The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-02-19
IA SERMON FOR SUNDAY
BEAUTIFUL DISCOURSE BY THE REV.
&c. .. CASE. PH. @.
sphjert; The Jfnit Of Endeavor'-How
Much D~re-You Attempt for God -
He Give- eraee both For Living and
Dying-Actiyitis. For True Christians.


ph. u, formerly OF the First Baptist
Church. Montelsir, y. j., preached on sun
day hls nrst sermon az pastor OF the Han
son Place BSpus: Church. His subject was
The IAmit Of Endeayor.' DIR. Case sa!d.
In the fourth century OF the Christian
era the Goths, numbering nearly ore mail
ION people. men. women and children. came
down 70 the Danube, al that time swollen
10y many rains, 10 escape 10 the other SIDE.
A large feet OF boats and canoes had been
prov ded, and Tor several days and nights
work went on incessantly. Yet notwlth-
standing the most earnest care scores were
swept away N the food
Centuries before this remarkable occur
renee another vast horde OF men. women
and children came down 10 another swollen
stream. By count there We're over Goo ,oCo
warriors over twenty years OF age, and the
entire host numbered about 100000. The
valley into which they descended was of
peculiar formation The outer valley was
Elk miles and over IN width, but there was
an inner valley OF raVlne a half mile and
over IN width, and still within this was the
river itself varying from twenty tO sixty
yards IN width. But this river, too. had
been swollen 10y many rains and the melt
ing SHOWS farther up It's course, and now
had oyerrun its usual banks and was rush
ing along with rapidlty.
Strangely enough no boats had been pre-
pared for the crossing OF this host, and yet,
az events proved not one of the most was
lost IN the crossing. Evidently there was
some vast distinction To be made between
these two great hosts OF antiquity. What
was that Distinction May II not be tins,
the words that Isaiah uses IN the forty
third chapter and second verse, which may
be considered the text OF this sermon:
When thou passeth through the waters
] will b. with thee and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee
On the part OF the lsraehtes IN then
crossing of the Jordan some special prepar-
atIon was needed, but not IN the procuring
OF boat,. The commander of the army had
sent messengers throughout the host, and
commanded all TO sauctIiy themselves,
which meant the washing ot garments and
the abstaIuing from all that might distract
the mind Similarly Moses had once com
manded the people TO sanctiiy themselves
to-day and tomorrow. and TO wash their
garments and be ready against the third
day toT the third day Jehovah Himself
would come down in the sight OF all the
people on Mount Sinai.
IL wac critical moment for the hosts OF
Israel To fail now meant to iail forever.
J To succeed now meant promise for the
future. Hereby We shall know sand
Joshua. that the living God u among you
and that He Will without fail drive out
from before you the inhabitants of the
land. What a nation or a man achieves
through God-given strength to-day - an
assurance for victory Tor tomorrow. Sue
cess Is a handmaid OF assurance. "Ge have
not passed tins way before" SAID Joshua;
new leaf IN national history had been
turned a new territory invaded.
A new eudeaNor with the Israeitish
army as with Us to-day needed special
guidance. The sacred ark was 10 precede
the people, but far enough IN advance 10
be seen 10y all that ''ye may know" said
the leader, the way by which We must go"
Reverence IL needed for divine things. but
divine guidance more. The pillar of fire
and the cloud II now superseded by the
afk. and II IN turn superseded by the
CHRIST. who sand to all disciples, Follow
Me. Ia each case the command is not to
make the Guide follow you, but you the
Guide.
Five miles over the river is a walled city.
Thousands are watching from the walls the
ioolhardy attempt oil the dlsordered hosts.
One person, however, alone upon the wall,
unnotIced by the many, Is looking down
with expectancy. That one is Rahab. She
watches eagerly a. the priests bearing the
ark by the poles step with measured tread
down 20 the river, wonders "a nothing hap.
pens. starts as the priests seen actually at
the very edge, but at last her hopes are
realized. as the rushing current - stayed
by some unseen force and rolls up ia -
mighty wall, while below the waters hurry
away until the last stTeamlets tTlckle down
over the stones and leave land Tor the pas.
sage of the army.
What. after all, Is the limit of endeavorH
Evidently not reason alone If at all. That
lsraehte who stays behind and watches
the foolish performance from the hill side
PAGES back and fOrth In his disgust. Such
d foolish waste of life! SuCE spectacular
display. VIII Joshua never be done with
such undertakings, ANY one nigh. know
that that motley herd could not be gotten
safely across that boiling stream No
boats no possibility OF wading. or even
swImmng-It simply can't be done But
watch IL j. done. | heard a teacher In a
certain normal school read IN class for the
correction OF professor and student what
shc would say 10 a class OF boys and gris
about the crossing of the Red Sea by the
lsraehtes \ strong east wind, she said,
blew ttc water down the sea until the
lsraclI.es could wade across, and then
when me Egyptians came up the wind had
changed and drowned all of the Egyptians
IA the passage. And what do you sup
pose, said the would-be teacher. ''the peo-
pie thought that God made the waters 10
90 back That's science tor YOU: But, by
the way, such science IS a little ont OF
date Even Huxley declared that Hume's
argument against miracles was unsclentihc
since be maintained a premise that
nothing miraculous or supernatural could
occur As far a. science ~ concerned it ~
not necessary for Us TO determine whether
a thing u miraculous or not, the question
-. did the event occur, and II so, can We
ind cause
Nor - the extent OF ones own power an
adequate limit 10 ones endeavOT. Give
We them 10 eat said Christ. Impossible.
There are 5000 men beside women and
children. 1t would take an average mans
iIfe : savings 10 feed them. We have. IN
fact enough 10 give a few men a little 20
sustain them, a paltry tye loaves aud two
fishes but what are they among 90 many
AbiIty says. We cannot feed them. Christ
says. Arrange them IN groups; make ready.
What. then, are the limits of endeavort
One limit - certainly Gods command.
The Lord commands and the host proceeds
and the deed - done Tne Bible teens
with commands. Are they becoming use.
lcss' Has the Bible vet become an obso-
lete text book Does IL need revision
Some commands appear out-dated. some
foolish some difficult 10 obey Yet what
lie commands lie viii give strength 20 Ue
form. and the word OF Cana Is the word
today. Whatsoever He saith unto you,
do q
But there is another limit. which 10 still
farther 90 the horizon OF life. the limit Of
Gods promises. Gods promises are in
HIM yea and amen. Some one has ssd that
Gods promiSs are the Lords branches
hanging over the water. that our Lord's
silly. haiidrowued children may TAX. a
uIp Of them Rather are they gllmpses Ot
the mountain top. inspiring the traveller 90
mount the heights that be may sec .he
heavenly realms beyond Yet all OF Gods
promises have expressed or implied condI-