.c. Moses was 10: the mo.
ment bind 10 God : knowledge and power
nder the spell OF fear he uttered the
words. But. behold. they will not believe
me. nor hcarken unto my voice; for they
viii say, the Lord hath not appeared unto
thee"
To Christian faith this may appear weak,
but it certainly Is 10. unnatural. History
affords us abundant Illustrations OF re-
formers. heroes and preachers hesitatine
and trembling. not because they doubted
God. but because they feared the reception
Gods truth would receive at the hands OF
His reputed friends. jerome, Huss, Luth.
er, Wesley, Savonarola etc, had but little
to fear from the world. but much to fear
from the church. and at times they trem-
hied and were hesitant at the commands
OF God (lt takes grace to be wounded in
the house OF your iriends).
Gods response TO this tendency or i'm
pu.se OF Moses nature Is full OF interest
and suggestion. 1t is divine encourage
mcnt TO Christian daring and zeal. And
Tie Lord said unto him. What is that in
said. Cast it on the ground. And he cast
il on the ground. and it became serpent,
and Moses fed from before it. And the
Lord said unto Moses. Put forth thine
hand and take it by the tail. And he put
fo"th his hand and caught il and it be-
came a rod in his hand" Now, it is OF no
concern to us how this miracle was
wrought, or whether magicians could sim
u!ate it or not. What we do desire to
know Is, " hat answer or revelation TO the
great hcsitancy of Moses did Jehovah
s.yc in this peculiar work OF power:
10 orr mind three truths constitute tina!
answcr-the first oi which is this: All the
hc.ps, gifts aad attainmeats OF the soul
disregarded AID neglected. tend to become
hostile. Moses WAS Il gifted man. an ex
perienced man. The shepherds staff SYM
bo.ized him perfectly. rs il was an instru
ment OF defense and rescue. so might
Moses. b. what lie had done and what he
could 10. he ain instrument III the hand OF
God to defend and rescue his people. God
elected him 10 4 mighty and glorious serv
ice. He gave him comp etc and adequate
preparation. a clear mind. an indomitab.e
viii. spiritual and lofty nature.
Would Moses accent the election? The
significance o. 4 possible refusal was seen
in the meaning miracle. 1ne discarded
staff became serpent. Ii is the common
teaching OF the day that powers and gifts
unused become atrophied. that men may
die 10 spiritual things through simple neg
lcct. This Is correct teaching so Jar as II
goes. hut it does no: compass the whole OF
The matter. Spiritual calls. gifts and pow
ers cannot wholly die. They may be dis
claimed or cast aside. as was Moses rod.
but they return with inherent life to sting
and bite. As an example. the direction
and commands OF conscience NAV be cast
aside. the impulses OF .ove and faith may
be ignored. the direct calls OF the Hoy
Spirit be unheeded and vet the soul have
more conscious relation with these spiritual
entities than ever before.
john Newton. the hymn writer, tells us
that there was time lii his life when he
deliberately insiIited and drove from his
mind every holy thing OF which he had
knowledge, yet at times the moral judg.
meat an;! the hearts love for eternal
things woald 80 torment him that life was
full OF misery. Those Clements in his life
designed for peace and JOY hsS NE the
sources OF unrest and unhappiness. Re
morse is no more than the return Of these
spiritual powers CRYING night and day. ir
silence and IN great connections, Alas
alas. 1t might have been
The doctrine OF annihiation and atrophy
has so settled over the spiritual thinking
q our time that the consequence OF disc.
Incidence TO the equipments aud purposes
Of lie and TO the voice Of God are in Ger.
tain quarters reduced to mere nothings. Ii
is high time that the ruth illustrated &c
Moses become orr truth. that we realize
tina; there is no such thing rs spiritual an.
nihla'ion. even 10 the gifts and powers Of
God. but that there : transierence. trans.
formatloa-the going tin a spiritual sense)
from Mount Gcr.zion tb.essingl TO Noun.
Ebal tcursng).
Dsohedencc 10 God and His law is not
! mere aegat!on and the withdrawal OF Ger.
tam g,4ts. but 1t Is IN certain and awful
sense an affirmation and a poSsession-,he
SERPENT a menace rather than the support
OF lie. God : rain upon the thirsty earth
Is in itself good-that il be 50 for man de
ponds altogether how and Tor what pur.
poses he uses Il. He may use il for the
growing ri food products or for the produc.
ton Of weeds. That the ram was made
Tor mans blessing Is evident. That mar
may disregard and 80 convert the gilt into
a zoe Is also evident What the rain is Il
the earth so are The gifts. helps and call.
Of God 10 man. For these things God shall
/ b-ing u unto judgment. the Judgment be
girs WIKI the obedience or disobed:ynce.
In or beloved Methodist church we
have hos. OF God p,aee:s at work. Poo
PIE WHO co not expect 10 meet God in new
forms or expressions. who. like Moses be
fore his cnli -htenment. know or act as
though they knew Just how He woulG
manifest Himself. That Christian JOY
and expectancy die in Such lives is natural;
the -.ory. OF God Is to conceal thing. but
these people will not have ii so. They arg
perfectly sure God is in some particular
iocm OF c,ass meeting, reviva! service c,
Christian experience.
Another people OF God though. this
thought so intensely and he'd it 80 tena-
ciouS,y that they missed the glory OF the
Messiah when He came II walk the fields
and streets OF earth. lie had mo form or
come.ire>s that they desired or expected.
He came TO His own and they received
I'll 4