The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-08-17
A DISCOURSE FOR SUNDAY
An Eloquent Sermon Entitled Reward
Of Righteousness
n You Would Attain Earthly Prosperity
Christ Must Be Your Teacher.

the Rev. DR.. John K. Adams, pastor of
Grace NJ. f. Church, preached his closing
little. more than two. years he has had
marked success. The debt of the church,
$20, 900, was cancelled in January, 1903, the
mortgage burned and the church is now
free from incumbrance. Sunday morning
DR.. Adams preached on "An Advance Or.
dered." The text was from Exodus xiv:
Is: Speak unto the children OF Israel,
that they go forward" DR.. Adams said
When this advance was ordered, the Is.
raelites were encamped on the coast Of
the Red Sea. Before them was the sea
spread out for miles and leagues. and they
had neither bridge nor boat, nor pontoon
by which to cross it. Behind them was
the army OF Pharaoh, with horses and
chariots, with trained warriors and skilled
commanders, intent on their capture or
destruction. On either side, it would sec n,
were formidable obstructions-mountains,
or fortresses, or something that could not
be passed-for the Israeltes saw no way
OF escape and cried out for fear. In this
perilous and apparently hopeless situation
the people reproached Moses for the dread
ful extremity to which they had been re.
duced; whercupon that holy man appealed
tc God for help, and then came, probably
an tones Of thunder that sounded in the
ears OF all the people full and clear above
the roar OF the sea, this strang, order:
Wherefore ericst thou unto Nc? Speak
unto the. children Of Israel that they so
forward"
Leaving now the literal narrative e..
cept as we may have occasion to rccur to
it incidentally, let US attend to the moral
meanings and uses of the text. The cas-
before us is exceptional in nothing but the
physical facts; the moral truths and IN.
DERIVING principles of this case arc always
and everywhere present among the pcop.e
OF Cod. Indeed, the principles here in.
volved are SO general and the analo-cs of
universal history are so wide and complete
that think we are justified in regarding
this text as the law of the universe al.
piled to the church. The physical occasion
OF this text, in all of its essential features.
finds its duplicate in the moral OCCASION
of this service. We are the children OF
Israel ourselves. can prove it by st.
Paul; IL ye be Christ's, then are We
Abrahar1's seed, and hers according to
the promise" The Red Sea is before us.
Not that Red Sea that washes tho sands CT
Arabia and floats the commcrcc of the
East, but the Red Sea of moral hindrcnc,
IA sea that is deeper than the Atlantic
Ocean and wider than the Pacific. Phar.
aon army Is pursuing us. Not the an.
tlquated Egyptian division, now extinct,
but the internal brigade itself, still in the
held and strictly up to date in every par
ticular-and these enemies from the meth.
ermost pit, inspired with inconceivable ha.
tired and, in the words Of Milton, armed
with hell flames and fury" and following
us IN overwhelming numbers and with I'm.
aappeasable fierceness. Such is our situa.
ton this very hour, and as we stand to-day
amid these threatening environments, the
captain OF our salvation calls to us from
heaven, Go forward" and in obedience
our happiness.
Let US approach our subject step by
step. God is the author of the universe
Inc universe existed in the Divine Mind
as an ldeai before it existed in itself as
substance. The ideal was complete and
perfect as well as beautiful and good; but
the first states OF the actual ..-iverse did
not realize that perfect ideal of the Di.
VINE Mind. What then? Did God fail?
I1d His active energy prove Cneuual to
Tls beneheent intentions? BY no means
God gave the universe this imperfect form
az al nrst, not % because He could not do other
wise and had to abandon His ideal but be-
cause He saw it better to realize His ideal
gradually through the law of progress than
TO realize 1t suddenly by an act of crea.
elye powe;. Deliberately ard of His own
Vohtion God made tine universe crude
and then, intr-sting His sublime work to
the law OF progress operated by respon.
sible iltelligcnces, He directed that in due
time all should be reduced to order, har.
mony and beauty. This is he story of the
universe in its entirety and in its parts.
productions. This is the story of minerals,
vegetables and animals; of general species
ana individuals; of angels, women and
men Ibis is the story of matter in all its
combinations, of life in all its forms, and
Si mind IN all its phenomena. This. in
prief, SO lar as we have yet learned, is the
etory OF all creation, and of all propaga-
ton. pOp"eN
Let me Illustrate what i mean by the
OAK. Gods ideal for the oak is a majestic
tree, six feet in diameter and ten feet in
aeight, with mighty roots taking deep
aold OF the rocks and mighty branches
sweeping the clouds-a very giant that can
wrestle with the storms and play with the
nghtnings. But in its beginning, as it
sprouts from the acorn, the oak is a tiny
saoot which the foot of little child could
enectua!ly crush. God makes it thus and
says 70 IT, Go forward" and then the lit.
mand, through cloud and sunshine and
changing season, soon goes on and out and
up, Until at last, by means of the law Of
progress IN the form of growth, it has
Iuiniied the word of God, and stands be.
tore the eyes of men in all the imposing
krahdeur OF Its towering and solid matur-
ny.
iske the eagle as another illustration.
ro9 ldeal Tor the eagle is an imperial
olro Oh great size and strength, with
mazing keenness of vision and with pin.
moJestlc Hl8nI, tne mountain craR
"seas1ie, and ITS pleasure ground the sky.
o9cn Is the Divine ideal for this noble
m. mpllu. nut the young eaglet emerges from
sne smell a feeble little creature, and il
you gould see 1T during the first week or
smo OF its existence, and could stroke with
fo9r hand its soft .yellowish down and
ook INTO ITS pale blush eyes, its feeble
uess would probably excite your pity. But
the little thing feeds and exercises, it
grows and strengthens, until at last, un.
yer the operation of this law of progress,
can soar from the nest, launch into the
ar, gaze directly into the MONDAY sun,
Deat down the storm clouds under its
seven loot spread of wings, and sail from
c9ntinent TO continent, through the oceans
Of azure above. over the oceans that roll
Bu. in this discussion we must rise out
3i NE into mind, and then still ascend
rom } tne intellectual to the spiritual. We
wui, therefore, consider man as an illus
tration OF the truth we are pursuing.
H9gs ideal for man is most exalted and
sublime being, with mental and moral en-
aowments OF tremendous scope, SO i'm.
neaSuraoly superior in parts and powers
70 an else we know, that it seems the whole
creation must culminate in him. God de.
signed man In His own image, intended
MN Ior communion and companionship
with himself, determined to make him His
vlce5egent here on the earth, and pro-
posed At last to share the government of
the universe with Him forever. The
tnought OF such dignity is an astonishing
ana overwhelming conception, but nothing
sss tnan thus Is Gods ideal for man, II