The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-11
SERMON BY Mr.. MORGAN
HIS SUBJECT TAKEN FROM THE
WORDS OF MOSES.
On ssThe Christian's Entreatys the
Pastor Of the Methodist Pro-
testant Church Preached
Strong.


subject of an interesting and logical
| sermon preached by Rev. j. P. Nor
gan o. the Methodist Protestant
Church. L-r. --~.-~as text was as
follows:
we are journeying unto the land
cf which the Lord said will give it
you; come thou with us. and we will
spoken good concerning Israel"
This Is the language of Moses the
servant of God, said Mr.. Morgan, to his
brother-in-law, who had been with Is
rael during the time of their sojourn
at Mt. Sinai. but when they pitch their
tents towards Canaan, he will not go
with them. although earnestly entreat-
ed to do so. although in the plea at
tention is called to the fact that God
had promised them the land, and that
otherwise He had spoken good con-
corning Israel And he tells his broth
er-in-law that whatever goodness Je-
hovah shall show to Israel this same
shall be Hobah's. and besides. he tells
him how he would be helpful to Is
rael.
But he would not go.
We .are journeying. This suggests
that a Christian first of all things
should know, and the Bible shows that
he does know, which way and where
he is going. No tourist, or traveller,
by sea or land, ever so much needed
to be sure OF his course and destination
as he who travels to the land of which
the Lord said will give it thee. Posi-
tive assurance in this matter IL abso-
iutely necessary. Blessed assurancei
Jesus Is mine" must be conscious ex-
perience. vital part OF the Christians
existence. St. Paul says The husband.
man that laboreth must first be par
taker of the fruits" He declares that
he seeks a city whose builder and max
er is God. This is much better than
life assurance. or insurance, howsoever
large the policy or strong the company.
His spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit that we are the children OF
God. and II children, then heirs. Heirs
of what? An inheritance, incorrupti-
BILE, Undecided and that fadeth not away
reserved in heaven for you. l Pet.
and 4.
He that Iacketh these things Is
blind. Pet l and 8. The genuine
Christian is not sign-board standing
still only pointing the way to heaven:
he is traveller with his face like Isaiah
set as flint for heaven. Heaven
means something to him. He's going
there; he wants others to accompany
him. Going somewhere and knowing
whittier, he is capacitated to say
come. There may be camping
grounds. and sometimes the way may
seem hedged in, but all the while
heaven is the Christians objective.
The Lord hath said:
Mosess faith made his heart stead
fast in Jehovahs ability to do what
ever He had promised Abraham's Mt.
Moriah, Jacobs Pennel. Joseph's i'm
prisonment, Israeis long sojourn in
the house of bondage, the awful
plaques in the land of the Pharaoh's,
the opening of the Red Sea. are but
links in the great chain of Gods pur-
pose to fulfill his promise of II will
give 1t thee" Oh. how immutabie are
His promises. Heaven and earth shall
pass away. but my words shall not
pass away. says our blessed Lord. Oh,
how unworthily we treat the Lord our
God. and pour contempt on His word
His rich promises when we say: I'm
afraid I couldn't hold out"
II mean not to be hypocrite. When
ever, (ah, whenever). start to be
Christian. / mean TO be one right"
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday.
today and forever. If He is not able
to take care of your Christian life-aii
that you commit unto Him-today, this
moment. then He never will be.
Come unto US.
without fear or shame. without ex-
cuse or apology. It is the Christians
high privilege and bounden duty to
say to the unsaved, Come"
Whatever Israel might be called to
endure or suffer, does not deter Moses
from making a most earnest plea
Men have compared different orders
and organizations with the church. and
have asserted that they are superior to
the church. 1t Is not so. The church
Is the one organization that God, Him
self, hath organized. and the gates of
nat
is In the midst VI her, and she shall
not be moved.
Oh. where are kings and empires now,
OF old, that went and came?
But Lord. Thy church Is praying yet
A thousapd years the same.
We will do thee good for the Lord
hath spoken good concerning Israel.
The first great benefit to. be urged
and obtained is salvation to the unbe-
lever. With this. of course. comes ev-
cry thing else Seek we first the king
dom of God and His righteousness. and
all these things shall be added unto
you 1t is for His every interest. God
illness Is profitable unto all things hav-
ing promise of the life that now Is
and of that which Is to come. 1t is to
the advantage of a man in this life,
that he be Christian 1t is to his tenn
poral and eternal welfare. to his phys
icai and spiritual interest. Come thou
with US.
Moses in his entreaty to Hobab tells
him that he, Hobab, is to be of advan
tage to the church. So be 1t known
unto you that while first of all the
chiefest concern Is salvation of the
Individual. yet he does not by any
means lose his identity, or individual
ity. hut he. himself. is to he an import
ant factor a potent energy in the
working forces Of the kingdom of God.
Every man according to his several
ability" He that is not for me is
against me. he that gathereth not with
me scattereth. II is no neutral posi-
ton that you occupy, this refusing to
come. You are scattering those who
would 60
There is in the history of the de-
scendants of Hobabs people. that
which should be OF comfort and
Inspiration to the Christian. when he,
after much fervid entreaty. fails to win
one whom he has so earnestly entreat-
erd to be Christian. Hobab land we
have many Hobabs today would not
go with Gods people, but later we find |
his kindred working with Israel |
against the Canaanites
An individual may, late IN life. |
It maybe, ofttimes Is. in his dying hour |
realize that the great mistake he has |
made, when he was young. and in |
health. thus say to those about him, |
don't make the awful mistake that |
did. II must have been something like |
this on Hobab's part. which induced |
his kindred to act differently from the