The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-18

union. With man shut out of the
paradise which God had planted
and given to man, how could
God be content or satisfied until the
way back to paradise was opened?
With Israel in Egypt in bondage, God
could not be quiescent and forgetful.
He says: Il have surely seen the al
Fiction of my people which are in
Egypt, and | have heard their cry by
reason of their taskmasters; for |
know their sorrows; and | am come
down to deliver them out of the hand
OF the Egyptians, and to bring them up
out of that land unto a good land and
a large, unto a and flowing with milk
and honey" And neither can God be
Indifferent to or neglectful of mar
while he is in the Egypt of the worlds
bondage. The fathers house had an
empty room, and a vacant chair at the
table; and his heart had it's unsatis-
fed longing, while the prodigal was
away in the far country. He watched
and he waited until at last the wander
ing, hayward boy came back. The
5OIIOA !jlS ldJu6I COulu huON uO pSdCC
or rest until the wanderer had re-
turned, until the lost had been found,
until he who had been as good as dead
had sought the safety and protection
of the fathers house, and had come
to life again. And sc is it in infinite
ly greater degree with the Heavenly
Father. He yearns for the return Of
His sinful, hayward children. If we
may so reverently speak of God, He is
unhappy, and unsatisfed while the
world continues to wander far from
Him. Jesus cry of anguish: 20
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How
often would | have gathered thy chill
dren together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and We
would not" is but the cry of God to a
lost world, is but the cry of the loving,
merciful Creator to the poor, deluded,
hayward creature. Gods supreme pur-
pose for nan is that he should become
reconciled to God.
RUT Notwithstanding the fact that
u this is true, that Gods plan of re-
demption and reconciliation takes in
the whole world. Notwithstanding the
fact that God would have all men
to be saved, and come to the knowledge
of the truth" and has mo pleasure in
the death of the wicked" Notwith-
standing that it is true that God is
"~Iongsuffering to you-ward Chat is, to
the lost and guilty sinner, not wish
ing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance" Notwith-
standing that this is all true, that God
is SLOW to anger and abundant in low
ing Kindness" nevertheless HE will
not always chide, neither will He keep
His anger forever" The time will
come when Gods patience will have
been exhausted, and His offer of mercy
withdrawn. This is strikingly illus
trated in the history of the children of
Israel, during the decline which fol-
lowed Solomon's splendid and gor-
geous reign. Through hundreds of
years God followed the hayward ma
ton with warnings, and pleadings, and
punlshments, but all to no avail. Gods
messengers were rejected, despised,
abused, and even killed.
OUR text gives to us Gods messaget to
Nils people. 1t was to be "precept
upon precept, precept upon precept:
line upon line, line upon line: here a
little, there a little" forcibly remind
ing US that Gods message is ever a
simple message a pertinent message. a
persistent message, and an unchanging
message. And the latter clause of our
text is suggestive of the effect of Gods
message. First of all, then. LET ,s
consider the simplicity of Gods mes
sage. 1t is "precept upon precept. pre-
cept upon precept; line upon lire. line
uron line; here a little, there a little"
When God is dealing with the soo1s
of men He does not indulge in plati-
tudes, and high-sounding phrases: He
does not use the terms and p~hraseoloev
of the wise and learned. Nay, rather.
in the quickest and most direct way
possible He seeks to administer to the
real needs of the soul. And for this
reason Ills message is one of sim
plicity. Simple because of it's universal
mission. Gods message is to all the
world. To the most enlightened and tn
the most benighted; to the cultured
and refined and to the most vile and
degraded; to the man of gray hairs
and tottering steps and to the little
child with all Of life before it. In it's
simplicity, Gods message is most strik-
ingly differentiated from the message
of every other religion in the world.
1t is its n most marked characters
tic which stamps it as the message of
God and proves its authenticity.
ISAIAH in another part of his book de-
| clares that Gods message is so simple
that "the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall
not err therein" Even fools, those
mentally deficient, may be able to receive
and understand Gods simple message.
And how often this has proven true. You
may go to whatever nation you choose,
to whatever quarter of the globe you
wish, and you will find beautiful and
striking examples of the truth that Cod
message is so simple that it car reach to
the lowest depths, as well as to those in
the most exalted places of learning and
authority. 1t was ever so when Jesus
was on earth, for the learned and cul-
tnred Nicodenss, member of the San