Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-09-08
A LAW OF PROGRESS
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Christian Religion Teaches Us to
Advance Along all Lines of Effort
Continually.

Continually.
BROOKLYN, N. Y.-Having been ap-
pointed Presiding Elder of the New York
District of the New York East Conference,
the Rev. DR.. John E. Adams, pastor of
Grace M. E. Church, preached his closing
sermons Sunday. During his pastorate of
a little more than NJ two years ne has had
$4,000, was Cancelled in January, 1903, the
| mortgage burned and the church is now
free from incumbrance. Sunday morning
DIR. 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
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
ehariots, with trained warriors and skilled
destruction. On either side, it would seem,
were formidable obstructions-mountains,
or fortresses, or something that could not
be passed-for the Israelites saw no way
of escape and cried out for fear. In this
perilous n apparently hopeless situation
the people approached Moses for the dread
full extremity to which they had been re.
duced; whereupon that holy man appealed
to God for help, and then came, probably
in tones of thunder that sounded in the
ears of all the people full and clear above
the roar of the sea, this strange order:
Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak
unto the children of Israel that they go
forward"
Leaving now the literal narrative, ex-
cept as we may have occasion to recur to
it incidentally, let us attend to the moral
meanings and uses of the text. The case
before US is exceptional in nothing but thu
physical facts; the moral truths and un
and everywhere present among the people
Of God. Indeed, the principles here in
volved are so general and the analogies O
universal history are so wide and complete
r that l think we are justified in regarding
this text as the law of the universe ap
Of this text, in all of it's essential features
finds it's duplicate in the moral occasion
! Of this service. We are the children o
! Israel ourselves. I can prove it by 81
! Paul: IF ye be Christ's, then are y
Abraham's seed. and heirs according I
Not that Red Sea that washes the sands {
Arabia and floats the commerce of tn
East, but the Red Sea of moral hindranc
"a sea that is deeper than the Atlanti
Ocean and wider than the Pacific. Pha,
aoh>s army is pursuing us. Not the a,
I tI40dtOA AAy ptAdn uXF1SAOA, III" SAClI
but the Internal brigade itself, still in tn
field and strictly up to date in every pa
ticular-and these enemies from the nett
ermost pit, inspired with inconceivable b
tired and, in the words of Milton, "arme
i: with hell flames and fury" and followir
appeasable ferceness. Such is our stu
ton this very hour, and as we stand to-de
amid these threatening environments. Il
IN. captain Of our salvation calls to us fro
. heaven, Go forward" and in obedien
\ to thus order lies our duty, our safety al
1T our happiness.
Let Us approach our subject step
100 step. God is the author Of the univers
'ed: The universe existed in the Divine Nil
as an ideal before it existed in itself
~'' q substance. The ideal was complete a.
perfect as well as beautiful and good; b
80 not realize that perfect ideal of the
ss vine Mind. What then? Did God ia
~ Do Ills active energy prove UNEQUAL
Ie1' bus beneficent intentions? By no mea,
o 20 God gave the universe this imperfect 70,
:ure at hrst, not because He could not do 9th
s' cause He saw it better to realize His i'd
Dc gradually through the law of progress tn
to realize it suddenly by IN act of or
tive power. Deliberately ard of His O
vol1tlon God made the universe a crr
- and then, intrlsting His sublime work
the law Of progress operated by resp
~ sible intelligencas, He directed that in (
" time all should be reduced to order. b
mony and beauty. This is he story Of
universe in it's entirety and in it's pa,
This Is the story of the worlds and of I'll
productions. This is the story Of miner
vegetables and animals; of general spet
and Individuals; of angels, women
men; This is the story Of matter in all
combinations OF life in all its forms, ,
OF mine in all its phenomena. This
!, brief, SO far as we have yet learned. is
story of all creation, and Of all prop;
* ton. p0s<
49, Let me illustrate what I mean bv
y D to OAK: Gods ideal for the oak is a MAZE
" and tree, SIX feet in diameter and ten feet
OBJ height, with mighty roots taking i
LUIS hold OF the rocks and mighty brane
will sweeping the clouds-a very giant that
'y q Wrsstls with the storms and play with
ngnsnlngs. But in its beginning, as